Top Full of Direst Cruelty

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth read a letter from her husband and found one of his statement intriguing; three witches have foretold his future as being king. Upon her encounter with a messenger, she receive enough evidence to convince her that royalty was sure to come. Immediately, she has a soliloquy where she basically tells the audience that she will do anything within her reach to obtain the crown. If it was possible, she wished to remove all kindness and replace it with cruelty so that it would not cause her to feel guilt for actions to come. To emphasize this, she also states "From crown to toe." In this scene, Lady Macbeth takes the qualities of a traditional woman and completely reverse it. Usually, a woman would have characteristics such as being heartwarming, generous, obedient, etc., but Lady Macbeth rids herself from these traits and cover herself in greed and ambition. More so, she takes on a masculine position rather than a feminist one. Lady Macbeth is depicted as a character that takes on any available opportunity for power and fortune, as she is willing to sacrifice everything in doing so. But the setting, "Macbeth's Castle", implies that she is already in good standing with her husband and the idea of seeking even higher position supports her characterization. This description of herself may lead to possible influence on Macbeth's actions.