Lady Macbeth is definitely more villainous than her husband. She is a strong, fierce, and violent woman, which was very uncommon during the Shakespearean Era. Next to the three witches, she was the most influential person in Macbeth’s downfall. The three witches were the catalyst for Macbeth’s actions, and Lady Macbeth was the driving force. Since her relationship with Macbeth is on such a deep level, she can easily manipulate him to carry out such horrendous actions. Surprisingly, Lady Macbeth seems to be the dominant character in her marriage. This must have been quite a shock for viewers during this era. Although she does not display her power over Macbeth in public, she humiliates him in private in order to get what she wants.
As soon as Lady Macbeth learns of the witch’s prophecy, she devises an evil plan to kill the king. Her husband appears reluctant to carry out the plan, but after enduring his wife’s mocking he eventually agrees. Her greed and desire for power is made clear when she claims that she would murder her own baby while nursing in order to have the power Macbeth could have. Such a statement portrays her ruthless and cunning nature.
Despite how evil Lady Macbeth may seem she undoubtedly loves her husband. Love is apparent between the two when Macbeth sends his wife a letter sharing his news of a promising future. She also knows him quite well and realizes that in order to gain the wealth and power she desires, she must con him into her plans. She insults his masculinity on the night of Duncan’s murder, claiming that she will do it since he is unwilling. This suggests that she is above him in courage and strength. However, she is unable to commit the murder because the king resembles her father as he is sleeping. The fact that she in unable to commit the murder shows that she is not completely evil and does have a few benevolent emotions.
Although Lady Macbeth greatly influenced her husband to murder the king, Macbeth could not have committed the act if he was not somewhat villainous. Lady Macbeth is more upright about her evil nature and more ambitious, but it would be illogical to say that Macbeth is not evil as well. He wanted to murder Duncan just as much as Lady Macbeth, but did not have the courage and ruthless ambition his wife displayed. She is not selfish in her plan to kill Duncan, she knows it is what her husband truly wants and believes it will benefit both of them.
After murdering the king, Macbeth grows more comfortable with committing sinful acts. This is apparent in his murdering of Duncan’s two servants. He murders them carelessly and is not thoughtful or guilty afterwards. Since the murder of Duncan was so dangerous and extreme, the murder of two servants seems like easy work for Macbeth. I still believe that Lady Macbeth is more villainous due to her cunning and sly nature, but Macbeth’s villainous actions should not be overlooked.
