In Macbeth by William Shakespeare we meet Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth was a very ambitious and determined woman who knew what she wanted. She was the biggest influence in the crimes that Macbeth committed. The witches appeared in the beginning of the play and told Macbeth and Banquo some prophecies. The prophecies were that Macbeth was to become Thane of Glaims, Thane of Cowdor, and king. They also said that Banquo's descendants would also become kings. After hearing these prophecies, Lady Macbeth was determined to become royalty and encouraged Macbeth to murder Duncan. She wanted to encourage her husband to become the king so that she could become the queen by default. She manipulated Macbeth to murder Duncan. After he killed the king he took it upon himself to also kill his friend Banquo and tried to kill Banquo's son Fleance but Fleance escaped. He also sent hired killers to murder Lady Macduff and her child. After the murders and seeing their lives in ruin, Lady Macbeth felt the guilt and was disturbed up to the point of suicide. .
While sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth recounts all of the crimes committed by herself and her husband. "Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeared?" she chides Macbeth, degrading him as a soldier and a man and continues with," What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our .
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pow"r to accompt" if he should be afraid to follow through on the plan to murder King Duncan. "Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?", she asks as she expresses her disbelief on how complicated it is to kill Duncan. "Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One; two. Why then "tis time to do't. Hell is murky." She exclaims in her sleep, which illustrates her mental deterioration and guilt.
The downfall of Macbeth was mainly because of Lady Macbeth's ambition. If it weren't for her, Macbeth would not have gone through with the murder. After he could not live a normal life because of a disturbed conscience, he started in downward spirals, which lead to the suicide of Lady Macbeth and finally the death of Macbeth.