In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth conspire together, plotting to assassinate the King of Scotland, King Duncan. Lady Macbeth spares no sentiment upon the notion of killing Duncan, much to the dispute of her husband. Her uncharacteristic manly ambition to help her husband seize the throne conflicts with the stereotype of the typical noble woman of the time. Lady Macbeth's callous nature, coupled with her unwomanly virtues produces unprecedented misfortunes which causes …showed first 75 words of 1425 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1425 total…different, Macbeth must look to his wife for instructions and encouragement and even chastisement. Lady Macduff fears for her family and is upset that her husband has left, but he is clearly in charge. She embraces her children with the tenderness of a mother that Lady Macbeth wishes she could rid herself of. Lady Macduff is the startling contrast of Lady Macbeth and she is the generally accepted view of medieval women of the time.