Lady Macbeth Should Be Chargeed With First-Degree Murder

Camryn Frisby
Skidmore
English 10
3 March 2023 Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, today I will be telling you why Lady Macbeth should be charged with first-degree murder. Your duty as jurors is to look at the evidence and make a choice based on the facts. Lady Macbeth is clearly guilty of first-degree murder because she took part in planning the crime and hiding the weapon that was used to commit the crime.
Lady Macbeth did not murder King Duncan but she planned to murder him, she says “When in swinish sleep Their drenched natures lies as in a death” (1.7.77-78). Her plan was to drug the guard’s with wine so they will pass out and then Macbeth could walk right passed them to king Duncan’s room to kill him. She also admits to the crime when she says “That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold” (2.2.1-2).

She didn’t kill King Duncan herself but she laid out the daggers for Macbeth to kill him. She has confessed to getting things ready for the crime to be committed.
Lady Macbeth disposed of the weapon and says “Give me the daggers/ The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures” (2.2. 69-70). When she says “The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures” she is saying that King Duncan is as good as dead. She is also saying that when they kill them they will just look like they are sleeping.
Lady Macbeth may have been insane, but she says “Here’s the smell of blood still/ All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” (5.1. 53-55). If she had not committed this crime then why is she talking about the smell of blood on her hands? When she says “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” she is saying that nothing will ever cover up the smell of blood. If she had not committed the crime then she would not know what blood would smell like on her