Do we like them?

Do we like Lady Macbeth?

A character from Macbeth (c. 1606)

Our score: 2 out of 10. Brilliant and fiercely loyal to her husband, but she talks him into murder. We wouldn't back her, though we'd pay to watch her on stage.

Lady Macbeth is introduced reading a letter from her husband. In it he describes a prophecy from three witches that he will be king. Macbeth is a respected Scottish soldier, and the play follows what he and his wife will do to make the prophecy come true.

She is the sharper and more decisive of the two. She doubts her husband is ruthless enough, so she calls on dark forces to strip away her own pity. Then she shames him into acting. She is magnetic, but her ambition has no moral limits. Study guides read her 'unsex me' speech as a plea to lose her compassion, which she links with weakness.

She helps plan the murder of King Duncan while he is a guest in their castle. Once Macbeth is on the throne, he stops consulting her, and she loses her influence over him. Her guilt then consumes her. She sleepwalks and tries to wash imaginary blood from her hands, which is one of the most famous scenes in theatre.

We score her low because the harm is large and deliberate, and the loyalty and eventual remorse don't make up for it. She is a gripping character, but not one to back.