I think Shakespeare presented Lady Macbeth as a powerful woman right from the start, because it makes the most sense. Macbeth is a brave warrior according to the soldier's testimony to Duncan earlier.
For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name--Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,Which smoked with bloody execution,Like valour's minion carved out his passageTill he faced the slave;Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,Till he...
I think Shakespeare presented Lady Macbeth as a powerful woman right from the start, because it makes the most sense. Macbeth is a brave warrior according to the soldier's testimony to Duncan earlier.
For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name--
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave;
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements.
Additionally, Macbeth is powerful politically as well. He's not some lowly grunt on the battlefield. He is a thane, which makes him a member of a ruling class. Not as powerful as a king, but definitely more powerful than some grunt or servant. Lady Macbeth, as Macbeth's wife, is used to being the wife of a powerful man and thane. She is used to having servants. She is used to power and used to being obeyed. She is used to getting her way. To me, it makes sense that she is presented as powerful, because she is powerful. It also makes sense that she would be very tempted to continue gaining more power. By introducing her as powerful, Shakespeare makes Lady Macbeth into something that I would already expect, and then within a few scenes, Shakespeare takes her to the next level of power hungry.
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