Although Lady Macbeth seemed callous and cruel at the beginning of The Tragedy of Macbeth, the reader begins to see events that negate her wickedness as the play progresses, such as her statement about how she would have killed King Duncan if not for his resemblance to her father, killing Banquo, and losing her sanity in the last act. At first, Lady Macbeth could have been characterized as evil and evil due to her ambition and manipulation of Macbeth. By the end, however, we begin to see how guilt, shame, and regret alter his emotions. Shakespeare uses this change in emotions to explain to the reader why Lady Macbeth was not the monster she claimed to be. The emphasis on evil and monstrous qualities at the beginning contrasts with the feelings of remorse at the end. The first clue that showed Lady Macbeth was not a monster was her statement about how she would have killed King Duncan if not for his resemblance to his father. After Macbeth revealed to her that there was a possibility that he would become king, she reasoned that Macbeth was too good to do the bad things necessary to become king. She called upon the spirits to make her more of a man and less of a woman. She also asked them to thicken her blood so that she would not be affected by feelings of remorse or guilt. When Macbeth arrived at the castle, he did not know whether or not he should kill the king. When Duncan arrived, Lady Macbeth persuaded and manipulated Macbeth into committing the murder by questioning his manhood. After Macbeth murders Duncan, the reader begins to understand that Lady Macbeth was not as cruel as she claimed when she said, "If he had not looked like my father in his sleep, I would would have done. of paper...the reader begins to see events where Shakespeare didn't want them to judge her harshly, such as her statement about how she would have killed King Duncan if it wasn't for her resemblance to his father, the murder of Banquo and the loss of his sanity. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth could be portrayed as a ruthless, cruel, and ambitious woman because of the pressure she put on Macbeth, but in the end we see that Lady Macbeth was all talk. She wasn't as tough as she made herself out to be. The evil and monstrous qualities of the beginning were contrasted by feelings of guilt, remorse, shame and regret at the end. Works cited by Beers, G. Kylene and Lee Odell. The tragedy of Macbeth. Holt Elements of Literature:. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2007. 440-520. Print. Crowther, John, ed. “No fear, Macbeth.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Internet. October 30. 2013.