In society, there are two types of people. There are leaders, and there are followers. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is seen as a leader, and Macbeth is her follower. With such diverse personalities, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are two comparable characters. They each crave power but have different leadership roles and consider consequences differently.

As the play begins, the Weird Sisters introduce Macbeth to their prophesy that he will become king of Scotland (1.3.53). This prophesy stirs his craving for power, and he immediately begins contemplating that he must kill Duncan in order to receive the throne (1.4.55-60). His interest in always holding the power in his family is shown when he says to Lady Macbeth, "Bring forth men-children only, for thy undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males" (1.7.83-85). Macbeth wants male children so that he can keep the throne in his family even after he has...