Mrs Samsa Vs. Lady Macbeth

Even though both Lady Macbeth and Mrs. Samsa react negatively to Macbeth and Gregor’s transformations, their reaction’s impact on Macbeth and Gregor differ. Lady Macbeth does not attempt to change Macbeth back into a loving husband. Her initial reaction of disappointment and anger after Macbeth kills Duncan soon flips upside down when Macbeth is unphased by anything she says of does. Her lack of action eventually renders her paranoid. On the other hand, Mrs. Samsa shows hope for Gregor to transform back into his human form and Gregor’s life feeds off the love and hope his mother shows him. In addition, after the metamorphosis, Lady Macbeth cares more for Macbeth as she begins to notice that he lost interest in her. For example, during her sleepwalks, she pleads Macbeth to stop his mass murders knowing that Macbeth’s actions will lead to his own death. However, after Gregor’s metamorphosis, Mrs. Samsa never loved Gregor the way she did before his physical change. Furthermore, she cannot even bear the sight of her son without passing out and never thinks about visiting him. Lastly, throughout the entire play, Lady Macbeth has supported her husband and wanted to witness him achieve his goals of becoming King. She has always looked out for him even pretending to faint in order to lure attention away from Macbeth. On the contrary, Mrs. Samsa eventually loses hope in Gregor’s return and no longer believes that the bug she sees is her son. She even falls asleep during a conversation about killing Gregor. However, although Macbeth and Gregor were once praised men, the negative impact of Lady Macbeth and Mrs. Samsa’s reactions lead to their death.