Cost Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Cost Management - Assignment Example In profitability analysis, the foreign exchange rates play a determinant role and the article clearly highlights the role of FX banks in fixing the problem. The article not only highlights the current trends and challenges of e-commerce in the United States, but is also points out the ways in which on-line merchants can manage their FX risks. Essentially, the merchants demonstrate greed because they do not want to accept foreign policy and subsequently, deal with foreign currencies. They are attempting to manage their cost through avoidance of foreign levies that their products and services may attract. In this regard, the on-line merchants engage their FX banks in their attempts to produce a balanced scorecard. The major reason for this is that the third party providers are the ones who outsource FX risks for the on-line merchants. Managing foreign exchange is a complex affair in cost accounting and the merchants in the article have to do so with the help of their FX banks. These accounting issues require in-depth financial analysis and the article brings a relevant perspective to the course content. Indeed, e-commerce requires some balancing act in order to sail though the turbulent market, especially for merchants with a global market. In finance and Accounting, foreign exchange plays an important role in determining the extent to which the on-line markets will operate. Besides, the course content compliments the article in the sense that FX banks are key stakeholders in cost Accounting as well as e-commerce. It is because different countries have different business policies that in most cases affect the on-line merchants. â€Å"E-Commerce Balancing Act: The Fine Art of Managing FX Risk.† HSBC Global Connections, 12 June 2014. Web. 21 June 2014. < https://globalconnections.hsbc.com/us/en/articles/ecommerce-balancing-act-fine-art-managing-fx-risk

Keystone Foundation A Organisation Located At Kotagiri History Essay

Keystone Foundation A Organisation Located At Kotagiri History Essay Keystone Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation located at Kotagiri, Tamil Nadu. Keystone started their operations with the indigenous communities of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR) in the year 1996. The idea for a livelihood intervention in the Nilgiris came up with a survey of the apiculture which the founders of Keystone took in the year 1994. This survey brought then in touch with the local communities living in the area and provided them an insight into the conditions of the tribal communities living in the NBR. The various issues faced by the local communities were as follows: Exploitation of tribal people by the middlemen/traders A lot of unfair practices with respect to weights and measures were being used by the middlemen The tribes had a poor bargaining power with the traders and had to sell their produce within days/weeks Most of the NTFP that the communities dealt with were directly linked to the problem of conservation of forests. The visit also provided them with more information about socio-cultural aspects of the communities. The larger issues of changes in land use, reduction in forest cover, overuse of fertilizers and pesticides came to the fore The Keystone foundation thus started its work in 1996 with the mission to enhance the Quality of life and the Environment with indigenous communities using eco-developmental approaches and sought to intervene in the NTFP space. Today, it has completed more than a decade in the Nilgiris and works with the communities on a whole lot of issues like apiculture, NTFP, water and land management, development of micro-enterprises and a whole lot of other issues that concern the people of this region. The communities impacted The NBR is home to a many indigenous communities. Hunting and food gathering are the prime occupation to many of these communities. The reserve contains various communities like Paniyas, Irulas, Kurumbas, Kuruchiyans, and Mullukurumbas etc. Each of these communities differs from the rest in some particular characteristic. Keystone works with the Kurumba and the Irula communities. Both the communities are pre-agricultural communities. Shifting agriculture was practised among the Irulas until some time ago. Today, most of these communities have settled down in a permanent place in the Nilgiris and have demarcated their land for agriculture. A mixed cropping system comprising of millets, maize, vegetable and fruits etc. is followed by the communities. Both Kurumbas and Irulas are primarily into honey hunting. While the former specialises in rock honey hunting the later community is involved in tree honey hunting. Both the communities are known for their methods of collection of plants ( for food and medicine) from the surrounding forests. The need for Intervention The intervention by Keystone Foundation was initiated to solve some of the following issues faced by the communities: The womenfolk of both the communities suffered from low blood count and anaemia. They often fell ill. Lack of nutritious food was one of the prime reasons for the low immunity which increased the susceptibility to diseases. Traditional practices which these tribes followed were on the decline. There was also a shift in the agriculture from food to plantation crops. Exploitation by middlemen and traders in the process of getting their produce to the market Degradation of forests at a rapid pace The Intervention Keystone planned its intervention in the following manner: Conduct a survey of flora and fauna available in the regions and document them. In addition to this, the various methods to harvest NTFP were also documented. Design a plan to obtain NTFPs from local sources at regular intervals Add value to the NTFP product through various means Set up a system of fair weights and measures together with a payments system that is transparent Generate employment opportunities for the tribal community in the process of value addition Help in setting up micro enterprises which will add value to the community through skill development Common Property Resources: The adivasi communities were dependent on common property resources like pasturelands for the purpose of agriculture. The manner in which these commons were use played an important part in the development of the community. The success of any institution built on these commons depended on the tenure rights the community had on the commons. There has been large scale encroachment on the commons and keystone had to work in clearing these hurdles before it could proceed further. The interests of other villagers in claiming forests as common property reduce if forests are encroached by a private owner. Old animosity also surface in collective actions in villages which can lead to a breakdown of the institution. Normally, lands are registered with a common title for the whole community in the case of adivasis. The very fact that the boundaries of these lands are not very clearly marked makes it difficult for the adivasi communities to claim them and easier for the private owners to encroach upon them. To help the villagers take up farming, Keystone first set out to help them demarcate their land. Staff from Keystone used GPS systems to identify the boundaries and marked them with plant species like Agave, Sapindus which were planted on these boundaries by the communities themselves. The identification of boundaries required many rounds of negotiations with the estate owners in area and also the help of forest guards. This helped many villages in recovering land for their common use. Around 27 acres that were taken away under a social forestry scheme was recovered by the villagers of Nedugalcombei. Vellericombei and Pudurcombei recovered 90 and 65 acres respectively. These plots were again demarcated by planting trees at the boundaries. In fact, Keystone with the support of villagers succeeded in recovering 80 acres of village land from Sajbhas Estate by getting into litigation for the same. This land has now been put to good use by cultivating millets, vegetables, coffee and spice s on it. The lands belonging to the adivasis in the Kotagiri and Coonoor regions have low biomass content. Most of these lands lie in the rain shadow region and are prone to landslips and erosions. Keystone supported the communities further by helping with the preparation of the lands that have been marked. This involved the process of building bunds and gully plugs of stone, helping to grow vegetative bunds on steep slopes and making contour trenches. The steps to improve the conditions of soil like mulching and increasing biomass were also undertaken. In addition to the above steps, Keystone also played the facilitators role in creating a nursery, a seed bank, improving the methods of irrigation used and helping then to use tanks made out of polyline from storing water. The villagers went through training courses in organic farming techniques which helped them to shift to the organic method. Additional capacity building measures in the form credit facilities and revolving fund was created for every group of farmers formed. These groups were formed in order to contribute labour to the land preparation activities. Each of the revolving funds was handled by the members of the co mmunity. Prior to the tasks of land preparation, Keystone engaged in a dialogue with the community to revive the traditional farming practices used by the community. An interaction between the elders and the youngster of the community help in bringing out many traditional practices and food recipes to the notice of the younger generation. Setting up of NTFP based micro enterprises Keystone Foundation set up micro enterprises to work on the processing of the non timber forest produce gathered by the villagers. These enterprises were set up with the following objectives in mind: To increase the income and employment in the village To help in improving infrastructure and knowledge skills of the tribals To help them understand the importance of adding value to the NTFPs so that they can obtain better returns for the same. The infrastructure for the enterprises was established by Keystone with the help of the donor funds it received for the purpose. The member of the community who were interested in getting involved with the functioning of the micro enterprises was grouped together. These groups governed the functioning of the community centres. The staff members from Keystone were involved in the day to day functioning of these centres and in the process the community members were also trained to do the same. These production centres were started with the aim of converting them into community managed institutions which were managed by the local community. The production centres were set up with the following factors in mind: Location: Each centre was located at a place that was easily accessible to the member of the various communities Processing: There was a restriction placed on the kind of NTFPs a centre could produce. Only the forest products that were available in plenty in the region were processed by that centre. Infrastructure: The provision for infrastructure was taken care by the foundation Management: The members of the community managed the functioning of the production centres. Protecting the commons One of the most used raw materials by the communities under the intervention of Keystone was the NTFPs. The usage of these had to be monitored regularly to prevent misuse and extinction of the resource. Keystone has come up with a good monitoring system in order to ensure that the stock of NTFPs is not used completely. The system works on the basis of trust within the community. As the tribal communities have a strong bond with each other, any action by any of the member will be known to the other members of the community. Keystone built a system of monitoring by the villagers that worked on this trust. The main features of the system were: Monitoring the farms of the group members by a villager. The people of the community took turns to perform the monitoring Frequent visits by Keystone staff to inspect the local farms. These visits also helped the staff to provide any suggestion to the member on how to improve on their farming methods This method of ecological monitoring that is followed by Keystone helps in maintains the livelihood of the members. A couple of examples of monitoring of the resource extraction are cited below: For NTFPs: The various characteristics of a new batch of honey that is brought in by the tribal are documented by Keystone. The documentation contains following data: Name of the honey hunters who extracted it The composition of the honey in terms of its water content The location of the hives i.e. the area where it is found and the height of the combs Details of the colonies of bees harvested etc Maps depicting the honey zones in the locality have been plotted. In order to maintain the gene pools, Keystone has labelled some of the locations as god cliffs. Any honey brought in by a new person is checked for its properties through various means before it can be accepted by the foundation. For cultivated produce: Keystone captures the various data of the farmers and verified any produce that is brought in using these records. This helps in keeping a check on over use of mismanagement of the resources. Leadership: At different stages in the intervention, Keystone foundation sought the help of leaders of the tribal communities for the mobilisation. As most of the tribal communities have closely knit society, the presence of the local leaders has played a very important role in the intervention by the foundation. With the setting up of seed banks and production centre, many of the locals were encouraged to take up leadership roles in the community. This ensured the continuous development of leaders with the villagers. Collective Entrepreneurship: Each of the production centres that processed the NTFPs gathered by the community members were managed by 4-6 members of the community. These centres were operated by these members on a rotational basis. The participants were all skilled in processing of NTFP that were gathered from the forests. These products produced were marketed at the Green Shop that were established by the foundation at selected locations. Conclusion The intervention by Keystone foundation in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve is an example of collective action on behalf of the tribal communities that inhabit this region. The initial phase of the intervention started off by getting the community members together to believe in collective action. Slowly over a period of time, with the support of the communities, Keystone was able to identify the commons and come up with a system of monitoring operated by the community members themselves. The controlled usage of the common resources led to an improvement in the status of the member of the communities. Keystone also succeeded in bringing about collective entrepreneurship among the tribes in order to market the products made by their people.

Improving Cyberspace :: essays research papers fc

Improving Cyberspace Thesis: Though governments cannot physically regulate the Internet, cyberspace needs regulations to prevent illegal activity, the destruction of morals, and child access to pornography. I. Introduction. II. Illegal activity online costs America millions and hurts our economy. A. It is impossible for our government to physically regulate cyberspace. 1. One government cannot regulate the Internet by itself. 2. The basic design of the Internet prohibits censorship. B. It is possible for America to censor the Internet. 1. All sites in America receive their address from the government. 2. The government could destroy the address for inappropriate material. 3. Existing federal laws regulate BBS's from inappropriate material. III. Censoring the Internet would establish moral standards. A. Pornography online is more harsh than any other media. 1. The material out there is highly perverse and sickening. 2. Some is not only illegal, but focuses on children. B. Many industries face problems from illegal activity online. 1. Floods of copyrighted material are illegally published online. 2. Innocent fans face problems for being good fans. IV. Online pornography is easily and illegally accessible to minors. A. In Michigan, anyone can access anything in cyberspace for free. 1. Mich-Net offers most of Michigan access with a local call. 2. The new Communications Decency Act could terminate Mich-net. B. BBS's offer callers access to adult material illegally. 1. Most BBS operators don't require proof of age. 2. Calls to BBS's are undetectable to a child's parents. V. Conclusion. "People don't inadvertently tune into alt.sex.pedophile while driving to a Sunday picnic with Aunt Gwendolyn" (Huber). For some reason, many people believe this philosophy and therefore think the Internet and other online areas should not be subject to censorship. The truth is, however, that computerized networks like the Internet are in desperate need of regulations. People can say, do, or create anything they wish, and as America has proved in the past, this type of situation just doesn't work. Though governments cannot physically regulate the Internet, cyberspace needs regulations to prevent illegal activity, the destruction of morals, and child access to pornography. First, censoring the online community would ease the tension on the computer software industry. Since the creation of the first computer networks, people have been exchanging data back and forth, but eventually people stopped transferring text, and started sending binaries, otherwise known as computer programs. Users like the idea; why would someone buy two software packages when they could buy one and trade for a copy of another with a friend? This philosophy has cost the computer industry millions, and companies like Microsoft have simply given up. Laws exist against exchanging computer software; violators face up to a $200,000 fine and/or five years imprisonment, but these laws are simply unenforced. Most businesses are violators as well.

Child Beauty Pageants Essay

Sparkling tiaras, beautiful gowns, glamorous hair and make-up; One would believe that this would be every little girl’s dream. Unfortunately this dream often turns into a horrible nightmare. The popularity of child beauty pageants seems to be rising every year causing more and more controversy. There are many different views and concerns that people seem to have on these types of pageants. Many of them do not agree with children being forced to fulfill their parents dream by taking place in a beauty pageant. The history of beauty pageants became part of the American society around the 1920’s. They originated as a marketing tool in 1921 by an Atlantic City hotel owner who was trying to attract tourist. Since then, pageants have become a major event in the lives of Americans. The online article written by Kareen Nussbaum exclaims that it wasn’t until the 1960’s when child beauty pageants really began. Back then, child pageants consist of modeling sportswear, evening attire, dance, and talent. The judging was based on the individual’s looks, talent, poise, perfection, and level of confidence. Pageants were conducted at political, educational, and entertainment venues. Many were scholarships were being offered through pageants, and beneficial programs were being facilitated. The pageantry world helped introduced a face to the faceless troubles of racism, handicaps, and illnesses. Since that time, a lot in the pageant industry has changed. Nowadays, they are anything buy conservative. Beauty pageants, like the ones on the show Toddlers and Tiaras, are not about natural looks but are based on such superficial things such as who has the most make up and best tan. Parents have a major role in most child beauty pageants. There are very few children who participate in pageantry without their parents. They are the ones who provide the money and connection into the pageant world. Several families who start their child in beauty pageants have generations of competitors that include grandmas, mothers, kids, and grandkids. Many believe that the mothers of children that are involved in beauty pageants live vicariously through their children. Too often, pageant moms have only one thing on their mind and that is for their child to win! Having their own mother/parent as their role model, the child will most likely have that same kind of attitude causing many problems throughout their life. There are many other reasons why child beauty pageants are unnecessary in today’s society. As children, they are most likely forced into the beauty pageants. Being too young to say no, the parents take control. Beauty pageants also sexualize young girls too early. They are exposed and become familiar with â€Å"womanly† items such as padded bras, high heels, and make-up. Instead of acting like their own age, the little girls believe to think they are older than they really are. High heels aren’t made for small feet. They needlessly push the child’s weight forward causing lower back pain and hindering proper development of their feet. Sometimes younger girls are forced to wear heels outside of pageants, because their feet have grown in a way that makes wearing other shoes uncomfortable. Hairspray is the most common widely used product in child pageants. Unfortunately, too much hairspray can actually stunt growth. The Psychology Corner claims that it contains certain chemicals that act as hormone disruptors that could be harmful to the body, and is linked to stunted growth and even lung cancer! If child beauty pageants weren’t allowed, these kinds of troubles wouldn’t be so prevalent. Cognitive and emotional problems are probably the most dangerous problems that beauty pageants can cause. They are capable to leading to many different kinds of disorders that could ruin a child’s life. A 2007 report by the American Psychological Association found that the hypersexualization of young girls is strongly associated with eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. Psychologists and psychiatrists largely agree that pageants reinforce negative female body image issues that result in eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. Beauty competitions emphasize the â€Å"barbie doll† image of what a beauty queen should look like. The problem with having that image is that there is no way for a person to be able to look like that. Even 25 years ago, top models and beauty queens weighed only 8% less than the average woman, now they weigh 23% less according to the Oprah Winfrey Network. Although Zinzi Williams states that many of the beauty pageants take part in community service, delivering a social message and help in bringing up funds for charity, numerous of them are exaggerated and mess with a young child’s mind. For about fifty years, beauty pageants have been teaching children to behave as young adults rather than acting their own age. Rather than focusing primarily on the idea of competition, pageants for younger children should be created to concentrate on the child’s talent, intelligence, poise, and confidence. While there can be some positive aspects of children beauty pageants, the physical and mental health of the participants will only continue to exacerbate. Works Cited â€Å"5 Facts about Beauty Pageants.† Oprah Winfrey Network. Harpo Productions, 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. Nussbaum, Kareen. â€Å"Children and Beauty Pagaents.† Beauty Pagaents. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. â€Å"Toddlers and children beauty pageants – Risk factors for severe psychological turmoils.† Psychology Corner. Psychology Corner, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. Williams, Zinzi. â€Å"Beauty Pageants and its Effects on Children.† Purduecal. N.p., 6 Dec. 2010. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.

Lady Macbeth is a fiend or a tragic figure Essay

The definition of a fiend is ‘an evil spirit’ or ‘a very wicked or cruel person’. This word conjures up many images in my mind, very much like the definition of what a fiend is. Notions of a person with no conscience or mercy enter my mind. What enters your mind when this word is implemented could change your views entirely. The first time we meet Lady Macbeth is when she is reading aloud a letter received from Macbeth. As soon as she has finished reading the letter, her thoughts immediately turn to the murder of Duncan. There is no hesitation, she has decided that she will do everything she can to make sure Macbeth becomes king. â€Å"Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be what thou art promis’d†. Lady Macbeth knows her husband has the ambition needed to commit treason, but is concerned he hasn’t got the evil in him to correspond with this aspiration. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s minds immediately consider the possibility of taking the king’s life when they are informed of the witches prophecies. Macbeth says â€Å"my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical†, which is implying that in his head, are visions of murder, but he does not yet know whether this will be carried out. Lady Macbeth, in contrast, believes whole-heartedly that this unlawful killing will take place. Lady Macbeth is power hungry, and she shows no deliberation over what might go amiss, or the consequences of her actions. Lady Macbeth’s considerations may well be all because she cares about Macbeth, and wants to provide him with what he lacks, ‘the illness’ that should accompany such ambition, so that he can fulfil his true potential. Lady Macbeth, immediately as she hears of Duncan’s arrival, calls on the supernatural force’s to remove all that makes her a woman, so she can perform the slaughter of the king. At this point I perceive Lady Macbeth as calling on the spirits to help her resort to evil, because she does not possess it naturally. However, some people’s views may differ to mine, and they could take the opinion that Lady Macbeth must not be a loving person to invite the spirits in, and question what kind of a woman would want her femininity eradicated, so that she could, in fact, become evil. She believes she can contend with the intrusion of unearthly spirits into her mind and soul, and the suppression of her femininity. The use of her language in this scene is dark and disturbing, ‘unsex me here’ and ‘take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers.’ At this point Shakespeare wants to make connections with hell, ‘dunnest smoke of hell’, this is all very mysterious and threatening. It is very hard to feel sympathy for her here, even though she isn’t involving herself for her own gain, and what happens to her later is all as a consequence of her devotion to Macbeth, and the fact that she did everything she could to make him exercise his full potential. The fact that she wants him to fulfil his potential is revealed throughout the play, for example, when she asks him if he is ‘afeard to be’ what in fact he would like to be. Tragic figures usually have a flaw in their character. I think Lady Macbeth’s flaw is that she didn’t have the evil in her in the first place, therefore she had to call on the spirits. Calling on the spirits was a significant error of judgement, and the outcome of this was the ending of Lady Macbeth’s life. When Lady Macbeth first greets Macbeth, she greets him with the titles the witches prophecies presented him with. This could be Shakespeare’s way of demonstrating that Lady Macbeth is in the same league as the supernatural forces that predicted the campaign for supremacy that follows. There are also other relations that Shakespeare makes between Lady Macbeth and the supernatural, these happen throughout the play, but are more subtle. He is always using the language of Lady Macbeth and distributing dark language throughout it. For example, ‘devil’, ‘hell’, ‘murdering’ and ‘blood’. Once Macbeth has informed his ‘dearest love’ of Duncan’s arrival, she swiftly launches into her plan of action, â€Å"O never shall sun that morrow see!† Lady Macbeth seizes the moment and takes control of the situation. She advises Macbeth to â€Å"bear welcome† in his eye, and â€Å"look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under ‘t.† This is something which Lady Macbeth frequently has to do, and later seems to come easily, for instance, when she speaks to Duncan. It doesn’t seem to come as easily to Macbeth, he finds it hard to stop his emotions displaying themselves through his actions and speech. Even though plotting to murder the king is very much a shared project, Lady Macbeth is the driving force behind the murder. Although, Lady Macbeth does not envisage there being any other murders. Here, I am unsure as to whether she wants to kill the king for Macbeth’s advantage, therefore being a selfless person and wanting to bring the best out of Macbeth. If not, did she do it all for her own benefit, so that she could have more control? Because, of course, she already has control over Macbeth, hence her reasons for being power hungry, once you have control, greediness sets in, and you yearn for more. She instructs Macbeth to â€Å"leave all the rest† to her, which again shows that she is dominant. The reason Lady Macbeth would be power hungry is because she has no power of her own, the only route to gaining authority for her is through her husband, Macbeth. Women in Shakespeare’s time didn’t have any individual power, they weren’t thought of as equals, and most didn’t learn how to read and write. Women had absolutely no rights. Therefore it makes sense for Lady Macbeth to want Macbeth to become king, as then she can gain supremacy too. She can make it seem to her husband, that she’s making an effort to help him develop his aspiration so that he can be better. When in fact, she is also driving him on for her own benefit. The â€Å"innocent flower† image is certainly portrayed in the way Lady Macbeth speaks to Duncan. They are very courteous towards each other, which is ironic, because of the horrendousness of what ensues. Lady Macbeth is at this point, a fiend in every way. She is planning to commit the grisly murder of the monarch of her country; yet, in greeting him she is well-mannered and gracious. If Duncan was addressing me as a â€Å"fair and noble hostess† and I was plotting his demise, this would make me feel a considerable amount of guilt. The fact that we see none of this influences me towards assuming the title â€Å"fiend† is one which is appropriate in this scene. Macbeth makes a decision, that going ahead with â€Å"th’ assassination† of the king would be a regretful deed. There are many reasons for his choice, he is afraid of going to hell and also Duncan is a wonderful king, people would miss him. Macbeth would like to be king, and wouldn’t mind murdering if there were no further consequences. Macbeth is not one to be easily deceived; he knows murder would entail many other things, for example, lies, deceit. He is not prepared to carry out his scheme. He admits he has no ‘spur’, and directly afterwards, enters Lady Macbeth, she is the spur that he is lacking, which is why Macbeth changes his mind, he now possesses the spur that he needed. Lady Macbeth makes him think he actually wants to be a murderer. She accuses him of not being a man, instead a â€Å"coward†, which to an individual which at one time was referred to as â€Å"brave†, â€Å"valiant† and â€Å"hardy†, could be deeply insulting. Macbeth could have dismissed what she said, if he had enough courage and control over himself. The fact he does not do this, shows Lady Macbeth as being in absolute control of him, and also an enormously influential part of Macbeth’s thinking, or it could show that Macbeth did want to go through with the murder after all, as he barely required much persuasion. She points out that Macbeth has already promised to undertake the elimination of Duncan, and that when he did this, neither time or place was appropriate, but he was going to find a way. Now though, time and place is appropriate, but he is afraid, therefore no longer a man. Lady Macbeth uses the brutal image of their lost baby to persuade Macbeth. This is an immensely important part of the play to me, as it may give a method to Lady Macbeth’s madness. Is the reason she has her sights set on murder to get justice for her dead child? Is she so consumed with burning rage, she believes another death will soothe her suffering? This makes me pity her greatly, she’s suffered so severely! However, my sympathy weakens as soon as she uses the image of the baby they were so obviously so passionate about as a tactic to manipulate Macbeth into performing a horrifying murder, of the worst kind. She knows this will weaken Macbeth’s resolve and paints a very graphic, violent picture of what she would have gone through with, if she had promised to do so. † I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, and dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.† Lady Macbeth interrupts Macbeth a lot and is dismissive towards his opinions. This demonstrates how Lady Macbeth is a fiend, she does not want to listen to his points of view or arguments, she is determined the murder will go ahead. She divulges her very detailed and well thought out plan to Macbeth. A detailed plot is more likely to have impact, as it gives the impression nothing can go wrong. Lady Macbeth disregards the consequences, shows no mercy for her king and is in relentless pursuit of power and authority. When Lady Macbeth talks about what has made her become bold, this also proves the point that she has not got the full evil in herself, as the alcohol she’s consumed has stimulated her further to commit the crime. When Lady Macbeth couldn’t kill Duncan we see a glimpse of humanity, she did it because she genuinely felt she couldn’t bring herself to murder someone who so closely resembled her father. If this was the case, it proves that Lady Macbeth isn’t as cold and hard-hearted as she is primarily portrayed. We know this is her mind, as she speaks alone. Macbeth regrets the murder immediately; he is distraught that he could not say ‘amen’. ‘I am afraid to think what I have done’. He cannot go back and face what he’s done; he’s so racked with guilt. Lady Macbeth on the other hand has to be strong, Macbeth has brought the murder weapons back, Lady Macbeth has to return them, and does it with no mercy for the king, she has not thought of the consequences yet, but this will come later. Lady Macbeth tries to downplay the murder that has so recently been committed, ‘consider it not so deeply. I think inside she is considering it, and this point is proved by her actions later on in the play, where she recounts the murder, replaying the conversations between her and her husband. ‘A little water clears us of this deed’ is crucial, and again shows that Lady Macbeth thinks her mind can be freed from what they’ve just done by washing their hands. She reiterates this so many times in her actions later on in the play, which shows that even though she was acting as though it wasn’t relevant, and didn’t affect her, in actual fact, the truth is that it did have an emotional impact. ‘These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so it will make us mad’, which is extremely ironic in view of the insanity that later follows. Lady Macbeth is the iron fist and icon of authority for Macbeth, but as he ceases to confide in Lady Macbeth, she loses control more and more. The first time we see evidence of this is when she has to be carried out, after Macbeth has murdered the guards; this is the first time we sense they are growing apart. There are many reasons she could have fainted, she could be shocked, as Macbeth has acted without her. Originally, Lady Macbeth had to use all of her influential powers, including brutal analogies of their deceased baby to persuade Macbeth to commit murder. Now however, he commits murder without even discussing it with Lady Macbeth, and it was worryingly easy for him. She thought that the murder of Duncan would be the end of killing, and she was not prepared for another instance of death, and she thought they were in it together. This is where we begin to commiserate with Lady Macbeth. A tragic character does acquire sympathy from the audience, a fiendish villain does not. Therefore Shakespeare’s intending the audience to perceive her as a tragedy. ‘Noughts had, all’s spent, where our desire is got without content: tis safer to be that which we destroy than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy’. Lady Macbeth is feeling remorseful, they have not gained anything, but lost everything, they are living in an insecure pleasure. She is doubting that what they’ve done was the right thing to do, but reveals none of this to her husband. Instead she asks him why he is keeping things from her, ‘why do you keep alone’, and why he is contemplating thoughts which she says should have died with Duncan. This is the beginning of the separation of the two characters, who were previously so united in their marriage. Macbeth doesn’t tell his wife that he plans to kill Banquo, even though she asks ‘what’s to be done?’ ‘Be innocent of the knowledge dearest chuck’, gives an insight into the way that Macbeth thinks of his wife, he believes her to be untarnished, and is stil l considering her feelings. The defining scene in the separation of Macbeth and his ‘fiend-like queen’ is the banquet scene. Lady Macbeth is behaving as the gracious, well mannered hostess, giving a respectable speech to her fellow nobles. This again portrays the ‘innocent flower’ image, but I am not sure that her ‘serpent’ exists now at all. I say this because she has no intentions of killing anyone, therefore she has the right to be polite and play the role of the humble host. However, she is keeping up the pretence that Macbeth is acting normally, and that his ‘fit is momentary’. She encourages her guests to ignore Macbeth, but I imagine that she is finding it hard enough to do for herself. She again insults him, ‘quite unmann’d in folly?’ She is trying to control him in the way she did before the murder, but it’s not having the same effect. This time it is different because she can’t understand what her husband is seeing, as she isn’t going through it with him. She nonetheless covers for him when his ‘fit’ returns. This demonstrates that Lady Macbeth is devoted to her husband incessantly. It doesn’t matter for her whether he returns this devotion or not. Macbeth is the reason she stays strong, therefore when he begins to desert her, she doesn’t have a reason anymore, so this could be a cause for her ‘infected mind’ later on in the play. She is beginning to lose understanding of Macbeth, and tells him he lacks ‘the season of all natures, sleep.’ This is a very significant line, as it is again ironic because the next time we see Lady Macbeth, she’s the one that is having trouble sleeping. This is not the first time Shakespeare has made Lady Macbeth foresee the future, without realising. I think he may be continuing to do this so that it is connecting Lady Macbeth with the supernatural. Lady Macbeth has invited the supernatural in, so this could also be Shakespeare’s way of emp hasizing this fact. When Lady Macbeth begins to sleepwalk, this is a true insight into her mind. We are finally seeing her true colours, and the gradual disintegration of her mind, mentality and soul is brought to a head. Her command is that she has light by her all the time, realistically, is this the demand of a fiend? Lady Macbeth finally realises the consequences of her behaviour, and is racked with guilt. I think this scene is all about revealing the true character of Lady Macbeth, and exposing the vulnerability of this individual, who at one time showed such strength, or did she? In Polanski’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is shown naked, which reveals her defencelessness perfectly. She’s looking for a way to free herself of the guilt she’s been carrying for so long. Somehow though, I think she knows this can never be achieved, ‘will these hands ne’er be clean?’ Some people could argue that Lady Macbeth is looking for redemption, which I whole-heartedly believe, however, they would probably also make the point that her misconduct has been too much to expect salvation. I don’t think that she’s asking for too much to be able to try and redeem herself though, a truly evil person surely wouldn’t want to escape guilt, as there would be none. The thought of evil, which Lady Macbeth once sought after and accepted, is now haunting her in her troublesome sleep. It proves she expected murder to end after they had killed Duncan, ‘the Thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now?’ She shows remorse, and tries to cleanse her hands of the corrupted stains of murder, but she knows that ‘all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.’ Some could maintain that Lady Macbeth deserves to be destroyed by evil, as she encouraged the spirits to enter her. Lady Macbeth’s conscience appears in private, whereas Macbeth’s emerges at a public banquet. This expresses the roles of men and women in Shakespeare’s day. Lady Macbeth returns to the times when her and Macbeth were closest, planning the murder together, and recounts conversations had. She is desperately trying to cling on to the person who she is so devoted to, but who has now abandoned her in his relentless pursuit for dominance. This factor points to her being a tragic figure, as we see her becoming increasingly isolated, and feel a heightening sense of pity for her. This scene marks the realisation of Lady Macbeth’s unavoidable descent to madness. I think death is welcomed by Lady Macbeth, as she knows she can never escape this swirl of grief and incessant guilt. In conclusion, Lady Macbeth’s character gradually degenerates through a false portrayal of unyielding strength, a shifting involvement with supernatural powers and gradual separation from her former life. Lady Macbeth invited evil into her life, which resulted in her being overpowered by the ‘spirits.’ There are two arguments as to whether Lady Macbeth is a fiend or a tragic figure. In my opinion, Lady Macbeth can sometimes appear as a fiend, but the overall view I have of her is as of a tragic figure, who in the end is so guilt-ridden that she takes her own life. She dominated the murder of Duncan, regarded her husband as someone she could manipulate, then when he isolated her, lost all sense of being and ended her life. She was selfish in the way that she wanted the murder to go ahead so that she could gain power, and calls on evil to support her, as she doesn’t contain it within herself. Some people might then argue that if she invited them in, she certainly deserves the dissolution of her mentality. I don’t think Lady Macbeth was aware of what the evil spirits would do to her. However, even if she was aware, would she still have called on them? I think not, but some could claim that she is so heartless she would have. Lady Macbeth never worries about the consequences until afterwards. Then it is too late for her to stop what she started. Lady Macbeth maintains human emotion throughout the whole play, for example, where she cannot kill the king because of his resemblance to her father. She is selfless in the way that everything she did, taking the daggers back, hatching the plan etc, was for Macbeth. She was totally devoted to him, even though he deserts her, when she needs him most. It is no coincidence that as soon as we sense the Macbeth’s growing apart, Lady Macbeth’s madness sets in. All in all, I don’t think Lady Macbeth deserves what she gets. Macbeth committed further crimes, yet he only showed initial guilt, but once he is past that, he becomes an unstoppable brute. She is a loyal, devoted character who is so isolated that she sees no way out. There is so much pressure, the murders of Banquo and Lady Macduff’s family return to haunt her conscience, even though she played no part in them. She is even feeling guilt for her husband’s murders, surely not a fiend-like quality? All of the pressure mounts up and she sees no means of regaining her life, and therefore decides to end her existence. She didn’t do it because she was weak, she did it because she was guilty and repentant.