Lady Macbeth
The ambitious partner who pushes their reluctant other half into doing something terrible โ and is the first to crack from the guilt.
Origin
Macbeth's wife in the Scottish play. She receives his letter about the witches' prophecy and immediately starts plotting murder. When Macbeth wavers, she questions his manhood until he goes through with killing the king. Later she sleepwalks, hallucinates blood on her hands ('Out, damned spot!'), and kills herself.
Modern usage
Used in political and corporate gossip for any spouse, partner, or chief of staff seen as the real engine behind an ambitious figure. The 'Out, damned spot' line is canonical shorthand for guilt that won't wash off.
In the wild
The reporting cast her as a Lady Macbeth figure behind the campaign.โ political journalism
Tags
Related
Shakespeare
Macbeth
The Scottish lord whose ambition consumes him and his wife.
Greek Mythology
Hubris
Self-confidence so excessive it invites destruction.
Shakespeare
Out, Damned Spot
Guilt โ usually for something that can't be undone โ that won't go away no matter how hard you try to wash it off.