Gender

• Make thick my blood, stop up th' access and passage to remorse." (Act 1)

  Imperative (commanding words): The imperative "make thick my blood" illustrates how

  she commands for emotional restraint and a callous (cruel) indifference.

  Recognising that her aspirations for tyranny require a detachment from femininity and

  the accompanying emotions, Lady Macbeth seeks to rid herself of these elements to

  pave the way for her ruthless ambitions.

  Femme fatale: This is a seductive and manipulative woman who can lure men into

  danger or sin- it is a common trope within literature and poetry. She is thus a femme

  fatale as she not only is manipulative but rejects her womanhood and motherhood- a

  typical trope (theme or idea) of a femme fatale.
• "Dash'd the brains out" (Act 1).


  already
• How It Links To Ambition:

  Recognising that her aspirations for tyranny require a detachment from

  femininity and the accompanying emotions, Lady Macbeth seeks to rid herself of these

  elements to pave the way for her ruthless ambitions.
• How It Links To Violence:

  Lady Macbeth's ambitions defied Jacobean norms where women were confined

  to maternal roles. Unconventional and marked by a ruthless thirst for power, her desires

  departed from societal expectations, reflecting a relentless pursuit of invincible authority.
• How It Links To Appearance vs reality:

  Lady Macbeth personifies this theme by subverting societal

  expectations of femininity. While projecting an image of fragility (weak) and subservience

  (obey what others say), her true nature emerges as the potent and domineering force

  behind Macbeth's bloodthirsty actions.