lady macbeth

• "Dash'd the brains out"
A1S7


  -The merciless act of rejecting maternal inclinations characterises Lady Macbeth as violent and determined - she effectively competes with Macbeth, who as a man of that era, could not be weaker than a woman.

  -Amoral (no sense of morals) - as she feels an absence of guilt in the destruction of innocent life.

  -Links her to the supernatural as both Lady Macbeth and the Witches' have a disregard for fragile human life.
• "A little water clears us of this deed"
A2S3


  -Over-powering ambition obstructs her from seeing Macbeth's genuine distress

  • Litotes (under-exaggeration) and euphemism of "little" and "deed" downplay murder - tries to disassociate herself and Macbeth from the murder

  • LM fails to face reality of regicide - must placate it into less heinous words in order to keep her, albeit temporary, composure

  • Laced with irony as LM shifts to melodramatic state of insanity - begins to speak with hyperboles as guilt takes over

  • Motif: water = innocence and purity vs the blood used to represent guilt
• "All the perfumes Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
A5S1


  -Hyperbole exaggerates permanence and overwhelming nature of guilt, she cannot ever erase the smell - echoes Macbeth - "will all great Neptune's ocean"

  • Verb "sweeten" is the opposite to everything she has called for (e.g. "gall") – LM realises her call for darkness was misplaced

  • Metaphor - she cannot literally access all perfumes - exaggerates stench of blood: metaphorically marked by crimes

  • The declaration as a statement suggests LM’s sense of certainty that she cannot escape these crimes, nor the consequences
• "Come you spirits" "Pour my spirits"
 A1S5

  • It seems that LM is almost casting a spell as "spirits" alludes to a dark supernatural force

  • LM yearns to be rid of her femininity to encompass the inhumane and witchlike role that would grant her power

  • Her androgynous nature would be perceived to be supernatural by a contemporary audience, as the gender roles in the Jacobean era were rigid

  • She is a femme fatale as she not only is manipulative but rejects her womanhood and motherhood - typical trope

  • Her manipulation is salient as she wants to taint Macbeth's mind with her "spirits"
• "You lack the season of all natures, sleep"
 A3S4

  • This is the antithesis to her previous violent depiction; it seems she is now trying to moderate and quell his evil, simultaneously trying to calm his mind.

  • She is comparatively passive and is preoccupied with "sleep" - a motif for peace and innocence.

  • It appears she is yearning to reverse the murderous chaos as she realises her role as queen is not what she expected

  • "Nature" suggests the turmoil caused by disrupting the natural order
• "Out, damned spot! Out I say!"
 A5S1


  • This "spot" is emblematic of the scar the murder has created on her mind.• By the contemporary audience, madness was often perceived as a sign of being possessed by demons - it was believed that witches and demons had a "spot" on their bodies which identifies them as evil.• Reinforced by adjective "damned" as it connotes to hell.• Suggests a loss of power, as she uses imperative verbs, yet they do not work in her favour anymore.
• "Unsex me here!" A1S5

  • LM is presented here as masculine through the use of an imperative.

  • This shows that LM desires to become a man in order to commit the deed of killing Duncan, as she believes it's a masculine thing to murder someone. The stereotypes of a typical woman of that time were being feminine, submissive and caring, which Lady Macbeth isn't.

  • Explicit rejection of traditionally female behaviour - LM is rejecting the typical patriarchal society of the time - not only is she prepared to be cruel, but is willing to go through the "direst" length to fulfil her ambitions.
• "Too full o'th' milk of human kindness."
A1S5

  • Macbeth is "too full", implying he is not only good-natured, but he is "too" full - stops him achieving the crown

  • Image of "milk" associates with a comforting, soothing nature, a symbol for femininity and maternal nurturing - not what LM thinks is required to be king

  • Shakespearean context - should be women who are gentle and kind, not men - also seen that LM is rejecting notion of femininity

  • Phrase "human" kindness - LM implies Macbeth needs to be inhuman, perhaps even supernatural like the witches to succeed, replacing milk with evil
• "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't"
 A1S5

  • Simile and imagery of "innocent flower" highlights goodness, but also vulnerability of honest human behaviour• Juxtaposition with the evil "serpent" is a biblical reference to serpent in the Genesis, who helped bring sin to the world - audience would link this with the devil- LM would rather act like the devil than a moral human being• "under't" implies evil is underneath all our behaviour• Alludes to a coin created to commemorate the Gunpowder Plot - crimes of this magnitude cannot and will not go unpunished
• "When you durst do it, then you were a man."
A1S7

  • LM is controlling and attacking Macbeth's masculinity, trying to force him to kill Duncan - possibly suggests he commits regicide to prove himself

  • LM constantly questions his masculinity and challenges his strength, - wants him to be bold and seize the opportunity to be king

  • Rhetorical question - she knows he is a man but patronises / emasculates him

  • Dangers of patriarchy, oppressing men - they are to be seen as courageous, not for values and character

  • LM goes against gender roles, which would surprise a contemporary audience
• LM “dash’d the brains out”
• LM “a little water clears us of this deed”
• LM “all the perfumes arabia will not sweeten this little hand”
• LM “come you spirits” “pour my spirits”
• LM “you lack the season of all natures, sleep”
• LM “out, damned spot! Out i say”
• LM “Unsex me here”
• LM “too full o’th milk of human kindness”
• LM “look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t”
• LM “when you durst do it, then you were a man”