scene 5

• "come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here"


  • asking for her femininity to be removed because she realises it constrains her
  • as a woman in a patriarchal society she realises she is seen as inferior to men because she’s a woman
  • she thinks being “unsex(ed)” it will allow her to be more masculine and tyrannical
• “Stop up the access passage to remorse“

  • an understanding that in order for her to be this violent tyrant and cruel oppressive leader she has to remove her femininity
  • The idea of “remorse” meaning guilt, she knows she is more prone to being like that as a woman because woman have a maternal instinct and are more compassionate and caring
  • In order to fulfill this violent image that she wants to be and this violent person she wants to be she has to stop the remorse and a way that she can do that is by removing her femininity
• “Yet I do fear thy nature it is too full of the milk of human kindness“

  • she is so ambitious for herself and Macbeth to beat these tyrannical and barbaric leaders she thinks the best way to help Macbeth achieve that is by emasculating him (making him feel less of a man)
  • “milk of human kindness“ drawing parallels to Macbeth being alike to a baby which emasculates Macbeth who’s identity is being brave and strong and she makes him feel less than that - atypical of a woman to make a man feel like than in Jacobean times
• “That I may pour my spirit in thine ear”

  • her ambition is so strong and so potent that she is willing to go to any extent to manipulate and deceive Macbeth
  • The idea of pouring her “spirits in thine ear” she’s pouring this manipulation into Macbeth
  • She’s duplicitous as she is so ambitious to be this tyrannical leader
• “These deeds must not be thought after these ways so it will make us mad”

  • she is downplaying macbeths guilt saying we shouldn’t think of them, they’ll make us mad
  • She’s patronising and ridiculing Macbet’s guilt
  • This is ironic as because lady macbeth becomes engulfed by the guilt and descends into madness by the end of the play
• “The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements”

  • saying as a raven is normally a symbol of death, but it’s described as hoarse from croaking
  • Shows a foreboding of duncans arrival
  • “Under my battlements“ suggests that this death will commence under her control and her plan
  • No guilt or remorse