lady macbeth

• unsex me here 


  shows that she is willing to disregard all of her feminine traits
• out damn spot


  shows that she is desperate to remove the imagined blood (guilt) from her hands,it is impossible to escape
• all the perfumes of arabia cannot sweeten this little hand


  she cannot get rid of her guilt
• dashd the brains out 


  shows that lady macbeth is willing to commit cruel and un lady like actions for macbeth
• yet i do fear thy nature is too full of the milk of human kindness 


  -lady macbeth is surprisingly critical of macbeth with milk having connotations of innocence and childhood
• take my milk for gall 


  -asking to replace her milk with poison shows her disregard for her femininity,including a basic maternal instinct

  -highly shocking for the audience and sets a tone to her character through out the play
• hands ne’er be clean 


  -mirrors how she wasnt too affected by the blood in act two

  -shows signs of ptsd and shows how she now feels guilt
• yet who would’ve thought the old man… to have had so much blood in him


  -Lady Macbeth obsession with blood links back to act two

  -Her lack of sleep reflects her guilt

  -“old man“ represents Duncan how she thought his death wouldn’t mean anything however now she feels guilt for what she has done
• all the perfumes of arabia will not sweeten this little hand 


  -shows that deep down she can’t change what has happened so could foreshadow how she wants to control her life
• what is done cannot be undone


  This time she’s focusing on what she wants “undone” rather than what she was happy to have “done”
• whats done is done

  Here, lady Macbeth criticises Macbeth for his regret

  This line is mirrored when Macbeth clearly regrets what she has done
• my dearest partner of greatness


  -shows the equality of macbeth and lady macbeths relationship at the start of the play

  -this soon deteriorates as they commit their crimes
• the raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements


  -The animalistic imagery is heavily linked to death

  -Lady Macbeth shows her control by referring to the castle as her “while fatal“ shows Duncans demise is inevitable
• come thick night and Paul the in the dunnest Smoke of hell that my knife see not the wound it makes nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark

  darkness imagery links to the theme of deception

  Despite aligning herself with the devil lady, Macbeth still fears that heaven could hold her back
• look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it


  The snake links to the devil and the theme of deception
• A little water clears us of this deed


  Lady Macbeths flippant remark contrasts with my comment about Neptune oceans and her obsession with washing her hands
• my hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white


  here colour imagery demonstrates the contrast between Macbeth and Macbeth. It also maintains the focus on Macbeths guilty hands