Lady Macbeth

• Lady Macbeth

  • Intriguing character
  • Controversial character
  • Defies stereotypical ideal of a wife and mother
  • Manipulates Macbeth into committing terrible crimes
  • Not just a ruthless, cold-blooded villain
• In the 1600s when this play was written, women were not allowed to have a formal education or to vote, and legally belonged to their fathers and later their husbands
• Women were expected to be dutiful and meek companions to their husbands, and discouraged from having strong opinions
• Gender roles


  A theme that regularly resurfaces throughout the play
• Lady Macbeth's introduction


  1. Reads Macbeth's letter

  2. Displays willingness to help him usurp the throne

  3. Worries Macbeth will not be able to carry out the deed

  4. Aware of the effect she has on Macbeth and how to persuade him
• Lady Macbeth's speech

  • Tends towards themes of darkness and evil supernatural powers
  • Asks to be "unsexed" to rid herself of feminine traits
  • Suggests Macbeth is less of a man for not wanting to kill the king
• Lady Macbeth is the mastermind behind the plan to kill King Duncan
• Lady Macbeth's calm exterior slips when Macbeth is not with her

  She has doubts about his abilities
• Lady Macbeth scolds Macbeth for his shaken reaction after the murder and tries to frame the guards
• Lady Macbeth puts on an award-worthy performance of ignorance and surprise after Macduff discovers the body
• Lady Macbeth appears to have a quiet moment of doubt when left on her own


  But snaps back to her calculated exterior when Macbeth enters
• At the banquet, Lady Macbeth tries to maintain a show of calmness and merriment

  But snaps at Macbeth to get his act together
• Lady Macbeth's last line foreshadows her future torment
• Lady Macbeth is troubled by sleepwalking and cannot stop rubbing her hands as if washing them
• Lady Macbeth's rantings reveal her true nature and the guilt and fear she has harbored throughout the play
• Lady Macbeth's inability to outwardly express her emotions like Macbeth is the reason for her demise
• Lady Macbeth's destructive tendencies and unethical approach to achieving her goals prevent her from finding lasting contentment and trigger her inevitable downfall
• Lady Macbeth is willing to help Macbeth become king

  • '' Shalt be what tho art promised ''
• Questions Macbeths Masculinity - act 1 sc5

  • '' too full o'th' milk of human kindness''
  • noun '' milk '' secreted by female mammals for the nourishment of their young. we can suggest that she see Macbeth as a child and is to innocent to carry out the deed.
  • Adjective '' kindness'' could suggest that she doesn't want him to end up like Duncan dead as he was to kind and loyal.
• • '' pour thine spirts in thine ear ''
  • noun '' spirts'' calling on the supernatural evil spirts
  • the audience of the time would be shocked and would see lady Macbeth as the fourth witch.
  • Shakespeare trying to teach us that giving women to much power leads evil spirts
• '' golden round ''

  • we could suggest that she talking about the grown.
  • adjective '' golden '' is bright and attractive had conations of the noun '' gold '' which symbolism of money and power.
  • this crown that she talking about is attractive and powerful however the crown can be removed and is nit fixed therefore is foreshadowing when Macduff kills Macbeth and restores the throne to the correct leader.
• Speech lends toward evil spirts

  • ''come you spirts '' - preposition ''come '' is presented like a command Lady Macbeth has become so powerful she is demanding the spirts to come.
• Speech lends toward evil spirts

  • '' that tend on mortal thoughts ''
  • Adjective '' mortal '' an individual destined to die because you are susceptible to death. she hinting on the mortal death of king Duncan and foreshadowing her and Macbeths death due to their evil ways.
  • she asked for mortal thought she becomes mortal
• '' unsex me here ''

  • verb '' unsex'' shows that Lady Macbeth wants to remove all weakness associated with being a female and become male.
  • Gender roles switched as she act like a man while Macbeth act like a women weak the audience would be confused.
  • remove stereotypical women traits
  • she doesn't already have these quality she may be a facade
• '' fill me from the crown to the toe top - full of direst cruelty '' act1 sc5

  • Noun '' crown '' worn by a monarch as a symbol of authority. crown can be removed therefore suggest that the evil spirts and her power is easily removable. Foreshadows when she comes crazy and becomes weak and commits suicide.
  • Adjective '' direst , cruelty '' means something serious and dangerous
• '' thick night , dunnest smoke of hell , blanket of the dark ''

  • she drawn to darkness like her husband
  • to cover her sins
• Manipulates Macbeth ( courage)

  • '' art tho afeard , to be the same in thine own act and valour as tho art in desire?
• Manipulates Macbeth ( Manhood )

  • '' when you durst do it then you were a man .... you would be so much more than a man ''
• Lady Macbeth use the stereotypical masculine views at the time to get what she wants so shows that Macbeth lack of desire to kill make him less masculine
• Compares him to a women

  • As she would go as far to kill her own child to get what she wants. so she is seen as more of a man than him which would be embarrassing for him at the time
• Calm exterior disappears as she wait for Macbeth to come back

  • '' I am afraid they have awaked and 'tis not done, I laid their daggers ready , he could noy miss' em.
• If Lady Macbeth was with her husband she would not be scared as she can no longer control him.

  • '' Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done't''
  • suggest that she is more masculine than Macbeth but revels a vulnerable side as she wont kill Duncan as she reminds her of her father - she capable of empathy, and strengths the possibility of her persona of being a facde.
  • deep down she fears she not as ruthless as she seems.
• '' consider it not so deeply ''

  '' infirm of purpose , Give me the daggers 'tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil.

  • ACT 2 sc2 after Macbeth kills Duncan
• put on a show of fainting and ignorance when Duncan's body is found

  • plays in the stereotypical view of women at the time - they can not handle blood or stomach acts of violence.
• '' Naught's had , all's spent , desire is got without content , destruction dwell in doubtful joy''

  • moment of doubt can't enjoy they victory as they live in constant fear of the consequences
• she can constantly snap back to her calculated exterior
• '' what's is done is done'' - act 3 sc2
• Lady Macbeth is enraged at his inability to maintain his composure and questions his masculinity.

  • '' Are you a man .... these flaws and starts impostors to true fear , would well become a women story at a winters fire'' .
  • associates fear with women
• Lady Macbeth lashes out at Macbeth this could be because he is a afraid of the consequences of their actions and deals with it by lashing out at Macbeth. - her fear is leaking through her hard exterior
• Act3 sc4

  • '' you lack the season of all natures sleep''