Lady Macbeth calls on ‘spirits’ may refer to witches/supernatural
Forcing the ‘unsex me here’ in order to become powerful and show dominance
Needs to be stripped of here femininity due to the patriarchal society favouring masculinity (objects/subverts conventional women)
Witches seen as evil whereas Lady Macbeth is seen as the victim as an audience wouldn‘t have accepted a pure evil upper class woman
“look like th’innocent flower / But be the serpent under’t”
Flowers usually seen as innocent and extremely feminine
Now Lady Macbeth has stripped herself of her femininity and has shown masculinity, she uses the quote to cause her husband but describing her self consciousness
‘serpent’ - evil coming in disguise as a snake (tempt people to commit a sin which can also link to Adam and Eve)
also relates to Appearance vs Reality which emasculates Macbeth
“When durst do it, then you were a man”
Lady Macbeth successfully manipulates Macbeth into taking action
This initial conflict over whether to commit regicide, seen with Macbeth and himself and Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, is resolved when Macbeth acts
“dashed the brains out”
??
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say”
Lady Macbeth has been seen as a bold but evil character
Manipulates Macbeth to commit regicide
Appears more manly through play
Fearless, manipulative, transgressive
HOWEVER in her final act she appears fragile and guilty
Repetition of ‘out’ shows her desperation to rid herself of her guilt
exclamative reveals her panicked state
“will these hands ne’er be clean?”
the blood she attempts to wash from her hands symbolises guilt at her and her husbands role in the murders
she‘s gone mad which is opposing herself from earlier in the play
her descent into madness due to her overwhelming guilt prepares us for her suicide
