Act 1 Scene 5 Flashcards
What does Lady Macbeth think of Macbeth?
Lady Macbeth openly admits that despite her husband’s ambition, he is incapable of acting dishonourably to achieve his goals.
“I fear thy nature, it is too full o’th’milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way.”
She thinks he is too kind to achieve his goals the easy way; she fears he is not capable of killing Duncan - this relates to the theme of appearance vs reality.
Is LM happy with Macbeth’s nature?
Lady Macbeth says that Macbeth is honourable and kind, and to her, this is not a desirable attribute, just like the witches; she wants Macbeth to become cruel so that he is able to kill the King and gain power - Lady Macbeth scorns her husband’s good qualities.
Why were Lady Macbeth’s thoughts in Act 1 Scene 5 shocking?
Lady Macbeth invokes evil spirits to achieve her goals; women were expected to be nourishing and loving, while LM’s presentation completely contradicts these qualities - LM is shown to be crossing to the dark, supernatural side of evil.
What does Lady Macbeth say when she encourages Macbeth to hide his true desires and appear honourable, which relates to appearance vs reality?
“Look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.”
(Also an allusion to the animal imagery that Shakespeare explores earlier in the play.)
What is Macbeth’s response to Lady Macbeth’s persuasion to kill Duncan?
“We will speak further-“
This quote shows that Macbeth does not want to continue the conversation, perhaps either because he has decided what he will do, or because he wishes to avoid arguments.
Who is dominant in the Macbeths’ relationship?
It is clear that Lady Macbeth is dominant, through her comments about Macbeth to his face; while all the noblemen fear him, LM seems to look down on him, which can be used to manipulate him, as seen later in the play.
