Act 1 Scene 7 Flashcards
“Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem, letting I dare not wait upon I would, like the poor cat i’th’adage?”
Lady Macbeth accuses Macbeth of cowardice and lack of manliness. This would be odd to see for a Jacobean audience as the male is usually the dominant person.
the poor cat i’th’adage = the adage referred to is a proverb about a cat who wanted to fish but was afraid of water.
“I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.”
Lady Macbeth says that she would kill her own child rather than break such a promise as that made by made Macbeth. Here, the audience sees just how evil and cruel Lady Macbeth truly is.
“But screw your courage to the sticking-place.”
Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth to fix his courage firmly in place so it can’t move.
