Guilt/Lady Macbeth Flashcards
“a little water clears us of this deed”
“Great business”
The act of washing your hands of blood becomes symbolic in the play. Shakespeare uses it to show how guilt persists beyond physical evidence. Lady Macbeth’s bold words “a little water clears us of this deed” come back to bite her, as in her final scene, we watch her repeatedly try to wash invisible blood off her hands- “out damn spot”. However, there are signs early on that Lady Macbeth isn’t as tough and cold-hearted as she wants to appear. She never refers explicitly to the murder or to blood: she uses euphemisms, such as “deed” and “great business”. This implies she can’t confront reality, and can’t face the grotesque or macabre. Shakespeare argues that guilt is the direct opposite of ambition. One focuses on the future, the other on the past. Ambition longs for power regardless of consequence, whereas guilt forces us to face the reality of our deeds.
“The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne’er be clean? No more o’that, my lord, no more o’that. You mar all with this starting,”
“Little water”
Lady Macbeth’s speech is incoherent, frantic, and continuous, as her internal monologue is said aloud. She alternates between worrying about her growing guilt and telling an imagined Macbeth off for jeopardising their plot. For example, in one long string of monologue, she says, “The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne’er be clean? No more o’that, my lord, no more o’that. You mar all with this starting,” going from panicking about their growing body-count to scolding Macbeth for being jumpy in an instant. The random, disjointed structure of her speech reflects how she’s torn between her ambition and her guilt. Part of her is holding onto the woman she was before, someone who was fearless and unsympathetic of Macbeth’s fear, while the rest of her is descending into remorse and grief. Therefore, there is a level of hypocrisy in her character. A case of situational irony is the way she worries about being unable to wash the blood from her hands: earlier, she thought a “little water” would clear her of guilt, but now she learns this isn’t true.
“nought’s had, all’s spent”
“Desire”
“Content”
Something significant about this quote is that Lady Macbeth says it when she’s alone on stage. This implies we can trust it more than other things she says, because she isn’t performing for an audience: as far as we can tell, she is being her genuine self. We see that she is admitting she is worried, something she would never want to confess to her husband. Both of the Macbeths are suffering from the same case of paranoia, but neither will confide in the other. The parallel phrases “nought’s had, all’s spent” s hows how Lady Macbeth’s thinking is black-and-white. She goes from one extreme to the other: from “nought” to “all”. Shakespeare implies that she sees no value in what they did unless they succeed fully - in other words, unless they never face consequences, and can enjoy life to the fullest. This portrays her as a selfish, unsatisfied character, and implies that currently, Duncan died for nothing. Shakespeare hints that the Macbeths will never be satisfied, and so will always have “nought”. Fulfilling your “desire” isn’t enough, because you need to be “content”, too. The list keeps growing.
“Safer”
“Dwell in doubtful joy”
We can also detect fear in Lady Macbeth’s character. The use of the comparative adjective “safer” suggests Lady Macbeth is aware of their dangerous position, and wishes she could feel more at ease. Shakespeare suggests to his audience that this is a just punishment for her actions. The phrase “dwell in doubtful joy” is full of uncertainty and hesitancy, reflecting the unstable environment of the play. Shakespeare shows how nothing can be guaranteed, and this eats away at a person. The consonance of “d’’ could mimic the chattering of teeth or stuttering, reflecting how Lady Macbeth is struggling to adapt to her new life.
“Nought’s had, all’s spent / Where our desire is got without content. / ‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy,” (3.2)
The cost of Lady Macbeth’s guilt is shown to be endless paranoia. She says to herself, “Nought’s had, all’s spent / Where our desire is got without content. / ‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy,” (3.2), which suggests she envies the dead for their peace of mind. “All’s spent” illustrates how there is a cost for being guilty of a crime, and may also allude to her mental exhaustion - she is “spent”. Lady Macbeth is becoming aware of the infinite cycle of violence they have got themselves into to satisfy their paranoia. Shakespeare shows that sins and crimes are never rewarded, so that the perpetrators are only left with their remorse.
“Go get some water / And wash this filthy witness from your hand,” (2.2)
Lady Macbeth believes that the simple act of washing their hands will rid them of both the physical blood but also the mental guilt of their deed. She orders her husband, “Go get some water / And wash this filthy witness from your hand,” (2.2), echoing this later, “A little water clears us of this deed,” (2.2). Here, “water” is a symbol of purity and life. She isn’t focused on what the murder says about them or the mental impact it will have, only the implications of if they get caught with blood on their hands. She worries that it will implicate them in the murder as a “witness”, so tells Macbeth to “wash” it away. At the same time, she only refers to blood with the euphemisms “filthy witness” and “deed”, suggesting she can’t confront the reality of her actions.
“‘Tis the eye of childhood / That fears a painted devil,” (2.2)
“flaws and starts”
“impostors to true fear” (3.4)
“Out, damned spot!” (5.1)
Lady Macbeth is dismissive of Macbeth’s hallucinations, telling him “‘Tis the eye of childhood / That fears a painted devil,” (2.2) and his “flaws and starts” are merely “impostors to true fear” (3.4) . In her final scene however, she is tormented by her own visions. She cries, “Out, damned spot!” (5.1) , showing she is trying to wash her hands of an invisible spot of blood. Its invisibility reflects how guilt doesn’t have to be visible or known by others for it to be real: she knows her own guilt and cannot unlearn it.
“A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once the benefit of sleep and do the effects of watching,” (5.1)
Lady Macbeth’s sleep is disturbed by sleep walking, suggesting her mind is always racing. The Doctor notes, “A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once the benefit of sleep and do the effects of watching,” (5.1), suggesting Lady Macbeth is doomed to always “watch” the murder be replayed
