Lady M

Question 1

A1S5“Thy letters have transported me beyond this ignorant present, and I feel now The future in the instant”

Answer 1

• Machieavellian villainess – excessive ambition defies great chain of being
• Transported – supernatural prophecies of witches have physically metally and morally moved her
• Look deeper – her words highlight a desperation for power
• Lexical field w/ time (future, instant, present) w/ iambic pentameter intensifies witches influence – supernatural – is she the 4th witch ?
• Juxtaposition present vs future = 2 personalities LM – insecurity as a childless wife in future queen

Question 2

“Unsex me here / take my milk for gall” – – so that she can persuade macbeth to kill duncan

Answer 2

• in a patriarchal society only way to gain power is to lose womanly traits
• disturbing imagery – refusal of any maternal instinct -milk of human kindness contrasts with gall perhaps implying the contrasting states of both macbeth lady macbeth and their relationship from the start of the play onwards (close bond→ broken)
• reminder she blurs gender norms
• poignancy of prophecies – banquo’s children rule – she has already lost a child ‘have given suck’ so becoming queen will fill this void

Question 3

A1S5 “Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it”

Answer 3

• appearance versus reality – duplicitous nature
• alludes to king james medal after guy fawkes – links and associates LM with a contextually violent massacre =height of disgrace for a contemporary audience
• genesis serpent – LM manipulates Macbeth towards evil in order to fill her lost void set up by society’s expectations for her to bear a child – ultimately the patriarchy destroys life and wellbeing - power imbalance forces LM and witches into gaining power through manipulation and exploitation
• patriarchy is unnatural as it leads to the disruption of the great chain of being

Question 4

[]LM is aware of the power of women if they break through the shackles of society and it pains her to watch men such as Macbeth fail due to their incompetence and overconfidence in their abilities
Links to–“Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters” A1S5 (before duncan murder)

Answer 4

• > “My thane” – raises his status to make him feel superior
• > “men“ will read his features suggesting men are more important – frustrates her as she believes she is more competent and women are equal to men - - shows depth of her understanding in manipulation as she is willing to make herself appear inferior to gain power

Question 5

A3S2”Tis safer to be that which we destroy

Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy /(M enters) how now my lord !”

Answer 5

• LM talks gloomily in rhyming couplets and we witness an abrupt tonal change – suggests she is the backbone of the relationship yet considered to be weak by many in the play
• Once LM loses her ‘mind’ everything falls out of place and Macbeth’s spiral towards rapid destruction accelerates
• Women were backbone of Jacobean society yet not recognised as equal to their male counterparts and thus it led to negative consequences on both parts