lady macbeth

Question 1

introduction

Answer 1

• very few female characters
• lady macbeth’s soliloquy - epistolary fragment that exposes her as the more demonic of the two
• soliloquy is like a monologue, when a character expresses their thoughts or feelings aloud, either alone or on stage with the other actors keeping silent
• initially presented as the driving force, persuading Macbeth to commit murder of Duncan
• however, undergoes real character development and gradually descends into madness

Question 2

ambition pt. 1

Answer 2

• major theme, driving both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to destruction
• S presents LM as truly ambitious, controlling her husband and using him as her method of gaining power due to her formal lack of it
• supported by her ‘pour[ing] [her] spirits in [Macbeth’s] ear’
• her ambition is further demonstrated by the fact that she is never satisfied with her position and constantly strives for more
• e.g., she states that ‘nought’s had, all’s spent/where our desire is got without content’
• constantly paranoid and seeks impossible security, emphasising her boundless ambition

Question 3

ambition pt. 2

Answer 3

• S develops character of LM in relation to theme of ambition
• as play progresses and number of sins increases, LM’s ambition wanes as she begins to feel the consequences of her own actions
• in Act 1 scene 5 LM wishes to ‘stop up t h’access and passage to remorse’ trying to block any guilt and conscience
• her ambition has subsided into guilt, highlighted by her sleepwalking and eventual suicide
• overall LM is primarily portrayed as being driven by ambition and greed, and instilling her ambition into her husband and people around her

Question 4

gender pt. 1

Answer 4

• rejects femininity, implied that this act is what enabled her to pursue her ambition
• Jacobean era = women had few rights in society and were the property of their husbands
• deep ambition to transcend her femininity is highlighted by her use of the imperative ‘unsex me here’ Act 1
• unnaturalness of ‘unsex[ing]’ confirms limitations of her wish
• Shakespeare toys with the desire to escape femininity further by telling the spirits to come to her ‘woman’s breasts’ and take her ‘milk for gall’
• LM is rejecting her duty to be a mother, historically been seen as a threatening thing for a woman to do
• offers a distinct contrast to lady macduff’s loving relationship with her son, further amplifying lady macbeth’s character

Question 5

gender pt. 2

Answer 5

• furthermore, Shakespeare utilises lady Macbeth to develop theme of gender in relation to Macbeth
• LM frequently exposes macbeth’s lack of masculinity, establishing herself as the driving force
• e.g. she tells him he is ‘too full of the milk of human kindness.’
• the fact that she cuts him off syntactically further highlights this

Question 6

supernatural

Answer 6

• shakespeare’s association of LM with the supernatural provides a complementary element to her ambitious and resourceful nature
• some critics argue that LM is a ‘fourth witch’
• suggested by her summoning of evil ‘spirits\ a direct appeal to the supernatural, simultaneously emphasising her ambition
• such an appeal would have a substantial impact on a contemporary audience who widely believed in witchcraft
• including King James I as he wrote a book called ‘daemonologie’ showing contemporary power that the supernatural had over people
• use of imperative ‘come, thick night’ gives effect of casting spell which further ties her to the witches and their power
• ‘raven[s]’ are often associated with death and ill omen, implying that supernatural beings are utilised to further her goals

Question 7

reality vs appearances

Answer 7

• constant theme in Macbeth
• LM presents herself as very masculine with a strong exterior, when in fact she has a gentle and vulnerable interior
• this facade of strength is presented in her questioning of Macbeth’s ambition and masculinity
• argument is further substantiated by her telling Macbeth in a stern tone to ‘consider it not so deeply’
• however her deeper weakness is highlighted from the outset
• notably, her comparison of Duncan to her father in act 2 scene 2 foreshadows her eventual downfall
• her sleepwalking in act 5 scene 1 and eventual suicide confirms her intrinsically weak and guilty character and the extent to which she is intertwined with the theme of reality and appearance
• noteworthy that the sleepwalking scene is principally written in prose, reflecting her insanity and mental instability