Lady Macbeth Flashcards
All these sweet perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand
(Metaphor)
Lady Macbeth feels guilty and expresses that no matter what she does, she’ll always have a permanent reminder of the murder
Plucked the nipple from his boneless gums and dashed his brain out
(Metaphor)
Violent imagery to show how ambitious Lady Macbeth is for the crown and that she’s willing to kill her innocent child
Contextually, this was shocking for Jacobean audience as women were seen as a nurturing figure
“Out damned spot”
(Imperative)
LM feels guilty and starts hallucinate. She thinks her hands will never been clean and has a permanent reminder of her sins
Contextually, the audience isn’t shocked as she and Macbeth disrupted the divine right of kings
“Take my milk for gall”
(Metaphor)
She is willing to poison and kill her baby in return for the crown
This is shocking to the Jacobean audience as at this time women were expected to care and nurture for a child not kill
“Be th’ innocent flower but be the serpent under ‘t”
(Metaphor)
Lady Macbeth wants her husband to appear well- meaning and hide his deceit, she’s encouraging him to commit the murder
“Like the poor cat i’ the adage”
(Simile)
Lady Macbeth emasculates Macbeth, comparing him to a cat that refuses to get its paws wet. Lady Macbeth is being manipulative as in the Jacobean era, men were expected to be strong and brave
“Shalt be!”
(Imperative)
Determined for Macbeth to be king
Too full o’ the milk of human kindness
(Metaphor)
Emasculating Macbeth, trying to convince him to commit the murder
“Pour my spirits in thine ear”
(Metaphor)
She will use her persuasive, manipulative words to convince Macbeth
“Come you spirits, unsex me here”
(Metaphor)
She wants her femininity to be drained so she is more manly and ready to kill, could suggest she needs the help and Is too weak to carry out the murder herself, supporting Jacobean stereotypes that women were subordinate to men
Macbeth: “we will speak further”
Lady Macbeth manages to convince Macbeth and he “will speak further” , contrastive with his initial thoughts “we will speak no further
“Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls”
(Metaphor)
Macbeths ambition isn’t enough to lead him to his downfall, but his love for lady Macbeth could be his harmartia, which pushes him to his downfall
How is Lady Macbeth presented in the play
Lady Macbeth can be presented as a tragic heroin or an antagonist.
- tragic heroin) she starts with glory but then falls to grace. She was a wife of a Thane and had high status, but through her husband as In the Jacobean era women couldn’t possess their own things and men owned women. But through Macbeth she had a good reputation and lived in luxury. She falls from glory as after the murder she grows more anxious and griefs her own actions, she starts to go mad.
-antagonist) women can only succeed through their husbands and so she was ambitious for Macbeth to become king in order for her to be queen. In order to convince Macbeth to under to the murder she emasculates him, being manipulative and deceptive. So you could argue Lady Macbeth is the true antagonist as she drove Macbeth’s ambition over. Throughout the play Macbeth’s ambition was the question of masculinity so emasculating him drove him to committing treason
