Lady Macbeth Flashcards
1
Q
“Yet do i fear thy nature/Is it too full o’th’milk of human kindness?”
A
- Follows the same structure as witches prophecies
- Shows her own supernatural powers
- fears macbeth’s kind nature
- portrays macbeths “human kindness” as an unfavourable trait, “too full” suggests his nature will become an obstacle to her plans
- In ancient medicine people believed health depended on balance of substance, him being “too full” of “milk”, lady macbeth may be implying hes mentally unbalanced
2
Q
“Pour my spirits in thine ear”
A
- Imagery evokes demonic possession
- shows how lady macbeth wants to over power macbeth with her own villainy
3
Q
“look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t”
A
- oxymoron
- “look” shows false/different to reality
- “like” similie
- “innocent flower” personification - emphasis
- “be” command, shows power and no choice
- ” serpent” evil, devil -> creation story
- “under’t” hiden metaphor
- James 1 given medal of a snake amongst flowers after the gunpowder plot to commemorate him uncovering the scheme, compares lady macbeth’s plan to the horrifying gunpowder plot
4
Q
“come you spirits unsex me here”
A
- desire to become cruel
- Shakespeare’s exploration of gender and power
- calls upon the witches, their mouthpiece
5
Q
“dashed the brains out”
A
- attempts to prove how cold-hearted she is by admitting she would have murdered her own child
6
Q
” all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”
A
- “little” shows she is innocent and undeserving - child like imagery
7
Q
“when you durst do it then you were a man”
A
- tries to convince Macbeth to carry out the murder by playing on gender roles
- desperate to unleash a more masculine side of herself
- pushes macbeth’s ambition to become king so she herself can gain more power
