Lady Macbeth Flashcards
Act 1 scene 5 - “it is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness(…)”
metaphor delivered in a soliloquy - directly challenging the audience
Immediately speaks of her husband as weak - outlining how she believes she is stronger in the relationship and is suppressing her motherly instincts
In Jacobean society, this is a shocking thought
Act 1 scene 5 - “unsex me here”
During a soliloquy and imperative
She is a masculine soul in a female body who refuses to see herself as subordinate to Macbeth.
Also the imperative is aimed at otherworldly beings, linking her to witches, who were non-conformers to the Jacobean hierarchy
This challenges Jacobean societal tropes by portraying her as displaying male traits and being linked to witches.
Act 1 scene 5 - ”that i may pour my spirits in thine ear”
metaphor
Suggests she will manipulate Macbeth by poisoning his thoughts, even to commit regicide
By being a manipulator, she goes against the Jacobean hierarchy
Act 1 scene 5 - ”come”, “make”, “stop”
Imperative language
She is forceful and comes across as more powerful than Macbeth
This goes against the Jacobean hierarchy by virtue of her being stronger and more authoritative
Act 1 scene 5 - “make thick my blood”
Imagery of blood and imperative
Indeed this recurs throughout the play
Foreshadows her demise and how she is linked to witches
Shows the audience the consequences when someone doesn’t obey the Jacobean hierarchy like Lady Macbeth
(Shakespeare was a propagandist - also James vi daemonologie 1597)
Act 1 scene 5 - ”take my milk for gall”
emotive language and imperative
Demonstrates how she removes her femininity and how she acts in inhumane ways
Also, she is linked to witches, with the imperative aimed to otherworldly beings: witches did not conform to Jacobean society
Also, contradicting the Jacobean expectation of women - motherly
Act 1 scene 5 - ”look like th’ innocent flower / But be the serpent under’t”
Biblical allusion to Garden of Eden
Complete lack of conscience - using Macbeth as a pawn for her ambitions
Going against Jacobean ideas on women, they did not seek power and were subservient
Act 1 scene 7 - ”and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn.”
Inhumane / violent imagery
She denies her female qualities and demonstrates the lengths she would go to for power. She controls Macbeth who loves her and would do anything for her.
This is a shocking thought which goes against the Jacobean hierarchy, also due to her emotional abuse, she is an abuser - not thought of as being attributed to women
Act 1 scene 7 - ”dashed”, “plucked” and “tender”, “smiling”
Contrast between violent verbs and tender language
Lady Macbeth is completely unpredictable and volatile, her sudden switches to violence are unnerving
Her detail is something that would be abhorrent at the time and would shock and contradict a Jacobean hierarchy
Act 5 scene 1 - ”out damned spot. Out, I say!”
metaphorical language and repetition of imperative
She is guilt ridden - a quality associated with mental weakness and femininity at the time
Therefore, she complies with the Jacobean hierarchy at the end of her life, perhaps she was fated to be complicit
Act 5 scene 1 - ”what will these hands ne’er be clean?”
rhetorical question and metaphorical language
She feels she will forever be guilty and is driven insane as a result
This therefore sees her comply with the Jacobean view of women as being mentally weaker and empathetic to a fault
Act 5 scene 1 - “all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!”
metaphorical language and triple apostrophe
She sees no solution for her guilt and is mentally suffering
Her mental weakness sees her conform to the Jacobean patriarchy and the view that women were mentally weaker
Act 5 scene 8 - ”the Queen, my lord, is dead”
reportage and short sentence
Her actions are conveyed through a male voice in the end of her life as well as being given no thought - she is now irrelevant
She is subordinate and has fallen into the Jacobean patriarchy
Act 2 scene 2 - ”that which hath made them drunk hath made me bold”
Dichotomy between pronouns ‘them’ and ‘me/i’
Lady Macbeth holds a position of independence and individuality - this would have been seen as unfeminine
Therefore, she goes against the typical Jacobean hierarchy
Act 2 scene 2 - ”my hands are of your colour; but i shame to wear a heart so white”
1/2
Metaphorical language, imagery of blood and tone of condescension
On the surface, she is able to maintain an image of nonchalance to their deeds and openly mocks Macbeth for being mentally weak -
This shows her going against the typical Jacobean patriarchy - she is more manly
Act 2 scene 2 - ”[knock] i hear a knocking at the south entry”
2/2
Ominous knocking and a tone of urgency
A vast switch from her confidence, she appears fearful of being caught, a sign of guilt linked to mental weakness, the first real instance of the play
Right after speaking of blood, her mental turmoil truly starts
This sees her conform to a Jacobean patriarchy - mental weakness
Act 3 scene 2 - “restless ecstasy”
Oxymoron
Macbeth is beginning to display signs of mental turmoil, far more than his wife
His wife appears stronger - going again the Jacobean hierarchy
Act 3 scene 2 - ”be bright and jovial among your guests tonight.”
Shared line structure with iambic metre
Lady Macbeth completes the line - symbolic of her having the final say at this stage
Therefore she goes against the Jacobean patriarchy
Act 3 scene 2 - “tis safer to be that which we destroy than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy”
Short soliloquy
She demonstrates better control of her emotions than her husband who outwardly speaks of guilt
She is mentally stronger and better composed
This sees her go against the typical Jacobean view of women being weaker
Conclusion
Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth as a vessel for the ‘rise and fall’ of dramatic action
Un supportive, yet yearning for support in death
Her role subverts societal roles before conforming in the end, perhaps through the ‘fate’ James VI believed in so much - (divine right of kings)
She is very human - making us relate so dearly to her powerless end
Scenes
- act 1 scenes 5 & 7
- act 2 scene 2
- act 3 scene 2
- act 5 scenes 1 & 5
Introduction
Shakespeare, throughout the course of Macbeth,
paints Lady Macbeth as a woman who challenges Jacobean societal norms,
a woman with an undeniable lust for power which ultimately leads to her downfall
A consequence of her non-conforming nature
Act 5 scene 1 - ”there’s knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come, give me your hand”
Religious imagery, tone of desperation and repeated imperatives
She has lost all of her power, she is destined for damnation and her death is looming. She has no support yet yearns for people to care - even God to have enough mercy for her to go to heaven - mental torture
All of this as a consequence of her going against the Jacobean hierarchy - a warning. (After 1605 gunpowder plot)
