Lady Macbeth Flashcards
Act 1 Scene 5 - ‘the raven himself is hoarse
‘Raven’ - metaphor
• a bird of ill omen which symbolises death - that of Duncan, but also foreshadows how the acts which will unfurl in the following scene will lead to Macbeth’s death
• more hoarse than usual as it signals Duncan’s death
A 1, S 5 - ‘under my battlements’
• possessive pronoun and noun associated with military - juxtaposes archetypal presentation of women and emphasises she is in control - rejects her role in order to increase her husband’s prosperity- ironic as despite power/lack of a gentle nature, her purpose and construct lies within aiding Macbeth
A 1, S 5 - ‘come, you spirits’
• calls on evil spirits to help her carry out her plot to avoid a guilty conscience
• perleptic irony as this is her hamartia
• already rejecting God - embodies supernatural presences such as ‘Pale Hecate’ - could be seen as a fourth witch with her influence over Macbeth, and immediate devotion to spectral ‘spirits’
• audience would feel wary if her immediately, as she is associated with the supernatural - learn to despise her character, complicates our perception of her when she dies as these initial feelings contrasts our sympathy - creates a complex character, reminds the audience that any person could be influenced by ambition
‘Thy letters have transported me beyond this ignorant present, and I feel now the future in this instant’
• argue LM takes on the role of a Machiavellian villainess
• defies GCOB with excessive ambition
• ‘transported’ - verb suggests that witches’ prophecies have moved her - mentally, morally and physically ( ironic as her actions have no affect on society - foreshadows futility of her efforts to aid M)
• semantic field of time - ‘present’ ‘instant’ ‘future’ - searching for validation desperately because she cannot have children - seeks this through the crown
• juxtaposition of ‘present’ and ‘future’ are the two personalities of LM (subconscious and conscious)(harmatia, guilt, ambition, action etc) (potential of action)
Iambic pentameter
• Act 1 Scene 5, Act 1 Scene 7, Act 2 Scene 2, banquet - speaks in iambic pentameter, intensifies the influence of witches (critics argue she is a fourth witch)
