lady macbeth Flashcards
1.3 “If chance will have me King, why, chance may crown me, without my stir”
-LMB endeavours to persuade MB to commit murder after leaving it to fate
-LMB attacks his masculinity when saying “when you durst do it, then you were a man” - she isn’t afraid to insult him - perhaps a fracture in relationship
-uses her words like weapons + MB cannot speak or put his view forward
-shows their relationship is unbalance + LMB is the dominant one
-LMB uses image of vulnerable baby to try + persuade MB - perhaps reference to child they once had
-eventually MB gives in + agrees to kill D - persuading + ambitious
1.5 “pour my spirits in thine ear”
-seems she is almost casting a spell - conjures imagery of intoxication
-nouns “spirits” + “night” allude to a dark supernatural force - manipulative
-she yearns to be rid of her femininity to encompass the inhumane + witch-like role that would grant her power
-her androgynous nature would be perceived to be supernatural in the Jacobean era as the gender roles were rigid
-simone de beauvoir’s idea that gender is socially constructed applies to LMB, who rejects traditional femininity to gain power. her rejection of gender norms ultimately leads to her psychological breakdown, showing how internalized expectations can be destructive
1.7 “dash’d the brains out”
-merciless act of rejecting maternal inclinations characterises LMB as violent
-she effectively competes with MB who as a man of that era, couldn’t be weaker than a woman
-explicitly describes act of extreme violence reinforcing unrestrained aggression - ruthless
-violent hypothetical shows determination + she emotionally manipulates MB
2.2 “A little water clears us of this deed”
-LMB’s overpowering ambition obstructs her from seeing the genuine distress of her husband
-she uses litotes to downplay the murder
-her tone is nonchalant - seems dismissive / apathetic
-it is laced with irony as LMB shifts to a melodramatic state of insanity + begins speaking in hyperboles as the guilt takes over
-euphemism hints at this, by referring to the murder as a “deed”
3.4 “Are you a man?”
-during banquet, LMB attempts to cover up MB’s behaviour + challenges him
-however, forced to ask guests to leave as she can no longer control MB
-evident at this point their relationship has been ruined by MB’s evil acts, yet this is also partly LMB’s fault due to her persuasion
-MB no longer hears here at the end of the banquet when she tells him he needs to “sleep” - he goes on to talk about how he is “in blood” + it would be just as “tedious” to go back, as if he continued
-shows key change in MB - making his own choices - unstable relationship as they’re no longer dependent on each other
5.1 “Out, damned spot! Out I say”
-“spot” is emblematic of scar the murder has created on her mind - guilt-ridden
-may be interpreted in another sense by shakespeare’s contemporaries
-madness often perceived as sign of being possessed by demons
-believed demons + witches had a “spot” on their bodies which identified them as evil
-reinforced by “damned” which has connotations of hell
