Lady Macbeth

Question 1

initially, lady macbeth is presented in … (act and scene)

Answer 1

• act 1 scene 5

Question 2

finish the quote: ‘come, you spirits…

Answer 2

…that tend on mortal thoughts!’

Question 3

finish the quote: ‘unsex me..

Answer 3

..here’

Question 4

finish the quote: ‘of direst..

Answer 4

…cruelty’

Question 5

‘tend on mortal thoughts’
‘direst cruelty’

Answer 5

• different to banquo
• although she believes that supernatural forces have a corruptive effect on human nature, LM embraces the depravity instead of avoiding those effects
• uses a series of commands in order to demand being overtaken by them
• LM wishes to at entirely cruelly, but her natural human disposition will prevent her from doing so

Question 6

finish the quote: ‘take my milk..

Answer 6

…for gall’

Question 7

finish the quote: ‘come to my…

Answer 7

..woman’s breasts’

Question 8

‘unsex me here’
‘take my milk for gall’
‘woman’s breasts’

Answer 8

• LM wishes to act entirely cruelly, but her natural human disposition will prevent her from doing so
• LM focuses on images relating to female fertility and bodily functions
• ‘unsex me here’ - she sees her gender as preventing her from carrying out her vile purpose
• ‘take my milk for gall’ - similarly involves a desire to give up something feminine nurturing for something destructive and acidic (‘gall’)
• repeated references to the body - she is renouncing not only womanhood but humanity altogether - desires to be a supernatural entity like the witches who could then act without moral scruples

Question 9

the supernatural

Answer 9

• humans see in the supernatural a corruptive route away from goodness- which they may flee or full-heartedly embrace

Question 10

act 1 scene 5 lines 47-55

Answer 10

• after learning that king duncan will remain at the castle for the evening, LM plots his demise
• asks for fortitude in renouncing any human compassion in order to best carry out the deed

Question 11

finish the quote: ‘look like..

Answer 11

…the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t’

Question 12

‘look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t’

Answer 12

• appearance vs reality
• macbeth uncertain whether he wants to deceive and kill duncan, LM fully committed to the cruel idea
• sees duplicity as the best route to achieving her evil ends
• contrasts a passive image of an ‘innocent flower’ with the active corruption of ‘the serpent’, similar to the witches’ foul and fair
• reference to a serpent - allusion to a biblical scene in the garden of eden - a snake tempts eve and leads to humanity’s expulsion from paradise
• christian reference - evocative - LM’s association with supernatural paganism : just as she has summoned the aid of fiends, LM symbolically asks her husband to strike out against Christian ideals - to play the role of the biblical villain

Question 13

‘look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t’ (act and scene)

Answer 13

• act 1 scene 5

Question 14

finish the quote: if we should fail…

Answer 14

…we fail? but screw your courage to the sticking place, and we’ll not fail’

Question 15

‘if we should fail.
we fail? but screw your courage to the sticking place, and we’ll not fail’ (act and scene)

Answer 15

• act 1 scene 7

Question 16

‘we fail? but screw your courage to the sticking place, and we’ll not fail’

Answer 16

• LM presented as confident
• contrast between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
• Macbeth’s first two lines are ones of uncertainty and begins with a hypothetical clause : ‘if’
• LM offers the similarly formed half-question
• ‘screw your courage’ - aggressive imperative
• makes an acerbic claim - ‘we’ll not fail’
• M attributes success to the whims of fate and prophecies
• LM believes that humans themselves can select their own destiny
• ‘screw your courage to the sticking place’ - command which suggests that she believes that sufficient bravery will ensure success regardless of any external influence

Question 17

LM’S PERIPATEA IN THE PLAY

Answer 17

• in the middle
• discovers her guilt

Question 18

throughout the course of the play, lady macbeth is presented…

Answer 18

as regretful

Question 19

finish the quote: ‘nought’s had, all’s spent..

Answer 19

…where our desire is got without content’

Question 20

‘nought’s had, all’s spent
where our desire is got without content’ (act and scene)

Answer 20

• act 3 scene 2

Question 21

‘nought’s had, all’s spent
where our desire is got without content’

Answer 21

• LM’s psychological anxiety is used by Shakespeare as a way to illustrate the self-defeating natures of avarice and desire
• LM ponders why she continues to be dissatisfied with her existence and acknowledges that she has had complete success in her endeavours but somehow remains vexed
• before, she completely believed that ambition and the murder of duncan would generate positive results, however, here she concludes the opposite
• Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have both achieved their goals of becoming King and Queen, however, here she is referring to their contentment and emotional stability
• LM states that the status she had pursued does not grant her happiness, but rather has brought her into greater misfortune.

Question 22

finally, lady macbeth is presented..

Answer 22

through the sleepwalking scene in act 5 scene 1

Question 23

finish the quote: