Lady Macbeth Act 5 Quotations

Question 1

Analyse the quotation - “Yet here’s a ____”

Answer 1

spot

Despite being told by her doctors she is sick, she fixates on her spot that she is imagining to be on her, since she cannot escape the truth that she is responsible, at least partly, for the terror of Macbeth’s reign and the terrible consequences it had for Scotland. This is ultimately why her mind breaks.

Question 2

Analyse the quotation - “Out, _______ spot!”

Answer 2

damned

This imperative shows how she wishes she could forget about her evil doings and move on in her life, but due to the insurmountable evils she has done/caused, she is damned to forever be tormented by it. This could symbolise the struggle of original sin with humanity, and the fact that humans always fall short of God’s expectations and fall into sin.

Question 3

Analyse the quotation - “To ___, to bed”

Answer 3

bed

This metaphor indicates Lady Macbeth has mental issues, as it is unclear who or what she is talking to, perhaps indicating that evil spirits are within her and fighting with her conscious, from Act when she said “come, you spirits, unsex me here.” This repeated motif of sleep further indicates that her conscious desires peace and wants to forgive herself of her wrongdoings, but the spirits will not let her.

Question 4

Analyse the quotation - “all the ________ of Arabia will not ________ this little hand”

Answer 4

perfumes, sweeten

This quotation references a quotation earlier on along the same lines, indicating that she is reliving the pain she felt when responsible for Duncan ‘s death, and perhaps it is her conscious punishing her. This shows how grave her mistakes were and how much her mind has broken as a result.