Lady Macbeth Analysis Flashcards
Full of the milk of human kindness
When reading the letter her husband sent her about meeting the witches. Strange metaphor to describe a man. Milk is associated with a woman’s nurturing of baby and is a symbol of their maternal love. LM suggests that her husband is too full of this nurturing quality and too soft to kill a King. Contrast of the knowledge we have of Macbeth being a blood thirsty soldier
Unsex me
Speaks to imaginary evil spirits, LM does not believe Macbeth has it in him to become king, so she asks the dark forces to give her the power of carrying out the task herself. She asks the spirits to unsex her perhaps asking to get rid of her femininity, get rid of her gender or make her inhuman. The prefix un suggests she is trying to undo something.
Take my milk for gall
Image of milk is used which reflects goodness and she wants this removed from her breast and replaced by an evil bitter substance
Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it
Giving Macbeth advice. Tells him to hide his evil intentions from the world. We also have a hiding behind a mask motif. The image of the serpent refers to Satan deceiving Adam and Eve in the garden. Here LM is used to tempt Macbeth into evil, later on both will lose control and lose their piece of mind
When you durst do it, then you were a man
Tells Macbeth after he tells her he can’t kill the King. In this speech, LM manipulates Macbeth by attacking his masculinity, she accuses him of not being a man if he does not murder
A little water clears of this deed
Tells Macbeth, she now has blood on her hands too. This is ironic for three reasons. Firstly, her reaction contrasts sharply with Macbeth’s frantic reaction. Secondly, the word little contrasts to Macbeth ‘will all great Neptune’s ocean’. This suggests the act of murdering a king is not of great consequences. Lastly, this contrasts because LM is the one who is driven mad in the end when she constantly sees blood. She uses the verb clear not clean meaning she just wants to be cleared for the crime
Damned spot
Says to herself when sleep walking. Ironic as before she thought a little water will clear us of this deed, but now she cannot rid herself of the guilt on her hands, blood used a symbol of guilt
What’s done cannot be undone
Says to herself whilst sleep walking. Ironic as she earlier said ‘what’s done is done’ and now she realises that she cannot be rid so easily of our actions. They always return to haunt us
What’s done cannot be undone
Says to herself whilst sleep walking. Ironic as she earlier said ‘what’s done is done’ and now she realises that she cannot be rid so easily of our actions. They always return to haunt us
