lady macduff (+ her son) Flashcards
characterisation of lady macduff
‘for the poor wren, the most diminutive of birds, will fight,
her young ones in her nest, against the owl’ [A4S2]
natural bird imagery:
↳ a wren is seen as courageous, while owls are seen as wise, but also an omen of misfortune when seen during the day
metaphor:
↳ one interpretation is that lady macduff is referring to herself as the wren, she now has to defend her young against any danger (this symbolises how nature is imbalanced right now, as small birds are fighting larger ones, just as lady macduff must now adopt a role which contrasts her role in patriarchal society, it also emphasises macbeth’s wickedness due to the purity of lady macduff & her son)
↳ another interpretation is that lady macduff is mocking macduff, she is stating that even small birds go against larger ones to protect their family, unlike macduff, who sacrificed his family (foreshadows how the demise of macduff’s family is imminent as he left them rather than protecting them)
‘you’ld weep’…‘poor prattler, how thou talk’st’ [A4S2]
‘weep’
↳ this emphasises the close relationship between lady macduff & macduff as she would cry if he died, whereas macbeth didn’t even care when lady macbeth was found dead
plosives: ‘poor prattler’
↳ reprimanding her son, close relationship
‘to do harm is often laudable, to do good sometime accounted dangerous folly’ (A4S2]
juxtaposition: ‘harm…laudable’ | ‘dangerous…folly’
↳ appearance vs reality
‘I hope, in no place so unsanctified where such as thou mayst find him’ [A4S2]
adjective: ‘unsanctified’
↳ lady macduff still respects her husband although he left their family, she fulfils the patriarchal role
‘what, you egg!’ [A4S2 - murderer]
metaphor: ‘you egg’
↳ draws attention to little macduff’s youth, suggests he’s so young that he has not hatched yet & makes macbeths violence even more outrageous
characterisation of lady macbeth’s son
