LM quotes Flashcards
‘i may — — — — — —‘
‘i may pour my spirits in thine ear’
equivocal use of ‘spirits’. sounds very witch like and supernatural as if she is conjuring a spell, some critics argue that she is the fourth witch. Lady Macbeth’s association with the supernatural violates her expected role as a domesticated and passive woman; she is immediately going against all socially expected norms, adhering to the later Gothic convention of transgression.
‘what — — —‘
in the exposition
‘what thou art promised’
from her first appearance in act 1 scene 5 she opens by reading macbeth’s letter presenting her as a typical Shakespearean woman as a typical passive female character in a tragedy. however this quotation where she states macbeth will be ‘what thou art promised’ shows a determination and strength of will that we may not have been expecting
‘act — — — — — — — — —‘
‘act like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t’
Theme of appearance versus reality, and highlights Lady Macbeth’s duplicitous nature. Has contextual significance; after the quashing of Guy Fawkes’s Gunpowder Plot, King James I was awarded with a medal that presents a serpent hiding beneath a flower. By comparing Lady Macbeth to such a contemporary atrocity, Shakespeare is sure to present her as villainous.
the word ‘serpent’ has Biblical connotations, and relates to the serpent in Genesis - the serpent that tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and as a result leads to the downfall of mankind. Is Lady Macbeth the serpent? If so, is Macbeth Eve? A subtle reversal of gender roles could be argued for here, a violation of both fixed boundaries and social norms.
‘come to — — —/ and take — — — —‘
‘come to my woman’s breasts/ and take my milk for gall’
The witches seem to blur the boundary between male and female, just as Lady Macbeth is blurring boundaries by asking spirits to remove her gender so that she can persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan and seek greatness. As soon as she does this, typical female imagery is violated. Also juxtaposes ‘milk of human kindness’ to describe MB. it is also a metaphor for what society does to women.
‘are — — —?’ - LMB AND
‘ay, and — — — — — — — —/ which might — — —‘ - MB
‘are you a man?’ - LM
‘ay, and a bold one that dare look on that/ which might appall the devil’
LMB tries controlling macbeth but MB confidently replies with that. MB alienates LMB from his power consequently driving her to insanity as MB goes off on his own and LMB loses her sense of purpose and power over her husband. she loses her place in society because there is no room for her in the exclusively male world of treason and revenge
‘be — — — — — —, till — — — —‘
‘be innocent of the knowledge dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed’
when LMB asks about MB’s plans with Banquo and Fleance he says this and this establishes how Macbeth has masculine power and LMB’s role has gone back to the stereotypical Shakespearen woman. she has gone from co-conspirator to admirer as MB isolates her from the rest of events in the play. the last time we hear her speak is when MB murdered Banquo without her knowledge
her soliloquy - act 1 scene 5
use of imperatives - ‘come’ ‘stop’ ‘take’
her language use is interesting as it characterises her as strong willed and determined, contrasting macbeth’s ‘rapt’ nature and various asides in preceding scenes. the imperatives suggest she has control over her situation. the fact she has to call on supernatural forces to help her shows the role of jacobean women as restrictive as no ‘ordinary’ woman can do it
‘instruments — —‘
‘instruments of darkness’
LMB exploits the witches prophecies using them to justify that MB should be king, she is unable to provide him with an heir so she can provide ultimate power instead. as a woman at the time she could’ve been genuinely afraid to deny the witches predictions - if ‘instruments of darkness’ are at work is she fearful of denying them?
Simon de Beauvoir and ‘The Second Sex’
‘female — — — — — — — — — — —‘
de Beauvoir quotes Aristotle ‘female is a female by virtue of a certain lack of qualities’
links to LMB’s soliloquy and her ‘unsex me here’ she is wanting to gain those qualities that make a man masculine
de Beauvoir argues that the age old conflict between the sexes no longer takes the form of woman attempting to hold back man in her own prison of immanence but in her own effort to emerge into the light of transcendence
