LADY MACBETH
LETTER IN PROSE
DUNCAN ARRIVES AT LADY MACBETH'S CASTLE
AFTER DUNCAN'S DEATH
Prose is typically associated with evilness or foolishness
Foreshadows Lady Macbeth's character
LADY MACBETH'S DEATH
LADY MACBETH'S SPEECH
'Unsex me here'
She wants the spirits to strip her of her femininity
Acts as a seductress
Subverting her nature as a woman
A soliloquy
A more profound effect on the Shakespearean audience as they believe in these spirits
Androgynous beings
Connects Lady Macbeth to the witches
Describes Lady Macbeth as a 'fair and noble hostess'
Reminds audience how far Lady Macbeth how far she has deviated from social norms
The doors are left open
It was the duty of the woman to make sure that doors are locked
Lady Macbeth has abdicated of her responsibilities
LADY MACBETH'S PERSUATION
'Dashed the brains out'
Lady Macbeth is trying to persuade Macbeth to 'do the deed'
A visceral and haunting image
Suggests that she has been truly 'unsexed' as this suggests that she has lost her future nature
Especially potent for a Shakespearean audience because they have entrenched of female duties
'My husband'
Suggests that he has earned his manhood by killing Duncan
Reflects Lady Macbeth's twisted morals
Lady Macbeth is in control
Seen as she uses imparatives
'Go get' , 'Go carry'
Against social stereotypes as the male is usually the dominant figure in the relationship.
ROLES OF MACBETH AND LADY MACBETH REVERSED (Act 3)
Macbeth gains more power as Lady Macbeth descends into madness
Contrast from earlier on in the play
'Out damn spot out'
Earlier in the play she tells Macbeth that 'a little water clears us of the deed
'Macbeth does murder sleep'
Reverse in role as it is Lady Macbeth that cannot sleep
Macbeth hides his plan from Lady Macbeth
The guilt has destroyed her
Implying that Shakespeare tells audience to not to seek power when it is not yours and to stay in your own chain of being
Banquo's death scene is the last time Lady Macbeth has power
Shakespeare's use of prose and broken syntax mimics her deranged and broken mind
Shakespeare is sycophantic towards King James