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lady macbeth - Coggle Diagram
lady macbeth
"gleams thou art, and cawdor, and shalt be/what thou art promised; yet do fear thy nature, /it is too full o'th'milk of human kindness/ to catch the nearest way"
follows same structure as the witches prophecies, implying she has her own psychic abilities and associating her with the supernatural
lady macbeth "fear[s]" macbeths kind nature; fear is typically associated with the supernatural - however this reverses the roles. she implies that macbeths morality is a frightening and threatening thing.
alternatively, fear could reveal how desperately lady macbeth wants to become queen
the noun "nature" alludes to macbeths mortal soul and shows that she is referring to his true identity - therefore presenting him as a person whose moral compass and compassion are inherent or permanent
by calling it "human kindness" shakespeare suggests that kindness is exclusive to humans and is an objective thing - it can't be interpreted differently
lady macbeth continues to portray macbeths "human kindness" as an unfavourable trait for him to have. "too full" suggests his nature will be an obstacle to her plans
in ancient medicine, people believed your health depended on having a balance of four different fluids, or 'humours'.
by saying that macbeth is "too full" of "milk", l.m may be suggesting he is mentally ill or unbalanced
metaphor of "milk of human kindness" presents kindness as a fluid, changeable thing. milk can expire, so shakespeare may be hinting that though l.m is currently worried about macbeth she believes she can corrupt him
alternatively, "milk" connotes breastfeeding, so associates "human kindness" with femininity - presents compassion as a weakness, something that emasculates macbeth and prevents him form being the strong kind l.m wants him to be
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appearance
lady macbeth plays on appearance vs reality as she relies on peoples prejudices and assumptions to get away with her actions.
could be argued that she uses her feminine wiles to persuade macbeth to kill for her. either way, the social conventions surrounding gender come to her advantage.
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transferrs desires to macbeth and is the mastermind behind all of the physical activity however does minimal actions.
character in context
femme fatales
common archetype for female characters in literature and art - refers to a woman who is mysterious and seductive and uses her charm to her advantage and ensnare men into dangerous situations
includes heightened sexuality and rejection of motherhood - seen as threatening as by rejecting motherhood, a femme fatale is denying a man his immortality and legacy, leading to destruction of men
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eve and the fall of man
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the fall is an archetype where a character descends from a higher to lower stat, often because something happens to cause them to use happiness and innocence
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arthurian legend
refers to legends of king arthur and his knights of the round table. these stories were very popular and seen as examples for ideal kingship and chivalry.
king arthur was brave, noble, kind and loving
lady macbeth connects to this as she takes a similar role to morgan le fay - she is the lover of the story main hero and his main downfall.
"hie thee hither / that i may pour my spirits in thine ear / and chastise with the valour of my tongue / all that impede thee from the golden round"
lady macbeth summons macbeth with "hie thee hither" in the same way the witches summoned their familiars in the opening scene - she views him as a means to an end
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ambition
lady macbeths ambition is more intense and violent than macbeths. - she doesn't hesitate or deliberate
how authentic or committed lady macbeths ambition is seems clear - she speaks violently and brutally but her actions do not match this
unsuccessful wish to be "unsexed" as she arguably is made more weak and paranoid later on - ambition was all bravado?
supernatural
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her subversion of femininity in jacobean times was more than enough proof to suggest she was a witch - shakespeare implies that her power as a woman has supernatural links
the methods she uses are clearly linked to supernatural as she wants to "pour[ [her] spirits in [his] ear" - an allusion to demonic possession
connotes story of garden of eden, where serpent tempts eve to sin and then eve whispered in adams ear so that he might join her
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"noughts had, alls spent / where our desire is got without content. 'tis safer to be that which we destroy / than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy"
lady macbeth says this when she's alone, therefore we are more able to trust the than the rest of her speech - she is admitting that she is scared which is something she would not confess to her husband
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