lady macbeth (7/7)

too full of the milk of human kindness

gender ambition

metaphor for human compassion suggests she believes husband is not ambitious enough

milk- connotations of purity innocence implies macbeth is righteous, smth she regrets,also ironic in the fact Macbeth has more milk then her as it is a symbol of female nurture and care-she is demasculating him,playing on his fears stemming from jacobean society.

pour my spirits in thine ear,and chastice withe the valour of my tongue

ambition gender

pour- his mind is a vessel in which ideas can be put into and he can do nothing to stop

spirits- her soul and by extension ideas, getting him drunk on ideas of power- metaphor for the evil she wants to taint macbeth with

chastice-ironic verb bc subversion of gender roles,instead of nurturing him she is instructing/leading him with her

valour-ironic bc she causes macbeht to lose his,subversilvely could be fitting as she is challanging social norms

tongue-the only weapon and way of action she has -jacobean gender roles 

come you sprits…unsex me here

supernatural gender

spirits-she has to call upon spirits to remove connotations of her feminimety which sge sees as a weakness (she is not without) in order for her to kill duncan without guilt,though she is a woman with ambition she sees it as a masculine trait. 

come,unsex 

1) reflect how she exerts power over supernatural forces”

2) here- highlights her desperation,suggesting her actions r impulsive emphasising her impatience 

Fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty

ambition

1)use of command sentenceand imperitive ‘fill’openly show her commitment to evil

2)alternatively bc she is asking for smth that does not truly belong to her-she is not cruel by nature that she cannot bear the burden of it, foreshadows her downfall

cruelty-direct juxtaposition as to how her character is supposed to act-shakespear message-if you stray from society it will lead to downfall 

direst-shows length she will go boosted by almost superlative ’crown to toe’

Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent underneath’

deception ambition

simile juxtaposes innocent and deception. she encourages her husband to embody the devil and hide his betrayals

innocent flower-connotations of vulnerability and goodness

serpent-biblical allusion that bought sin into the world-satan himself

be-imperative commanding her husband to sin, as eve did to adam,

2) alternatively macbeth being forces to move from a masculine role to feminine one foreshadows his downfall as it was considered unnatural at the time

‘A little water clears us of this deed

guilt

lm becomes more ruthless i contrast to macbeths weakening courage

little - shows the irony of lm considering it insignificant despite regicide being one of the worst crimes

water-biblical allusion to pontus pilate who killed jesus-compares severity of crime to killing god himself

Out, damned spot!

guilt madness

all thought and rational composure has been lost, actions r ironic bc she onced mocked macbeth for feeling any semblence  to the same guilt yet now she has been driven to insanity by it, can be seen as divine punishment from god

damned-biblical allusion suggests she is understands she is morally and religious punished for her actions

out-imperitive command in attempt for control and not submission suggests that she is still not entirely repentent for actions despite feeling guilt 

All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”

guilt

so profound that she imagins the smell of blood on her hands,metaphor for moral and psychological burden

no amount of external beauty or fragrance can mask her inner corruption,guilt is inescapable and cannot be washed away or hidden

perfumes-evokes sense of richness and allure, contrasting sharply with grim reality of her actions

of arabia -magnitudal hyperbolism symbolizes vastness of her guilt(contrast to neptune + a little water), even the most luxurious and potent scents cannot alleive her remorse . this hyperbole highlights her realization that her actions have irreparably tainted her soul

sweeten- she is no longer asking for forgivness or trying to do the moral christian act of repentence ,but is just trying to cover up her crimes,perhaps from god , no use bc he sees eveything

little hand - deliberate use diminishing imagery reflects internal conflict and acknowlegement of culpability she previously tried to down play previously 

encapsulates the central themes of guilt and the psychological consequences of ambition in

Lady Macbeth's realization that she cannot escape her conscience highlights the play's exploration of the dark side of human desire and the inevitable repercussions of one's actions.

Her mental deterioration, as evidenced by her sleepwalking and obsessive hand-washing, symbolizes the destructive power of unchecked ambition and the inescapable nature of guilt