Lady Macbeth Character Analysis

‘All the milk o’ human kindness’

She is scared that macbeth is too pure to kill Duncan. White has connotations of purity and kindness. Didn’t believe in him from the beginning. Thinks he’s pure- already emasculating him- maybe she has always felt this way.

‘I shame to wear a heart so white’

Again white imagery- purity and with females of the time. She is also breaking the typical female stereotype as ‘she shamed’ to be like that or her husband.

‘Dash’d the brains out’

She would kill her baby ‘if he so wished’ shows her devotion to her husband although she is trying to guilt trip him into killing Duncan. ‘Dash’d’ is a harsh adjective too add to the violence of this hypothetical act. A mothers bond to her baby would be stringer than Macbeths to Duncan.

‘A little water clears us of this deed’

She isn’t experiencing any guilt at this point after killing Duncan. Direct contrast to both Macbeth and herself later in the play. She believes that they can clear their guilt and forget about this act as easily as just washing their hands.

‘All the perfumes of Arabia could not sweeten this little hand’

A contrast to what she previously believed. She now believes that nothing can solve her guilt and that it will always be with her and she cannot get rid of it (‘out damned spot’).