lady macbeth

Question 1

“come you spirits…unsex me here”
- GENDER, SUPERNATURAL

Answer 1

imperative = commanding familiarity with the ominous supernatural realm
- calls upon dark, external forces
- seeks liberation from societal constraints imposed by her femininity
- androgynous nature = broke gender roles through being possessed by supernatural
- syntax of spirits before unsex = supernatural is imperative to fulfil her desires

Question 2

“a little water clears us of this deed” AMBITION

Answer 2

• litotes = omnipotent ambitions blind her to Macbeths profound mental turmoil
• trivialises the act of murder - despite ambitions to shed feminine traits and embrace tyrannical brutality, struggles to articulate the gravity of the heinous act

Question 3

“make thick my blood” AMBITION

Answer 3

• imperative = commands for emotional restraint and a callous indifference
• aspirations for tyranny require a detachment from femininity - seeks to rid herself of these elements to pave the way for her ruthless ambitions in which she embodies a femme fatale

Question 4

“dash’d the brains out”

Answer 4

• plosive = mirrors brutal and violent rejection of maternal instincts
• proclivity of violence precedes over motherhood - unapologetic willingness to extinguish human life in the relentless pursuit of ambition
• despite fragile exterior, she harbours a strong desire for violence and chaos
• ironically = “brain” becomes the locus of her own downfall

Question 5

“enters with a taper” VIOLENCE, GUILT

Answer 5

• emblematic of how she is seeking light, hope and solace in her eternal mental darkness
• Christian symbolism = desperate grasping solace and a subconscious plea for gods redemption from the sins that torment her
• antithesis of “come thick night” = previously wanted darkness to help her fuel malevolent and violent plans
• motif of darkness and light = depraved and dark wants for violence consequently cause her desperation to see the light and seek redemption