lady macbeth

Question 1

intro

Answer 1

throughout the play, lady macbeth is a volatile character, sporadically shifting her status withing the play as it continues. she matches macbeth’s ambitions whilst refusing to conform to the societal norms of gender in her freakish quest for power, perceived by the jacobean audience

Question 2

context 1

Answer 2

-ambition is as great as macbeths “the raven himself is a hoarse” raven symbolises ill omen and death on the battlefield. lady macbeth is ready for war despite it being a masculine subject. foreshadows duncans death showing she was a scheming character all along

Question 3

context 2

Answer 3

“a little water will clear us of this deed” shows lady macbeths delusion, she is becoming paranoid and showing mental instability. fact that she is even using water makes her seem indecisivive. contrast because water helps life but she has killed life

Question 4

context 3

Answer 4

“come yee spirits unsex me here” cannot see her commiting such crimes in a patriachal society, defiing society. more associations with the supernatural.
jacobean audience would have seen this as particularly evil because killing a guest in your own home is considered dishonerable.

Question 5

quotes

Answer 5

“come yee spirits unsex me here”
“a little water will clear us of this deed”
“the raven himself is a hoarse”