[Part 2]- Character: Lady Macbeth 🕯️

Question 1

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 1

• this quote clearly highlights how she desires to have power in a patriarchal society- a society, where men have more authority and power than women- ; the sole way to do this, is to reject her ‘Breasts’, an aspect of her own gender/femininity.

Question 2

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 2

• moreover, she demands to have her milk taken for ‘gall’- a bitter liquid produced by the gall bladder, a toxin/poison.
• therefore this shocking image suggests that instead of nurturing life, Lady Macbeth wants to take it.
• This inverts the normal [Jacobean] perception of woman as culturally maternal, which would disturb a Jacobean audience since women were perceived as motherly and loving.

Question 3

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 3

• I= Alternatively, this could perhaps highlight how Lady Macbeth reflects the wickedness/evils of the female sex/womankind.
• she replaces the tenderness of mothership and maternity, with something that’s harmful and toxic/poisonous.
• suggesting that if Lady Macbeth does bring up a child, it would grow up to be wicked like her and with a malicious nature.

Question 4

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 4

• I= Contrary to this, this quote could also suggest that a patriarchal society is what is evil, not Lady Macbeth.
• This is because in a patriarchal society, it forces women like her, to be one of evil nature in order to gain power.
• Aswell as being masculine/possessing masculine qualities, this is the only way she can attempt to gain power.
• as Lady Macbeth is forced to reject her part/role of maternity/mothership, if she is to take and possess power. [in a patriarchal society]

Question 5

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 5

-Aswell as being masculine/possessing masculine qualities, this is the only way she can attempt to gain power.

• Lady Macbeth is forced to reject her part/role of maternity/mothership, if she is to take and possess power. [in a patriarchal society]

Question 6

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 6

• I= ; From a Christian perspective, it would argue that Lady Macbeth wasn’t forced to take part in evil, to gain power.
• therefore this is solely her fault, in aiding Macbeth in the regicide of Duncan [the king], as Lady Macbeth commands that the ‘murd’ring ministers’ take her milk.

Question 7

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 7

• She deliberately uses religious language which appears to be religious and holy; is oxymoronic in nature.
• and typically, a minister has associations of someone who worships God and provides spiritual help/guidance in the Church.
• yet by using this violent verb coupled with the alliteration and oxymoron of murd’ring ministers- she transforms the meaning of this word.

Question 8

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 8

• this highlights how she desires the power that the supernatural/witches have. Aligning/associating herself with the supernatural, as she desires the power of the devil.
• and because of her this, a Jacobean and Christian audience would want her to burn in hell for her [religious] crime against God, and against society- by rejecting [and defying] her societal role.

Question 9

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 9

• L= imagery- highlights how abnormal/unnatural it is for her breast milk to be taken and replaced with ‘gall’- a transgression and offence/crime against nature/Mother Nature.

Question 10

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 10

• L= imperative verb- highlights how Lady Macbeth has freely chosen to partake in an act against God [aiding Macbeth to commit regicide of Duncan].
• ; this is also an act against the natural world as she deliberately has her milk contaminated into a bitter liquid
• she has free will; she chose to dam her ‘eternal jewel’ to hell, like Macbeth

Question 11

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 11

• I= Alternatively, perhaps Lady Macbeth removes her breast milk to weed out her own ‘kindness’- as like Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is also too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness.
• Therefore she must do also do this, to weed out her own kindness and his.
• this is the only way Macbeth can commit regicide. If she associates herself with the supernatural and becomes wicked, so will Macbeth come wicked Aswell.

Question 12

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 12

• I= perhaps the ‘milk’ taken from her, is a reference to ‘too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness’- to perhaps imply that Lady Macbeth had a child/baby; it has passed as she is still lactating.
• Therefore this reference once again highlights how she understands the agony of losing a child, [though she uses this to manipulate Macbeth].

Question 13

In the quote: ‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼. Why does Shakespeare include a reference ?

Answer 13

• So Shakespeare has purposely chosen to include this, to give the Macbeth’s’ a [a psychological] motive to kill Duncan- because by becoming king and queen, it will repay their loss.

Question 14

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 14

• Lady Macbeth is now tortured with guilt since she has deliberately opposed her own gender
• ; she has also opposed and rejected the Christian ethics/morality of the [Jacobean] era.

Question 15

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 15

• I= ; it’s interesting to note, this seems to be ironic/sarcastic in what she has done. [after Duncan has been murdered].
• Lady Macbeth has asked the murdering ministers to remove her femininity, and to replace her milk for gall.
• and to an extent, it seems successful. This is because, although she no longer has her femininity, after rejecting their gender, their marriage is disintegrating.

Question 16

Referring to this quote, give evidence that the Macbeth’s’ marriages has disintegrated ‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 16

• For example, the Macbeth’s’ don’t sleep together any more- [link to Macbeth telling the doctor] and Macbeth finds her unattractive.
• After and she becomes evil, so Macbeth can develop an evil nature and kill Duncan- it has unintended consequences: since her ‘gall’ has tainted/poisoned Macbeth, and he no longer wishes to sleep with her

Question 17

‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼

Answer 17

• ; this also implies that if she wants to become royalty and be a queen, she can no longer be a lady and must become a man instead.
• perhaps this is an allusion/reference to Queen Elizabeth I- because it was commonly known, that she depicted herself as ‘the virgin queen’.

Question 18

Why is this quote: ‘Come to my Woman’s Breasts and take my milk for gall you murd’ring ministers’ 🍼 a reference to Queen Elizabeth I ?

Answer 18

• This is because she had to save/preserve herself for England and Ireland.
• so perhaps this reflects, that that she had to become masculine and unmanlike, like Lady Macbeth did. [for her to become queen, Lady Macbeth must be ruthless/merciless]

Question 19

Lady Macbeth become more masculine and unmanlike. What does this reflect ?

Answer 19

• and overall, does this perhaps reflects how she perceives herself as the more dominant, and key person in the Macbeths’ relationship [and marriage]- since she desires/thirsts for control/authority.
• Therefore, Lady Macbeth wants to defy the natural order, of the Jacobean era, as she wants Macbeth to be inferior to her.

Question 20

Why does Lady Macbeth suffer, more than Macbeth ?

Answer 20

• so is this why she is [psychologically] tortured more and suffers more than Macbeth.
• Although she didn’t commit the regicide of Duncan, she defies the natural order of the Jacobean society, by attempting to make Macbeth inferior and lower to her.
• so perhaps this is why Lady Macbeth takes her tortured guilt and spins it on her, which is reflected by her taking her own life
• ; Macbeth is murdered in battle by Macduff- her transgression/offence is viewed as worse than Macbeth, as she began the scheme to kill Duncan.

Question 21

Why is Macbeth murdered in battle, but Lady Macbeth is tortured psychologically more, to the extent she commits suicide and dies offstage ?

Answer 21

• Macbeth is murdered in battle by Macduff.
• This is because her [Lady Macbeth] transgression/offence is viewed as worse than Macbeth, as she began the scheme to kill Duncan.

Question 22

Why doesn’t Macbeth tell Lady Macbeth, about his plot to kill Banquo ?

Answer 22

• moreover, when Macbeth plots to murder Banquo, he doesn’t choose to tell Lady Macbeth-
• perhaps he is afraid of her thirst for control/authority and desire/wish to be more masculine/become like a man, was unsuccessful.
• perhaps she is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness’- and she can’t justify murdering Banquo.

Question 23

If Lady Macbeth knew about the plot to kill Banquo, she would stop Macbeth.

What evidence does have to argue this?

Answer 23

• For example, she couldn’t kill Duncan since he resembled her father’s face too much.

Question 24

What is Lady Macbeth’s death a representation of ?

Answer 24

• Therefore her death, is a representation that Lady Macbeth is more feminine than him as she is defective/weak- she still feels remorse/guilt for the crimes she has done.

Question 25

In light of the Jacobean era [a patriarchal society] why can’t Lady Macbeth act masculine ?

Answer 25

• And in light of the Jacobean era, it would be perceived [in a patriarchal society] that she cannot act masculine because ultimately, they would argue that all women are more feeble than men are [on a psychological level].
• This is because, in Jacobean a England men had a higher social position than woman because women were still held responsible for the fall from the Garden of Eden.
• I= therefore from this perspective, Shakespeare contributes to progressing the beliefs of a sexist, patriarchal society.

Question 26

Why is Lady Macbeth’s death offstage?

Answer 26

• This is seen as her death is offstage, nor does Macbeth decide to see her [body]- she is becoming insignificant.
• [so does Shakespeare agree with this sexist patriarchal view, or was Lady Macbeth created to oppose this view ?]- to construct her, as the result of what happens when women are refused/denied power]

Question 27

Macbeth doesn’t want to take any advice from Lady Macbeth. Why ?

Answer 27

• furthermore, before she takes her life, she is also anxious about Lady Macduff and her slaughtered family- highlighting her milk of human kindness’
• since she would of discouraged Macbeth from committing murder once again, therefore this is ultimately the reason why Macbeth keeps his distance from Lady Macbeth, and refuses to solicit any advice from her