Quarter 1:
Macbeth Character Analysis:
This project was to demonstrate the one of the characters growth
throughout the book. The goal was to have 10 quotes that the character has said
and illustrate the transformation of MacBeth or Lady MacBeth.
Thesis Statement: Lady Macbeth is a
greedy person but then turned into a regretful person who was soaked with
guilt.
In Act 1 scene 3 of Macbeth, Lady
Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth stating that he received a prophesy from
the witches that he was going to be Thane of Cawdor and will be the King.
Aside, Lady Macbeth reads, “Glamis thou art Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art
promised. Yet do I fear thy nature” (Act 1, scene 5, lines 14-15). What this
means here is that Lady Macbeth now wants this phophesy to come to pass. Now,
Lady Macbeth is going to do everything that she can in order to make this
happen. She fears his nature or his personality because he could react a
certain way that Lady Macbeth wouldn’t like.
In Act 1 scene 5, Lady Macbeth
wants to become like a man so that she can have the guts and the strength to
kill Duncan. Her desire now is the make sure that she forms an alliance with
Macbeth and set out to kill Duncan so that he will no longer become Thane of
Cawdor. To herself, Lady Macbeth talks to the spirits and says, “Come you
mortal spirits…unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topful of
direst cruelty…make thick my blood” (Act 1, scene 5, lines 39-42). What she
means is that she no longer wants to be like a woman. She wants her blood to be
thick as a man and so that she can think and fight like a man. She want the
“feel” of a man so that she can have the ability to set out for Duncan.
In Act 1 scene 5 of Macbeth,
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are talking and Macbeth states to Lady Macbeth that
Duncan is coming home and staying over for dinner. At this time, Macbeth is
unaware of what Lady Macbeth wants to do, so he is unmindful of what she wants
to do. Lady Macbeth states to Macbeth, “O never shall sun that morrow see…”
(Act 1, scene 5, lines 59-60). What she means is that Duncan will not live to
see tomorrow because by that time, he will be considered dead.
In Act 1 scene 5, “Lady Macbeth thinks
that she has everything under control and she’s going to do this all by
herself. She is now starting to be very selfish and egotistical about killing
Duncan. She explains all of what she is planning to do to Macbeth and says,
“Only look up clear. To alter favor ever is to fear. Leave all the rest to me.”
(Act 1, scene 5, lines 70-72). This means, she’s telling Macbeth to not to
worry about what she is planning to do because she has it “under control”. Lady
Macbeth’s ego is really getting to her, which causes her to act out in this
way.
Act 1 scene 7, Lady Macbeth feels
like Macbeth is trying to back out
from killing Duncan. She also feels like he’s thinking twice about what he is going to do especially if
it’s going to lead to him getting into some trouble. Lady Macbeth says, “And to
be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.” (Act 1, scene
7, lines 50-51). This means, she doesn’t think that Macbeth has the guts to
kill Duncan anymore and that he doesn’t have the courage anymore. He is second
guessing himself because he thinks
that he is going to fail. That shows that Macbeth is now thinking that he isn’t
thinking like a man and doesn’t show any signs of being a man. Lady Mac
manipulates him to try and get inside of his head.
In Act 1 scene 7, Lady Macbeth is
now planning in what they should do in order to kill Duncan. Her plan is to set
him up along with his two chamberlains. She says to Macbeth, “Soundly invite
him, his two chamberlains, will I with wine and wassail…shall be a fume, and
the receipt of reason…when in swinish sleep their drenched natures lies as in a
death.” (Act 1, scene 7, lines 64-69). She means that she is going to get the
chamberlains and the guards drunk so that they won’t be aware of what is going
to happen. She is later going to have Macbeth sneak in and kill Duncan. She is
now being very mean and self-centered.
In Act 5 scene 1, Lady Macbeth has
been found sleep walking with a light. The gentlewoman and the doctor are
trying to figure out what she is saying. She is now regretting the fact that
she has pressured Macbeth into killing Duncan. For her, she is now feeling
guilty. While in her sleep, she says, “ Here’s the smell of the blood still.
All the perfumes of Arabia will now sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!” (Act
5, scene 1, lines 50-51). What she means is that she still smells and feels the
smell of the blood of Duncan. The Gentlewoman and the doctor found out that she
was apart of killing him. Mentally, she is not feeling well and is struggling because
she can’t figure out how to get the blood off of her.
In Act 5, scene 1, Lady Macbeth is
sleep walking and is talking about her killing Banquo and Duncan. She says,
“Out, damned spot!” (Act 5, scene 1, line 35). She is rubbing her hands because
she still see’s blood and it is reminding her of the killing of Banquo. She is
now blameworthy of what she did.
In Act 5 scene 1, Lady Macbeth
claims that Banquo is now dead and that he is in his grave. She doesn’t realize
that she is saying this but this is big news to the gentlewoman and the doctor.
She says, “I tell you yet again, Banquo’s buried. He cannot come out the
grave.” (Act 5, scene 1, lines 62-62). This means that Lady Macbeth is soaked
with guilt now since she was the cause of killing Banquo. Not only is she
talking to herself, but she is talking to Macbeth because she wants him to know
that her work is done and now Macbeth is now king of Cawdor.
In Act 5, scene 1, Lady Macbeth is
now going to go to bed and at least try to relax. She see’s that what she has
done can not be undone so, she’s full of regret. Still sleep walking, she
states, “ To bed, to bed; there’s knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come,
give me your hand. What’s done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed.” ( Act
5, scene 1, lines 64-66). That was the last time that Lady Macbeth had spoken
until she died. She was not feeling well. She died full with regret and guilt.
These quotes all follow the path of
Lady Macbeth. She was a greedy person who wanted anything and everything just
do that her husband could be king of Cawdor. When she was done her deed, she
realized that what she did was wrong and now she’s filled with guilt. She had
to suffer the consequences of what she has done.