![]() ![]() traits of Lady Macbeth's character, illustrating each by reference to the. When questioned about this, Macbeth launches into a dramatic description of Duncan’s lifeless body. The importance of royal blood, that is, the inheritance of the divine right to rule, is emphasized when, in the final scene, Duncan's son Malcolm takes the title of king, with the words "by the grace of Grace / We will perform. MACBETH 13 Give two of the prophecies of the witches regarding Mac- beth and. With the discovery of Duncan’s corpse, Macbeth makes a spur of the moment decision to murder the two chamberlains, masquerading as a devoted and loyal subject of Duncan overwhelmed by rage. This "divinity" of the king is made clear on several occasions in the play, most notably when Macbeth talks of the murdered Duncan as having "silver skin lac'd with. ![]() Most importantly, Duncan is the representative of God on earth, ruling by divine right (ordained by God), a feature of kingship strongly endorsed by King James I, for whom the play was performed in 1606. Duncan also expresses humility (a feature that Macbeth lacks) when he admits his failure in spotting the previous Thane of Cawdor's treachery: "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face" (I: 4,11). His language is formal and his speeches full of grace and graciousness, whether on the battlefield in Act I, Scene 2, where his talk concerns matters of honor, or when greeting his kind hostess Lady Macbeth in Act I, Scene 6. Act 1 Scene 7: Think about Macbeth’s own personality and Lady Macbeth’s reaction to his inner conflict. These two powerful female forces influence and sometimes control Macbeths actions. Cunning and ambitious, she is one of the protagonists of the play, encouraging and helping Macbeth carry out his bloody quest to become king. Another way to understand Shakespeares construction of femininity in the play is to look closely at the role of the witches and their relation to Lady Macbeth. Her death is the event that causes Macbeth to ruminate for one last time on the nature of time and mortality in the speech "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" (Act V, Scene 5).The king of Scotland should be a figurehead of order and orderliness, and Duncan is the epitome, or supreme example, of this. Lee Jamieson Updated on MaLady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most infamous female characters. Just as they do in their Witches’ Prophecy, Lady Macbeth also calls on evil spirits. ![]() (Act I, Scene V, lines 38-9) Although oft-quoted, you can use this to kick-start an intriguing discussion over the difference between Lady Macbeth and the Weird Sisters. Having upbraided her husband one last time during the banquet (Act III, Scene 4), the pace of events becomes too much even for her: She becomes mentally deranged, a mere shadow of her former commanding self, gibbering in Act V, Scene 1 as she "confesses" her part in the murder. Lady Macbeth quotes Come you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here. As soon as an opportunity to gain power presents itself, she has a plan in mind. Ultimately, she fails the test of her own hardened ruthlessness. Lady Macbeth is even more ambitious and ruthless than her husband. When she faints immediately after the murder of Duncan, the audience is left wondering whether this, too, is part of her act. But in public, she is able to act as the consummate hostess, enticing her victim, the king, into her castle. Lady Macbeth persistently taunts her husband for his lack of courage, even though we know of his bloody deeds on the battlefield. Her burning ambition to be queen is the single feature that Shakespeare developed far beyond that of her counterpart in the historical story he used as his source. She is not willing to look after kids and this is clearly stated as she is willing to dash a child’s brains, showing her lack of stability. Unlike her husband, she lacks all humanity, as we see well in her opening scene, where she calls upon the "Spirits that tend on mortal thoughts" to deprive her of her feminine instinct to care. Lady Macbeth contains more masculine attributes, she is not the typical quiet wife, she is not obedient, if anything Macbeth seeks her acceptance as he complies to all she says. Macbeth's wife is one of the most powerful female characters in literature.
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