In Shakespeare’s Scottish play, Macbeth, the Scottish noble and aspiring king, Macbeth takes many forward actions to achieve kingship. Many of these actions conducted and rehearsed by his wife Lady Macbeth. Since the start of their relationship, Lady Macbeth has always attempted to act as the superior figure, priding herself on her masculinity and inhumane morals. She constantly looks down on her husband whenever he begins to show natural human emotions. Lady Macbeth’s need to overpower her husband and attain glory for herself as well as her family prompts Lady Macbeth to throw away all of her morals and humane beliefs. However, as time passes, years of suppressed feelings and humanity finally begin to affect her and her mental state begins
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Lady Macbeth begins to think of her own morals while rehearsing her husbands murderous deeds. This internal conversation leads to her belief that her human morals merely serve her an injustice as they hold her back from achieving corrupt positions. Shakespeare enhances this depiction of her conversation by illustrating, “Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark” (1.5.60). For Shakespeare to convey an image of heaven, a holy symbol of life, love and happiness, smothered by darkness, he alludes to the humanity within Lady Macbeth overshadowed by dangerous thoughts and beliefs in this conversation. Shakespeare also uses symbolism in this passage, as a way of illustrating Lady Macbeth’s deep desire to be stripped of her femininity as well as her humanity. Shakespeare uses the milk from her breasts as a symbol for her natural female tendencies saying, “Come to my woman’s breasts And take my milk for gall” (1.5.54-55). In Lady Macbeth’s plea for her breast milk, a source of life and love to be turned into gall, a bitter and useless liquid, shows her ultimate desperation for all humanity and compassion to be ripped away from her. This plea within herself to rip away the femininity from her life shows her lack of humanity and
Lady Macbeth begins to think of her own morals while rehearsing her husbands murderous deeds. This internal conversation leads to her belief that her human morals merely serve her an injustice as they hold her back from achieving corrupt positions. Shakespeare enhances this depiction of her conversation by illustrating, “Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark” (1.5.60). For Shakespeare to convey an image of heaven, a holy symbol of life, love and happiness, smothered by darkness, he alludes to the humanity within Lady Macbeth overshadowed by dangerous thoughts and beliefs in this conversation. Shakespeare also uses symbolism in this passage, as a way of illustrating Lady Macbeth’s deep desire to be stripped of her femininity as well as her humanity. Shakespeare uses the milk from her breasts as a symbol for her natural female tendencies saying, “Come to my woman’s breasts And take my milk for gall” (1.5.54-55). In Lady Macbeth’s plea for her breast milk, a source of life and love to be turned into gall, a bitter and useless liquid, shows her ultimate desperation for all humanity and compassion to be ripped away from her. This plea within herself to rip away the femininity from her life shows her lack of humanity and