Lady Macbeth had everything planned out in order to kill the king, but when things didn’t go well, she had to take the daggers herself and finish the job. I believe she could not wash the blood away as easily as she thinks. We already noticed that she was very alert during the killing of the king. She didn’t have a clear conscience and kept thinking about the sounds she heard like the owl for example. Plus, she even said that Duncan looked like her dad. Thinking of having her dad’s blood on her hands would definitely make it hard for her to easily wash it away. Also, because she did half of the job by getting rid of the daggers, it would have felt like killing the king herself. Lady Macbeth was ready to sell her soul to the devil in order to get rid of her femininity, her heart, but it doesn’t mean that she did. She might have a speck of kindness or morals left within her which is shown by the fact that she can’t kill the king that looked like her father. This proves that she is not as strong as she thought and cannot really wash away the blood which represents her guilt or realization of her actions.
Lady Macbeth reminds me of Iago in Shakespeare's "Othello" who is the indirect and invisible hand of the plot. In "Macbeth," I believe that Lady Macbeth will have trouble washing the blood from her "invisible hands" that killed Duncan. After this event, she has the image of a courageous women to preserve. Since the arrival of Lady Macbeth in the play, trouble has appeared. She's the protagonist's tragic flaw and without her, there is no plot. Macbeth wouldn't have had the courage to scheme such a tragic and mechiavelic plan to achieve his ambitions without her push and influance. Her guilt might not be obvious for the instant since she doesn't realises the gravity of her actions yet. I think it will show up as soon as consequences will emerge; then she will finally realize what she has done. She was caught in the fury of success, fame and glory and didn't take time to analyse the situation completly. Lady Macbeth will then be covered with shame and regrets and will not be able to wash the blood away as easily as she thinks.
Lady Macbeth persuaded her husband to do the bad job but he didn't have the strength to finish it. That way she had to take care of the daggers and so also has blood on her hands. Metaphorically, she already had blood on her hands by pushing Macbeth and making up the plan for Duncan's murder. In Act 1 scene 5, she asks to have no regrets "Stop up th'access and passage to remorse" but that doesn't mean that she won't have any. She also asks that night may cover her murdering hands "that my knife see not the wound it makes". Also she seems very cold and impassive; we can feel that she is scared in act 2 scene 2 because she takes much attention to sounds "the owl scream and the crickets cry". In act 2 scene 3 "These deeds must not be thought...it will make us mad" prevents us that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth will probably end up crazy because we can see through the play that for now Macbeth keeps having hallucinations, murder sleep and that he thinks about other people's murders because he doesn't feel safe. He becomes paranoiac and keeps reminding his wife of Duncan's murder by his faults. She calls blood a "filthy witness" and wants to take it off and gilds the faces of the guards with it "for it must SEEM their guilt" but she knows very well that she is responsible. She also recognizes that she took part in the murder but is "ashamed to wear a heart so white", white with fear; she is as scared as Macbeth is.
In a sense, Barbara, Lady M is not unlike Victor. She truly think she can act without thought to consequence, but we already have hints of other things: her thoughts regarding Duncan's resemblance to her father, for instance. Perhaps, Iris, she is trying to convince herself as much as she is trying to convince her husband not to "wear a heart so white."
Lady Macbeth had everything planned out in order to kill the king, but when things didn’t go well, she had to take the daggers herself and finish the job. I believe she could not wash the blood away as easily as she thinks. We already noticed that she was very alert during the killing of the king. She didn’t have a clear conscience and kept thinking about the sounds she heard like the owl for example. Plus, she even said that Duncan looked like her dad. Thinking of having her dad’s blood on her hands would definitely make it hard for her to easily wash it away. Also, because she did half of the job by getting rid of the daggers, it would have felt like killing the king herself. Lady Macbeth was ready to sell her soul to the devil in order to get rid of her femininity, her heart, but it doesn’t mean that she did. She might have a speck of kindness or morals left within her which is shown by the fact that she can’t kill the king that looked like her father. This proves that she is not as strong as she thought and cannot really wash away the blood which represents her guilt or realization of her actions.
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth reminds me of Iago in Shakespeare's "Othello" who is the indirect and invisible hand of the plot. In "Macbeth," I believe that Lady Macbeth will have trouble washing the blood from her "invisible hands" that killed Duncan. After this event, she has the image of a courageous women to preserve. Since the arrival of Lady Macbeth in the play, trouble has appeared. She's the protagonist's tragic flaw and without her, there is no plot. Macbeth wouldn't have had the courage to scheme such a tragic and mechiavelic plan to achieve his ambitions without her push and influance. Her guilt might not be obvious for the instant since she doesn't realises the gravity of her actions yet. I think it will show up as soon as consequences will emerge; then she will finally realize what she has done. She was caught in the fury of success, fame and glory and didn't take time to analyse the situation completly. Lady Macbeth will then be covered with shame and regrets and will not be able to wash the blood away as easily as she thinks.
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth persuaded her husband to do the bad job but he didn't have the strength to finish it. That way she had to take care of the daggers and so also has blood on her hands. Metaphorically, she already had blood on her hands by pushing Macbeth and making up the plan for Duncan's murder. In Act 1 scene 5, she asks to have no regrets "Stop up th'access and passage to remorse" but that doesn't mean that she won't have any. She also asks that night may cover her murdering hands "that my knife see not the wound it makes". Also she seems very cold and impassive; we can feel that she is scared in act 2 scene 2 because she takes much attention to sounds "the owl scream and the crickets cry". In act 2 scene 3 "These deeds must not be thought...it will make us mad" prevents us that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth will probably end up crazy because we can see through the play that for now Macbeth keeps having hallucinations, murder sleep and that he thinks about other people's murders because he doesn't feel safe. He becomes paranoiac and keeps reminding his wife of Duncan's murder by his faults. She calls blood a "filthy witness" and wants to take it off and gilds the faces of the guards with it "for it must SEEM their guilt" but she knows very well that she is responsible. She also recognizes that she took part in the murder but is "ashamed to wear a heart so white", white with fear; she is as scared as Macbeth is.
ReplyDeleteIn a sense, Barbara, Lady M is not unlike Victor. She truly think she can act without thought to consequence, but we already have hints of other things: her thoughts regarding Duncan's resemblance to her father, for instance. Perhaps, Iris, she is trying to convince herself as much as she is trying to convince her husband not to "wear a heart so white."
ReplyDelete