what grade would you give this Macbeth analysis

question is , how does shakespere potray disturbed minds, please, what do you think.

William Shakespeare portrays disturbed minds through showing Lady Macbeth’s high ambitions and willingness to do anything, despite how disturbing, immoral or unrealistic it is to get exactly what she wants. A quote: ‘come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty!’ Connotation of ‘spirit’ is illusion, this exemplifies that she has no regard for her own mind and will; she wants to be controlled by a higher power, an illusion which does not exist to control her in order to help fulfill her ambition and her ambition is so great, she is blinded by it and does not live in the real world. This is also a soliloquy and because a ‘spirit’ does not exist, the audience is aware that Lady Macbeth is speaking to herself, the audience would have realized her madness and heresy because instead of asking God for help, she asks a non-existent hollow that most definitely does not exist. She does not realize that a ‘spirit’ is a fantasy, but because of her desperation to achieve what she wants, she is willing to resort to it, hoping that a higher imaginary power above will help her, however the audience knows how unrealistic this is. She also says defiantly ‘unsex me here,’ ‘unsex me’ is an imperative verb. She is forcing the imaginary ‘spirits’ to take away her feminine qualities such as goodness, kindness and gentleness so that she can become a man to have the courage and the will to kill the king. Her ambition for blood is so great that she is willing to sacrifice her beauty and gender that has strongly bonded her and Macbeth together She is defying God and all the graces he has given to her such as goodness and kindness in order to have the strength to murder and commit more sin. These imperative verbs have been common throughout her speech in act 1 scene 5 such as ‘take my milk for gall’ and ‘come, thick night’. She is emulating what it feels like to be a dominant male and building up her courage and hopes that her increased masculinity will give her the strength needed to kill the king. However the imperative ‘unsex me here’ could also mean that she wants to take the crown for herself, if the imaginary ‘spirit’ gave her what she desired( to become a man) she would have to kill Duncan and her lover: Macbeth in order to become king because once she loses her feminine attributes, she can no longer become queen and the love between her and Macbeth would be broken because of her gender, leading to a bitter battle for the crown because only one person can rule an entire Country. This could explain the insults that Lady Macbeth has previously sworn to Macbeth such as: ‘to live a coward in thine own esteem’. Her love appears to be non-existent and her only desire is to manipulate Macbeth and betray him, and if she was a man, she would betray him indefinitely, hence being disturbed and having extremely high and immoral ambitions. The only thing preventing her betrayal is her frail gender. At the time of Shakespeare King James I was a strong advocate of the ‘divine right of kings’ meaning that king was chosen by God and as long as a gracious king was on the throne, society would not be plunged into chaos. Lady Macbeth defies the ‘divine right of kings’ meaning she defies God and because the king chosen by God would be killed, society would be plunged into darkness, yet Lady Macbeth’s ambitions have blinded her of this and she willing to commit the atrocity anyhow. Women at the time of Shakespeare were dominated by males and had no free will to defy them, the men would do the jobs needed for an income and the woman had to stay at home with the kids. They had no social status outside of their association with their husbands or fathers meaning they had no personal freedom. Lady Macbeth is aware of her weakness and frailty as a woman, she wants to remove all of her restrictions as a woman and become a man to alleviate all of them and have the personal freedom do fulfill her ambitions, which only men could do at the time of Shakespeare.

(edited 8 years ago)

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Original post by shwansalah

question is , how does shakespere potray disturbed minds, please, what do you think.

William Shakespeare portrays disturbed minds through showing Lady Macbeth’s high ambitions and willingness to do anything, despite how disturbing, immoral or unrealistic it is to get exactly what she wants. A quote: ‘come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty!’ Connotation of ‘spirit’ is illusion, this exemplifies that she has no regard for her own mind and will; she wants to be controlled by a higher power, an illusion which does not exist to control her in order to help fulfill her ambition and her ambition is so great, she is blinded by it and does not live in the real world. This is also a soliloquy and because a ‘spirit’ does not exist, the audience is aware that Lady Macbeth is speaking to herself, the audience would of realized her madness and heresy because instead of asking God for help, she asks a non-existent hollow that most definitely does not exist. She does not realize that a ‘spirit’ is a fantasy, but because of her desperation to achieve what she wants, she is willing to resort to it, hoping that a higher imaginary power above will help her, however the audience knows how unrealistic this is. She also says defiantly ‘unsex me here,’ ‘unsex me’ is an imperative verb. She is forcing the imaginary ‘spirits’ to take away her feminine qualities such as goodness, kindness and gentleness so that she can become a man to have the courage and the will to kill the king. Her ambition for blood is so great that she is willing to sacrifice her beauty and gender that has strongly bonded her and Macbeth together She is defying God and all the graces he has given to her such as goodness and kindness in order to have the strength to murder and commit more sin. These imperative verbs have been common throughout her speech in act 1 scene 5 such as ‘take my milk for gall’ and ‘come, thick night’. She is emulating what it feels like to be a dominant male and building up her courage and hopes that her increased masculinity will give her the strength needed to kill the king. However the imperative ‘unsex me here’ could also mean that she wants to take the crown for herself, if the imaginary ‘spirit’ gave her what she desired( to become a man) she would have to kill Duncan and her lover: Macbeth in order to become king because once she loses her feminine attributes, she can no longer become queen and the love between her and Macbeth would be broken because of her gender, leading to a bitter battle for the crown because only one person can rule an entire Country. This could explain the insults that Lady Macbeth has previously sworn to Macbeth such as: ‘to live a coward in thine own esteem’. Her love appears to be non-existent and her only desire is to manipulate Macbeth and betray him, and if she was a man, she would betray him indefinitely, hence being disturbed and having extremely high and immoral ambitions. The only thing preventing her betrayal is her frail gender. At the time of Shakespeare King James I was a strong advocate of the ‘divine right of kings’ meaning that king was chosen by God and as long as a gracious king was on the throne, society would not be plunged into chaos. Lady Macbeth defies the ‘divine right of kings’ meaning she defies God and because the king chosen by God would be killed, society would be plunged into darkness, yet Lady Macbeth’s ambitions have blinded her of this and she willing to commit the atrocity anyhow. Women at the time of Shakespeare were dominated by males and had no free will to defy them, the men would do the jobs needed for an income and the woman had to stay at home with the kids. They had no social status outside of their association with their husbands or fathers meaning they had no personal freedom. Lady Macbeth is aware of her weakness and frailty as a woman, she wants to remove all of her restrictions as a woman and become a man to alleviate all of them and have the personal freedom do fulfill her ambitions, which only men could do at the time of Shakespeare.