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Rhetorical Analysis Lady Macbeth

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Within this excerpt from William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth gives a monologue expressing her dark desires. Lady Macbeth’s desire for the removal of her nurturing qualities to murder King Duncan is expressed through alliteration, metaphors, and pleading diction. The alliteration and metaphors used by Lady Macbeth accentuate her desires. Speaking to spirits, she requests, “unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top- full of direst cruelty”. Lady Macbeth asks to not be a female in order to obtain cruelty. This is a metaphorical statement as she does not wish to stop being female, but wishes to trade her female attributes of mercy and strong morals in exchange for cruelty in order to murder King Duncan. The alliteration present in “to the toe top” highlights Lady Macbeth’s aspiration for complete ruthlessness. The act of murder requires every space of her body to emit brutality. Lady Macbeth’s saying of, “Make thick my blood” is a non-literal as well. She wishes for the nullification of remorse through saying it would be blocked by thick blood. Similar expressions are prevalent within her …show more content…

The use of “direst cruelty” in Lady Macbeth’s “unsex” statement accentuates that this is a necessary act. The use of “direst” displays the urgency and importance she puts to the acquisition of cruelty. Lady Macbeth’s saying of, “Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,” expresses her concerns of her murderous plans through word choice. The use of “thick night” and “dunnest smoke” convey that Lady Macbeth wants her upcoming sins to be shrouded by darkness. She does not want the heavens to know of her actions as she acknowledges that they are sins. The combined use of figurative language and pleading word choice within Lady Macbeth's monologue display her covet for cruelty instead of nurture with the intention to murder King

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Under my battlements. 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. Make thick my blood. (I.v. 30-35) This is evidence towards Lady Macbeth wanting to have full masculine emotions.

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Lady Macbeth begins her soliloquy using a metaphor which denotes the raven to be an omen of evil. This raven, which “croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan / under my battlements” (1.5.36-37) symbolizes to her that it is destined that the king should die under her roof. Taking this as a clear sign, she begins to call on the “spirits / that tend on mortal thoughts” (1.5.37-38) asking them to “unsex me here / and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full / of direst cruelty” (1.5.38-40). In these words, Lady Macbeth seeks to not only rid herself of feminine weakness, but of the natural human response of guilt that would accompany

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William Shakespeare portrayed the character Lady Macbeth to be extremely ruthless, malicious and manipulative. Thus, being the reason she could easily convince Macbeth to do her will, yet still put on such a convincing performance in front of those who knew nothing of her and her husband’s actions. Lady Macbeth shows her complexity constantly throughout the story when she shares her view-point on masculinity by demasculinizing her own husband, when she strategically plans the murder of the King Duncan, and finally when she finally goes crazy because of the guilt she possesses for not only her own actions but also turning her own husband into a

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“Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red.” (Act II, Scene II) Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in the 1600’s, is the shortest of Shakespearian tragedies. The main character, Macbeth, receives a prophecy that he will become King of Scotland. Ambition takes over him and he commits many murders to keep the throne.

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Macbeth come across the three witches, there they state, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor” (Act 1, Scene 3). In reply to the three witches, Macbeth demanded “stay you imperfect speakers! Tell me more”. With just these few statements announced, Macbeth’s thirst for power and glory arises and is clearly seen.

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“Come, you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts,/unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/ Of dire cruelty” (1.5.41-44). Lady Macbeth is the personification of male dominance, ruthlessness and violence. She hopes that she could take control of all action. She yearns to be a man and her implication is that she is more masculine than Macbeth. Her drive and violent nature is more akin to men and their masculinity.

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Moreover, this realization leads Lady Macbeth to think about murdering King Duncan for her and Macbeth to gain power. In addition to Lady Macbeth’s cruel character, she reveals her desirous thoughts towards the crown. Lady Macbeth continues her speech and mentions her unquenching thirst to take Duncan’s power. “Make thick my blood. Stop the access and passage to remorse, that no compunctious visitings of nature shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace with the effect and it!”

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