1. Character Notes 2 – Lady Macbeth Date: Objectives
Take notes on the character of Lady Macbeth
Understand the point, ideas and reasons for reading Macbeth
Warm-up – take down the quote and answer the question.
“Hath he not resembled
my father as he slept, I had done’t” ( Act 2.2)
With any leaving cert essay, there is no ‘right answer’; only well conveyed answers. Which approach would you prefer: to look at a character positively, negatively or with a balanced view?

2. Plan for today – examine Lady Macbeth.
1. Introduction
Addressing the question.
2. Ruthless.
6. Conclusion
Guilty
Lady Macbeth
5. Her mistake
3. A master manipulator
4. Resourceful and strong willed

3. Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth is one of the most powerful female characters in English literature. She has a great ambition for Macbeth and herself to be King and Queen of Scotland and she is willing to do anything to make that happen. It is her, and not Macbeth, who is the driving force behind the play’s events, as she asks Macbeth to put:
“This night’s great business into my dispatch;
Which shall to our nights and days to come
Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom” (Act 1.5)
It is her desire for power which dictates the play. Not only does she organise the kings murder but she masterfully manipulates Macbeth before and after the event. Ultimately however, this will take a toll on her, which we shall examine.
(Do you recall what happens to Lady Macbeth at the end and why?)

4. Ruthless
Lady Macbeth’s most striking feature is her ruthless ambition. She is willing not only to kill but to sacrifice part of herself to attain power. It is her belief that she and Macbeth are good people. They are kind and under normal circumstances could never do what they are about to do. Lady Macbeth thus calls upon demons to take away her humanity, as she says:
Come, you spirits
That tend to mortal thoughts, unsex me here” (Act 1.5)
She sells her soul, renounces her feminine side and claims that she would bash out the brains of her own child if she had one. In saying these things, she psyches herself up to do something inhuman and kill an old man in his bed. This is how badly she wants to be queen.
(Does she kill Duncan though? Is this a sign of weakness or strength?).

5. Master Manipulator
Lady Macbeth knows her husband very well and what buttons to press to control him. Macbeth really does not want to kill Duncan but Lady Macbeth does several things to convince him otherwise. She both attacks and encourages him; calling him a lying coward who could be a great king. Most importantly however, she questions his manhood :
“When thou durst do it, then you were a man
And to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man” (Act 1.7)
Again she both insults and compliments him; saying he is not a man if he refuses to kill Duncan but he is a great man if he does. The skill with which she speaks to Macbeth leaves him unable to refuse her bloody schemes.
(What do you think is the harder manipulation – complimenting or insulting someone?)

6. Resourceful and strong willed
Lady Macbeth does more than just talk and plan. Her role is more active in the early parts of the play. She mixes a sleeping potion for Duncan’s guards. When Duncan returns from the murder, she also covers it up; making sure Macbeth’s hands are clean of blood and the guards are covered in it, as she says:
“If he do bleed
I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal;
For it must seem their guilt” (Act2.2) (gild – cover)
She frames the guards and when people start to question Macbeth after the murder, the timing of her ‘fainting’ distracts them and they move on. Through her actions, she and Macbeth get away with murder. It is because of Macbeth, not Lady Macbeth, that things take a turn for the worst then.
(Macbeth says she will surely give birth to only male children. How is this a complement?)

7. Her mistake
By Act 3, Lady Macbeth has succeeded in becoming queen. Her one mistake however is a lack of foresight; of not thinking what happens after that. She sacrificed too much to attain power and cannot enjoy it because of fear and guilt. She has to constantly look over her shoulder, afraid of if someone discovers her misdeeds as she says:
“Nought’s had, all’s spent
When our desire is got without content” (Act 3.2)
She is exhausted and unable to sleep as a result of her actions. The surprise of power not leading to happiness destroys her and she slowly fades into the background. Without her to control Macbeth, Scotland faces a dark age then.
(Her last bit of strength comes when Macbeth yells at Banquo’s ghost. Do you remember what she does to calm him down and control the situation?)

8. Conclusion - guilt
Like Macbeth, we are meant to feel sympathy for Lady Macbeth by the end of the play. The once formidable woman; a true master manipulator with ruthless and almost demonic ambition, is overcome with guilt which she cannot hide. This comes in the form of sleepwalking, as she confesses:
“Yet who would have
Thought the old man to have so much blood in him” (Act 5.1)
She relives the events of the murder, presumably every night, and finds her hands covered with Duncan’s blood. Though she had told Macbeth how easy it is to wash away blood, she now finds that not to be so. It is sad that her humanity and goodness ultimately overwhelm and kill her.
(Once you’ve read through all this notes, summarise them in your own words. Six paragraphs, 2 pages, use the quotes.)