Unsex me Here

Lady Macbeth has just read the letter from her husband telling her that he has been made Thane of Cawdor, and that Duncan is to stay in their castle that evening.

Act 1, Scene 5: a room in Macbeth's castle at Inverness

lady macbeth: (...) The raven¹

Himself is hoarse²

That croaks³ the fatal entrance of Duncan

Under my battlements⁴. Come, you spirits

That tend⁵ on mortal thoughts, unsex me here⁶, 5

And fill me, from the crown to the toe⁷, top-full

Of direst⁸ cruelty! Make thick my blood,

Stop up th' access and passage to remorse;

That no compunctious visitings of nature⁹

Shake my fell purpose¹⁰, nor keep peace between 10

Th' effect and it¹¹. Come to my woman's breasts,

And take my milk for gall¹², you murdering ministers¹³,

Wherever in your sightless substances¹⁴

You wait on nature's mischief¹⁵! Come, thick night,

And pall¹⁶ thee in the dunnest¹⁷ smoke of hell, 15

That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,

Nor heaven peep¹⁸ through the blanket¹⁹ of the dark

To cry, "Hold²⁰, hold!"

[Enter macbeth]

Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor!²¹

Greater than both, by the all-hail²², hereafter²³! 20

Thy letters have transported me beyond

This ignorant²⁴ present, and I feel now

The future in an instant²⁵.

macbeth: My dearest love,

Duncan comes here tonight. 25

lady macbeth: And when goes hence²⁶?

macbeth: Tomorrow, as he purposes²⁷.

lady macbeth: O! never

Shall sun that morrow see²⁸!

Your face, my thane, is as a book, where men 30

May read strange matters. To beguile the time,

Look like the time²⁹, bear welcome³⁰ in your eye,

Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower

But be the serpent under't. He that's coming

Must be provided for³¹; and you shall put 35

This night's great business into my despatch³²;

Which shall to all our nights and days to come

Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom³³.

macbeth: We will speak further³⁴.

lady macbeth: Only look up clear³⁵;

To alter favour ever is to fear³⁶. 40

Leave all the rest to me.

GLOSSARY

1. raven: large black bird, thought to bring bad luck

2. is hoarse: cries out roughly

3. croaks: makes a harsh, low sound

4. battlements: top part of a castle

5. tend: take care of

6. unsex me here: remove my femininity

7. crown to the toe: head to foot

8. direst: worst

9. compunctious ... nature: natural feelings of conscience

10. Shake ... purpose: change my ruthless plan

11. nor keep ... it: come between my plan and the action itself

12.And take ... gall: replace my milk with bitter poison

13. ministers: here Lady Macbeth is referring to the spirits

14. sightless substances: invisible forms

15. wait... mischief: help the evil forces in nature

16. pall: cover

17. dunnest: darkest

18. peep: give a quick secretive look

19.blanket: cover

20. Hold: stop

21.Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor!: Macbeth was both thane of Glamis and thane of Cawdor

22. all-hail: greeted by everyone

23. hereafter: in future

24. ignorant: lacking knowledge of the future

25. in an instant: very soon

26. goes hence: goes away

27. as he purposes: so he intends

28. Shall... see: tomorrow will not come for Duncan

29. To beguile ... the time: to deceive the people around, wear an expression that suits the occasion

30. bear welcome: appear welcoming, friendly

31. provided for: looked after

32. into my despatch: under my control

33. sovereign sway and masterdom: kingship

34. speak further: talk about it again

35. look up clear: look at me directly

36. To alter favour ... fear: to change the expression on your face means to live forever in fear

COMPREHENTION

1. Lady Macbeth calls on the spirits of evil to suppress her natural sentiments as a woman. She uses three very forceful images. Link each image with the aspect of her nature she wishes to suppress.

Lines 5-7: unsex me here ... direst cruelty Maternal instinct

Lines 7-11: Make thick my blood ... Th' effect and it. Femininity

Lines 11-14: Come to my woman's breasts ... nature's mischief Remorse

2. Why does she want the night to be very dark? (Lines 14-15)

3. What advice does Lady Macbeth give her husband? (Lines 30-38)

4. What will they gain by committing the murder, according to Lady Macbeth?

ANALYSIS

1. A raven is a black crow which is often associated with death. Why is it appropriate that this bird 'sounds the fanfare' for Duncan's entrance into Macbeth's castle?

2. Find an example of personification in line 17. Which is presented as the stronger force: heaven and the powers of good or nighttime and the powers of evil?

3. Lady Macbeth greets her husbands by saying 'Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor!'. Why does she use his titles instead of a more personal form of salutation?

4. Lady Macbeth encourages her husband to deceive Duncan through his body language. Which body parts does she tell him to be particularly careful about and why?

5. According to Lady Macbeth, her husband should pretend to be a flower while actually being the serpent beneath it. What associations do you make with the image of the serpent?

6. Lines 35-36 contain a number of double meanings.

provided for = fed or killed

business = feasting or murder

despatch = carrying out the welcome or killing

Does Lady Macbeth use these veiled words because she is:

• testing how Macbeth will react to the possibility of murder?

• still unsure herself about the awfulness of murder?

• afraid that direct language will make Macbeth refuse to act?

• other: ..........................................................................................

WRITER’S WORKSHOP

Onomatopoeia ◊ Onomatopoeia is the literary term that is used when the sound of a word resembles the sound it denotes. Examples of onomatopoeia can be found in verbs such as:

buzz: the sound a bee makes

slam: the sound of a violently closed door

bang: the noise made by an explosion.

Task

Find an example of onomatopoeia in the opening lines of Lady Macbeth's speech.

Over to you ◊ Link the onomatopoeiaic words to the sounds they denote.

hiss sound made by frying food

rattle sound made by a drink that contains a lot of gas

screech sound made by a snake

sizzle little, low, crying sound

whimper short knocking sound made when something is shaken

fizz unpleasant high-pitched cry

STAGING THE PLAY

Tone ◊ In everyday speech the tone of voice we use can change the meaning of what we say. A simple expression such as 'sit down' can become an order, an invitation or a question depending on the tone that is used. Actors also use tone of voice to convey meaning. In the extract you have just read, for example, line 26 'And when goes hence?' can be read as a simple question or in a way that suggests that Duncan may never leave the castle, depending on the tone the actor uses.

Occasionally the playwright will make suggestions about the tone that should be used. Words such as 'angrily', 'playfully' or 'remorsefully' may appear in the stage directions. However, it is usually the actor and the director who decide what tone would be most appropriate.

Over to you ◊ Work in three groups. Each group should focus on a section of Lady Macbeth's soliloquy. Group l Lines 4-7 Come, you spirits... Of direst cruelty! Group 2 Lines 7-11 Make thick my blood ... Th' effect and it. Group 3 Lines 11-14 Come to my woman's breasts ... on nature's mischief!

Experiment with different tones of voice when you say the lines: whisper them, hiss them fiercely, speak them as if in a trance, chant them like a spell.

OUT

When Lady Macbeth says 'unsex me here', she implies that she should turn into a man in order to be able to organise and carry out Duncan's murder.

From our twenty-first century perspective, does this idea that only men are capable of being clinically cruel and cold-hearted still seem valid?

Can you think of any female characters in books, films or on TV that are cold-hearted and cruel? Discuss with your classmates.