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Michael Kadish
10/31/95
Period 6
In Lady Macbeth's soliloquy in Act I, Scene 5 of Macbeth, she shows her feelings of a wish to be more powerful, an obvious flaw in her yearnings, and a sense of dark eeriness. These three elements combined to show Lady Macbeth's true character. She, while having a deep mystery surrounding her, is very troubled and is much too aggressive for any one's good.
Lady Macbeth shows that she is not all she wants to be. She herself wants to be capable of the murder. Lady Macbeth feels, however, that a woman is not capable of such an act. Consequently, she wishes God to "unsex me here." She feels that although she truly wants the king murdered, she is not cruel enough to commit murder and wishes that someone "make thick my blood" and "fill me up...Of direst cruelty." She further believes that as a woman she could not kill. She requests that her "woman's breasts,/And take my milk for gall." She honestly needs this deed done but feels she is unable.
This leads to her next problem. It is essential to her that Malcolm die. However, Lady Macbeth has placed so many impossible demands on herself that she has made it clear in her own mind that the murder must be committed by another. This is Lady Macbeth's fatal flaw. She must push her husband to perform the murders. In this manner, she has no guilty conscience. This allows them to keep up the process. Macbeth is convinced to kill. Since Lady Macbeth "cannot" commit murder, she does not feel guilty, and since Macbeth has been persuaded by her that what he is doing is necessary, he too for a while is not bothered by his conscience.
The plot line of the play adds to mystery quality of this drama, but it is not the only element that does this. The entire play is a dark, supernatural, spooky story. Visible examples, such as witches, floating daggers, ghosts, and a severed head, are apparent throughout the play. The setting is even in the Dark Ages of Scotland. It should be no surprise of the darkness of Lady Macbeth's speech. She mentions a hoarse raven, the smokes of hell, and the blanket of darkness.
The black personality of Lady Macbeth thus permeates and influences the tone of the play. Her sense of doubt about her capabilities merges with her desires to achieve what she firmly believes is impossible for her to achieve. These aspects of her personality combine with a constant sense of foreboding. Together, these elements blend to form a dark play that enables us to understand why these murders could happen.