Doctor: “I have two nights watched with you but can perceive no truth in your report. When was it she last walked?”
- The doctor has been observing Lady Macbeth for two nights but has not yet witnessed her sleepwalking.
- Theme: Appearance vs. Reality – The doctor doubts the gentlewoman’s claim, showing skepticism about what cannot be directly seen.
- Device: Dramatic irony – The audience knows that Lady Macbeth has been deeply affected by guilt, but the doctor does not yet understand the full extent.
Gentlewoman: “Since his Majesty went into the field, I have seen her rise from her bed, throw her nightgown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon ’t, read it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast sleep.”
- The gentlewoman describes Lady Macbeth’s automatic actions while sleepwalking—dressing herself, writing a letter, and then returning to bed.
- Theme: Guilt and conscience – Lady Macbeth’s subconscious mind is overwhelmed with guilt, even if she was once strong and ruthless.
- Device: Repetition and listing – The long list of actions emphasizes how deeply disturbed she is.
- Contrast – She appears to be asleep but acts awake, showing the unnatural state of her mind.
Doctor: “A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once the benefit of sleep and do the effects of watching.”
- The doctor observes that Lady Macbeth is both asleep and awake at the same time.
- Theme: Disorder and unnaturalness – Sleep should bring rest, but her mind is in turmoil.
- Device: Juxtaposition – “benefit of sleep” vs. “effects of watching” contrasts normal sleep with her disturbed state.
Doctor: “In this slumb’ry agitation, besides her walking and other actual performances, what at any time have you heard her say?”
- The doctor asks if Lady Macbeth has spoken during her sleepwalking.
- Theme: Power of words – What Lady Macbeth says could reveal hidden truths.
- Device: Euphemism – “slumb’ry agitation” is a soft way of saying “deep psychological distress.”
Gentlewoman: “That, sir, which I will not report after her.”
- The gentlewoman refuses to repeat what Lady Macbeth has said.
- Theme: Loyalty vs. fear – She may be loyal to Lady Macbeth or afraid of the consequences of revealing what she heard.
- Device: Suspense – The audience is left wondering what Lady Macbeth has confessed.
Doctor: “You may to me, and ’tis most meet you should.”
- The doctor insists that she should share what she knows.
- Theme: Truth and secrecy – The doctor believes truth should be spoken, but the gentlewoman is reluctant.
Gentlewoman: “Neither to you nor anyone, having no witness to confirm my speech.”
- She refuses again, saying there is no one to back up her claims.
- Theme: Justice and proof – Without proof, accusations can be dangerous.
- Device: Legal language – “No witness to confirm” sounds like a courtroom defense, emphasizing the fear of consequences.
Enter Lady Macbeth with a taper
- Symbolism: The candle (taper) represents her desire for light and purification, as she is haunted by darkness and guilt.
Gentlewoman: “Lo you, here she comes. This is her very guise and, upon my life, fast asleep. Observe her; stand close.”
- The gentlewoman confirms that Lady Macbeth’s behavior is typical of her sleepwalking episodes.
- Theme: Madness and guilt – Lady Macbeth is trapped in a nightmare of her own making.
- Device: Dramatic irony – The audience knows her powerful persona has collapsed, which contrasts with her earlier strength.
Doctor: “How came she by that light?”
- The doctor notices that Lady Macbeth has a candle with her and questions how she got it.
- Theme: Light vs. Darkness – Light symbolizes her fear of darkness and guilt.
- Symbolism: The candle represents her desire for protection from the horrors of her mind.
Gentlewoman: “Why, it stood by her. She has light by her continually. ’Tis her command.”
- The gentlewoman explains that Lady Macbeth always keeps a light near her.
- Theme: Fear and Guilt – She once called on darkness (Act 1, Scene 5: “Come, thick night”), but now she fears it.
- Irony: Before, she wanted to hide her crimes in darkness; now, she desperately seeks light.
Doctor: “You see her eyes are open.”
- The doctor observes that Lady Macbeth’s eyes are open while sleepwalking.
- Theme: Appearance vs. Reality – She seems awake but is not truly conscious.
Gentlewoman: “Ay, but their sense are shut.”
- The gentlewoman clarifies that Lady Macbeth’s eyes are open but she is not aware.
- Oxymoron: Open eyes with a shut mind creates a contradiction, showing her detachment from reality.
Doctor: “What is it she does now? Look how she rubs her hands.”
- The doctor notices Lady Macbeth’s hand-washing gesture.
- Theme: Guilt and Conscience – She tries to cleanse herself of imaginary bloodstains.
Gentlewoman: “It is an accustomed action with her to seem thus washing her hands. I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour.”
- The gentlewoman explains that Lady Macbeth repeats this motion constantly.
- Symbolism: The washing represents her desperation to remove guilt, but it never works.
- Repetition: Her obsession with handwashing reflects deep psychological trauma.
Lady Macbeth: “Yet here’s a spot.”
- She hallucinates bloodstains on her hands.
- Symbolism: The spot represents guilt that cannot be erased.
Doctor: “Hark, she speaks. I will set down what comes from her, to satisfy my remembrance the more strongly.”
- The doctor decides to note down her words, realizing they are important.
- Theme: Truth and Secrecy – Lady Macbeth unknowingly confesses while asleep.
Lady Macbeth: “Out, damned spot, out, I say!”
- She commands the stain to disappear, showing frustration.
- Imperatives (“Out, out”) show desperation and powerlessness.
- Irony: She once said “A little water clears us of this deed”, but now realizes guilt cannot be washed away.
Lady Macbeth: “One. Two. Why then, ’tis time to do ’t.”
- She relives the murder of Duncan, possibly referring to a clock chiming.
- Time motif: Echoes the moment of the crime, showing her mind is trapped in the past.
Lady Macbeth: “Hell is murky.”
- She seems to respond to Macbeth’s fear, mocking his hesitation during the murder.
- Theme: Damnation – She now feels the spiritual consequences of her sins.
- Irony: She once dismissed fear, but now she is the one tormented.
Lady Macbeth: “Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard?”
- She mocks Macbeth’s fear during Duncan’s murder, but her own guilt has consumed her.
- Irony: She chastised Macbeth for weakness, but now she suffers worse than he does.
Lady Macbeth: “What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?”
- She reassures herself nobody can punish them, yet she is tormented.
- Theme: Justice – Even if the law does not punish her, her conscience does.
Lady Macbeth: “Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?”
- Metaphor: “So much blood” refers to guilt overwhelming her.
- Symbolism: Blood represents Duncan’s life and her own sin.
- Contrast: She once dismissed the murder, now she cannot escape its horror.
Doctor: “Do you mark that?”
- The doctor realizes she is confessing to Duncan’s murder.
- Theme: Truth Revealed – Her guilt is now undeniable.
Lady Macbeth: “The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?”
- She recalls Macduff’s wife, whom Macbeth had murdered.
- Rhetorical question: Shows her guilt for the innocent lives lost.
Lady Macbeth: “What, will these hands ne’er be clean?”
- She realizes she can never wash away her crimes.
- Contrast: Before, she thought water could cleanse them, but now she knows it cannot.
- Theme: Irreversible Consequences – No action can undo her sins.
Lady Macbeth: “No more o’ that, my lord, no more o’ that. You mar all with this starting.”
- She imagines talking to Macbeth, scolding him for showing fear.
- Theme: Paranoia – She relives the crime, unable to escape.
Doctor: “Go to, go to. You have known what you should not.”
- He reacts in shock to her words.
- Theme: Forbidden Knowledge – The truth has surfaced, but it is too late to undo it.
Gentlewoman: “She has spoke what she should not, I am sure of that. Heaven knows what she has known.”
- The gentlewoman acknowledges her guilt.
- Theme: Divine Judgment – Lady Macbeth fears God’s punishment.
Lady Macbeth: “Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O!”
- Metaphor: Blood’s smell represents her unshakable guilt.
- Hyperbole: “All the perfumes of Arabia” emphasizes the permanence of sin.
- Contrast: Before, she said washing hands was enough, now she knows it is not.
Doctor: “What a sigh is there! The heart is sorely charged.”
- The doctor sees that her heart is burdened with guilt.
- Theme: Emotional and Psychological Collapse – She cannot bear the weight of her actions.
Gentlewoman: “I would not have such a heart in my bosom for the dignity of the whole body.”
- She would not trade places with Lady Macbeth, even for a royal position.
- Theme: Power vs. Peace – Being queen means nothing if it comes with guilt.
Doctor: “How came she by that light?”
- The doctor notices that Lady Macbeth has a candle with her and questions how she got it.
- Theme: Light vs. Darkness – Light symbolizes her fear of darkness and guilt.
- Symbolism: The candle represents her desire for protection from the horrors of her mind.
Gentlewoman: “Why, it stood by her. She has light by her continually. ’Tis her command.”
- The gentlewoman explains that Lady Macbeth always keeps a light near her.
- Theme: Fear and Guilt – She once called on darkness (Act 1, Scene 5: “Come, thick night”), but now she fears it.
- Irony: Before, she wanted to hide her crimes in darkness; now, she desperately seeks light.
Doctor: “You see her eyes are open.”
- The doctor observes that Lady Macbeth’s eyes are open while sleepwalking.
- Theme: Appearance vs. Reality – She seems awake but is not truly conscious.
Gentlewoman: “Ay, but their sense are shut.”
- The gentlewoman clarifies that Lady Macbeth’s eyes are open but she is not aware.
- Oxymoron: Open eyes with a shut mind creates a contradiction, showing her detachment from reality.
Doctor: “What is it she does now? Look how she rubs her hands.”
- The doctor notices Lady Macbeth’s hand-washing gesture.
- Theme: Guilt and Conscience – She tries to cleanse herself of imaginary bloodstains.
Gentlewoman: “It is an accustomed action with her to seem thus washing her hands. I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour.”
- The gentlewoman explains that Lady Macbeth repeats this motion constantly.
- Symbolism: The washing represents her desperation to remove guilt, but it never works.
- Repetition: Her obsession with handwashing reflects deep psychological trauma.
Lady Macbeth: “Yet here’s a spot.”
- She hallucinates bloodstains on her hands.
- Symbolism: The spot represents guilt that cannot be erased.
Doctor: “Hark, she speaks. I will set down what comes from her, to satisfy my remembrance the more strongly.”
- The doctor decides to note down her words, realizing they are important.
- Theme: Truth and Secrecy – Lady Macbeth unknowingly confesses while asleep.
Lady Macbeth: “Out, damned spot, out, I say!”
- She commands the stain to disappear, showing frustration.
- Imperatives (“Out, out”) show desperation and powerlessness.
- Irony: She once said “A little water clears us of this deed”, but now realizes guilt cannot be washed away.
Lady Macbeth: “One. Two. Why then, ’tis time to do ’t.”
- She relives the murder of Duncan, possibly referring to a clock chiming.
- Time motif: Echoes the moment of the crime, showing her mind is trapped in the past.
Lady Macbeth: “Hell is murky.”
- She seems to respond to Macbeth’s fear, mocking his hesitation during the murder.
- Theme: Damnation – She now feels the spiritual consequences of her sins.
- Irony: She once dismissed fear, but now she is the one tormented.
Lady Macbeth: “Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard?”
- She mocks Macbeth’s fear during Duncan’s murder, but her own guilt has consumed her.
- Irony: She chastised Macbeth for weakness, but now she suffers worse than he does.
Lady Macbeth: “What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?”
- She reassures herself nobody can punish them, yet she is tormented.
- Theme: Justice – Even if the law does not punish her, her conscience does.
Lady Macbeth: “Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?”
- Metaphor: “So much blood” refers to guilt overwhelming her.
- Symbolism: Blood represents Duncan’s life and her own sin.
- Contrast: She once dismissed the murder, now she cannot escape its horror.
Doctor: “Do you mark that?”
- The doctor realizes she is confessing to Duncan’s murder.
- Theme: Truth Revealed – Her guilt is now undeniable.
Lady Macbeth: “The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?”
- She recalls Macduff’s wife, whom Macbeth had murdered.
- Rhetorical question: Shows her guilt for the innocent lives lost.
Lady Macbeth: “What, will these hands ne’er be clean?”
- She realizes she can never wash away her crimes.
- Contrast: Before, she thought water could cleanse them, but now she knows it cannot.
- Theme: Irreversible Consequences – No action can undo her sins.
Lady Macbeth: “No more o’ that, my lord, no more o’ that. You mar all with this starting.”
- She imagines talking to Macbeth, scolding him for showing fear.
- Theme: Paranoia – She relives the crime, unable to escape.
Doctor: “Go to, go to. You have known what you should not.”
- He reacts in shock to her words.
- Theme: Forbidden Knowledge – The truth has surfaced, but it is too late to undo it.
Gentlewoman: “She has spoke what she should not, I am sure of that. Heaven knows what she has known.”
- The gentlewoman acknowledges her guilt.
- Theme: Divine Judgment – Lady Macbeth fears God’s punishment.
Lady Macbeth: “Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O!”
- Metaphor: Blood’s smell represents her unshakable guilt.
- Hyperbole: “All the perfumes of Arabia” emphasizes the permanence of sin.
- Contrast: Before, she said washing hands was enough, now she knows it is not.
Doctor: “What a sigh is there! The heart is sorely charged.”
- The doctor sees that her heart is burdened with guilt.
- Theme: Emotional and Psychological Collapse – She cannot bear the weight of her actions.
Gentlewoman: “I would not have such a heart in my bosom for the dignity of the whole body.”
- She would not trade places with Lady Macbeth, even for a royal position.
- Theme: Power vs. Peace – Being queen means nothing if it comes with guilt.
Leave a Reply