Quote overview table

"Come, you spirits... / unsex me here"

Quote

"Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here" (Act 1, Scene 5)

Context

Lady Macbeth reads her husband's letter about the witches' prophecies and resolves to drive him towards murdering Duncan to seize the throne. Alone on stage, she invokes dark forces to prepare herself for the deed.

Analysis

• Character development/transformation shown - Begins her shift from supportive wife to dominant manipulator, rejecting "human kindness" for ruthless determination
• Literary techniques employed by author - Imperative verbs like "Come" and "unsex" create a commanding tone, while fricative sounds in "spirits" evoke menace
• Symbolism, foreshadowing, or imagery significance - The metaphor of being "unsex[ed]" symbolises her defiance of gender norms, foreshadowing her later collapse
• Connection to broader themes - Ties to ambition by showing how it corrupts natural roles and invites supernatural influence
• Contextual importance within narrative structure if relevant - Builds tension early in the play by introducing her as the catalyst for Macbeth's actions

Contextual connection

This invocation reflects Jacobean fears of witchcraft and female power, echoing the era's witch trials under King James I, who viewed such figures as threats to divine order.

"Look like th' innocent flower, / But be..."

Quote

"Look like th' innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't" (Act 1, Scene 5)

Context

Lady Macbeth advises her husband on how to deceive Duncan during his visit to their castle, urging him to mask his murderous intentions behind a welcoming facade.

Analysis

• Character development/transformation shown - Reveals her as a strategic planner, contrasting her outward composure with inner ruthlessness
• Literary techniques employed by author - Natural imagery of "flower" versus "serpent" uses antithesis to highlight duality, with the rhyming couplet adding rhythmic emphasis
• Symbolism, foreshadowing, or imagery significance - The "serpent" alludes to biblical temptation, symbolising corruption and foreshadowing betrayal
• Connection to broader themes - Reinforces appearance versus reality, showing how deception enables ambition's pursuit
• Contextual importance within narrative structure if relevant - Advances the plot by setting up the murder scheme, creating dramatic irony for the audience

Contextual connection

The advice mirrors Jacobean court politics, where outward loyalty often hid ambition, influenced by Shakespeare's patron King James I's experiences with plots like the Gunpowder Plot.

"A little water clears us of this deed"

Quote

"A little water clears us of this deed" (Act 2, Scene 2)

Context

Immediately after Duncan's murder, Macbeth is overwhelmed by guilt and hears imaginary voices, while Lady Macbeth remains composed and urges him to wash away the blood evidence.

Analysis

• Character development/transformation shown - Displays her initial practicality and denial, contrasting Macbeth's immediate remorse
• Literary techniques employed by author - Declarative sentence structure conveys false simplicity, with water imagery creating irony against later blood motifs
• Symbolism, foreshadowing, or imagery significance - Water symbolises illusory cleansing, foreshadowing her inability to escape guilt
• Connection to broader themes - Explores guilt and conscience by showing early suppression that leads to later torment
• Contextual importance within narrative structure if relevant - Provides brief calm after the murder, heightening tension before discovery

"Out, damned spot! out, I say!"

Quote

"Out, damned spot! out, I say!" (Act 5, Scene 1)

Context

In her sleepwalking episode, observed by a doctor and gentlewoman, Lady Macbeth relives the murders and imagines bloodstains on her hands that she cannot remove.

Analysis

• Character development/transformation shown - Marks her complete reversal from confident instigator to broken victim of her actions
• Literary techniques employed by author - Exclamatory imperatives and repetition in "out" convey desperation, with fragmented prose showing mental disarray
• Symbolism, foreshadowing, or imagery significance - The "spot" symbolises indelible guilt, fulfilling earlier foreshadowing of moral consequences
• Connection to broader themes - Deepens guilt and conscience, illustrating ambition's psychological cost
• Contextual importance within narrative structure if relevant - Contributes to the tragic climax by signalling the downfall of the Macbeths' regime

Contextual connection

Her madness echoes contemporary views on female hysteria in Jacobean England, while critiquing the era's gender expectations that confined women to supportive roles yet punished their ambition.

"Here's the smell of the blood still: all..."

Quote

"Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand" (Act 5, Scene 1)

Context

During the same sleepwalking scene, Lady Macbeth fixates on the persistent odour of blood, revealing her deep-seated remorse as her mental state deteriorates further.

Analysis

• Character development/transformation shown - Completes her arc from dismissive of guilt to overwhelmed by it, showing total psychological collapse
• Literary techniques employed by author - Sensory imagery of "smell" and hyperbole in "perfumes of Arabia" intensify her anguish, with prose form reflecting chaos
• Symbolism, foreshadowing, or imagery significance - Blood symbolises inescapable sin, contrasting earlier water imagery for dramatic irony
• Connection to broader themes - Underscores guilt and conscience as ambition's ultimate destroyer
• Contextual importance within narrative structure if relevant - Builds to the play's resolution by emphasising the personal toll of tyranny

Contextual connection

The exotic reference to "Arabia" draws on Renaissance fascination with Eastern luxuries, highlighting how even worldly riches cannot absolve moral corruption in a Christian framework.

Example analysis paragraph

Quote used: "Out, damned spot! out, I say!" (Act 5, Scene 1)

Grade 9 PEE paragraph

Point

• Shakespeare employs exclamatory language and repetition to depict Lady Macbeth's psychological disintegration, transforming her from a figure of calculated ambition to one destroyed by subconscious guilt, thereby critiquing the corrosive effects of unchecked power.

Evidence

• "Out, damned spot! out, I say!"

Explanation

• The imperative "out" repeated creates a frantic rhythm that mirrors her mental turmoil, with "damned" evoking religious condemnation to suggest eternal punishment
• This contrasts her earlier commanding tone, showing how ambition's suppression of conscience leads to inevitable eruption, while alternative views might see it as gender-specific vulnerability
• In broader context, it reinforces the play's warning about moral inversion in Jacobean society

Grade 7 PEE paragraph

Point

• Through exclamatory commands and blood imagery, Shakespeare reveals Lady Macbeth's loss of control, highlighting her shift from confident manipulator to guilt-ridden victim.

Evidence

• "Out, damned spot! out, I say!"

Explanation

• The repetition of "out" emphasises her desperate attempts to erase guilt, with "damned" adding a sense of inescapable sin
• This technique shows the author's method of building tragic irony from her earlier denial
• It develops her character by exposing the human cost of ambition

Grade 5 PEE paragraph

Point

• This quote shows Lady Macbeth trying to clean imaginary blood, revealing how guilty she feels about the murders.

Evidence

• "Out, damned spot! out, I say!"

Explanation

• The words "out" and "spot" mean she sees blood that isn't there, proving her mind is broken
• It connects to her role in pushing Macbeth to kill, leading to her downfall