Macbeth character profiles

Macbeth character profiles

1. lady macbeth

   • Cruel and Ruthless
     • Cruel: "And fill me from crown to toe topfull/ Of direst cruelty"
     • Cunning: " look like th' innocent flower / But be the serpent under 't"
     • disturbed : " she is troubled with thick coming fancies"
   • Ambitious
     • "too full o'th' milk of human kindness"- she thinks his goodness makes him a "coward" and stops him from acheiving his ambitions
       • She thinks no ordinary women would of planned a murder such as this so due to this she appeals to this spirit to "unsex" her and fill her with "direst cruelty"
     • Writer uses symbolism and links lady macbeths masculinity to strength and violence, but Shakespeare shows that women can be ruthless and cold-hearted as men
       • knows macbeths weak spot and how to minpulate him
     • Theme- Macbeth is set in a violent, male-dominated society, so Lady Macbeth can only achieve her ambitions through Macbeth
       • Writers techniques- symbolism Lady Macbeth thinks women are made weak by their maternal instincts- she tells the spirits to "come to my woman's breats/ and take my milk for gall". wants to lose her femininity
       • Women were seen normally as kinder and weaker than men, Shakespear uses Lady Macbeth's ambition to show this isn't always true
         • She has a softer side and says she could not have killed Duncan herself because he reminded Lady Macbeth of her father
   • Clever and quick-witted
     • framed Duncans servants for the murder, this shows her slever side with her cruel and heartless side
     • If lady Macbeth pretends to faint she is taking advanatge of the stereoytype women had in the time it was wrote and how a weak women overcome by shock to hide the reality of her creul and cold hearted nature

2. Macbeth

   • characteristics
     • "i have no spur/ to prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition
     • brave; "for brave macbeth"
     • guilty; "will great neptunes ocean wash this blood/ clean from my hand
   • Language
     • Macbeth speach reflects his state of mind. asks loads of questions when he feels uncertain or guilty
       • "whence is that knocking?/ How is't with me, when every noise appals me?". At the start and end of the play, his language is more certain and confident: "stars, hide your fires", "i will not yield"
   • struggles with conscience
     • hears voice after killing duncan " macbeth does murder sleep"
       • sees Banquos ghost at feast and almost gives himself away
   • Easily influenced
     • lead towards Duncans chamber by a floating dagger
     • influenced by supernatural
       • As the apparitions became true macbeths belief in them became inreased and relys on what they said