Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth

1. "The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements.

   • Here, she is saying that Duncan is so screwed that the raven that croaks a warning (think of every horror movie ever) is loosing its voice.
   • This demonstrates her certainty that she will go through with the deed of killing Duncan. She hasn't even spoken to her husband yet, but she is completely certain.

2. Take my milk for gall.

   • This would have been disturbing to audiences at the time (and still is now). She is asking the spirits to turn her breast milk into bile/poison. What she means is, she wants to loose any remnants of feminine kindness/maternal instincts so that she can go through with the murder.

3. A little water clears us of this deed.

   • Just after the murder of Duncan, LM is suggesting that if they wash the blood from their hands, they will be in the clear. This is ironic, as her guilt ends up getting in the way, and is her undoing. Also, she keeps seeing blood on her hands, just like the blood that is there at this stage of the play, because she had to take the daggers back.