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Macbeth character profiles

lady macbeth
1. Cruel and Ruthless
  1. Cruel: "And fill me from crown to toe topfull/ Of direst cruelty"
  2. Cunning: " look like th' innocent flower / But be the serpent under 't"
  3. disturbed : " she is troubled with thick coming fancies"
2. Ambitious
  1. "too full o'th' milk of human kindness"- she thinks his goodness makes him a "coward" and stops him from acheiving his ambitions
    1. 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"
  2. 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
    1. knows macbeths weak spot and how to minpulate him
  3. Theme- Macbeth is set in a violent, male-dominated society, so Lady Macbeth can only achieve her ambitions through Macbeth
    1. 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
    2. Women were seen normally as kinder and weaker than men, Shakespear uses Lady Macbeth's ambition to show this isn't always true
      1. She has a softer side and says she could not have killed Duncan herself because he reminded Lady Macbeth of her father
3. Clever and quick-witted
  1. framed Duncans servants for the murder, this shows her slever side with her cruel and heartless side
  2. 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
Macbeth
1. characteristics
  1. "i have no spur/ to prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition
  2. brave; "for brave macbeth"
  3. guilty; "will great neptunes ocean wash this blood/ clean from my hand
2. Language
  1. Macbeth speach reflects his state of mind. asks loads of questions when he feels uncertain or guilty
    1. "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"
3. struggles with conscience
  1. hears voice after killing duncan " macbeth does murder sleep"
    1. sees Banquos ghost at feast and almost gives himself away
4. Easily influenced
  1. lead towards Duncans chamber by a floating dagger
  2. influenced by supernatural
    1. As the apparitions became true macbeths belief in them became inreased and relys on what they said

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Macbeth character profiles

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	Created by Jagpreet Kang about 7 years ago