In Act 5 Scene 1 Lady Macbeth asks, "What, will these hands ne'er be clean?" In what way does this remark indicate a whole host of changes in Lady Macbeth related to innocence and guilt, strength and weakness, and sanity and insanity?
Lady Macbeth during this scene is sleep walking and talking while the Doctor and the Gentlewomen are present. During this Lady Macbeth is talking about how she acted prior to King Duncan's death and how she is acting now. “Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?” This quote shows that prior to Duncan's death she was encouraging Macbeth to kill him and saying that they will not get caught as they won't have any evidence, she is also stating that since he is a solider this should be easy for him as he has killed multiple people without even a thought crossing his mind to whether it was right or wrong. Then her thoughts quickly change to no longer being strong and controlling, when she says “Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.” Lady Macbeth is now showing her more sensitive side as it is becoming more real to her that King Duncan is now dead because of her actions in persuading Macbeth. Having the blood of King Duncan on her hands makes her realize that there is evidence that she was involved in the murder. Through this realization she starts to feel very guilty which leads her down the path to insanity. During that time she says “What, will these hands ne'er be clean?” saying this shows that no matter how many times she washes her hands she will only be able to clean the blood off her hands, but she will never be able to get her innocence back as she can not undo what she has done.
Do you guys think that the Doctor and Gentlewomen were able to understand what Lady Macbeth was confessing to, and if so why do you think they did not say anything?
During this scene we see Lady Macbeth sleep walking. She is discussing her crimes she has committed. She is also aware she is the reason that Macbeth has gone down such a dark path. If she had not pushed him to kill Duncan he may have never put a hit out on anyone else. Lady Macbeth becomes sensitive to the matter. She is also considering her life before all this killing started. We see her wishing she could go back in time and undo her actions.
Kyle, I am not sure if the doctor knew what she was talking about. He did call her crazy, which leads me to say no. Yet there is real way of telling. If they did know, they probably did not say anything due to fear. They might have thought Macbeth would kill them if they appeared too much in the "know!"
Do you all think Lady Macbeth would have tried to find a new way to put Macbeth in power, if she could have gone back in time. Or would she have left things alone and remain the wife of a Thane?
I think that she would have remained the wife of a thane if she could go back, as the guilt of helping kill King Duncan drove her to insanity which ultimately led her to her death. I think she would have been much happier in the end if she was just the wife of a thane.
When Lady Macbeth says, "What, will these hands ne'er be clean?", she is finally facing reality that she will never gain back her innocence. The blood may not remain visible on her hands, but the idea of why the blood was there will always remain. The blood that gathered on her hands did physically disappear, but the visible blood that washed away carried her characteristic of innocence. The guilt of taking part in killing Duncan will forever remain on her hands, an issue she will never be able to run away from. At the time she thought that she would never hold any guilt for the killing Duncan, but she now realizes that that guilt is incapable of disappearing. When Lady Macbeth first thought of the idea of killing Duncan, she contained much strength in her heart, which led her to help encourage Macbeth to kill him. Although, after noticing Macbeth’s new mindset, which is that killing people who threaten his status is how he will reach safety, she realizes how big of a mistake she has made when she forced him to kill Duncan. After she sees him kill other people, including Banquo, she becomes aware that she should have never encouraged him to kill Duncan, and that killing people is never the answer. When she watched Macbeth kill all these innocent people showed how much she negatively affected his mindset, making her heart grow weaker than ever.
Kylie, to answer your question, I think that the Doctor and Gentlewomen were actually aware of the sinful acts Lady Macbeth has encouraged, and why she talks about her forever dirty hands. Once Lady Macbeth exists the scene, the Doctor says, “More needs she the divine than the physician. God, God forgive us all!”. I think that quote shows evidence that the Doctor is aware of her acts. The Doctor is saying that she needs God’s forgiveness more than help from a Doctor, since he is the only one that can cure her issues. This shows how the Doctor is aware that she doesn’t need medical help but needs God’s forgiveness in order to live a guilt free life. If she meets with God, he will show her that she can be innocent again one day, and if she realizes that she can be innocent one day in the future, maybe she can help turn Macbeth back to innocent too.
Lady Macbeth is reliving her guilt and she has changed roles with her husband Macbeth. In the beginning she was the one who was anxious to kill Duncan and thought nothing of murder while Macbeth was worried and unsure. By the end of the play, their roles have reversed and he is comfortable with killing and views murder of anyone suspicious as the only way for him to succeed as king. Lady Macbeth however feels guilt and remorse. She literally cannot get the blood off her hands and dreams about the death of Duncan with regret. No washing or perfume can take away her guilty feelings. She thought it would be easy to order someone’s murder and in her sleep she’s reliving the terrible crime. She can never be at peace remembering what she is responsible for and it’s driven her to feel unbalanced, lose sleep, and feel great stress.
To answer Kylie's question about whether the woman and the doctor knew what Lady Macbeth was referring to, I think they did but couldn't come right out and say it because speaking against the king or queen in those times was treason and you could be punished by death. Also since they knew or suspected how many were killed by Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, they would be even more afraid to speak badly about them.
Lady Macbeth says how "What, will these hands ne'er be clean?” and she is referring to all of the murders that Macbeth has committed, and that he will always have blood on his hands. In the beginning of the book, she is the one persuading Macbeth to kill Duncan, while he is uncomfortable and scared to do it. She calls him a coward and unmanly, and she even felt so comfortable with it that she says “Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done ’t.” This implies that if Duncan didn’t remind her so much of her father, she would have killed him herself. It is ironic how as the book goes on, her and Macbeth’s views on murder switch places and he begins to feel much more comfortable with it and it begins to haunt her more and more.
Macbeth figures that he is already going to hell for the sins he committed by killing Duncan, so what will a few more people do to his conscience? I wouldn’t say that Macbeth becomes stronger and Lady Macbeth becomes weaker, but rather he becomes numb to the guilt of murder, while Lady Macbeth starts to get more and more sensitive to it. Ultimately, it haunts and guilts her to the point where she cannot take the shame and liability anymore so she would rather take her own life than have to deal with it. --Haley
Lady Macbeth during this scene is sleep walking and talking while the Doctor and the Gentlewomen are present. During this Lady Macbeth is talking about how she acted prior to King Duncan's death and how she is acting now. “Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?” This quote shows that prior to Duncan's death she was encouraging Macbeth to kill him and saying that they will not get caught as they won't have any evidence, she is also stating that since he is a solider this should be easy for him as he has killed multiple people without even a thought crossing his mind to whether it was right or wrong. Then her thoughts quickly change to no longer being strong and controlling, when she says “Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.” Lady Macbeth is now showing her more sensitive side as it is becoming more real to her that King Duncan is now dead because of her actions in persuading Macbeth. Having the blood of King Duncan on her hands makes her realize that there is evidence that she was involved in the murder. Through this realization she starts to feel very guilty which leads her down the path to insanity. During that time she says “What, will these hands ne'er be clean?” saying this shows that no matter how many times she washes her hands she will only be able to clean the blood off her hands, but she will never be able to get her innocence back as she can not undo what she has done.
ReplyDeleteDo you guys think that the Doctor and Gentlewomen were able to understand what Lady Macbeth was confessing to, and if so why do you think they did not say anything?
This comment has been removed by the author.
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ReplyDeleteDuring this scene we see Lady Macbeth sleep walking. She is discussing her crimes she has committed. She is also aware she is the reason that Macbeth has gone down such a dark path. If she had not pushed him to kill Duncan he may have never put a hit out on anyone else. Lady Macbeth becomes sensitive to the matter. She is also considering her life before all this killing started. We see her wishing she could go back in time and undo her actions.
ReplyDeleteKyle,
I am not sure if the doctor knew what she was talking about. He did call her crazy, which leads me to say no. Yet there is real way of telling. If they did know, they probably did not say anything due to fear. They might have thought Macbeth would kill them if they appeared too much in the "know!"
Do you all think Lady Macbeth would have tried to find a new way to put Macbeth in power, if she could have gone back in time. Or would she have left things alone and remain the wife of a Thane?
I think that she would have remained the wife of a thane if she could go back, as the guilt of helping kill King Duncan drove her to insanity which ultimately led her to her death. I think she would have been much happier in the end if she was just the wife of a thane.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen Lady Macbeth says, "What, will these hands ne'er be clean?", she is finally facing reality that she will never gain back her innocence. The blood may not remain visible on her hands, but the idea of why the blood was there will always remain. The blood that gathered on her hands did physically disappear, but the visible blood that washed away carried her characteristic of innocence. The guilt of taking part in killing Duncan will forever remain on her hands, an issue she will never be able to run away from. At the time she thought that she would never hold any guilt for the killing Duncan, but she now realizes that that guilt is incapable of disappearing. When Lady Macbeth first thought of the idea of killing Duncan, she contained much strength in her heart, which led her to help encourage Macbeth to kill him. Although, after noticing Macbeth’s new mindset, which is that killing people who threaten his status is how he will reach safety, she realizes how big of a mistake she has made when she forced him to kill Duncan. After she sees him kill other people, including Banquo, she becomes aware that she should have never encouraged him to kill Duncan, and that killing people is never the answer. When she watched Macbeth kill all these innocent people showed how much she negatively affected his mindset, making her heart grow weaker than ever.
ReplyDeleteKylie, to answer your question, I think that the Doctor and Gentlewomen were actually aware of the sinful acts Lady Macbeth has encouraged, and why she talks about her forever dirty hands. Once Lady Macbeth exists the scene, the Doctor says, “More needs she the divine than the physician. God, God forgive us all!”. I think that quote shows evidence that the Doctor is aware of her acts. The Doctor is saying that she needs God’s forgiveness more than help from a Doctor, since he is the only one that can cure her issues. This shows how the Doctor is aware that she doesn’t need medical help but needs God’s forgiveness in order to live a guilt free life. If she meets with God, he will show her that she can be innocent again one day, and if she realizes that she can be innocent one day in the future, maybe she can help turn Macbeth back to innocent too.
Lady Macbeth is reliving her guilt and she has changed roles with her husband Macbeth. In the beginning she was the one who was anxious to kill Duncan and thought nothing of murder while Macbeth was worried and unsure. By the end of the play, their roles have reversed and he is comfortable with killing and views murder of anyone suspicious as the only way for him to succeed as king. Lady Macbeth however feels guilt and remorse. She literally cannot get the blood off her hands and dreams about the death of Duncan with regret. No washing or perfume can take away her guilty feelings. She thought it would be easy to order someone’s murder and in her sleep she’s reliving the terrible crime. She can never be at peace remembering what she is responsible for and it’s driven her to feel unbalanced, lose sleep, and feel great stress.
ReplyDeleteTo answer Kylie's question about whether the woman and the doctor knew what Lady Macbeth was referring to, I think they did but couldn't come right out and say it because speaking against the king or queen in those times was treason and you could be punished by death. Also since they knew or suspected how many were killed by Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, they would be even more afraid to speak badly about them.
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth says how "What, will these hands ne'er be clean?” and she is referring to all of the murders that Macbeth has committed, and that he will always have blood on his hands. In the beginning of the book, she is the one persuading Macbeth to kill Duncan, while he is uncomfortable and scared to do it. She calls him a coward and unmanly, and she even felt so comfortable with it that she says “Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done ’t.” This implies that if Duncan didn’t remind her so much of her father, she would have killed him herself. It is ironic how as the book goes on, her and Macbeth’s views on murder switch places and he begins to feel much more comfortable with it and it begins to haunt her more and more.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth figures that he is already going to hell for the sins he committed by killing Duncan, so what will a few more people do to his conscience? I wouldn’t say that Macbeth becomes stronger and Lady Macbeth becomes weaker, but rather he becomes numb to the guilt of murder, while Lady Macbeth starts to get more and more sensitive to it. Ultimately, it haunts and guilts her to the point where she cannot take the shame and liability anymore so she would rather take her own life than have to deal with it.
--Haley