Lady Macbeth
LADY MACBETH HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A FOURTH WITCH. DO YOU CONSIDER THIS TO BE FAIR JUDGEMENT?
I disagree with the statement that Lady Macbeth is a fourth witch.
This is because she displays many different characteristics to that of the witches. She is not naturally evil because she shows signs of guilt, unlike the witches. Murder is something that the witches enjoy. The witches do not show any sign of guilt or regret. To show the extreme of her guilt, during her sleep walking she is absolutely obsessed by a stain of blood which was on her dress after the murder of Duncan. She says, Out damned spot, out I say! One, two; why then, tis time to do t. Then she is obsessed with the smell of the blood. She says, Here s the smell of the blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh! This is in comparison to the guilt that Macbeth felt at the start after the murder of Duncan. At this point, she was very practical and said to Macbeth; A little water clears us of this deed. Now she cannot see the practical side and she seems to have swapped roles with Macbeth because now Macbeth does not show guilt and Lady Macbeth does.
She then feels as if she is in hell, Hell is murky. Fie my lord, fie!
Also Lady Macbeth does not go and kill any one, which shows that she may not be completely evil.
She may not be completely evil because to persuade Macbeth to commit the murder she needs to call upon evil spirits to help her. This shows she does not have natural evil inside of her. When calling upon evil she says, Come you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full, Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visiting’s of nature, Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between, The effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts and take my milk for gall, you murd ring ministers, wherever in your sightless substances you wait
I disagree with the statement that Lady Macbeth is a fourth witch.
This is because she displays many different characteristics to that of the witches. She is not naturally evil because she shows signs of guilt, unlike the witches. Murder is something that the witches enjoy. The witches do not show any sign of guilt or regret. To show the extreme of her guilt, during her sleep walking she is absolutely obsessed by a stain of blood which was on her dress after the murder of Duncan. She says, Out damned spot, out I say! One, two; why then, tis time to do t. Then she is obsessed with the smell of the blood. She says, Here s the smell of the blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh! This is in comparison to the guilt that Macbeth felt at the start after the murder of Duncan. At this point, she was very practical and said to Macbeth; A little water clears us of this deed. Now she cannot see the practical side and she seems to have swapped roles with Macbeth because now Macbeth does not show guilt and Lady Macbeth does.
She then feels as if she is in hell, Hell is murky. Fie my lord, fie!
Also Lady Macbeth does not go and kill any one, which shows that she may not be completely evil.
She may not be completely evil because to persuade Macbeth to commit the murder she needs to call upon evil spirits to help her. This shows she does not have natural evil inside of her. When calling upon evil she says, Come you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full, Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visiting’s of nature, Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between, The effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts and take my milk for gall, you murd ring ministers, wherever in your sightless substances you wait