Exam (elaborations)
GCSE English Literature - Macbeth - Full Marks Essay (Lady Macbeth)
- Module
- English Literature
- Institution
- GCSE
GCSE English Literature - Macbeth - Full Marks Essay (Lady Macbeth)
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Starting with this speech, explain how far you think Shakespearepresents Lady Macbeth as manipulative? (30 marks) AO4 (4
MARKS)
Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as increasingly manipulative throughout the play, with
this speech only illustrating a fraction of her devious capabilities.
Act 1 Scene 5 is significant to the play because it is the first time the audience sees Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth interact. Structurally, Lady Macbeth dominates the scene and the
conversation, suggesting that she is the more authoritative figure of the couple. In the
extract, Macbeth tells her that ‘We will speak further.’ This is a definitive statement by
Macbeth, the man and therefore the stereotypical authority figure in a patriarchal society. A
contemporary audience would expect Lady Macbeth to comply to this and drop the subject.
However, Shakespeare gives Lady Macbeth the last line of the scene: ‘Leave all the rest to
me’, placing a huge emphasis on her power. The verb ‘Leave’ is one of the many imperatives
Lady Macbeth uses throughout her speech, creating a cumulative effect of her strength and
control. This slight defiance of her husband may have shocked the audience as it subverts the
usually submissive expectations of women in a Jacobean society. Shakespeare places
emphasis on Lady Macbeth’s control and force in her relationship, that it would be fairly easy
for her to manipulate Macbeth. In fact, Lady Macbeth explicitly states she is planning to ‘pour
mine spirits into thine (Macbeth’s) ear’, only for shadowing the manipulative bombardment to
come. The verb ‘pour’ connotes a swift smooth and easy motion , which reinforces the fact
that it would be easy for Lady Macbeth to manipulate Macbeth and she is utterly aware of
this.
The speech in Act 5 Scene 1 begins with ‘O, never/Shall sun that morrow see!’, which is
especially significant as it makes Lady Macbeth the first character to explicitly mention
murder aloud, even in a metaphor. This quotation is on a shared line with Macbeth, showing a
lack of hesitation for murder. The interjection ‘O’ paired with an exclamation mark, suggests
excitement or anticipation of the deed, implying that Lady Macbeth is willing to go to any
lengths for Macbeth to be ‘what thou art promised’, even if it involves manipulating him.
Moreover, Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to "look like the innocent flower but be the serpent
under't", a both a metaphor and simile, symbolising the duplicitous nature of the command
and her character. The noun ‘flower’ connotes something beautiful, delicate and pure, which
is reinforced by the naturalistic imagery – the adjective ‘innocent’ further amplifying this
imagery. The tone shifts at the second half of the command, with the plosive alliteration of
"but be", signifying that it is not a suggestion, but an order. The use of the noun ‘serpent’ has
connotations of deception, devilry and viciousness, contrasting with the ‘flower’ and
reinforced by the animalistic imagery. The ‘serpent’ is also a reference to the Biblical story of
Adam and Eve, which Shakespeare’s predominantly Catholic audience would be familiar with.
In the story, The serpent (who is the devil in disguise) tricks Adam and Eve into disobeying
God and sinning, and they are expelled from the Garden of Eden. This foreshadows that Lady
Macbeth will convince Macbeth to commit regicide, which could sentence his soul to eternal
damnation. Also, serpents are quite hidden in nature when compared to flowers, hence she is
being very specific with her instructions: act innocently when out in the open but attack when
hidden under the cover of darkness. In this way, Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth’s
personality and actions, so her plan will not fail.
Arguably, Act 1 Scene 7, is where Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth at the height of her
manipulation as she bombards Macbeth with an array of scheming tactics designed to afflict
him. Structurally, this conversation takes place immediately after Macbeth’s long soliloquy,
where he lists the countless reasons why he should not murder Duncan. Not only does Lady
Macbeth convince him to commit the murder, but she does so in less than fifty lines. In this
way, Shakespeare displays just how ruthless Lady Macbeth can be, and the influence she has
over Macbeth. Firstly, Lady Macbeth asks many rhetorical questions at a rapid pace, giving
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