Lady Macbeth's Transformation: Exploring Themes and Context

1. 19-20thNovember 2018 Stretch and Challenge for All Lady Macbeth Revision • How much can you recall of the plot, themes and context of Macbeth? • How does Lady Macbeth change over the course of the play? • Experiment with: • creating a mind-map • Using colour coding • Trigger words • Noting only the relevant points Challenge is the tool with which teachers stretch students.

4. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: • To consolidate your understanding of how Lady Macbeth is presented in the play ‘Macbeth’. • LEARNING OUTCOME: • Explain how Lady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare. AO1 • Select a range of quotations- language/dramatic devices to support their response. AO2 • Use contextual knowledge to analyse how Lady changes over the course of the play. AO3 Lady Macbeth – William Shakespeare 15th November 2018 Keywords: Gender roles themes Context • Key themes demonstrated by Lady Macbeth? • Guilt • The role of women/men • Appearance Vs Reality • Ambition/greed • Loyalty and Betrayal • Fate and Free Will • Loss of sleep • Good vs Evil

5. GCSE English Literature - Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th Century Novel Section A – Macbeth AO1: Clear explained response to task and ‘Macbeth’ text. Effective use of references from the play to support explanation. Clear writing and well selected quotations AO2: Clear explanation of Shakespeare’s methods/techniques. Understanding of effects of Shakespeare’s methods/techniques on the audience. Do you understand how dramatic irony/stage directions/Soliloquy/Asides are used? AO3: Clear understanding of ideas/perspectives/contextual factors shown by specific links between Jacobean era/Macbeth text and the task. Context of the play AO4: Learners spell and punctuate with consistent accuracy, and consistently use vocabulary and sentence structures to achieve control of meaning. SPaG

6. Explain how Lady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare. AO1 • . • Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth is one of the most powerful female characters in Literature. • Unlike her husband, she is presented at the start as lacking all humanity, as we see well in her opening scene, where she calls upon the "Spirits that tend on mortal thoughts" to deprive her of her feminine instinct to care. • She was equally driven by ambition; a burning ambition to be queen. • Lady Macbeth persistently taunts her husband for his lack of courage, even though we know of his bloody deeds on the battlefield. • But in public, she is able to act as the consummate(perfect, ideal)hostess, welcoming her victim, the king, into her castle. When she faints immediately after the murder of Duncan, the audience is left wondering whether this, too, is part of her act.

7. Explain how Lady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare. AO1 • . Despite being presented as hardened ruthless – atypical of the expectations of women in that era, chastising her husband for not being courageous enough to kill Duncan, the pace of events becomes too much even for her. She becomes mentally deranged, a mere shadow of her former commanding self, gibbering in Act V, Scene 1 as she "confesses" her part in the murder. Her death is the event that causes Macbeth to ruminate(ponder, reflect, think over) for one last time on the nature of time and mortality in the speech "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" (Act V, Scene 5).

8. Explain how Lady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare. AO1 • . How does the character of Lady Macbeth develop throughout the play? Think about the key events of the play and Lady Macbeth's changing thoughts and feelings, before working through some important questions about Lady Macbeth's character. Look at how quickly she fades out of the action. It is only a matter of days between the point where she is driving Macbeth to kill Duncan, and the point when she loses touch with him completely. Note down a selection of key quotes that support your points about how she is presented. Revise at intervals and you will remember them.

9. Explain how Lady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare. AO1 • . • The effect of the letter (Act 1, Scene 5) • How does Lady Macbeth react to the letter from Macbeth? • Lady Macbeth's reaction when she reads her husband's letter is powerful and dramatic. • _________________________________________ • As soon as she's finished reading, she has decided she will make sure Macbeth is king. It's as if she and her husband are thinking exactly the same thing. She does not hesitate for a moment. • _________________________________________ • Lady Macbeth invites the spirits of evil to enter her. She knows she has to steel herself, that the murder will need evil power, and evil is not naturally within her. • ______________________________________________________________________________________________ • She knows immediately that murdering Duncan is the only way of quickly achieving her goal. When Macbeth brings further news that Duncan is actually coming to spend that night with them, it becomes clear that her role is to seize the moment and facilitate her husband's rise to kingship. • _______________________________________________ Can you remember key quotes as evidence of each these points?

10. Explain how Lady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare. AO1 • . • The effect of the letter (Act 1, Scene 5) • How does Lady Macbeth react to the letter from Macbeth? • Lady Macbeth's reaction when she reads her husband's letter is powerful and dramatic. • As soon as she's finished reading, she has decided she will make sure Macbeth is king. It's as if she and her husband are thinking exactly the same thing. She does not hesitate for a moment. • “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised.” • Lady Macbeth invites the spirits of evil to enter her. She knows she has to steel herself, that the murder will need evil power, and evil is not naturally within her. • “Come ye spirits that tend on mortal thoughts • She knows immediately that murdering Duncan is the only way of quickly achieving her goal. When Macbeth brings further news that Duncan is actually coming to spend that night with them, it becomes clear that her role is to seize the moment and facilitate her husband's rise to kingship. • “O never shall sun that morrow see.” Can you remember key quotes as evidence of each these points?

11. Explain how Lady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare. AO1 • . • t to • Lady Macbeth uses different methods to persuade Macbeth to change his mind. Which one really affected Macbeth? • She says it was his idea first. This is her opening line - simply pointing out that he raised the idea first. • ______________________________________________ • ______________________________________________ • She taunts Macbeth's masculinity - calling him a coward. This is an important part of her approach. Macbeth's rank and fame depend on his courage and bravery. • ______________________________________________ • ______________________________________________ • She says he cannot love her. (emotional blackmail) This personal taunt really hits home for Macbeth. It is unexpected because their relationship is so intense. • _____________________________________________ • _____________________________________________ • She ______________________________________________________________________________________________ • _______________________________________________ • _______________________________________________ Can you remember key quotes as evidence of each these points? Can you state the language/dramatic technique used in the quote?

12. Explain how Lady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare. AO1 • . • The effect of the letter (Act 1, Scene 5) • Before the murder (Act 1, Scene 7) • How does Lady Macbeth persuade her husband to kill Duncan when he does not want to? • Lady Macbeth uses different methods to persuade Macbeth to change his mind. Which one really affected Macbeth? • She says it was his idea first. This is her opening line - simply pointing out that he raised the idea first. • “Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself?” • She taunts Macbeth's masculinity - calling him a coward. This is an important part of her approach. Macbeth's rank and fame depend on his courage and bravery. • “Art thou afeard to be the same in thin own act and valour, as thou art in desire?” • She says he cannot love her. (emotional blackmail)This personal taunt really hits home for Macbeth. It is unexpected because their relationship is so intense. • “From this time, such I account thy love.” Can you remember key quotes as evidence of each these points? Can you state the language/dramatic technique used in the quote? http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/english/macbeth/char_l_macbeth/revision/2/

13. The morning after the murder (Act 2, Scene 3) Without warning during this scene, Lady Macbeth faints. This has been argued about ever since the play was first performed. Does she faint to distract attention, because the others might see through Macbeth's elaborate excuses? Or is it because she is genuinely shocked and overcome and her strength suddenly leaves her? Why does Lady Macbeth faint? It's difficult to find evidence for your answer to this question, because Lady Macbeth says so little in the scene. She's distracting attention. Well, you could say this - depending on how you read the scene. Certainly her line "Help me hence, ho!" (Act 2, scene 3, line 18) could be said in a theatrical way to distract attention. There's no need to find a quotation - that's virtually all she says! She feels suddenly alone and scared by Macbeth's words and actions. They planned everything together, but now things are beginning to get out of control with the murder of the two guards. Macbeth may have been directing some of his angry words at her. His fury and menace would really be frightening, especially as earlier in the play she thinks he would be too mild to kill the king in the first place. Lady Macbeth is shocked by the guards' murder. She was not prepared for more death. This is a good point to make. She thought that the killing of Duncan would be the end of the story.

14. Explain how Lady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare. AO1 • . • Select a range of quotations- language/dramatic devices to support their response. AO2 Can you remember key quotes as evidence of each these points? Can you state the language/dramatic technique used in the quote? The banquet (Act 3, Scene 4) How does this scene show Lady Macbeth becoming isolated from Macbeth? This scene is a turning point in the play because it marks the point where Lady Macbeth loses touch with Macbeth. Follow her reactions during the scene. Her persuasion no longer works on him. She scolds him in the same way as before the murder, but this time it's different. She doesn't really know what's wrong - she can't see the ghost. She cannot understand Macbeth's faith in the supernatural. She always looks for natural ways of putting things right. While he prepares for more killing, she looks for simple, natural ways of coping - a little water, sleep. Lady Macbeth is still concerned that they act, and cope, as a couple. This is important. Remember she can only really have power through her husband. She has no power of her own. So her main worry is that the guests see them as man and wife, king and queen. • After Act 3, the relationship between the Macbeths becomes more distant. They do not appear together in the play again which suggests a breakdown in the relationship and the fact that Macbeth is isolating himself even from his “dearest partner of greatness.”

15. All will be able to explain how Lady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare. AO1 Most will be able to select a range of quotations/language devices to support their response. AO2 Some will be able to use contextual knowledge to analyse how Macbeth changes over the course of the play. AO3 Her persuasion no longer works on him. She scolds him in the same way as before the murder, but this time it's different. She doesn't really know what's wrong - she can't see the ghost. • She cannot understand Macbeth's faith in the supernatural. She always looks for natural ways of putting things right. While he prepares for more killing, she looks for simple, natural ways of coping - a little water, sleep. Key Quotations? The banquet (Act 3, Scene 4) How does this scene show Lady Macbeth becoming isolated from Macbeth? Theme - Appearance versus Reality Lady Macbeth is still concerned that they act, and cope, as a couple. This is important. Remember she can only really have power through her husband. She has no power of her own. So her main worry is that the guests see them as man and wife, king and queen. How would a Shakespearean audience react to Lady Macbeth?

16. Select a range of quotations/language devices to support your response. AO2 “My Lord, you do not give the cheer; the feast is sold …the sauce to meat is ceremony, meeting were bare without it.” (If you are not a good host, and the guests don’t fell welcomed, they’ll feel like they’re paying for their meal, which makes the banquet dull.) “What , quite unmanned is folly? (Has your foolishness taken away your manliness?) “Feed and regard him not. [To Macbeth] Are you a man?” (She becomes dominant again. This reminds the audience of her words in Act 1 Scene 7) “O, these flaws and starts, imposters to true fear, would wll become a woman’s story at a winter fire… Shame itself! Why do you make such faces ? When all’s done, you look on but a stool.” “You have displaced the mirth, broke the good meeting with most admired disorder.” “You lack the season of all natures, sleep.”

17. ExphowLady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare. AO1 • Select a range of quotations/language devices to support their response. AO2 • Use contextual knowledge to analyse how Lady Macbeth changes over the course of the play. AO3 The Sleep-walking Scene Why does Lady Macbeth begin to walk and talk in her sleep? Understanding why Lady Macbeth has begun to sleepwalk will help you to understand her character. She needs to be cleansed. Lady Macbeth never saw the evil of the murder lasting in this way. The blood of Duncan haunts her . She re-runs her own part in the murder to come to terms with her guilt. An important point. She does not try to blame anyone but herself. Her words come back to haunt her. Lady Macbeth is horrified by Macbeth's continued killing. She was devastated by the slaughter of Lady Macduff and her children.

18. What does the scene tell us about her part in the play? As a woman, Lady Macbeth never had the power to control things independently. The sleepwalking scene is very intimate. While Macbeth's conscience strikes in a very public banquet, Lady Macbeth's fear shows up in a private setting. This underlines the different roles of men and women in this society. (AO3 – context) Lady Macbeth always saw an end to the process: once Duncan was dead, power would rest with herself and Macbeth. This is probably the most important point. She goes over this point in her head. She was never really an evil person. It was Macbeth who had faith in supernatural powers. Lady Macbeth invited them in, they possessed her, and have left her powerless. The isolation has driven her mad: Macbeth no longer seems to exist for her. Lady Macbeth always instinctively saw herself as part of a couple. Macbeth has gradually broken away from her, leaving her totally isolated in her chamber. She desperately wants their former closeness. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/english/macbeth/char_l_macbeth/revision/5/

19. Key themes demonstrated by Lady Macbeth • Key themes demonstrated by Lady Macbeth • Guilt • The role of women/men • Appearance Vs Reality • Ambition/greed • Loyalty and Betrayal • Fate and Free Will • Loss of sleep • Good vs Evil In Act 5, we see Lady Macbeth destroyed by the strain as her guilt becomes revealed for all to see. The metaphor of a guilty conscience being represented by the image of sleeplessness is shown in her sleepwalking. She is also seen constantly washing her hands, as her guilt has made the stains seem indelible to her: "Out damned spot!…'All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand". Her rambling words reveal her complicity in Macbeth's crimes: "Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? … The Thane of Fife had a wife; where is she now?" Her reassurance to Macbeth in Act 3"What's done is done" is twisted into a despairing admission of guilt: "What's done cannot be undone". As you discuss how Lady Macbeth is presented, the key themes she demonstrates MUST ALWAYS be included as part of your extended analysis, as well as beliefs and expectations of society at the time – AO3 context.

20. PLENARY: From your knowledge and learning in this lecture, bullet point the key points you would make about the presentation of Lady Macbeth throughout the play, should she be the focus of your upcoming exam task. Powerful, dramatic and controlling