Macbeth and her relationship with. Macbeth? She has drugged the grooms,
saying “I have drugg'd their possets”. She says that she has “laid the daggers
ready” ...
QUESTION
What do you learn about Lady Macbeth and her relationship with Macbeth in this scene?
In your answer you should refer to:
Macbeth Act 2, Scene 2
• Lady Macbeth’s actions in this section of the play • Her mood and the language she uses •
Her attitude towards Macbeth and how Macbeth reacts to his wife
Lady Macbeth’s actions in this section of the play
She has drugged the grooms, saying “I have drugg’d their possets”. She says that she has “laid the daggers ready”, meaning she has left the daggers in Duncan’s room for Macbeth to use. She tells Macbeth to “Go get some water” to wash the blood off his hands. She asks Macbeth for the daggers so that she can return them to Duncan’s room. She also smears the faces of the grooms with blood so that they will appear guilty: “Give me the daggers….I’ll gild the faces of the grooms……”
Her mood and the language she uses She boasts about killing the guards. She seems proud of her role in the murder. When Macbeth enters her only fear is that the guards “have awaked, and ‘tis not done.” When she says “Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t” she shows some tenderness because she admits that she couldn’t kill Duncan because he looked like her father.
What does this tell you about Lady Macbeth and her relationship with Macbeth?
Macbeth Act 2, Scene 2 Her speech is jerky and she reacts to every sound: “Did you not speak?” Soon she is in control of the situation and tries to put Macbeth at ease. She tries to downplay the murder by saying that “the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures”. She refuses to acknowledge any reason for feeling guilty: “A little water clears us of this deed”
Her attitude towards Macbeth and how he reacts to his wife When he first enters she is proud of him – she welcomes him with “My husband”. When he shows some regret, she calls him “foolish”. She tries to calm him and to prevent him from tormenting himself: “These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us mad” (This later turns out to be ironic. Why?) She orders him to go back and place the daggers beside the guards, so that ………. She orders him to prepare himself when she hears a knocking on the door. She tells him off for being “infirm of purpose”. She tells him that her hands are also covered in blood, but she is ashamed that she did not do the actual deed: “My hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white”
