“Yet do I fear they nature;
It is too full o'th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend to it.”
-- Lady Macbeth
Context: From Lady Macbeth’s monologue, you can tell that she’s a very ambitious person who desires power. To obtain this authority, she will do anything, no matter how ruthless it may be. After, she says, “What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win,” (i.iv.19-22). In this excerpt, she is talking about how her husband is too morally upright to do wrong; he does not want to cheat, but he wants something not belonging to him. Later, she says, “Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; And chastise with the valor of my tongue; All that impedes thee from the golden round,” (i.iv.25-28). Here, she wants Macbeth to hurry home so that she can persuade him to go after the crown.
Interpretation: Because of Lady Macbeth’s ambitious and greedy nature, she is afraid that to become King of Scotland, her husband will not take violent measures that she believes are necessary. She believes that Macbeth is too kind and gentle to ever be powerful and is ambitious without greed – something she thinks is of utmost importance to fulfilling ambition.
It is too full o'th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend to it.”
-- Lady Macbeth
Context: From Lady Macbeth’s monologue, you can tell that she’s a very ambitious person who desires power. To obtain this authority, she will do anything, no matter how ruthless it may be. After, she says, “What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win,” (i.iv.19-22). In this excerpt, she is talking about how her husband is too morally upright to do wrong; he does not want to cheat, but he wants something not belonging to him. Later, she says, “Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; And chastise with the valor of my tongue; All that impedes thee from the golden round,” (i.iv.25-28). Here, she wants Macbeth to hurry home so that she can persuade him to go after the crown.
Interpretation: Because of Lady Macbeth’s ambitious and greedy nature, she is afraid that to become King of Scotland, her husband will not take violent measures that she believes are necessary. She believes that Macbeth is too kind and gentle to ever be powerful and is ambitious without greed – something she thinks is of utmost importance to fulfilling ambition.
“The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step
On which I must fall down or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.”
-- Macbeth
Context: In the previous act (Act III), the Weird Sisters told Macbeth the prophecies that he would become the Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. Later in the same act, Ross and Angus meet Macbeth and greet him with the news that the Norwegian army has been defeated and that the Duncan has just granted Macbeth the title of the Thane of Cawdor.
Interpretation: Malcolm is the Prince of Cumberland and therefore next in line to the throne. Macbeth is not able to suppress his ambition and desire to become king. He regards Malcolm as a roadblock in his way and is something to either jump over or stop at. Macbeth’s desires must be somewhat evil because he is ashamed of them and asks the stars not to shine their light on them.
“Hie thee hither,On which I must fall down or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.”
-- Macbeth
Context: In the previous act (Act III), the Weird Sisters told Macbeth the prophecies that he would become the Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. Later in the same act, Ross and Angus meet Macbeth and greet him with the news that the Norwegian army has been defeated and that the Duncan has just granted Macbeth the title of the Thane of Cawdor.
Interpretation: Malcolm is the Prince of Cumberland and therefore next in line to the throne. Macbeth is not able to suppress his ambition and desire to become king. He regards Malcolm as a roadblock in his way and is something to either jump over or stop at. Macbeth’s desires must be somewhat evil because he is ashamed of them and asks the stars not to shine their light on them.
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear
And chastise with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round.”
-- Lady Macbeth
Context: Lady Macbeth has just received word of Macbeth’s prophecies and how the first one, his becoming the Thane of Cawdor, has already come true. In her speech, (refer to the first quote) she proves her ruthless ambition and complains to herself about her husband’s gentle nature.
Interpretation: All Lady Macbeth wants to do is become the queen of Scotland. However, she can only achieve that goal if her husband Macbeth becomes the king. As his wife, Lady Macbeth knows Macbeth’s personality and realizes that she will need to persuade Macbeth to overcome any obstacles – external or internal – that lie in his path of becoming king.
love&peace, Maria(:
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