MONSTROUS – ACTIVE

Setting – Monstrous Mother MEDICINAL – PASSIVE

• Lady Macbeth Nature is the omnipotent
• Transgenders, incantation, - La Belle voice – pathetic fallacy Lady Macbeth Protected, Submissive,
‘fourth witch’, suicide, insane, ‘Unsex ‘Tis said they ate each other’ apologetic
me here and fill me crown to the – Inversion of nature ‘Be innocent of the knowledge ,my
toetop full of direst cruelty.’ ‘Owl shrieked and cricket cry.’ dearest chuck.’
• ‘Out damn Spot!.’ ‘darkness doth the face of the ‘My lord has often been thus.’
• ‘The queen my lord is dead.’ earth entomb.’ ‘Gracious hostess.’
‘Look to the lady.’
Witches Evidence of Pathetic Fallacy – (environme
Portrayal of
• Violent, Supernatural, Transcend theirreflects protagonists’ views) – Could Lady Macduff Protective of her son,
remit, Sexually promiscuous connangry God commenting on disorder Loyal to king,
• ‘How did you dare…to trade and traffic
with Macbeth.’
Women ‘Do I put up that womanly defence?’
‘Poor Wren.’
• ‘Finger of birth strangled babe.’
• ‘lips of Turk.’
• ‘Drain him dry as hay.’ –
Conclusion: Differing Contexts of Receipt – audiences
• Lady Macduff Flippant, lacks maternal Jacobean Audience - Imfluenced by James 1 – seeming
protection, jokes about promiscuity misogyny – ‘Daeomnologie’ – witchcraft – witchcraft trials –
• ‘I can buy me twenty at any market.’ open homosexuality undermines his token wife.
• Your father is dead 21st century audience - might interpret women as not
• He was a traitor.’ transgressive, but a brave, independent, Feminist Reading.