Commentary on passage from Macbeth

A detailed Summary of Commentary on passage from Macbeth

This passage, taken from the fifth scene of act I, is Lady Macbeth's soliloquy prior to the arrival of King Duncan. Earlier in the Act, Macbeth and Banquo had encountered the three witches who told them both various predictions for their future. Banquo was told he would be father to Kings and Macbeth told that he would first become Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland one day. When, after a display of his valor during a battle, the King gave Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor and part of the witches' prophecy had become a reality, Lady Macbeth began plotting to kill King Duncan so that the second prophecy would also come true, and Macbeth would infact become King. After receiving news that Duncan would be traveling to the Macbeth castle to stay as their guest, Lady Macbeth's plans became within reach and she organized with Macbeth that the murder would take place during the King's visit. As she stands awaiting the King's arrival, Lady Macbeth gives this speech which creates a dark tone and carries a motif of death foreshadowing the death of the King, as she prepares herself mentally and physically for the mur

After being given the perfect opportunity to fulfill the witches' prophecy and kill King Duncan to claim the thrown for Macbeth, Lady Macbeth becomes very focused and determined to succeed in her murder plans. With the perfect "hell" environment surrounding her and the images of death keeping her guided, Lady Macbeth gives one last speech to the spirits asking for their assistance. She begs for her feminine personality to be replaced with that of masculinity on this mortal, eerie scene that foreshadows the death of King Duncan.

This destiny that Duncan is about to be confronted with is that of his death. Throughout the passage there is a mortal motif that is made apparent through many deathly images that ultimately foreshadow Duncan's untimely end. At the very beginning of Lady Macbeth's soliloquy on line 45, she talks of a raven. Black in colour and with a hoarse voice, the raven is a well known symbol of death soon to come. Opening her speech with this creature is a very blatent way to emphasize this preceding death. When she asks for the night to "pall thee" on line 58, she is asking for it to cover itself with

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 757
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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Commentary on passage from Macbeth

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