On line 3 she insists on the fact that Macbeth’s nature is « weak » that he is « to full o’th’milk of human kindness ». The milk metaphore makes Macbeth look meak, gentle and profoundly human, for indeed « milk » refers to the « mother’s milk » on which babies are fed This description is somewhat surprising for a warrior. In Macbeth’s first soliloquy we have pointed out Macbeth’s contradictions and it is something Lady Macbeths is fully aware of. From L4 to L14 she describes these contradictions using a antithesis pattern « thou wouds/ but without » (L4-6), « wouldst not/and yet » (L7-8), these contradictions show that Macbeth seem to lack the « illness » that should accompany « ambition », that one should be pityless so as to advance in the world. If Macbeth embodies kindness, Lady Macbeth plans on using all her feminine power to change him. The image she uses « that I may pour my spirit into thine hear » is highly reminiscent of the garden of Eden with Eve perverting good and innocent Adam into commiting the original sin; words such as « tongue », « holily », « fate » reinforce the biblical reference. Therefore what we have here is the cliché that man inherited his weakness from good but impressionable Adam and woman inherited her power of pursuasion, cunning and thirst for power from Eve.
Yet if Lady Macbeth accepts the calculating and cunning side that women got from Eve, she rejects with utter disgust precisely what caracterises most the woman that is motherhood. On line 29 she asks to be « unsexed » and on L34 and 35 she wants the evil spirit to « come to my woman’s breast and take my milk for gall ». In other words she precisely asks to have her feminine attibutes « sex » and « breast » removed to make her less of a loving mother and more of a pitiless men or, as we shall see now, monster.
B- The transformation :
The transformation actually starts on L29. Yet the transformation way well have begun on L25 ; more than just a parallel with Eve, Lady Macbeth reminds us of the very amblem of evil, that is the snake, which actually spoke softly into Eve’s ear so as to make her convince Adam, just like the snake she wants to « pour my spirits in thine ear ».The theme of evil unravels with a crescendo starting from line 25 with the metaphore of « the raven » (L26) which will announce Duncan’s doom. The invocation of the evil forces and its dramatic quality with the repetition of come « come, you Spirits » , «come thick night », the « s » alliteration (L32) create a sort of demonic atmosphere favorable to the transformation. The end of her soliloquy actually sounds like an incantation which echoes the various scenes with the witches. As Lady Macbeth is inviting for demonic possession we witness her transformation into something which is no longer human for she wants « gall » to come out of her breast (L35), she wants to be unsexed (L29) and finally she desires to even lose precisely what makes a person human that is remorse « that my knife see not the wounds it makes...to cry hold hold » (L40) , « stop up th’access and passage to remorse » she wants to be filled to the brim « top full » of « direst cruelty ». The lexical field of evil and death is widely use here and is highly proleptic of what is going to happen to King Duncan « fatal entrance » « thick night » « my keen knife » « smoke of hell » There is a true dramatic effect achieved by the tone, the lexical field and the alliterations in « m » (L35) as well as the [i] assonance « keep peace between th’ effect and it » (L34). Assuredly, this scene has a dramatic and frightening quality for the audience.
Conclu : Probably nowhere else in the play is the character of Lady Macbeth better depicted. Here we are shown a cold-blooded woman, eager for power who is ready to do anything to see her weak and too-human husband usurp the thone of Scotland. In order to achieve her aim, Lady Macbeth must cumulate the cunning of Eve and the cruelty, the ruthlessness of evil itself. The supernatural elements displayed with a dramatic eloquance by Lady Macbeth adds to her strength to the point that she no longer seems human. The audience is now prepared for the monstruous deed to come and no doubt that if a weak and doubtful Macbeth can find some compassion to the eyes of the spectator , such an evil and unnatural character as Lady Macbeth never will .
