“Some valid points there Lucy, I think we all agree that she would be shocked originally, as anybody would, on receiving the news that their husband was referred to as ‘King that shalt be!’ but beyond this I believe she sees Macbeth as an obstacle to her own success and even calls upon the spirits to dehumanise her in order to become ultimately ruthless for her own ambition. She would be shouting the line ‘Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts! Unsex me here.’ as though she is possessed. Her facial muscles would be taught with the ideas of evil and power as she requests the spirits to denature her womanly compassion’s.
“I think you’re wrong there. I believe that she is such a loyal wife that she is willing to do anything to help him achieve his destiny. Unfortunately she goes too far, but I still think she speaks these words softly and calmly, as she is keeping her dignity while performing her duties. When she says ‘Stop up the accesses and passage to remorse’, I think she not only means that she does not want a conscience, but the word ‘remorse’ symbolises her feeling at that time, as she is regretting having to act like this, but it’s what she must do.”
“I agree with Lucy, she is obviously a helpless wife who feels obliged to aid her husband in whatever way she can.”
“O.K, so that’s settled. What about her language? How would an audience interpret Lady Macbeth’s language and relate this to her state of mind?”
“ I believe the dialogue between Lady Macbeth and her husband, as he enters is fast, urgent and disturbing. The pace of this conversation and her quick fire question; ‘And when goes hence?’ suggest that she is worried and concerned about her husband. This is also shown when Lady Macbeth calls the night to hide her actions under a ‘blanket’ of darkness, very similar to Macbeth’s request in the previous scene where he says ‘Stars, hide you fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires’ asking the night to shield his evil. This creates a strong verbal bond between husband and wife that represents the love in their relationship.
I think this disturbed language and half-line breaks such as ‘ Tomorrow, as he purposes.’ intensifies the moment of drama to represent unnatural thoughts and also to create a link, because the same language is used by these two directly after the murder.”
“Also in this dialogue Lady Macbeth greets her husband with words such as ‘All hail’ and ‘hereafter’ that were both used by the witches and give a link between the evil, twisted, unnatural witches and how Lady Macbeth should act.”
“I agree in general, that there is a link, but overall her language has shown her to be disturbed and worried about the deed she is about to do. I also think that this link from the witched will chill the audience and a black cloud will hang over her from now on.”
“I think we also see hear, evidence of social background that could have led to her degeneration. She makes a pact with evil and in the 1000’s, belief in God, the Devil and Hell were very strong and so any link with evil is likely to have affected her in some way.”
“Yes, and this is why I believe that she would be very scared when making this pact and would be shaking with fear at the prospect of evil, rather than the other idea of a ruthless woman who is confident in her actions.”
“So we are all agreed. The overall impact on the audience through Lucy’s portrayal of Lady Macbeth is of a loyal, ambitious yet frightened wife.”
“I’d also like to point out that she would have been under immense pressure, as she knows that she can only achieve her ambitions through her husband shown by the social context of a stereotypical 1000’s woman who had no place as authority or controlling figures and because she tries to break free of this stereotypical woman restraint she could not cope and in the end it did not work. This would be another main reason for her downward fall.”
“Yes. Now, any suggestions for the staging of this scene, Steve?”
“Well, to fit in with the sympathetic approach to Lady Macbeth that we have adopted, I feel there should be bright lights to signal a new day dawning for a new king and possibly, other symbols of new life such as birds singing. I also believe that we should include darker lighting for the part where she deals with the spirits and use a harsh red filter to help convey images and give a link to the blood and carnage, soon to come. A dark animal noise effect such as an owl could be used to represent the evil present and the seriousness of the occasion. I think these two contrasting ideas and staging effects within the scene will also help to represent Lady Macbeth’s contrasting thoughts and the opposition from her conscience to her evil thoughts and actions to come.”
“Well, now we’ll move on to Act 2 Scene 2, where Lady Macbeth drugs the guards and leaves Macbeth to carry out the ‘fowl deed’. When Macbeth returns, he describes how his conscience has caught up with him. He reveals his secret about the daggers, but Lady Macbeth takes them back to cover their tracks.
I think, up to now Lady Macbeth has seemed very determined and strong, but here she is very much on edge. I think we can start to see the slow degeneration process in action here compared to the earlier scenes. Although we see her weakening, I believe she is masking this from herself, as she says ‘that which have made them drunk hath made me bold’ as she is saying that the drugging of the guards has made her stronger and bolder, whereas she is in fact troubled by this deed and affected by the smallest of movements.”
“Yes, but apart from this, Lady Macbeth is obviously in emotional trouble as she starts to realise the consequences of supporting her husband. I think this will rub off on the audience and I would like there to be a situation where the audience is feeling very sympathetic for her plight and worried for her safety. She says ‘Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t’ showing that she is terrified of committing Duncan’s murder. Although she has changed in this respect, I also feel she is still able to take charge as she does so in the dialogue with Macbeth.
Rather than being evil and brave, I believe that she is bold and she has to rally superhuman strength to fight her conscience for this occasion and perhaps, instead of fiendish and evil intent she is merely showing her artful and sly abilities through her meticulous attention to detail regarding the murder.
The change appears in Lady Macbeth, as morals prevail, as shown by her comment about her father. At this point, I think I should convey this to the audience and try to portray her as the innocent victim, by speaking in a soft tone and acting as though it were a day dream for that split second moment as she remembers her father.”
“Yes, I think you’ve changed my mind for me there Lucy. I can see your point of view. I think, as Lady Macbeth utters the words ‘Consider not so deeply’ she is not only trying to be strong for her husband, but is affected by the historical context of the play, as she would have been brought up as a woman to suppress her conscience and hope that it would just dissipate, and as a result, it led her to a one-way road to insanity due to her inability to explain her feeling and worries.
As she learns of the fact that Macbeth has returned with the daggers she immediately takes control. She says ‘Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the deed are but as pictures’ and I feel that it is not the ambition that had previously fuelled her drive to carry out the murder, that gives her the incentive to take control, but pure panic and fear as she realises the morality and consequences of their actions. As a result she would speak these words in disbelief or anxiety, and instead of tearing the daggers away from Macbeth, I think she would use her shaking hands to snatch the daggers, very gingerly and rise slowly to her feet.”
“I think also, that she would show worried concern over Macbeth’s state of mind and as she says ‘you unbend your noble strength to think so brainsickly things’ she is using lots of body and eye contact to assure Macbeth and appear confident, but at the same time, real iterating this change due to the morality of the issue, and shown by a shaking body and a quivering voice.”
“She could be saying these words angrily and imposing on Macbeth as she towers over him as a sign of her evil and dominance in the relationship.”
“No, I definitely agree with Steve. Not many people have taken his view of Lady Macbeth, so it’s original and I think it would be interesting to see how it works.”
“I think that when she is isolated and talking about ‘the owl that shrieked’ and ‘the fatal bellman’ she is showing herself to the audience to be extremely vulnerable, as she is easily affected, like her husband, by the smallest of noises. This also shows the verbal link between husband and wife. ‘The fatal bellman’ suggests that she still hasn’t won her struggle with her conscience and her mind is transfixed on thoughts of condemned prisoners taken off by the bellman, which I think also symbolises her sanity being taken away.”
“I agree on her unease at this moment, but I think that she is not easily alarmed, but annoyed and agitated, as the fear of failure sets in. She would say these words more assertively and be pacing around the room rather than acting all alone and keeping very still.”
“What do you think, Steve?”
“I’m more on Kevin’s side on this one. I mean she is obviously afraid and alone, and she is reassured when Macbeth arrives, as she has the company of another person.”
“I think themes play an important role as well, as sleep and kingship are closely related in this scene. As Macbeth proclaims that ‘Macbeth shall sleep no more’ I think, that based on their wedded bond, he speaks for both himself and his wife, as he complains of the upset of the natural act of sleeping. This is due to the upset of the natural order of kingship and since this was a very important theme in the context of the play, it affects Lady Macbeth, as her conscience cannot handle this disorientation in her life, and as she speaks of washing ‘the filthy witness from your hand’ there is no way that a practical deed like this will, in any way, alter the situation of her emotional turmoil that she is undergoing.”
“Yes, and the audience would feel sympathetic for her pure ignorance of her conscience, and some even angry or appalled, that due to the social context of the play, she cannot face up to her fears or try to stop herself. In terms of language, what do you think Lucy?”
“Well, the quick-fire dialogue is fragmented in this part of the scene creates a sense of frightened urgency in both characters and we can feel the anxiety in their words such as ‘when’, ‘now’ and ‘ay’. I also think that we can clearly see her mental degeneration, as she appeals to another level of mental disruption, with her emotional language such as ‘Hark’ and ‘alack, I am afraid they have awak’d’ showing her to be anxious and worried.”
“I think it’s also worth mentioning the irony of her ‘brainsickly’ remark, as she is the one who will be kept from sleeping by the mental picture of death, long after it has left Macbeth’s mind. I’d also like to point out the significance of the knocking on the door, which could be taken either as a knocking of their conscience or an exterior knock that would signal either a knock of justice or of vengeance. Well, I think that’s settled in terms of Lady Macbeth in Act 2. Any ideas for staging?”
“Well, I think that the overall effect of the scene and in fact the whole act in general would be one of darkness, definitely set at night to symbolise the evil and unrest. A harsh light could be used of a red colour to pick out the blood on their hands and because it’s unnatural light, representing the unnatural events. An effect such as a lightning strike would symbolise the forces of darkness and evil, and show disturbance that is mirrored in the mind of Lady Macbeth. Dim lights could be used to show only the faint glimmer of hope left for the rapidly degenerating Lady Macbeth, and eerie sounds to compliment the text such as an owl. Maybe, a few props to suggest…”
“I don’t think so, I believe that we should keep to the theme of isolation to give the impression that they are all on their own together.”
“Yes, I agree, more of a damp, dark and isolated atmosphere to represent her state of mind and to frighten the audience.
And finally, I want to discuss Act 5, Scene 1 and in particular how Lady Macbeth will act, as this is one of the most influential scenes in the play and we need to make a memorable impression on the audience. This is the scene where a doctor and a gentlewoman watch intently, as Lady Macbeth walks in her sleep, mumbling expressions of guilt and of crimes against Duncan, Banquo and Lady Macduff. The theme of sleep comes into this again and Lady Macbeth who, up to now, has appeared fairly resilient has changed, and her mind is wracked with so many thoughts that she cannot help it. The doctor and the gentlewoman discuss how her ‘eyes are open’ but ‘their senses are shut’ and this is symbolic of Lady Macbeth’s attitude throughout the play. This scene shows the final stage in her mental degeneration and the bond is broken with her husband who seems to have been growing mentally tougher as the play wears on. Any thoughts on her change?”
“Well, it’s obvious that her attempts to compress her conscience have failed and now it’s all coming back to her. She seems so much more vulnerable, especially when in her sleep. She feels more isolated than ever before and her thoughts have now turned to all the innocent victims left astray as she proclaims ‘The thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now?’ I think she has lost control, that was the backbone of her character and as a result she slowly, but with dignity, starts to lose her mind.”
“I have to disagree there. Lady Macbeth was once a suave hostess, a cool and domineering wife who has been reduced to a gibbering creature, whose fragmented speech makes no sense and signifies the fragment of her sanity. She is pitiful and has no place for dignity and self-respect, as she spirals out of control and jumps to wild conclusions such as ‘Hell is murky’ and ‘fie my lord’ as though she is begging for mercy and cannot accept what she has done. Her degeneration is caused by the upset of the natural order of kingship and the guilt of a sin in a highly religious community.”
“I think that her degeneration is more down to your reasons, but only within the social context of the play. She knows that she was only brought up to look pretty, but Lady Macbeth broke free of this stereotypical society because she had ambition, but because she had had such a sheltered life, the harsh reality of how she had to achieve her ambition hit her harder than Macbeth, as symbolised when she says ‘Yet who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him?’ as though she had not anticipated the events to have this affect and to a certain extent, it was a surprise. Her frustration, ambition and anger led to guilt, which she couldn’t handle.
“I agree with Lucy. Lady Macbeth is clever enough to see how she is mentally degenerating and still retains an element of control as she falls into madness, as though she has finally acknowledged her share of the guilt, but not in time to save her.”
“Yes, and linking to the pact with evil spirits that she made in Act 2 Scene2, the religious context of the play has finally caught up with her and now that evil has used her, she is no longer needed. She was sucked in by the devilish spirits all in the aid of her husband and this is the result.”
“Anyway, moving onto the main topic for the scene, we have to decide on a suitable method for Lucy to portray Lady Macbeth’s degeneration and make a distinction from earlier scenes. I will start off by explaining my ideas and then Lucy can express hers.
I feel that an actress would portray her as a very distressed woman and as the scene continues, she would quickly degenerate into a fit of rage and confusion. Her actions would be very much exaggerated. At the points where she mentions blood, for example ‘Out damned spot! Out, I say!’ she would be frantically rubbing her hands and her eyes would be fixated on her hands as she still has the feeling of the fear of discovery and is trying to stop herself being incriminated. The pure evil inside her would be causing heavy breathing and she would be constantly pacing about and changing positions due to her extreme anxiety.
She would be constantly weeping and crying as she begs for mercy ‘fie my lord’ with her hands in the air as if she was praying. She is desperate and insane and will try anything to rid her of the immense guilt that she feels. She feels totally isolated and is so confused that she doesn’t know what is going on. She is making no sense and she cannot even recall the events in the correct order as she speaks of ‘The thane of Fife’ and then ‘Banquo’s buried.’ It’s as if all the guilt and individual murders have coalesced into one seamless pageant of horror and torment for her. Her actions are wild and unconscious, with her voice varying in pitch to signify her confusion.”
“In my opinion, we need to adopt a unique approach to this scene, in that Lady Macbeth may not have gone ultimately crazy in one foul blow, but instead degenerated slowly and subtlety until she has only the option of suicide left to save her from her torment. She is calm and conscious of her own demise, and what is thought to be disorientated speech where she says ‘One; two: why, this tis time to do’t, Hell is murky! Fie, my lord, fie!’ I prefer to think it as quiet reflection, as she tries to sort out the feelings in her mind. Although she is in her own private hell of blood, she manages to keep it quiet and conserved. As well as rubbing her hands she would be softly touching her head as though to ‘draw-out’ the evil inside her and be rid of the torment created by her guilt.
As she utters the line ‘all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand’ she is calm and her tone of voice has a delicate air of resignation and acknowledgement of her actions. This line is also ironic as it is a replica of Macbeth’s line ‘Will all great Neptune’s oceans wash this blood clean from my hand’ in Act 2 Scene2 and symbolises not only her demise, but the end of their relationship and a possible end to Macbeth, as this is the last time that the verbal bond is used signalling the end. Her voice is soft and gentle throughout and in the end the only control that she has left, is over her own life.”
“Well, Steve, you’ve got the casting vote!”
“I think we should definitely adopt the more original approach from Lucy, but incorporate some of the classic moments into it, such as the violent had rubbing. I think that she does still have an element of control at the end and so is able to slip into madness subtlety with dignity and respect.”
“Yes, we want to portray her to the audience so that she is still creating sympathy for herself right until the end and also keep the audience’s respect for her. The audience will see her as a different person, but will feel a sense of relief and accomplishment that she died knowing her fate and having faced up to her guilt.”
“Any comments on the language?”
“Well, for a start she is speaking in prones and not in verse, like the rest of the play to signify disorientation and confusion in her mind and to show the scene as different compared to the rest of the play. The fragmentation of the speech signifies the fragmentation of her sanity and of her relationship with Macbeth that is now in ruins. Overall her language is quite confused and this relates to her state of mind. The language is very ironic, for example the perfumes of Arabia comment and the problems that she has in washing the blood off her hands showing her to be fickle and terrified of the truth and her fears.”
“And staging?”
“Well, the whole scene will again bi shot in the dark to show the death of Lady Macbeth’s soul and with no background noises to promote the fact that she is isolated with her thoughts. Only one candle will be lit to symbolise the lat flicker of sanity left in her and her relationship with Macbeth. The light would slowly fade with her madness to symbolise death.”
“Well, I think we’ve all done extremely well today and we’ve come up with a suitable plan of action for the portrayal of Lady Macbeth. I think we can all agree that she is a memorable character who is driven to insanity by her religious and social beliefs which prevented her from trying to rid herself of her own conscience and I can only hope that are version will stay in people’s memories for a long time. Thank you.”
