Macbeth, The sleepwalking scene (Act V scene I): A Dramatic Analysis.

The last time we saw Lady Macbeth was Act IIII scene III when she seemed completely normal. At this stage Macbeth is the one with the problems. Lady Macbeth tells him “ You lack the season of all natures, sleep”. She is telling Macbeth that the guilt of killing the king is stopping him sleeping.  This is ironic as Lady Macbeth cant put the vision of the murder king out of her mind and she is unable to sleep now.

At the start of Lady Macbeth’s speech, just after the murder has taken place, she says, “ little water clears of this deed.” In Act V scene I she contradicts herself by saying: “ Out dammed spot! Out,” she is trying with all her power to order the spot away. Also the “dammed” part of the sentence seems to be hint of what of come, Lady Macbeth is dammed. This is the first insight to Lady Macbeth’s real personality. Lady Macbeth doesn’t stay on one particular subject but lots of jumbled up, like her mind.  She uses short sharp sentences for example “Hell is murky” and “Fie, my lord, fie!” to show even more madness.

After she tries ordering the spot of blood to go she recalls just before the murder scene, when she is ringing the bell to tell Macbeth it is safe to kill the king.  Also she is still worried bout the dark, in the scene you see her carrying a candle and she also talks about the hell being murky.  “ One; two: why, then ‘tis time to do ’t. Hell is murky!

From Lady Macbeth’s language in the sleep walking scene, we learn that her state of mind is deteriorating and she can’t cope with the guilt.  Lady Macbeth tends to use childlike language. “ The Thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now?” She uses simple rhyme, fife and wife, to show that she blames herself for beginning the chain of the murders. She reverts to childhood using simply rhyme to show innocence. The Thane of Fife is Macduff’s wife; we know that they have children because when Malcolm is telling Macduff of the murder of his family in Act IIII scene III, Macduff says “All my pretty ones?”

She changes subject extremely quickly an example of this is “What, will these hands ever be clean? No more o’that, my lord, more o’that you mar all with this starting. The start of this line is when she is trying to remove the blood from her hands, then she quickly changes subject and chants what she said to Macbeth when he was hallucinating at the banquet. Another one is “Wash your hands put on your night-gown; look not so pale.” Lady Macbeth is remembering the final part of the murder scene where she has to take control. I believe that Lady Macbeth is portrayed as totally evil but I think that she has to act that way because she has to take control of the situation, Macduff is at the gate and they are covered in the king’s blood. Macbeth has gone into shock at this stage.

Near the end of Lady Macbeth’s speech she talks about the richer side of life “Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten these little hand. Oh! oh! oh! In this she is mentioning one of the senses, smell.  In her mind she imaging the smell of the kings blood.  She talks about the perfumes of Arabia, Arabia was a important part of the perfume trade at this time.  She again talks about childlike features “these little hands”  she uses these features to symbolise  when she was innocent.

Lady Macbeth talk about the part where the guards come. “Wash your hands put on your night-gown on; look not so pale. Lady Macbeth tends to talk about the murder scene and then onto the banquet

“I tell you yet again, Banquo’s buried; he cannot come out one’s grave.” This point is when she is reassuring Macbeth that murdered Banquo is only an elusion. Before this incident, Macbeth didn’t want Lady Macbeth to know about Banquo’s murder “Be innocent of the knowledge dearest chuck, Till thou applaud the deed.” Macbeth didn’t want Lady Macbeth to know because he did want her to worry about it and have trouble handling the guilt. I think Lady Macbeth thinks Macbeth is visualising the ghost of the king so she acts really quickly so their secret of the murder doesn’t get out.

Lady Macbeth is telling (in her dream/nightmare) that what you have done cannot be fixed you must live with the consequences. To bed, to bed: there’s knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come give me your hand. What’s done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed.