Question

the tragedy of macbeth, act i, by william shakespeare
literary analysis: soliloquy
the term soliloquy comes from the latin solus, which means \alone.\ when a character delivers a soliloquy, he or she is usually alone on - stage. a soliloquy is a long speech made by a character in a play. in a soliloquy, a character mulls over thoughts and feelings, expressing them aloud. a soliloquy amounts to a character thinking aloud. characters can reveal their true thoughts, feelings, desires, and motivations to the audience without other characters gaining this information. soliloquies provide important information to the audience.
directions: reread lady macbeths soliloquy at the beginning of act i, scene v. answer the following questions about the soliloquy.

1. what does lady macbeth share in the first part of her soliloquy? what purpose does this serve?
2. what do readers learn about lady macbeths opinion of her husband from the second part of her soliloquy?
3. what is lady macbeths fear? what is her plan?
4. based on the thoughts, feelings, fears, and motivations she shares, how would you assess lady macbeths character?

Explanation:

1. In the first part of her soliloquy, Lady Macbeth shares her desire for the spirits to unsex her and fill her with cruelty so she can support Macbeth in seizing the crown. This serves to show her strong - willed and ambitious nature and sets the tone for her role in the plot.
2. From the second part, readers learn that she thinks Macbeth is too kind - natured ("too full o' the milk of human kindness") to take the necessary steps to become king, believing he lacks the ruthlessness required.
3. Her fear is that Macbeth will not act boldly enough to claim the throne. Her plan is to manipulate him and be the driving force behind his actions to make the prophecy of him becoming king a reality.
4. Based on her thoughts, feelings, fears, and motivations, Lady Macbeth can be assessed as highly ambitious, manipulative, and willing to use any means to achieve her goals. She is not bound by traditional gender roles and is ready to embrace darkness for power.

Answer:

1. She shares her desire to be filled with cruelty to support Macbeth's crown - seizing. Purpose: Show her ambition and set plot tone.
2. She thinks he is too kind - natured to take necessary steps for the crown.
3. Fear: Macbeth won't act boldly. Plan: Manipulate him to make the prophecy real.
4. Highly ambitious, manipulative, and willing to embrace darkness for power.