Act 5 scene 1
SummaryIn act 5, scene 1, the Macbeths are now living in Dunsinane castle. A doctor has been employed to watch Lady Macbeth. The queen’s lady says that Lady Macbeth always sleepwalks, washes her hands, and seals her letters which she then locks away. The lady then asks the doctor to watch Lady Macbeth at night. The doctor tells the lady that there is no cure for Lady Macbeth's mental disturbance, and tells the lady to look after Lady Macbeth carefully in case she commits suicide. The Doctor also tells the Gentle woman ( the queen's lady) that she must remove all the things with which Lady Macbeth may hurt herself.
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Comments/ Notes |
Question1
Will the lady or the doctor tell Scotland that Banquo's death is related to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth? Prediction1 I do not think that the queen's lady will tell everyone because in this scene she does not want to tell the doctor what Lady Macbeth said before. Question 2 What kinds of characteristics does the queen's Lady have? Prediction2 I think the queen's lady is loyal to Lady Macbeth since she did not tell the doctor what she said during the sleepwalk. The queen's lady is also a caring person. The reason is because she cares about the Lady's health, wonders why she sleep walks and acts this way at night? Question 3 Will Lady Macbeth die later on in the play? Prediction3 Yes, I think Lady Macbeth will die because she cannot relieve her guilt and I think Macbeth will die later so I believe that Lady Macbeth will die if her husband dies. Reaction to this play I am very curious what will happen next. Will Lady Macbeth commit suicide? I am also very curious of the doctor's reaction or facial expressions in the play when Lady Macbeth kept on rubbing her "bloody" hands? Why did the doctor said that only God will cure Lady Macbeth? |
Extra
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ACTIVITY - BLOG EXTRA
Here are some sets of paired lines, all said by Lady Macbeth. I will assign each person a set of lines. 1. Start with the first of your lines (earlier in the play) and reacquaint yourself with the situation in the play. Write a paragraph summarizing a. the situation at that time and b. Lady Macbeth's feelings/mental state as she delivers the line. Your paragraph should be about 8-15 sentences. 2. Now look at the second line of your pair (from Act 5). Again, write a paragraph summarizing a. the situation and b. Lady Macbeth's feelings/mental state as she delivers the line. 3. Write a final paragraph stating any conclusions that seem relevant to you based on your close look at the two lines. 4. Add your paragraphs to your blog. Act 2 scene 2 lines 69 to 72
Lady Macbeth: Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead Are but as pictures. 'Tis the eye of childhood That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed, I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal, For it must seem their guilt. In these lines, from act 2, scene 2, Lady Macbeth is speaking to Macbeth. She says that Macbeth is a cowardly person and tells him to give her the dagger. Lady Macbeth says that only children are afraid of scary pictures. Then she declares that if Duncan bleeds, she will paint the servants' faces with his blood, in order to make it seem like they’re guilty. In this scene, Lady Macbeth seems as though she has everything under control. However, she is very frustrated that Macbeth kills Duncan and brings the daggers with him, but he cannot return them when Lady Macbeth tells him to. At last, Lady Macbeth bravely walks into her chamber and smears the guards’ faces with Duncan’s blood. In this scene, Lady Macbeth seems very smart because she is able to think of how to get away with the murder by blaming it on the guards. Lady Macbeth demonstrates that Macbeth is a coward compared to herself. Lady Macbeth does not feel guilty in this scene- she seems very confident of what she is doing. Act 5 scene 1 lines 41 to 42
Lady Macbeth: “Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.” (5.1.41-42) In this scene, act 5, scene 1, lines forty-one to forty-two, Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking and she is talking to herself in her dreams. She is whispering that no one could have guessed or thought the old man (Duncan) would have had so much blood in him. While whispering she is overwhelmed with the guilt. She keeps on rubbing her hands and saying that she still sees and smells the blood. In this scene, it seems like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have switched their characteristics. Lady Macbeth seems powerless and her nature is disturbed. The doctor says that only God can help her cure the mental illness. In this case, she seems very weak She is acting the way Macbeth was acting in act 2 scene 2. In conclusion, from the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth seems to have power over Macbeth and tells him to follow her instructions. However, in act 5 scene 1, Lady Macbeth’s actions and her emotions look like she is powerless and she cannot control herself because she is overwhelmed that she was involved in killing Duncan. For instance, she now has this illness that cannot be cured except by God. Therefore, there were changes made to Lady Macbeth in the play that shows that she has become weaker.
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