Scotland. In the fifth scene of Act I, Lady Macbeth wishes that she were male so she could take the matter of dealing with King Duncan into her own hands, without having to cope with Macbeth. When she learns that Macbeth has invited King Duncan to his castle for dinner, she becomes thrilled, for she believes that her opportunity is at hand. In her soliloquy, her desire to be male is portrayed when she commands the “spirits/ that tend on mortal thoughts, [to] unsex [her] here, / make thick [her] blood/ come to [her] women’s breasts, / and take [her] milk for gall”(I, V, 39-46). She wishes that the deadly and evil spirits would turn her into a male, thereby unsexing her. In a way, she is wishing for a spell to be cast, which is exactly what witches do. She wants thick blood; men were thought to have thicker blood than women. Her nurturing characteristics as a mother collapse when she begs to have her breast feed gall, a bitter substance, rather than nutritious milk. Her motherly character is further abandoned when she states that she, while her baby was feeding from her, would “have plucked [her] nipple from his boneless gums, / and [dash] the brains out”(I, VII, 57-58). This intense line depicts her extreme will to have the throne, even at the cost of her own offspring. Similar to the witches, after Lady Macbeth states her desires to become male, Macbeth enters her room, and a discussion about the murder of King Duncan ensues. The dramatic effect that the witches and Lady Macbeth bring to the play is great. Without them, there would be no play, since Macbeth would have never even considered killing his faithful friend, King Duncan. Yet, because of them, he becomes torn between his lover and his comrade. Lady Macbeth’s greed for power overwhelms her to the point Komery 4where she would sacrifice anybody that stands in her path. The witches toyed with Macbeth’s head just...
