GCSE English Literature

Lady Macbeth Quotes10 essential quotes with full analysis.

Complete collection of Lady Macbeth's most important quotes for GCSE English Literature, including “unsex me here”, “Out, damned spot!”, and more.

About Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most complex and fascinating characters. She begins the play as the dominant partner, manipulating Macbeth into murdering King Duncan. Her famous “unsex me here” soliloquy reveals her willingness to reject feminine qualities she perceives as weaknesses.

However, her psychological deterioration throughout the play is dramatic. By Act 5, she is sleepwalking, obsessively trying to wash imaginary blood from her hands, showing that guilt cannot be easily dismissed. Her character arc demonstrates Shakespeare's exploration of the psychological consequences of evil.

AmbitionGuiltGenderPowerMadness

All Lady Macbeth Quotes

“Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 5
GenderAmbitionSupernaturalPower

Context: Lady Macbeth calls upon evil spirits after reading Macbeth's letter about the witches' prophecy.

Analysis

Lady Macbeth invokes dark spirits to strip her of feminine qualities she sees as weaknesses. The verb "unsex" reveals her belief that femininity is incompatible with the ruthlessness needed for murder. This subverts Jacobean gender expectations and establishes her as the driving force behind the regicide.

Language Techniques:

Imperative verbsInvocationSubversion of gender roles

Exam Tip

Link to context: James I's views on gender and witchcraft. Compare to later scenes where her femininity returns through guilt.

“Come to my woman's breasts, and take my milk for gall”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 5
GenderSupernaturalMotherhoodEvil

Context: Continuation of Lady Macbeth's invocation to the spirits.

Analysis

Lady Macbeth asks spirits to replace her nurturing breast milk with bitter gall (poison). This perverts the natural maternal role, suggesting she would sacrifice motherhood for power. The imagery links femininity with nurturing, which she sees as weakness. Shakespeare shows how ambition corrupts natural bonds.

Language Techniques:

ImageryInversionSemantic field of the body

Exam Tip

Link to the later reference to dashing out a baby's brains. Question whether Lady Macbeth has children.

“I have given suck, and know how tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 7
GenderMasculinityViolenceMotherhood

Context: Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth's masculinity when he hesitates about the murder.

Analysis

This disturbing speech manipulates Macbeth by questioning his manhood. The tender imagery of breastfeeding contrasts shockingly with the violence that follows. It reveals Lady Macbeth will sacrifice anything—even her child—for ambition. The speech is deliberately extreme to shame Macbeth into action.

Language Techniques:

JuxtapositionShock tacticsManipulation

Exam Tip

Raises the "Lady Macbeth's children" question debated by scholars. Shows her psychological manipulation of Macbeth.

“I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 7
ViolenceMotherhoodAmbitionGender

Context: Lady Macbeth describes what she would do to prove her commitment.

Analysis

The most violent image in the play, contrasting maternal tenderness ("smiling") with brutal infanticide. "Boneless gums" emphasises the baby's vulnerability. Lady Macbeth claims she would commit the ultimate unnatural act rather than break a promise. This shames Macbeth into agreeing to murder.

Language Techniques:

Violent imageryJuxtapositionHyperbole

Exam Tip

Ultimate subversion of motherhood. Compare to Lady Macduff and her children - natural motherhood destroyed by Macbeth.

“A little water clears us of this deed”
Lady MacbethAct 2, Scene 2
GuiltNaivetyAppearance vs Reality

Context: Lady Macbeth dismisses Macbeth's guilt immediately after Duncan's murder.

Analysis

Lady Macbeth's confident dismissal of guilt is devastatingly ironic given her later mental breakdown over the same "spot." The understatement of "little water" shows her initial inability to understand guilt's power. This quote perfectly sets up her tragic reversal.

Language Techniques:

Dramatic ironyUnderstatementForeshadowing

Exam Tip

Essential for tracking Lady Macbeth's arc. Compare directly to "All the perfumes of Arabia" - complete reversal.

“Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers”
Lady MacbethAct 2, Scene 2
GenderPowerMasculinity

Context: Lady Macbeth takes control when Macbeth cannot return the daggers.

Analysis

Lady Macbeth seizes control from her "infirm" husband, inverting traditional gender roles. The exclamatory sentence shows her contempt for his weakness. She takes on the masculine role of action while he freezes with guilt. This is the height of her power before her decline.

Language Techniques:

ImperativeExclamationGender role reversal

Exam Tip

High point of Lady Macbeth's dominance. After this, she gradually loses control while Macbeth hardens.

“Nought's had, all's spent, where our desire is got without content”
Lady MacbethAct 3, Scene 2
Consequences of EvilAmbitionEmptiness

Context: Lady Macbeth reflects alone on their hollow victory.

Analysis

This rhyming couplet reveals Lady Macbeth's private despair. The paradox "all's spent" for achieving "desire" shows the crown brings no happiness. "Content" (happiness) is impossible when "desire" is achieved through evil. She realises too late that ambition's rewards are hollow.

Language Techniques:

Rhyming coupletParadoxSoliloquy

Exam Tip

Shows her psychological decline beginning. She hides this despair from Macbeth, showing their growing distance.

“Look like th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under't”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 5
Appearance vs RealityDeceptionEvil

Context: Lady Macbeth instructs Macbeth on how to deceive King Duncan.

Analysis

The biblical imagery of the serpent alludes to Satan in the Garden of Eden, casting Lady Macbeth as a tempter figure. The juxtaposition of "flower" and "serpent" encapsulates the play's central theme of deceptive appearances. Shakespeare suggests that evil often hides behind beauty.

Language Techniques:

Biblical allusionJuxtapositionImperative verbsImagery

Exam Tip

Connect to the motif of false faces throughout the play. Link to Macbeth's "False face must hide what the false heart doth know."

“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”
Lady MacbethAct 5, Scene 1
GuiltMadnessConsequences of Evil

Context: Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, obsessively trying to wash imaginary blood from her hands.

Analysis

The repetition and exclamatory sentences reveal Lady Macbeth's psychological deterioration. The "spot" symbolizes her guilt that cannot be cleansed. This dramatically contrasts her earlier dismissal: "A little water clears us of this deed." Her confident persona has completely collapsed.

Language Techniques:

RepetitionExclamatory sentencesSymbolismDramatic irony

Exam Tip

Compare to her earlier confidence. Discuss the reversal of gender roles as Macbeth becomes hardened while she breaks down.

“All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”
Lady MacbethAct 5, Scene 1
GuiltMadnessConsequences of Evil

Context: Lady Macbeth continues sleepwalking, believing her hands still smell of blood.

Analysis

The hyperbole emphasizes the permanence of her guilt. "Little hand" diminishes her once-powerful self, showing complete loss of the dominance she displayed earlier. The sensory imagery of smell suggests guilt pervades every sense. Arabia, known for perfumes, represents the exotic and extreme - even this cannot help her.

Language Techniques:

HyperboleSensory imageryDiminutive language

Exam Tip

Link to "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" - guilt affects both Macbeths but manifests differently.

Lady Macbeth's Character Arc

Act 1: Dominant & Ambitious

Lady Macbeth appears powerful and determined. She calls on evil spirits, questions Macbeth's masculinity, and plans Duncan's murder. Key quote: “unsex me here”

Act 2: Confident Controller

She dismisses guilt casually: “A little water clears us of this deed.” She takes charge when Macbeth panics and frames the guards. Still in control.

Act 3: Fading Influence

Macbeth excludes her from plans. She tries to maintain composure at the banquet but cannot control Macbeth's breakdown when he sees Banquo's ghost.

Act 5: Guilt & Madness

Complete psychological collapse. She sleepwalks, obsessively washing imaginary blood. “Out, damned spot!” Her death (implied suicide) is reported offstage.

Explore More Macbeth Quotes

View quotes from other characters including Macbeth, the Witches, and Banquo.

All Macbeth QuotesPractice with English Genie