Macbeth's wife. Unlike her husband, she has no reservations about murdering Duncan in order to make Macbeth King of Scotland. She believes that a true man takes what he wants, and whenever Macbeth objects to murdering Duncan on moral grounds, she questions his courage. Lady Macbeth assumes that she'll be able to murder Duncan and then quickly forget it once she's Queen of Scotland. But she discovers that guilt is not so easily avoided, and falls into madness and despair.
Lady Macbeth Quotes in Macbeth
The Macbeth quotes below are all either spoken by Lady Macbeth or refer to Lady Macbeth. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1, scene 5
Quotes
Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe, top-full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall.
That tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe, top-full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall.
Related Characters:
Lady Macbeth (speaker)
Related Symbols:
Blood
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Look like the innocent flower,
But be the serpent under it.
But be the serpent under it.
Related Characters:
Lady Macbeth (speaker), Macbeth
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 1, scene 7
Quotes
Macbeth: If we should fail.
Lady Macbeth: We fail?
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail.
Lady Macbeth: We fail?
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail.
Related Characters:
Macbeth (speaker), Lady Macbeth (speaker)
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, scene 2
Quotes
Nought's had, all's spent
Where our desire is got without content.
Where our desire is got without content.
Related Characters:
Lady Macbeth (speaker)
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 5, scene 1
Quotes
Out, damned spot! out, I say!
Related Characters:
Lady Macbeth (speaker)
Related Symbols:
Sleep
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Macbeth LitChart as a printable PDF.
Lady Macbeth Quotes in Macbeth
The Macbeth quotes below are all either spoken by Lady Macbeth or refer to Lady Macbeth. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1, scene 5
Quotes
Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe, top-full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall.
That tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe, top-full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall.
Related Characters:
Lady Macbeth (speaker)
Related Symbols:
Blood
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Look like the innocent flower,
But be the serpent under it.
But be the serpent under it.
Related Characters:
Lady Macbeth (speaker), Macbeth
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 1, scene 7
Quotes
Macbeth: If we should fail.
Lady Macbeth: We fail?
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail.
Lady Macbeth: We fail?
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail.
Related Characters:
Macbeth (speaker), Lady Macbeth (speaker)
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, scene 2
Quotes
Nought's had, all's spent
Where our desire is got without content.
Where our desire is got without content.
Related Characters:
Lady Macbeth (speaker)
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 5, scene 1
Quotes
Out, damned spot! out, I say!
Related Characters:
Lady Macbeth (speaker)
Related Symbols:
Sleep
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
