Lady Macbeth’s speech in Act 1 Scene 5 reveals to the reader through vivid language and motifs who the true villain of the play is while also foreshadowing the death of King Duncan and Macbeth’s imminent destruction. Lady Macbeth’s speech reveals that she, not Macbeth, will be the true villain of the play. This is expressed through contrasts made between Lady Macbeth and her husband throughout the speeches entirety. She begs the spirits to “make thick my blood” and prevent her from having any thoughts of remorse. Lady Macbeth is seeking out evil in her quest to complete the ultimate evil against King Duncan. Macbeth has been waivering on the thought of killing his beloved king and Lady Macbeth will not stand for it. She wants to feel nothing in regards to the murder that she now knows she must force her husband to commit. This sense of leadership taken on by Lady Macbeth in this conquest creates an unavoidable parallel between herself and her husband through the theme of masculinity. She begs the spirits to “unsex” her, and asks for them to “come to my woman’s breasts, and take my milk for gall”.
Lady Macbeth knows her husband will be unable to complete the task of killing King Duncan alone. Through describing the loss of her feminine features she infers that she will be the leader that Macbeth should be in the plot against king Duncan. She has figuratively taken Macbeth’s masculinity as her own and in doing so establishes herself as the true villain in the plot against King Duncan. The speech by Lady Macbeth in Act 1 Scene 5 uses motifs and imagery to further reveal the upcoming death of King Duncan. She begins her speech by referencing a raven, oftena sign of ill omen. It is then said that the raven is “hoarse” and “croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan”. The raven knows of the deed while no else does. This creates a sense of dramatic irony. Also by using the term “fatal entrance” it is further established that Duncan’s death is near. The entire scenario is brought into further light as Lady Macbeth explains that the “knife see not the wound it makes”. Duncan will be killed and not by any accident. Through this impending murder Lady Macbeth also reveals an event she herself can’t even prepare for. Her husbands slow destruction to follow.
Lady Macbeth’s speech pegs her as the villain and foreshadows a murder but in doing so also foreshadows the effect it will have on her husband. In establishing herself as the villain Lady Macbeth creates a sense of unwillingness around her husband. He is not prepared for the consequences of the task at hand but is going to be forced by his wife to go through with it anyways. This oppression by his wife will leave Macbeth little time to assess the magnitude of his actions. She has made it clear she is willing to confront any evil to complete the murder. Unfortunately Macbeth has not made these same claims, leading the reader to believe that a meltdown must follow. Lady Macbeth’s speech in Act 1 Scene 5 establishes herself as not only the plays true villain but of the impending death of King Duncan and her husbands destruction to follow.
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