The third complex entering into the sleep-walking scene distinctly refers to the murder of Macduff's wife and children - "The Thane of Fife had a wife, where is she now?
Thus a vivid and condensed panorama of all her crimes passes before her. Since blood was the dominating note of the tragedy, it was evidence of Shakespeare's remarkable insight that the dominating hallucination of this scene should refer to blood. The analysis of this particular scene also discloses other important mental mechanisms. Lady Macbeth's line "What's done cannot be undone" not only reverses her earlier argument to her husband "what's done is done" Act III, Scene 2 ; it also recalls the words of the general confession from the Prayer Book: "We have done those things which we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us.
Now, though, the promise of salvation has been all but abandoned. Light represents knowledge and knowledge means clearance of phobia of the unknown; for Lady Macbeth it arises out of her fear of persecution, out of the phobia of the unknown divine retribution.
She may be sleepless, but it is her soul's rest that really concerns her. She, after all, was the one who conspired with Macbeth to kill Duncan so her husband could seize the throne. She continues to try to clean her guilt from her hands.
Oh, oh, oh! DOCTOR: This disease is beyond my practice: yet I have known those which have walked in their sleep who have died holily in their beds.
Come, come, come, come, give me your hand. See our analysis of the famous Porter scene for more on this. Unnatural deeds Do breed unnatural troubles: infected minds To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets: More needs she the divine than the physician. God, God forgive us all! Look after her; Remove from her the means of all annoyance, And still keep eyes upon her. So, good night: My mind she has mated, and amazed my sight.
I think, but dare not speak. The scene ends with the Doctor switching from prose to blank verse to conclude and sum up what he has discovered.
Lady Macbeth needs a priest rather than a doctor, for what ails her is spiritual rather than medical. Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email.
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It is as though all the individual murders have coalesced into one seamless pageant of blood. Perhaps the most ironic line is the one which near-perfectly echoes an earlier line of Macbeth 's. Lady Macbeth's line "What's done cannot be undone" not only reverses her earlier argument to her husband "what's done is done" Act III, Scene 2 ; it also recalls the words of the general confession from the Prayer Book: "We have done those things which we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us.
Now, though, the promise of salvation has been all but abandoned. She may be sleepless, but it is her soul's rest that really concerns her. Previous Scene 3. Next Scene 2. Removing book from your Reading List will also remove any bookmarked pages associated with this title.
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