| Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be | |
| What thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature; | |
| It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness | |
| To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great; | |
| Art not without ambition, but without | 20 |
| The illness should attend it |
Lady Macbeth is reading her husband’s letter concerning the witches’ predictions when we first encounter her in the play. As she processes the letter, via the theatrical device of the soliloquy, we listen to Lady Macbeth’s secret ambition becoming more and more pronounced, ‘alive’ and dangerous in its focus and ambition.
Look how Lady Macbeth enjoys enunciating the titles her husband has gained honourably through his service to the King. As each title is acknowledged, the audience detects pleasure and then a desire for more. ‘Glamis thou art, and Cawdor…’ Lady Macbeth is savouring the power associated with her husband’s promotions because his titles elevate her own status too. This speech shows how powerfully aroused Lady Macbeth becomes when she savours the possibilities of power.
As Macbeth’s star rises, so does that of his beloved wife. But these legitimate promotions pale when set against the seductive promise of the throne.
Interestingly, Lady Macbeth divulges her fears about her husband’s ‘human kindness’. Such fears seem genuine and may even surprise the audience who have witnessed Macbeth’s brutal expertise as a soldier. It feels as if we are obtaining a very private glimpse of Macbeth’s complex character, whilst his beloved wife is secretly plotting to murder her King. Such an irony draws attention to what will be sacrificed once Macbeth succumbs to his wife’s unscrupulous plotting. Macbeth’s ‘kindness’ is synonymous with his humanity and his nobility, which are degraded by his fall into murderous criminality.
The euphemistic ‘nearest way’ emphasises the necessity for secrecy in the play- even when Lady Macbeth is talking to herself, she maintains secrecy underlining Lady Macbeth’s lack of self-knowledge. She fails to realise the effect of consequence, hence she ultimately succumbs to madness brought on by unresolved guilt. To kill the King, to commit regicide was not only treasonous but would also consign the perpetrators to everlasting hell because the Jacobeans believed in the divine right of Kings.
Interesting how ambition is linked to ‘illness’ which seems an ironic term for resolve. The theme of contamination is central to the drama’s motivation and drive. Once the spiritually dis-eased witches infect the ear( and mind) of Macbeth, their influence continues and Lady Macbeth also succumbs to their power of suggestion because both Macbeths are eminently suggestible.