Lady Macbeth is troubled by more than just the killing of
Duncan in Act 5.1.
The imaginary blood on her hands
directly refers back to the blood on Macbeth's hands immediately after he kills Duncan
in Act 2.2. Macbeth obsesses over the blood, worrying that he will never be able to
wash it off, and if he were, it would turn the ocean red. Lady Macbeth tells him that a
little water will clear them of the deed they've just done. That is, a little water
will wash off the blood and get rid of the evidence against them. Ironically, Lady
Macbeth is the one suffering from guilt and seeing blood on her hands in Act 5.1. She
is the one obsessing at this stage of the play.
The quip
about the Thane of Fife having a wife, of course, refers directly to the murders of
Macduff's family members in Act 4.2. Lady Macbeth did not plan those murders and did
not, presumably, have any idea that what she started with her husband would lead to that
kind of slaughter.
Lady Macbeth's mention of Banquo refers
to Banquo's appearance at the feast as a ghost. Specifically, she recalls the words she
told her husband about Banquo's inability to harm them, since he is dead. This
reference reveals that it is not just guilt that is bothering Lady Macbeth. Her
husband's guilty visions, as she interprets them, and his inability to follow her
directions to act normally and not draw attention to his guilt, also bother Lady Macbeth
here.
The whole situation has gotten out of hand and
turned into chaos. Lady Macbeth got what she wanted, but it didn't turn out the way she
planned.
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