Question

9. What does Lady Macbeth say she would do with her child if she had to?

Answer 1

Lady Macbeth would kill her own child if she had sworn to do so, reflecting her intense ambition and the dark themes of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking about a specific moment in Shakespeare's play Macbeth, where Lady Macbeth expresses her ruthless determination to see their plan through. In her infamous speech, Lady Macbeth states that she would kill her own child if she had sworn to do so as they had sworn to kill King Duncan. She uses this shocking statement to chastise Macbeth for his hesitation, emphasizing her own commitment and trying to steel his resolve.

Lady Macbeth's willingness to sacrifice even her child is a demonstration of her character's intense ambition and the lengths she is ready to go to achieve power. This moment in the play reflects the dark and tragic themes of ambition, power, and betrayal that characterize the narrative of Macbeth.

Answer 2

In Act 1, Scene 7 of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth," Lady Macbeth expresses her determination to achieve her ambitions. She says that she would dash the brains out of her own child if she had sworn to do so, rather than breaking her promise to Macbeth about committing murder. This statement underscores the depth of Lady Macbeth's commitment to the plan and her willingness to go to extreme lengths to achieve her goals.

Lady Macbeth says she would have smashed her own child's skull against a castle wall if she had to -

"How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me.

I would, while it was smiling in my face,

Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums

And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you

Have done to this."

She chillingly declares she would dash her own baby's brains out if necessary to uphold her commitment to helping Macbeth gain power, demonstrating her ruthless ambition.

She asserts that she would go to extreme lengths for the sake of ambition and her husband's advancement.

This assertion is made to provoke Macbeth into acting on their plan to murder King Duncan, which emphasizes her ruthless determination and the violent lengths she is willing to go to in order to secure their desired position.