Read the excerpt from act 1, scene 5 of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth has just finished reading Macbeth’s letter about the witches’ prophecies. Lady Macbeth: Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be What thou art promis’d. 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 The illness should attend it; what thou wouldst highly, That [wouldst] thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win; thou’dst have, great Glamis, That which cries, "Thus thou must do, if thou have it”; And that which rather thou dost fear to do Than wishest should be undone. How does Lady Macbeth’s reaction to Macbeth’s letter develop the universal theme "the quest for power”?
Answer
A
through her listing of the dishonest acts Macbeth commits
B
through her fear that Macbeth will gain power without her
C
through her characterization of Macbeth as too kind
D
through her acceptance of Macbeth’s desire to be king
Explanation
Lady Macbeth worries that Macbeth is “too full o’ the milk of human kindness” to take the quickest route to power. She sees that he is ambitious, but believes he lacks the ruthlessness needed to become king. This develops the theme of the quest for power by showing how ambition may lead people to value cruelty over kindness.
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