Macbeth Group

Question:

st101
st101
Student
High School - 11th Grade

What does Lady Macbeth's statment, "My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white," mean?

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Posted by st101 on Sunday October 19, 2008 at 3:27 PM and tagged with blood, guilt, lady macbeth, macbeth, meaning, quote.

Answers:


  1. playsthething Teacher
    High School - 9th Grade

    Lady Macbeth is lamenting the fact that she was not the one that committed the murder of Duncan.  When Macbeth returns from performing the deed, they clasp hands, which gets the blood from Macbeth's hands onto Lady M.'s hands.  This is why she states that her hands are of the same color.  But, she feels that her heart is white (innocent) because she did not participate in the murder.  As the play goes on, however, her innocent feeling dissipates and she is overcome by guilt, leading to her endless washing of her hands.  

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/macbeth

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    Posted by playsthething on Sunday October 19, 2008 at 4:18 PM

  2. eabettencourt
    eabettencourt Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    This statement is said once Lady Macbeth has had to replace the daggers (the murder weapons) back with Duncan's guards.  This was originally part of the murder plan, but Macbeth was so flustered upon killing Duncan that he ended up bringing the daggers with him.  Once Lady Macbeth returns from finishing the task at hand, she scolds Macbeth by telling him that her "hands are of [his] color," meaning she, too, had blood on her hands now from carrying the daggers, but that she "shames to wear a heart so white," meaning she plans on behaving strongly, and not being reduced to the cowardice that has taken over Macbeth.

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    Posted by eabettencourt on Monday October 20, 2008 at 4:56 PM

  3. kris--
    kris-- Student
    High School - 11th Grade

    After Macbeth killed Duncan, he forgot to leave the weapons with the guards and when Lady Macbeth sees them he tells her that he doesn't want to go back there. She's saying that she would be ashamed to be such a coward and such a baby to go back to the room to return the daggers. it truly shows how evil women can be because, as later pointed out in the second act, women were believed to be incapable of such violence. In the second act, another character tells Lady Macbeth that he can't repeat to her what had happened because she was a gentle lady and her ears were too fragile to take in the fact that the murder took place.

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    Posted by kris-- on Wednesday March 18, 2009 at 12:03 PM