This was a rather interesting quote in the play Macbeth. I
think that the context in which this was said would be surprising to a viewer
of this play in the time period during which the play was written. Lady Macbeth
said this line while she made up her mind to murder the king. A lady at that
time was thought to be weak, feminine, and full of human compassion, or the “milk”
of kindness. This quote shows a sharp contrast to the feminine image. Instead
of the lady being weak, the husband is weak. So in order to get what they both
want, Lady Macbeth decided to take the task into her own hands to account for
her husband’s cowardice. This idea of the wife being the stronger, more
determined partner of the marriage was a new idea to society at the time.
To be
filled from the crown to the toe meant that her whole body be filled with
evilness. Not just plain cruelty, but the direst,
or extremely urgent, cruelty. Now why would anyone want to be full of cruelty
at once? The answer is someone who has a burning desire to reach an ambition at
any means, even if it meant corrupting their own moral values. I’m sure most of
us have pretty high ambitions for our futures, but probably aren’t as willing
as Lady Macbeth to do anything to reach it. In Lady Macbeth’s case, her
determination to reach her goal was so great that she would kill the king of the
land to achieve it. She does not want even a bit of compassion in her body
because it would make her feel guilty about assassinating an innocent figure
loved by the people. The fact that the king is a virtuous, honorable one means
that the murder cannot be justified and will not be righteously looked upon by
the people. Her utter desire for power overcomes public opinion and moral justice.
