English 9
Mrs. Sharp
name:
period:
Lady Macbeth’s Plan
Act I, scene 5 (edited)
Here are some of the things Lady Macbeth says to herself after reading Macbeth’s letter.
LADY MACBETH:
Shakespeare’s Language
1
Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
What thou art promised:
2
Yet I do fear thy nature:
It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way.
3
Thou wouldst1 be great,
Art not without ambition but without
The illness should attend it.
4
What thou wouldst highly2,
That wouldst thou holily3: wouldst not play false,
And yet wouldst wrongly win.
5
Hie4 thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits into thine ear
And chastise5 with the valor of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round.
6
The raven himself is hoarse
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements.
7
Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thought, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty.
(I.v.15-50)
Your Own Words
NOTES:
1. want to
2. ambitiously
3. innocently
4. hurry
5. scold; tell off
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ASSIGNMENT
Lady Macbeth’s Letter
After reading the letter from Macbeth and voicing her response (as you see above) Lady Macbeth comes up
with a plan* she will present to Macbeth.
IN THE VOICE OF LADY MACBETH, write the letter she sends to Macbeth to present the plan she has created.
In the letter, lay out the steps of the plan and attempt to convince Macbeth to go along with it. You will write
in the FIRST PERSON, keeping in mind Lady Macbeth’s status and what you know (or think you know) about
their relationship. Your purpose is also to be PERSUASIVE. You want to convince Macbeth that this is a good
idea and that he should agree to follow your plan.
Feel free to work out your ideas in pre-writing or drafts on this sheet, but write out a final copy of your letter
on lined paper.
*Things to Consider: What would have to happen to King Duncan in order for Macbeth to become King? What about
Malcolm? How does Lady Macbeth probably speak to her husband? What does she really think of him? How would she
act toward him after he’s been gone at war for months?
Letter Checklist
____ Did you set up your response as a letter with at least a:
_____ date?
_____ heading (Dear Macbeth, husband, etc.)?
_____ appropriate closing (Sincerely, /Love, )?
____ Did you write the letter as if you were Lady Macbeth (1st person point of view)?
____ Did you include the plan?
____ Were you PERSUASIVE in your letter (try to convince Macbeth to along with it)?
____ Did you consider how Lady Macbeth would speak to her husband (consider the text from class)?
____ Did you consider how she thinks of him or how she would act after he has been gone?
---------Finally, check for these things:
____ Capital Letter
____ Punctuation
_____ Spelling
_____ Complete sentences
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