Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a proud, overly ambitious, woman. This is done by her saying and doing manly things.
“That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold”
This shows that Lady Macbeth is proud and pleased to be able to have participated in drinking. She is by herself when she says this, and I believe that this shows that she is pleased and proud to be able to have beaten men at doing something that is typically meant to be for men. Shakespeare uses “bold” to make Lady Macbeth seam drunk because people who have drunk a lot often seem cocky. This proves that she has actually drunk a lot and not just tricked the servants to drink more than her.
Shakespeare uses this quote to tell us something else. It shows us Lady Macbeth’s obvious disregard for class and social standing. For most of the play Lady Macbeth is shown to be like no other Jacobin woman, mostly through her murderous and controlling nature. But this quote may have been much more relatable for the people watching the play. This is because class was something that was more relevant to the people in that era. Alcohol, particular beer, was something that the people of lower standing would drink. So Lady Macbeth, who is of the upper class, drinking so much it would send others to sleep. This would have really shown Shakespeare’s intention to make Lady Macbeth an odd and unpredictable character.
The final thing the quote does is portray her as a social chameleon, trying to force her way into a man’s world by being able to drink a lot. Shakespeare could be saying that Lady Macbeth is actually very unsure of herself. This shows a lack of confidence and she is doing all this to seem more impressive. That idea adds an extra layer of evil.
Over all I believe that this quote, like much of Shkespare, has many different meanings. This quote effects the rest of the scene by not only telling the viewer what happened and how but also more about Lady Macbeth’s character and nature. Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a person who has a layer of confidence that can be undone when you look closer at the metaphors and double meanings in her lines of speech.
React!