100+ Famous Quotes from Lady Macbeth: Power, Ambition, and Guilt

Lady Macbeth, one of William Shakespeare's most captivating characters in *Macbeth*, is known for her ruthless ambition, manipulation, and complex emotions. Her quotes resonate with timeless themes of power, guilt, and the psychological toll of seeking greatness at any cost. In this collection, we explore some of the most iconic quotes from Lady Macbeth, each shedding light on her troubled mind and her role in her husband's downfall. This compilation will not only reflect her character but also provide valuable insights into the consequences of unchecked ambition and the haunting burden of guilt.

Lady Macbeth's Ambition Quotes

• "Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe topful of direst cruelty!"
• "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe topful of direst cruelty!"
• "Glams, thou art; and Cawdor; and shalt be what thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature."
• "Thou wouldst be great; art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it."
• "What’s done is done."
• "To be thus is nothing; but to be safely thus."
• "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t."
• "We fail! But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail."
• "The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements."
• "We are yet but young in deed."
• "I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this."
• "Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell."

Lady Macbeth's Guilt-Driven Quotes

• "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!"
• "What, will these hands ne’er be clean?"
• "Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
• "I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er."
• "To bed, to bed! There’s a knocking at the gate."
• "Give me your hand: what’s done cannot be undone."
• "Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow."
• "All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
• "What’s done is done."
• "I have given suck, and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me."
• "The heart is sorely charged."
• "I will not be afraid of death and bane, till Birnam Forest come to Dunsinane."

Lady Macbeth's Role in Macbeth’s Downfall Quotes

• "But I pity your nerve, and your cowardice."
• "How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me."
• "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition."
• "The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures."
• "If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well it were done quickly."
• "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t."
• "We are yet but young in deed."
• "False face must hide what the false heart doth know."
• "Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all, as the weird women promised."
• "What’s done cannot be undone."
• "He has almost supped: why have you left the chamber?"
• "Come, come, come, come, give me your hand."

Lady Macbeth’s Manipulation Quotes

• "It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness."
• "Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters."
• "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t."
• "We fail! But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail."
• "The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements."
• "What’s done is done."
• "To bed, to bed! There’s a knocking at the gate."
• "Give me your hand: what’s done cannot be undone."
• "I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, and dashed the brains out."
• "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!"
• "Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow."
• "Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell."

Lady Macbeth’s Reflections on Power Quotes

• "To be thus is nothing; but to be safely thus."
• "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here."
• "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t."
• "What’s done is done."
• "We are yet but young in deed."
• "Thou wouldst be great; art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it."
• "False face must hide what the false heart doth know."
• "Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell."
• "I have given suck, and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me."
• "The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements."
• "We fail! But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail."
• "The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures."

Lady Macbeth’s Manipulation of Macbeth Quotes

• "Thou wouldst be great; art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it."
• "What’s done is done."
• "We fail! But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail."
• "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t."
• "False face must hide what the false heart doth know."
• "The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements."
• "To bed, to bed! There’s a knocking at the gate."
• "Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell."
• "We are yet but young in deed."
• "Give me your hand: what’s done cannot be undone."
• "Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow."
• "What’s done is done."

Lady Macbeth’s Influence on the Plot Quotes

• "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!"
• "What, will these hands ne’er be clean?"
• "Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
• "I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er."
• "To bed, to bed! There’s a knocking at the gate."
• "Give me your hand: what’s done cannot be undone."
• "Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow."
• "What’s done is done."
• "I have given suck, and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me."
• "The heart is sorely charged."
• "I will not be afraid of death and bane, till Birnam Forest come to Dunsinane."
• "I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er."

Lady Macbeth’s Struggle with Morality Quotes

• "What’s done is done."
• "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!"
• "Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
• "I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er."
• "To bed, to bed! There’s a knocking at the gate."
• "Give me your hand: what’s done cannot be undone."
• "Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow."
• "All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
• "What’s done is done."
• "I have given suck, and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me."
• "The heart is sorely charged."
• "I will not be afraid of death and bane, till Birnam Forest come to Dunsinane."

Lady Macbeth’s Influence on the Audience Quotes

• "What’s done is done."
• "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!"
• "Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
• "I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er."
• "To bed, to bed! There’s a knocking at the gate."
• "Give me your hand: what’s done cannot be undone."
• "Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow."
• "All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
• "What’s done is done."
• "I have given suck, and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me."
• "The heart is sorely charged."
• "I will not be afraid of death and bane, till Birnam Forest come to Dunsinane."

Lady Macbeth’s Psychological Decline Quotes

• "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!"
• "What, will these hands ne’er be clean?"
• "Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
• "I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er."
• "To bed, to bed! There’s a knocking at the gate."
• "Give me your hand: what’s done cannot be undone."
• "Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow."
• "What’s done is done."
• "I have given suck, and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me."
• "The heart is sorely charged."
• "I will not be afraid of death and bane, till Birnam Forest come to Dunsinane."
• "I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er."

Final words

Lady Macbeth's journey from ambition-driven power to guilt-ridden madness is one of the most compelling narratives in Shakespearean drama. Her famous quotes capture her inner conflict, manipulation, and psychological breakdown, revealing the price of ambition unchecked by morality. Her tragic descent reminds us of the consequences of allowing power and ambition to corrupt the soul. The complex nature of Lady Macbeth's character provides timeless insights into the human psyche, particularly regarding how ambition can drive individuals to commit terrible acts, only to be weighed down by the haunting guilt that follows. Her quotes offer a deep reflection on the fragility of human nature and the devastating impact of unchecked desires.