D E S I R E

Act 1; Scene 5

"Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe topful
Of direst cruelty!"

Significance of quote

- Technique- sustained metaphor (asking to "unsex")
-Displays that Lady Macbeth is wishing to be rid of her "feminine weakness" and for it to be replaced with pure evil, in order for her to execute her plan
-Expresses the desire that she has in pursuing acts of evil, and her dire need to become strong and unrepentant in these acts
-At this point in the play, her state of mind is that of desire, strength, and complete obsession with making her husband King.