What does lady macbeth mean by like the poor cat l' th' adage?

Answer 1

In Shakespeare's play "Macbeth," Lady Macbeth refers to the saying "like the poor cat i' th' adage" when she is trying to convince her husband to be more ruthless and ambitious. The phrase alludes to the idea that curiosity killed the cat, suggesting that Macbeth should not hesitate or show weakness in pursuing his goals. Lady Macbeth is urging Macbeth to be decisive and bold, even if it means taking risks or resorting to immoral actions.

Answer 2

The adage in question is this one: "the cat loves fish, but does not like to wet her paws". It is an image of someone who wants something but is too fastidious to do what is needed to get it. The fastidiousness could be cowardice but could also be ethical principle. When Macbeth was on his own he weighed the breach of ethics involved in killing Duncan against the possible gain, and found that it was not worth wetting his paws for such a paltry fish. Lady Macbeth, however, equates this with cowardice, implying that he will not kill Duncan because he is afraid of doing so, by being governed by "I dare not" rather than by "I would". Macbeth is not easily moved by the carrot of possible kingship (he is not very ambitious), but he is persuaded by the stick of being held in contempt as a coward.

It is ironic that Lady Macbeth should compare Macbeth with the cat in the adage when it is she who resembles the cat much more. She, much more than Macbeth, desires the crown, but is unwilling to be the person to wet her paws by killing Duncan herself. Instead, she will get Macbeth to wet his paws by killing Duncan, and will share in the fish she desires so strongly.

There is a further irony that although clearly Lady Macbeth is the much more ambitious of the two, and Macbeth sneers at "vaulting ambition", it is Macbeth who is called ambitious by generations of schoolteachers desperate to find a one-word fatal flaw in him.