It basically means that Lady Macbeth is asking spirits for help to take away her feminity and replace it with masculine features such as strength because she thinks men are more powerful and stronger and it will be easier for her to commit a crime without feeling any guilt
"You spirits who tend on mortal thoughts", whoever they are.
We understand her better as a result. She prays to the "spirits that tend on mortal thoughts" to fill her "top full with direst cruelty", because she does not want any sympathetic portion of her nature (if there is any) to prevent her from persuading Macbeth to the murder. We understand how committed she is.
In Macbeth the quote that suggests that the witches are misleading Macbeth is one from the very beginning. The quote reads ' They met me in the day of success: and I have learned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge'. This quote implies that the witches may not have supernatural powers according to Macbeth's thoughts, therefore meaning they are tempting to mislead him.
Subtext can take many forms, especially in a play. Subtext can be the "between the lines" examination of a theme or motif in written text - and this is true for Macbeth. Denotation is the literal, or 'dictionary' meaning of a word. This doesn't create subtext. However, the connotation, or emotional connection, of a word may. An example of denotation/connotation in Macbeth is evident in Lady Macbeth's line from Act 1, scene 5: Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. A common denotation of 'mortal' is "of or pertaining to human beings as subject to death" as defined by dictionary.com . However, the connotation of the word can be a reference to worldliness, bitter rivalry (as in mortal enemies), or the transition from one spiritual state to another, or the thoughts of humans, among many inferences. Shakespeare could have been more specific, he could have made the line a specific reference to any of the above ideas, but he did not. The meaning of mortal is open for interpretation, and thus, analysis of subtext. And this word, 'mortal' is not even the strongest word of the speech. What can you identify as subtext to the phrase 'unsex me here'? As in many of Shakespeare's works, the subtext in Macbeth also includes performance. This can take the form of stress, or emphasis, by an actor on a certain word or phrase; it can be inflection, or voice intonation; it can be actions that accompany the lines; or it can be a combination of any of these. Check out this scene on YouTube and compare different ways the actresses perform the lines (I prefer Dame Judy Dench's performance, where she's actually summoning evil spirits to change her nature from 'meek' womanhood to 'strong' manhood). Watch actress put stress on the word 'come' or 'direst' or 'cruelty'.
Cynthia
Spirits that tend on mortal thoughts.
"You spirits who tend on mortal thoughts", whoever they are.
We understand her better as a result. She prays to the "spirits that tend on mortal thoughts" to fill her "top full with direst cruelty", because she does not want any sympathetic portion of her nature (if there is any) to prevent her from persuading Macbeth to the murder. We understand how committed she is.
She makes a speech starting with the words, "Come thou spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the head to the toe top-full of direst cruelty."
"You spirits who tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty." It is not abundantly clear who these "murdering ministers" are that she wants to make her cruel. It is some kind of unnamed spiritual force of evil.
The duration of Mortal Thoughts is 1.7 hours.
Mortal Thoughts was created on 1991-04-19.
The movie Mortal Thoughts was released on April 19, 1991.
In Macbeth the quote that suggests that the witches are misleading Macbeth is one from the very beginning. The quote reads ' They met me in the day of success: and I have learned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge'. This quote implies that the witches may not have supernatural powers according to Macbeth's thoughts, therefore meaning they are tempting to mislead him.
Subtext can take many forms, especially in a play. Subtext can be the "between the lines" examination of a theme or motif in written text - and this is true for Macbeth. Denotation is the literal, or 'dictionary' meaning of a word. This doesn't create subtext. However, the connotation, or emotional connection, of a word may. An example of denotation/connotation in Macbeth is evident in Lady Macbeth's line from Act 1, scene 5: Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. A common denotation of 'mortal' is "of or pertaining to human beings as subject to death" as defined by dictionary.com . However, the connotation of the word can be a reference to worldliness, bitter rivalry (as in mortal enemies), or the transition from one spiritual state to another, or the thoughts of humans, among many inferences. Shakespeare could have been more specific, he could have made the line a specific reference to any of the above ideas, but he did not. The meaning of mortal is open for interpretation, and thus, analysis of subtext. And this word, 'mortal' is not even the strongest word of the speech. What can you identify as subtext to the phrase 'unsex me here'? As in many of Shakespeare's works, the subtext in Macbeth also includes performance. This can take the form of stress, or emphasis, by an actor on a certain word or phrase; it can be inflection, or voice intonation; it can be actions that accompany the lines; or it can be a combination of any of these. Check out this scene on YouTube and compare different ways the actresses perform the lines (I prefer Dame Judy Dench's performance, where she's actually summoning evil spirits to change her nature from 'meek' womanhood to 'strong' manhood). Watch actress put stress on the word 'come' or 'direst' or 'cruelty'.
Cynthia
One powerful quote from Lady Macbeth that highlights her thirst for power and ambition is when she says, "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty." This quote shows her desire to be stripped of her femininity in order to carry out ruthless actions to achieve power. Another quote is when she says, "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it." This quote demonstrates her willingness to deceive and manipulate in order to achieve her ambitions.