Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts! Unsex me…
““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; make thick my blood, Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between The effect and it! Come to my woman’s breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature’s mischief! Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor Heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry "Hold, hold!””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Lady Macbeth calls on spirits to strip her of femininity and fill her with cruelty, seeking power without remorse.
In simple terms: She wants to become ruthless and unfeeling.
Key Takeaway
Reject compassion to pursue ambition.
Themes
ambition
gender
power
Mood
dark
intense
Type
dramatic
tragedy
When to use this quote
- political intrigue
- personal ambition
- ethical dilemmas
Key Concepts
masculinity
remorse
evil
Questions to Reflect On
- What costs arise when empathy is abandoned?
- Can ambition exist without moral cost?
A Different Perspective
Such a denial of humanity can lead to self‑destruction.