Macbeth

To get some references for my lady in waiting Elizabeth Brydges I have started to look at Shakespeare's Macbeth and also the film Macbeth (2015) as I believe it is relevant to my character.

Overview

Macbeth starts with King Duncan's generals encountering three witches on a bleak Scottish moorland on the way home from fighting a rebellion, they give Macbeth a prophecy that he will be given the title of Thane of Cawdor an become king. Macbeth then tells Lady Macbeth of the prophecy and his new title and she vows to help him become king by any means and they plot to kill the king and his guards which is carried out later that night, when the kings sons come home and found their dad dead they flee and are blamed for the murder.
Macbeth is then crowned king but is plagued by guilt and insecurity and plans for Banquo and his son to be murdered by his son escapes this. Macbeth then seeks out the witches where he is told to fear no one born of woman but Malcom and Macduff decide to lead an army against Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is paralysed with guilt and she walks in her sleep and gives away her secrets to a doctor and kills herself, Macbeth finds out that Macduff is a child of caesarean birth so her is doomed, Macduff triumphs and declares peace.

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red. (2.2.61)

This quote shows how Macbeth is paralyzed with horror about what he has done, so his wife takes over the job of killing the king. He is fascinated by the blood on his hands and stares at them, he feels like the blood can never be washed away not even with all of the water from every ocean, this quote shows how he can never forgive himself for his deed and his guilt will consume him.

A little water clears us of this deed. (2.2.68)
Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. (5.1.55)

I have chosen these quotes from the play Macbeth about the blood on the hands, I want to reference this to how there was a rumour that everyone thought that Elizabeth was responsible for the queens death, it might be useful to use the metaphor of her having 'blood on your hands.'

In a way Elizabeth Brydges is very like Macbeth in a way as her guilt is consuming her and this is something I would like to portray through makeup.



.Unknown. (Unknown). Macbeth Plot Summary: Overview. Available: http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/play-summary/macbeth/. Last accessed 12th Dec 2015.