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 murd'ring ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature's mischief. (Act I, scene v. 30-40)
This passage is voiced by Lady Macbeth after she reads a letter written by her husband. Lady Macbeth calls upon "spirits," which are essentially the devil. She understands that the devil tends "on mortal thoughts," or tends to murderous thoughts. Her famous line, "unsex me here," shows her desire to change her sex. She wishes to be a man and shed all her womanly duties and expectations. The word "crown" is used which can refer simply to one's head, or to a queen's crown. This word foreshadows and provides insight to Lady Macbeth's subconscious desires. Her desire for evil is immense with her plea for someone to "fill" her with "direst cruelty." Lady Macbeth desperately calls on someone to make her harder, "make thick" her "blood," and "stop up the access and passage," clog her veins. It is clear that she is set on Macbeth becoming king, with her words that request "no compunctious visitings of nature shake...[her] fell purpose." This phrase says that she does not want compassion to cause her to stray from her objective. A disgusting trade-off is requested. She says, "come to my woman's breasts and take my milk for gall," which essentially means that she wants to exchange her breast milk for vomit. This is the ultimate bashing of the restraints of her sex. She longs for the "murd'ring ministers" to turn her milk sour. The "nature" that is mentioned can refer to womanhood. The phrase "nature's mischief" is used in order to say that women are capable of evil things. This passage makes Lady Macbeth's purpose clear and recognized as forceful.
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