ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Lady Macbeth chides Macbeth that although her hands are of the same colour (red) she would shame / To wear a heart so white (line 65). She believes that A little water clears us of this deed (line 67), suggesting that the crime could simply be washed away and their consciences cleansed.

Detailed explanation-2: -Lady Macbeth’s response to this speech will be her prosaic remark, “A little water clears us of this deed” (2.2. 65). By the end of the play, however, she will share Macbeth’s sense that Duncan’s murder has irreparably stained them with blood.

Detailed explanation-3: -Lady Macbeth says “A little water clears us of this deed, how easy is it then!” (lines 70-71) Is this true? How does this seem like an understatement? She assumes that if the blood is gone from their hands, there will be no evidence of the murder, and they will go on happily with their plan.

Detailed explanation-4: -The hyperbole also shows the difference in reactions between Macbeth and his wife. Less troubled by what they’ve done, Lady Macbeth tells her husband to stop using hyperbole and responds, ‘’A little water clears us of this deed. ‘’