Oh, to be Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth is as ambitious, ruthless, and strong as they get. An admirable woman at the least. In my opinion I think that a Spotify playlist curated by Lady Macbeth would include songs about freedom, feminism, power, and stupid boys. Listen below for an experience like no other.

Choose 5-6 recommendations and provide a justification for each. Your justification should provide a basic summary of the content and why your character would choose it (What might it reveal about him or her? What should we now understand about your character because of his or her recommendations?)

Playlist Name- Oh to be Lady Macbeth
Song #1- If I were a Boy- Beyonce
This extremely accurate portrayal of a girl imagining life as a boy in order to fix her relationship problems is an anthem for all women in society today. Along with modern women, Lady Macbeth would relate to this song all too much. As a woman in the 16th century, her rights to most everything are all so limited and curated for men. At one point in the play, Lady Macbeth speaks about how she wishes she were a man so she could go ahead and do the things that her husband struggles so much to do; such as kill Duncan.
Song #2- Bad Influence- Pink
In this song, Pink portrays the overwhelming thrill of being a bad influence and leading people to do what you want them to do. Pink says "Where she goes, nobody knows. A good excuse to be a bad influence on you and you" over and over again throughout the song in an effort to portray her influence on others in a negative way. Lady Macbeth might choose to add this to one of her playlists due to the personal connection she can make to the song. Lady Macbeth was a huge manipulator, specifically on Macbeth. She convinced Macbeth to murder King Duncan in an effort to take the throne and he did just that. Lady Macbeth can release the exhilaration she gets from being in control that she constantly hides throughout the song.
Song #3- Grow A Pear- Kesha
Kesha is sick and tired of being with a clingy, sensitive man and is pleading this. The line that hit me the most was "I signed up for a man but you are just a b***h.", which is perfectly exemplifying her unwillingness to deal with her feminine, emotional, fearful boyfriend. Kesha and Lady Macbeth would be the best of friends. Lady Macbeth dealt with Macbeth's non- manly personality and fear of making his own decisions for years. She pressured him to kill Duncan in order to fulfill the prophecy and he could barely pull that off. The song Grow A Pear is a perfect concoction of her feelings towards her husbands struggle to do things for himself.
Song #4- Running Dry - Neil Young
Neil Young sings lines such as "I'm living by myself, I need someone to tell." and "I've shamed myself with lies" to portray the shame he has. The song is about a lonely person who is ashamed of the horrible things they have done in the past and want to confess their burdens. Lady Macbeth would choose this because of the heavy burden she carries for being a part of all of the murder and despicable things her husband has done. She has changed as a person from before the murder and after the murder and now views her past decisions as a heavy problem to carry.
Song #6- Your Winter- Sister Hazel
The feeling of guilt in this song is enormously illustrated by Sister Hazel in this song. Your Winter includes lines such as "Take my thoughts for what they're worth, I've been acting like a child" and "innocence and in a trance". Sister Hazel speaks about the horrible burden of guilt and the nauseating feeling it places upon you. These lyrics couldn't do a better job to exemplify Lady Macbeth's persona. Lady Macbeth would choose to add this song because of the overwhelming guilt she carries from all of the cruel acts she has played a part in and the negative effects the journey has had on her husband, Macbeth. She instigated her husband to first kill Duncan and become king, then he continued to kill Banquo and Macduff's family on his own agenda, which she most definitely feels at fault for.

Comments

  1. Hey Abby! This is an absolutely amazing blog post! The one issue I had with it after reading through the third song was that you started to portray Lady Macbeth as a very simple character with only one side of her. However, by the time I read your last two songs, I was pleased to see that she was represented as the complex character that she is, who underwent a major shift in personality. Each song perfectly captured her sentiments, revealing the thorough thought you put in to each selection. Since you managed to portray her so well and analyze each song so critically, there is only one (very small) issue that I see. Your 5th song is labeled as your 6th, which as far as I can tell, is the only thing wrong with this post :). Great work!!

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