Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 5

Powerful metaphors are used during the soliloquy by Lady Macbeth to show her most evil desires. When the messenger leaves the room after telling Lady Macbeth that the king comes here to-night, she says “Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty!” Lady Macbeth shows throughout this quote that she has evil desires but is not seen as a powerful enough force to complete them. During the time that Macbeth was written, men were a more dominant force and were seen as much stronger than women. So when she wants to complete a desire that she has, she has to do it through Macbeth who doesn’t in her opinion have a killer instinct. So for her to say “Unsex me here”, it shows that she wants more power for herself.