“Out, Damned Spot!” Tips for Performing Lady Macbeth’s Famous Monologue

In the play, the text is interspersed with lines from an observing doctor and gentlewoman. The actor must be aware of these interruptions in the performance, but for the sake of this article, we will discuss the monologue as if it is one long connected piece.

LADY MACBETH
Yet here’s a spot.

Out, damned spot, out, I say! One. Two. Why then, ’tis time to do ’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?

The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne’er be clean? No more o’ that, my lord, no more o’ that. You mar all with this starting.

Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O!

Wash your hands. Put on your nightgown. Look not so pale. I tell you yet again, Banquo’s buried; he cannot come out on ’s grave.

To bed, to bed. There’s knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come. Give me your hand. What’s done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed.

Scene context: What brings Lady Macbeth here?

Early in “Macbeth,” Lady Macbeth is a driving force behind her husband’s murderous ambitions. Unwavering and fearless, she convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan and secure the throne, urging him to suppress his doubts and show no weakness.

However, in Act V, Scene I, Lady Macbeth’s strength has turned to guilt-ridden fragility. She sleepwalks, trying in vain to cleanse her hands of Duncan’s blood.

Each line in Lady Macbeth’s monologue reveals a layered sense of internal conflict. Here, we have paraphrased each line, and provided more context.

“Yet here’s a spot. Out, damned spot, out, I say!”

Translation: “There’s still a stain here. Come out, cursed stain! Out, I say!”

Lady Macbeth’s obsessive hand-washing and her demands for the “spot” to disappear symbolize her attempt to wash away her guilt. It mirrors the language of Macbeth in Act II, Scene II after the murder of Duncun.

“One; two: why, then ’tis time to do ’t.”

Translation: “One o’clock. Two o’clock. All right then, it’s time to do it.”

Here, she hears an imagined toll of a bell, echoing the one she rang to signal Macbeth to kill Duncan in Act II, Scene I. 

“Hell is murky!”

Translation: Hell is dark and unknown.

The vision of hell here isn’t just a concept; it’s become real for Lady Macbeth.

“Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?”

Translation: “Shame on you, my lord! You’re a soldier and you’re afraid? Why should we be afraid of anyone knowing? No one has the authority to question us.”

Lady Macbeth repeats her mocking of her husband’s initial hesitation from Act I, Scene VII.

“Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?”

Translation: “But who could have guessed that the old man would bleed so much?”

Here, we see her shocked at the amount of blood spilled from Duncun, a reversal of her boldness and mockery from earlier in the play.

“The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?”

Translation: “Macduff’s wife is gone—where is she now?”

This is a reference to the murder of Macduff’s wife in Act IV, Scene II. 

“What, will these hands ne’er be clean?”

Translation: “Will my hands never be clean [of this blood]?”

This rhetorical question underscores her desperation and helplessness.

“No more o’ that, my lord, no more o’ that. You mar all with this starting.”

Translation: “Stop reacting like that, my lord; stop it. You ruin everything by being so jumpy.” 

She reverts back to her words before Duncun’s murder; she’s desperately trying to maintain that illusion of remorselessness. And yet…  

“Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O!”

Translation: “I can still smell the blood here. No amount of perfume from Arabia could make this small hand smell sweet again. Oh, oh, oh!”

She has blood on her hands. There’s no moving past this. 

“Wash your hands. Put on your nightgown. Look not so pale. I tell you yet again, Banquo’s buried; he cannot come out on ’s grave.”

Translation: “Wash your hands. Put on your nightclothes. Don’t look so pale. I’m telling you again—Banquo is buried; he can’t come back from the grave.” 

Here, she’s jumping all over time. She returns to Act II, Scene II and her calming of Macbeth, as well as Act III, Scene IV, when she reassures her husband when he sees Banquo’s ghost. This flip-flopping into the past is meant to be jarring, a sign of someone hopelessly trying to avoid their present situation. 

“To bed, to bed. There’s knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come. Give me your hand. What’s done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed.” 

Translation: “Go to bed, go to bed. Someone’s knocking at the gate. Come on, come on, come on, come on. Give me your hand. What’s done is done; it can’t be changed. To bed, to bed, to bed.” 

In these final lines, Lady Macbeth returns one last time to the scene just after the murder, in Act II, Scene II. However, her assertion that “what’s done cannot be undone” and her insistence on simply going to sleep take on new, heavier significance, now that it’s clear that her remorse over the murder has broken her.

Pacing and cadence

There are only two instances where Lady Macbeth speaks in prose: This monologue and when she reads Macbeth’s letter at her first entrance in Act I, Scene V. Every other line she says is within the verse structure of iambic pentameter. This departure from the norm tells us that her poise and carefully considered speech are gone; she has truly lost herself. The actor can be totally free with the timing, and a range of vocal dynamics will help convey her fragmented thoughts.

Rhetoric

There are a number of different rhetorical devices within this speech, such as: 

• Repetition: Lady Macbeth’s repeated fixation with the blood that will not be rinsed away emphasizes the inescapable nature of her guilt.
• Rhetorical questions: These expose her spiraling thoughts, as if she’s searching for answers that will never come.
• Metaphor: Her reference to hell as “murky” suggests that rather than just fearing an afterlife in hell, Lady Macbeth feels as if she’s already experiencing it.
• Hyperbole: “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” Capturing the magnitude of Lady Macbeth’s regret, she feels nothing in the world could cleanse her hands of blood.

The language

“Yet here’s a spot. Out, damned spot, out, I say! One. Two. Why then, ’tis time to do ’t.”

With the t’s, d’s, and p’s starting the speech, the actor can lean into the whispering, spitty sounds, giving Lady Macbeth an unhinged quality to her voice.

“O, O, O!”

Modern actors often shy away from these lines in Shakespeare. However Shakespeare is giving you a strict instruction to give voice to the emotion. Notice how this line is navigated in the example performances below.

Objectives

At each and every moment of the speech, the actor must know who they are speaking to, and what they are trying to achieve. Lady Macbeth goes from obsessing about the blood on her hands, to disparate moments with Macbeth, lamenting the violence they have carried out together. By fully committing to each moment and switching seamlessly to the next, Lady Macbeth’s shattered mind will be on full display.

Lady Macbeth performances for inspiration

Watching renowned portrayals can provide insight into how different actors approach Lady Macbeth’s vulnerability. Dame Judi Dench, for instance, delivers this monologue with a blend of sorrow and terror that feels quietly devastating.

Compare this to Kate Fleetwood’s more frenetic and anxious interpretation, where her heightened shifts from moment to moment and frantic pace portray a woman driven past sanity and completely disconnected from reality.

Remember: Drawing from iconic portrayals is helpful, but bringing your unique interpretation is essential. Don’t anticipate your own reaction. We never know how we will react to the most extreme traumas in our life; sometimes we are numb and quiet, other times we are shaken by our passion. Don’t force an emotion; invest in the truth of the moment.

Performing Lady Macbeth’s “Out, damned spot!” monologue requires a balance of vulnerability and horror. It offers an extraordinary opportunity to explore the human psyche’s darker sides. By analyzing each line, understanding her emotional journey, and making thoughtful acting choices, you can bring new depth to this classic character.