Lady Macbeth: A Psychological Profile

An Overview:

Just as detectives collect evidence that help to create theories and profiles that are included in formal police reports, you will act as an investigator, gathering evidence that helps demonstrate the psychological state of Lady Macbeth. The evidence you collect will be necessary to create a well-written psychological profile that will forever be housed in the Inverness Magistrate’s office.

In your analysis, you will be required to complete the Post Mortem of a Protagonist sheet below. This will guide your collection of evidence, help keep you focused, and ensure that you are gathering useful quotes. Later, it will serve as an outline to help you organize your writing when it comes time to build the formal psychological profile.

If you complete this component after each Act, your job of psychoanalysis will be much easier than if you wait until the end of the unit. As good detectives keep detailed notes throughout their investigation, so should you!

Directions:

Label each answerto the questions below on the image provided to you (see last page). Some Acts may focus on just one area of the body, while others may focus on 3. Only record what you find relevant and that you may use in your psychological report. Do not feel the need to find evidence of all body parts in all Acts!

As you record the answers, be sure you are including details. This means actual, textual evidence from the text (quotes). Explain each quote in the context of where it is in the story and what it means. Lastly, be sure to create a rationale between how the evidence you utilized proves and demonstrates your answer to the question. Reminder: write the page number of your evidence after each “quotation”(page X).

In your final psychoanalysis, you will be required to choose two body parts that you believe most demonstrates Lady Macbeth’s mental being.

Body Parts:

Head: You will analyze the intellectual side of the character.

  1. Does he/she analyze situations or just react?
  2. Is he/she smart or intelligent?

Eyes: You will analyze how observant the character is.

  1. What does he/she notice about others?
  2. What does he/she notice about his/her surroundings?

Ears: You will analyze what others say about him/her.

  1. Why does he/she remember what others say to him/her?
  2. How is he/she affected by what others say?

Mouth: You will analyze what the character reveals when he/she speaks.

  1. What philosophy regarding life and surroundings does he/she reveal?
  2. What idea or value does he/she assert or demonstrate is important?

Hands: You will analyze how the character handles situations and events.

  1. What kind of conflicts does he/she deal with?
  2. How does he/she resolve or deal with conflicts?

Heart: You will analyze the emotional nature of the character.

  1. How does the character feel about himself/herself?
  2. How does the character feel about people who are different?

Torso/Legs: You will analyze the instinctive side of the character.

  1. What brings the character pain?
  2. How does he/she deal with emotional and physical pain?

Feet: You will analyze the character’s reactions to events.

  1. When upset about something, how does the character react? (fight, flight or freeze)
  2. How is he/she affected by where he/she has been?

Wings: You will analyze the character’s potential.

  1. What kind of future do you see this character having?
  2. What do you think the character will value or reflect on when approaching death? What will become important?

Revised Using Laying the Foundations’ lesson