John Henry Fuseli, Lady Macbeth Seizing the Daggers, exhibited 1812

From the Tate Collection:

The picture is based on a scene from Shakespeare’s Macbeth (Act II scene 2) and represents the moment immediately after Macbeth has murdered Duncan, King of Scotland, who was a guest at his castle. Macbeth staggers forward, staring in horror, and still grasping the bloody daggers with which he has committed the deed. He tells his wife, ‘I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on’t again I dare not.’ It is at this point in the play that Lady Macbeth seizes control. ‘Infirm of purpose!’ she responds to her husband, ‘Give me the daggers.’

The picture is probably a sketch for an intended larger work. The figures are wraith-like and executed with tremendous freedom. Fuseli once wrote that ‘All minute detail tends to destroy terrour [sic]’, and his intention was to work on the viewer’s psyche, rather than to create an accurate representation. He painted several other scenes from Macbeth, including the three witches from Act I, and Lady Macbeth sleepwalking from the opening scene of the final act. He was particularly drawn to the cruel and erotic elements in Shakespeare’s work and was inspired by several other plays, including Hamlet, King Lear and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Posted on June 26 2012, with 400 Notes

1. awasabistory reblogged this from cavetocanvas
2. beckortiz likes this
3. bcbooth1 likes this
4. crystallee96 likes this
5. campestralx likes this
6. awasabistory likes this
7. etherealimbue reblogged this from cavetocanvas
8. 012712ae reblogged this from cavetocanvas
9. 012712ae likes this
10. befanee likes this
11. fuvkedup likes this
12. lookingforsilvana likes this
13. lareddelaspalabras likes this
14. siller-4-13-10 likes this
15. 071226 likes this
16. wafertubo likes this
17. jounghk likes this
18. ruska-monster likes this
19. vendi-vidi-vici reblogged this from doodlingbreaktime
20. lokimaxiejackie reblogged this from doodlingbreaktime
21. fabrithea likes this
22. daydreamenthusiast likes this
23. doodlingbreaktime reblogged this from cavetocanvas
24. drstrangelystrange likes this
25. atlasnirvana reblogged this from cavetocanvas
26. runandchasethemoon likes this
27. laurenceiv likes this
28. awholelottaono likes this
29. royalpallor reblogged this from cavetocanvas
30. calling-all-skeletons reblogged this from cavetocanvas
31. blvvvck likes this
32. pajarillo-dreams reblogged this from coumtransmissions
33. inthelandofwomen reblogged this from magass
34. inthelandofwomen likes this
35. expedius likes this
36. magass reblogged this from buf-fy
37. buf-fy reblogged this from mevilns
38. mevilns reblogged this from cavetocanvas
39. ostension likes this
40. fascistsinlove likes this
41. coumtransmissions reblogged this from cavetocanvas
42. mcncmane reblogged this from cavetocanvas
43. mcncmane likes this
44. ouh-honey reblogged this from cavetocanvas
45. kayezillasays reblogged this from cavetocanvas
46. chalicesayette likes this
47. we-all-drown reblogged this from cavetocanvas
48. inthewinterspale reblogged this from cavetocanvas
49. man-ergus reblogged this from flirer
50. peculiarsusceptibility reblogged this from flirer
51. Show more notesLoading...