A reference to war and weaponry, 'screw your courage to the sticking place' outlines Lady Macbeth's drive and audacity in believing that if they are brave, they cannot fail. When she says that they will kill Duncan in his sleep, this first mention of the innocence of rest and the cruelty of murdering sleep is part of what drives Macbeth to insomnia. Her willingness to frame the two guards for the deed and go ahead with the murder is is masculine while her cunning and malicious words are representative of the way femininity is turned on its head in the play.
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