Macbeth

Act V, Scene 3

Macbeth asks the doctor taking care of Lady Macbeth if he can “minister to a mind diseased” and “pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow” and with an “antidote…cleanse…that perilous stuff which weighs upon the heart.” The doctor answers him by saying: Therein the patient / Must minister to himself.” What does the doctor's answer mean?

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Last updated by jill d #170087
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The doctor means that she is “not so sick” but troubled with visions (39). Thus, she must find a way to cure herself her visions, Macbethis displeased by his answer.

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Macbeth