In this scene, Lady Macbeth is mentally unraveling. While sleepwalking, she obsessively tries to wash imaginary blood from her hands and speaks to her absent husband, Macbeth.
This specific line refers back to the night of King Duncan's murder, specifically the moment when a knock at the door forced the couple to hurry to their chamber to avoid suspicion. Draft of the Full Speech Excerpt
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! Analysis and Modern Usage come_give_me_your_hand
This dramatic moment is often used in acting classes and literature studies to show "character development through breakdown".
It is spoken by in Act 5, Scene 1 (the famous "sleepwalking scene") as she relives the guilt of the murders she helped commit. Context of the Text In this scene, Lady Macbeth is mentally unraveling
"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!".
This line highlights Lady Macbeth's transition from a cold, calculating figure to one "unhinged" by trauma and guilt. Draft of the Full Speech Excerpt To bed, to bed
The repetition of "come" and "to bed" emphasizes her frantic, cyclical thoughts, which are a stark contrast to her earlier command of language.