10 Quotes From Mac Beth Flashcards
What scene is “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” Act 1 scence 1
And what themes does it have and explain it’s importance
Act 1 scence 1
Themes: Appearance vs. reality, supernatural, morality
The Witches’ chant underscores how things in the play are often not as they seem, setting a tone of deception and linking to the idea that moral boundaries will be blurred.
What scene is “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me / Without my stir”
(Act 1, Scene 3)
And what themes does it have and explain it’s importance
Themes: Fate vs. free will, ambition
Macbeth considers whether fate alone will lead him to power, or if he must act on his ambition, showing his early internal conflict.
What scene is “Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires”
And what themes does it have and explain it’s importance
(Act 1, Scene 4)
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(Act 1, Scene 4)
* Themes: Ambition, guilt, appearance vs. reality * Macbeth acknowledges his dark ambitions and desire to conceal them, showing his awareness of the moral conflict within himself.
What scene is “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition”
(Act 1, Scene 7)
And what themes does it have and explain it’s importance
(Act 1, Scene 7)
Themes: Ambition, morality, consequences
Macbeth reflects on how ambition is the only factor pushing him to kill Duncan, hinting at the dangers of unchecked ambition.
What scene is “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?”
And what themes does it have and explain it’s importance
(Act 2, Scene 1)
* Themes: Supernatural, guilt, fate vs. free will * Macbeth’s vision of the dagger reflects his deep psychological disturbance and the supernatural influence driving him toward murder.
What scene is “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?”
(Act 2, Scene 2)
And what themes does it have and explain it’s importance
(Act 2, Scene 2)
Themes: Guilt, consequences, morality
After killing Duncan, Macbeth realizes the depth of his guilt, suggesting that no amount of water could cleanse him of his actions.
What scene is “Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill”
(Act 3, Scene 2)
And what themes does it have and explain it’s importance
(Act 3, Scene 2)
Themes: Consequences, ambition, corruption
Macbeth acknowledges that once one evil act is done, further evil is required to maintain power, illustrating the corrupting cycle of unchecked ambition.
What scene is “O full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”
And what themes does it have and explain it’s importance
(Act 3, Scene 2)
Themes: Guilt, madness, ambition
Macbeth’s disturbed mind reflects the psychological torment that guilt and ambition have caused him, showing the mental toll of his actions.
What scene is “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” Act 5 Scene 1
And what themes does it have and explain it’s importance
(Act 5, Scene 1)
* Themes: Guilt, consequences, madness * Lady Macbeth’s descent into madness reveals her overwhelming guilt, symbolized by the imagined blood on her hands that she cannot wash away.
What scene is “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage” (Act 5, Scene 5)
And what themes does it have and explain it’s importance
Themes: Fate, consequences, ambition, mortality
Macbeth reflects on the futility(useleness) of life after the loss of all he has strived for, revealing a deep existential despair and the ultimate hollowness of his ambition.
