act 1 Flashcards
metaphor one
Ross relates Macbeth to Bellona’s bridegroom, which is the husband of the roman goddess of war. he is giving macbeth an almost godlike status. they make him seem like a god because the higher you are, the greater the fall.
metaphor two
why do you dress me in borrowed robes? macbeth is so shocked and confused (because he didn’t know about the thane of cawdor’s treason) after being named thane of cawdor that he doesn’t think the title fits him. the use of clothing throughout the play conveys that people have many layers…
metaphor 3
lady macbeth relates the attendant who told her that duncan was coming over that night to a raven, an omen. it further conveys how dark things will turn that night.
allusion
captain said that macbeth made the bloodshed scene as memorable as golgotha, which is christ’s crucifixion.
personification 1
macbeth tells the stars to hide their fires so they don’t show his deep and black desires. also his eyes cannot look at what his hands are going to do. he uses light and dark again because they are clear opposites. he wants to keep his actions “dark” because they are hidden there. the eye and the hand line invokes a sense of fear in the audience, and a generally creepy atmosphere.
personification 2
lady macbeth asks if the hope (both a garment and a person) that he used to have was drunk and woke up green and sick with a hangover. also a metaphor.
foreshadow one
stormy weather at the beginning scene with the witches shows that the play will not have a happy ending
foreshadow two
macbeth says that ambition is like a horse that tries to jump too high and falls on the other side of the fence, just before he murders duncan. this clearly shows that macbeth will fall to his all time low. also simile and personification.
imagery one
banquo describing the witches as women that can’t be real women because they are so ugly and have beards. makes us feel less kindly about the witches so that we can see them as evil.
imagery two
banquo describes how pleasant macbeth’s castle in inverness is. he says that the air is delicate and talks about a sweet bird he sees called a martlet. it is a dark contrast and irony, as this is the place where he will be killed.
imagery three
banquo describes the witches as instruments of darkness when telling macbeth that they were probably just deceiving them.
paradox one
fair is foul, foul is fair (said by all witches). nothing is as it seems. major theme.
paradox 2
macbeth says “so foul and fair a day i have not seen,” talking about the crappy weather but the great defeat of the irish/norwegians. again, nothing is as it seems. large theme.
paradox 3
lesser than macbeth, but greater. not so happy, yet much happier. he will never rise as high as macbeth, but at least he won’t go to hell.
simile one
captain says two swimmers clinging together, like how close the two fighting sides were (scotland and ireland).
