ACT 1: Macbeth quotes and analysis Flashcards
Analyse this quote: “so foul and fair a day I have not seen”
Instantly, Macbeth’s malleable personality is established. Macbeth shows signs of influence by the witches both physically and orally. Firstly, his initial words in the play echo the Witches’ paradox, showing him slowly becoming a mouthpiece for the Witches’ evil; he is a vessel for their misconduct.
Analyse this quote: “doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs”
This shows both externally and viscerally the Witches have rattled him. The phrase “doth unfix my hair” could relate to the subtle motif of clothes as a symbol of power, deception, identity. It reflects Macbeth’s internal conflict after hearing the witches’ prophecies. His heart pounding and hair standing on end symbolise his fear and anxiety at the thought of committing murders to fulfil the prophecy of becoming king. Despite the horror this idea induces, it’s evident his ambition is considering this dreadful act, indicating the start of his destructive path.
Analyse this quote: “valour’s minion”
Macbeth’s reputation precedes him (we learn about him first through other people’s descriptions of him), this establishes him as a respected figure to emphasise his Fall from Grace - meaning the descent from a reputable character to one that is abhorred, a key aspect of a dramatic tragedy. This making him a tragic hero (someone who starts moral and then has a downfall). As he is described as “valour’s minion”, this suggests he strongly abides to codes of honour, alternatively the noun “minion” could foreshadow his susceptibility to manipulation and how he will soon be a marionette of the witches. Macbeth’s reputation precedes him to set up a noble notoriety which we expect him to live up to; throughout the play he falls short of this expected virtue to become tyrannical and mentally perturbed. This characterises the play as a tragedy as Macbeth falls from a position of honour to become abominable.
Analyse this quote: “disdaining fortune…smok’d with bloody execution”
He is depicted as violent; this suggesting he is a relentless force in battle, so skilled his sword did not have time to cool. Alternatively, “smok’d” could connote to heat and hell, foreshadowing his evil. The phrase “disdaining fortune” shows a disregard for his fate, and his attempt to manipulate the natural order. This later becomes evident in his disruption of the Divine Right of Kings.
Analyse this quote: “why do you dress me in borrow’d robes?”
This suggests he has been awarded a title that does not belong to him. It shows that throughout the play as he moved through the hierarchal ranking, it is superficial and transient (much like clothes) rather than being an intrinsic role that he was destined to have.
Atypical relationship with Lady Macbeth
His initial stoic presentation is starkly juxtaposed with his mass emasculation. His wife, typically synonymous with subservience, makes him her inferior. Lady Macbeth mobilises the plot of regicide through her manipulation and emasculation of Macbeth. Initially she belittles him saying his “face” is “a book where men may read strange matters”, she mocks the candidness of his expression. This introduces her manipulation as it portrays Macbeth as weak and vulnerable - these were qualities which fail to align with the ideal masculine archetype of the era. She indirectly questions his ability to fulfil his role, and it would almost be embarrassing and atypical for him to have to be instructed by a woman. She also utilises flattery, hailing him “worthy Cawdor” echoing the Witches “Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor”. Thus, Macbeth has harvested two relationships with supernatural entities and has been governed her them- both of which are females. His submissive nature to women is the antithesis to the patriarchal norms within society. In the early 17th century, the dominance of men was deeply engrained in society and not interchangeable. Shakespeare contorts this to elicit fear within his audience - is the barbarity of women an atypical trope or just not well known in society. Also, Shakespeare makes the audience question whether Lady Macbeth’s emasculation spurred on Macbeth or whether it ignited an already barbaric flame within him.
Analyse this quote: “Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other”
The verb vaulting describes Macbeth’s mammoth ego- his ambition is his hamartia. The personification makes his ambition appear like a human-like force, controlling and plaguing his innocent mind. The metaphor likens Macbeth to a jockey riding his ambition- his ambition is akin to a barbaric animal.
Analyse this quote: “Stars, hide your fires, Let no light see my black and deep desires.”
Paradoxes continue to plague his speech with “black” and “fire” juxtaposing one another. Fire creates irreversible damage, foreshadowing how his duplicitous façade will create irreversible damage.
