Act 1 Scene 4 Flashcards
Dramatic Irony
The audience knows that Macbeth has already thought about killing the King after the witches’ prophecy that he will be crowned the next King.
“There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.”
“He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.”
Refers to the theme of appearance vs reality; Duncan says that there is no way to tell what someone is thinking based on their facial expressions, while his trust suggests he may be naive.
“peerless kinsman”
Duncan praises Macbeth after his dark soliloquy displaying his true desires; this builds dramatic irony while reinforcing the overly-trusting nature of Duncan, since Macbeth has murderous thoughts in his mind while he is trusted and flattered by the King.
How are Duncan’s praise and manner of speaking toward Macbeth important?
Duncan’s hyperbolic language shows he is completely unaware of Macbeth’s dark desires; the King lavishly praises the man who wants to kill him.
“The Prince of Cumberland: that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires…”
Macbeth admits that he will need to commit a terrible sin to become King; he must overcome the fact that Malcolm is the next successor to the throne. The use of evil imagery in the quotation emphasises the start of Macbeth’s downfall and suggests alignment with the supernatural.
What theme is: “Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires”?
Appearance vs Reality
Macbeth wants the stars to stop shining light on him so that he can carry out his evil deeds in darkness, without the knowledge of anyone else.
