Act 1 Scene 4 Flashcards
overview of act I scene iv
king duncan receives macbeth and banquo with gratitude for their achievements, then announces that his son malcolm will succeed him on the throne of scotland
moment of peripitea
the witches’ first prediction comes true
finish the quote: ‘he died..
..as one that had been studied in his death’
‘he died as one that had been studied in his death’
- happily died
- didn’t resist death
- foreshadows that macbeth too, will reach his end
- alike to the previous thane of cawdor
finish the quote: ‘find the mind’s construction…
..in the face’
finish the quote: ‘he was a gentleman…
…on whom i built an absolute trust’
‘find the mind’s construction in the face’
‘he was a gentleman on whom i built an absolute trust’
- duncan said he misjudged the old thane of cawdor because there’s no way to ‘find the mind’s construction in the face’
- he thinks that people who seem good and loyal may not be
- it is ironic - he also misjudges macbeth
‘enter macbeth’
- staging used for symbolic effect
- dramatic irony
finish the quote: ‘o worthiest…
…cousin’
finish the quote: ‘thanks and..
…payment might have been mine’
finish the quote: ‘more is thy due…
…than more all can pay’
finish the quote: ‘is to receive our..
..duties’
finish the quote: ‘in doing it…
…pays itself’
‘is to receive our duties’
‘in doing it pays itself’
- he looks very loyal on surface level
- macbeth replies in a very dettched manner
- contrasting language
finish the quote: ‘plant..
..thee’
finish the quote: ‘make thee…
..full of growing’
‘plant thee’
‘make thee full of growing’
- extended metaphor of plants
- to show that he sees it as his duty to nurture those loyal to him
- duncan sees macbeth as a potential successor, suggesting that fate might make macbeth king without him doing anything
- duncan uses natural imagery to express his spontaneous warm personality
- macbeth expecting something else
semantic field of abundance
- ‘full of growing’
- ‘my plenteous joys’
- ‘wanton in fullness’
- his hyperbolic language - shows audience that he is completely unaware of what is going on behind the scenes
- sense of anticipation in audience
- duncan heaping praise on a man who is going to kill him
how is duncan presented in this scene?
- strong and fair leader
- he rewards loyalty (‘thanks and payment’)
- and wants scotland to prosper
- CONTRASTS with macbeth’s violent, tyrannical rule
finish the quote: ‘signs of nobleness..
..like stars, shall shine’
finish the quote: ‘stars, hide..
..your fires / let not light see my black and deep desires’
‘signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine’
‘stars, hide your fires/ let not light see my black and deep desires’
- LIGHT SYMBOLISM
- duncan thinks that fate will reward those who deserve it
- light links with visibility - contrasts with macbeth’s desire to hide his intentions
- macbeth seems confused
- outwardly, he is a brave and loyal warlord - inwardly, his ambition is battling with his conscience
- he wants to keep his ‘black and deep desires’ hidden, not just from other people, but from himself
[aside]
- explicit stage direction
- potential for actor of macbeth to deliver those lines with contempt/upset
- short monologue
finish the quote: ‘a step on which…
..i must fall down, or else o’erleap’
finish the quote: ‘the eye…
…wink at the hand’
‘the eye wink at the hand’
- semantic field of witchcraft
- macbeth tries to distance himself from what he is about to do
- let my eye be blind to what my hand does
