Act 4 Flashcards
I conjure you by which you profess…answer me
Macbeth believes he is superior to the witches and in control
However, the use of imperatives show he is not in control and has to beg them, he has fallen into their trap
It is ironic he believes he is in control - reflective of his outwardly confident nature as king versus his inner struggle with morality
None of woman born shall harm Macbeth
No-one born from a woman can kill him, Macbeth believes he is invincible
At the end of the play he realises Macduff was born via C-section and he has been tricked
“None” = an absolute word, makes Macbeth fell very powerful
“Shall” = strong modal verb, shows certainty and power witches have over Macbeth
The witches have equivocated here, which has led to Macbeth’s full trust
Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs
He is greatly upset that Banquo’s children will be kings as he still feels threatened
“Sear” = the sight of them burns his eyes, he feels physical pain from it, hyperbole
From this moment the very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand
His first instincts will be the first actions he does
Links to theme of emotional vs rational thinking, here he is very emotional, often Lady Macbeth was the practical thinker which reverses gender stereotypes
“Heart” = noun suggests he will act on emotion and desire, he won’t think logically but instead act on impulse - can be very dangerous
“Hand” = connotations of violence/fighting, just as he plots to do and kills Macduff’s family
Both nouns juxtapose each other and are emphasised by the alliteration of “H” which is usually a soft sound but here has harsh connotations
Witches - character analysis (context)
Trochaic tetrameter used like a chant and distinguishes them from other characters
Associated with strange exotic things e.g. “eye of newt and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog”, rhyming couplets = spell/incantation
Reference to witches at the time: old, vulnerable, widowed women who lived alone
They were outcasts from society and it was a sin to interact with them, blamed for natural events such as bad harvests or illness
By isolating them they could keep patriarchal society strong and control women
This scene would be frightening to a Jacobean audience, it was widely believed witches were the diabolical agents of Satan who tricked people towards hell
Feminist theory: witches presented as ‘wild’ and not governed by social laws, a way to control women who tried to act out, Lady Macbeth is also punished by act 5 for breaking these boundaries
Lady Macduff: The most diminutive of birds, will fight, against the owl
Furious that Macduff has abandoned his family, doesn’t love them
Saying that if someone threatens her children, she will fight against an ‘owl’ = much bigger predator
Ross reprimands her for questioning her husband, evident of social norms
In patriarchal society women’s views didn’t matter, Macduff is “noble, wise, judicious”
Lady Macduff: Sirrah, your father’s dead
Macduff is not actually dead, but she is so angered by his abandoning of them , it is as if he is dead
- Her behaviour would be shocking to the audience as she is speaking out against her husband and she should be obedient
- Women during the Elizabethan Era became more powerful and vocal, Elizabeth was a single childless woman but England became greater under her. this empowered women and audiences knew of her but Shakespeare disliked this as women were out of place, his obsession with witches may have been to suppress the female voice.
Lady Macudff: Young fry of treachery!
“Fry” = offspring/child
Images of fertility used as terms of abuse, serves to highlight the unnaturalness of the crime
Macbeth has become numb to the feelings of other
Represents the corruption of absolute power, he is killing an innocent child which proves no harm to him
Links to “dashed the brains out”, before subject of killing children was horrifying to him but now he does it freely
Malcolm: Dispute it like a man
Refers to toxic masculinity that men should fight it out, Macduff should kill Macbeth for his actions
This is ironic as when his father was killed Malcolm ran away and was a coward but tells others to ‘man-up’
Links to theme of masculinity, Lady Macbeth: are you a man? when Macbeth doesn’t want to murder Duncan, prominent in society at the time of gender stereotypes
Macduff: But I must also feel it like a man
He must be able to grieve and show emotion
“Feel it” = he acknowledges he must allow himself to feel the full extent of his emotions
“Must” = an imperative verb, he knows the significance of grieving before jumping into his revenge
“As a man” = different version of masculinity, juxtaposes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s view that men shouldn’t show emotion, pity or mercy and should pursue selfish interest of greed and power
Contrasts: “firstlings or my heart…” as Macduff is more emotionally aware and takes time to process before acting on emotion
