Ambition

Question 1

First quote - Act 1 - Scene 5 - Lady Macbeth

Answer 1

“Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear”

Question 2

Second quote - Act 3 - Scene 1 - Macbeth

Answer 2

“To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus”

Question 3

Third Quote - Act 5 - Scene 5 - Macbeth

Answer 3

“It is a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/ Signifying nothing”

Question 4

First quote analysis

Answer 4

• Repetition of “t” and “h” sounds, same as witches’ use of consonants, showing connections of Lady Macbeth to witches
• “pour” implies LM sees her words as an intoxicant or poison such as wine, commonly associated with Shakespeare plays
• “pour” also shows weakness of Macbeth as the pouring of a liquid is an elegant and effortless movement, easy to influence his morals

Question 5

Second quote analysis

Answer 5

• Juxtaposes effects of over ambition - meant to bring peace and prosperity, however brought paranoia and anxiousness to Macbeth
• He is now insecure and frustrated that Banquo might take his position as king
  and he needs to stay violent to maintain his power
• His first act of breaking the great chain of being has brought a chain reaction of killing

Question 6

Third quote analysis

Answer 6

• Reveals Macbeth’s nihilism, a disgust that there is no point to life.
• Meta joke - Shakespeare has written the tale in which Macbeth is enacting,
  making Shakespeare the “idiot” in this metaphor
• Possibly showing that Macbeth’s ultimate downfall was due to him believing in fate and not doing the most with his life
• “sound and fury” example of hendiadys, which creates connotations of life being a furious sound, linking back to the sound of the owl, showing his disordered mental state