Ambition and Consequence Flashcards
I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself,
Who? Macbeth to himself (aka it’s a Soliloquy)
What? Macbeth is deciding whether or not to kill King Duncan. He has nothing against King Duncan personally, but his ‘vaulting ambition’ overrides his morals.
‘O’erleaps itself’ implies that Macbeth is (on some level) aware that his ambition is primed to be his downfall (ie it’s too big/ he cannot control it). This could,therefore,be seen as foreshadowing.
When durst you do it, then you were a man
Who? Lady Macbeth to Macbeth
What? Lady Macbeth is attacking Macbeth’s masculinity. It would hurt Macbeth’s pride as, in the Jacobean era, manliness would have been equated with strength, so here Lady Macbeth is calling Macbeth weak.
“Life […] is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”
Who? Macbeth to himself (soliloquy)
What? This is said by Macbeth after he learns of Lady Macbeth’s death. He is nihilistic (aka he believes that life is pointless). This line is evocative, for it suggests that Macbeth is realising the fruitlessness of his actions.
Jacobean audiences also may have been shocked to hear Macbeth be so dismissive of life, as this goes against ‘God’s plan’.
