analysis of quotes macbeth Flashcards
stars hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires
- Noun phrase - “Stars, hide your fires” shows that Macbeth wishes to remain in complete darkness and invisible, so that his “deep desires” can not be observed.
celestial imagery references god and fate
“stars” “fires” “light” repeating images of light- good, morality
this quote is said before lady macbeth is indroduced- shows macbbeth already had thoughts
“hide” “black” “deep” contrasting image to light- darkness, secrecy, immorality
- “Light” is personified to be an active agent that can “see” into desires; possibly a supernatural force that scrutunizes human action
O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!
Macbeth uses a metaphor to explain that his guilty conscience is attacking and stinging him. he would rather deal with wild animals than Banquo’s ghost which he has just seen.
“Look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t”
- Relate to biblical allusions - Garden of Eden. Is especially evocative as Lady Macbeth is engaged in supernatural paganism; she is asking her husband symbolically to strike out against Christian ideals - role of biblical villain?
I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition
- Verb “spur” - shows clear impetus for committing the murder
- Noun phrase “vaulting ambition” - more generalised. Macbeth is keenly aware of his motivations and is not instantly convinced by the desire.
upon my head they placed a fruitless crown and put a barren sceptre in my gripe - macbeth (3.1)
pronoun “they” refers to the witches, macbeth has a sense of denial and a lack of responsibility by blaming everything on the witches
“crown” symbol of power
“fruitless” metaphorical adjective- feminine imagery
he has a deep insecurity of his masculinity and not having a male heir.
“barren” means not fertile, in king james’s book ‘daemonologie’ he wrote how witches could cause infertility - further blame on the witches other than himself - projection
turn hell-hound turn - macduff
“hell-hound” demonizes macbeth, links him to religious evil as a way of understanding Macbeths own heinous depravity.
sense of catharsis (release of emotion) to the audience during the end fight
imperative use of “turn” macduff is being dominant, heroic, righteous
he made a difficult but moral decision to sacrifice his own priorities for a selfless love of his country- scotland
Lady Macbeth: “I may pour my spirits in thine ear”
Act 1, Scene 5 (soliloquy)
- her influence over him is metaphorically represented as a liquid showing the extent of substance held in her words
- “spirits” could connote to how wicked her manipulation is and how, like the witches, she has literal control over his actions
- uses his love for her as a weapon in order to convince him as she knows he is “too full o’th’milk of human kindness”
- as if whispering sweet nothings into his ear
Lady Macbeth: “plucked my nipple from its boneless gums and dashed the brains out”
Act 1, Scene 7
- “boneless” exaggerates how this cruel act would be the destruction of an innocent
- dysphemism is utilised in a final attempt to manipulate Macbeth
- graphic imagery appalls the Jacobean audience as she subverts the stereotypical view of Jacobean women
bleed bleed poor country - macduff
personifies Scotland as being wounded and in need
Macduff and Malcolm are speaking of the fate of Scotland in Macbeth’s hands. Macduff believes Scotland is “wounded” from all the tyranny that Macbeth has caused.
will all great neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand
unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty
