English Macbeth Quotes

Question 1

For brave Macbeth

Answer 1

Shakespeare is emphasising that Macbeth deserves to be called brave and that his bravery stands out.

Question 2

his brandish’d steel which smoked with bloody execution

Answer 2

The ​metaphor​​“smoked with bloody execution”​implies violence is a destructive force

Question 3

unseamed him from the nave to the chaps

Answer 3

The metaphorical image of him being “unseamed” has particularly gruesome connotations and suggests Macbeth is taking Macdonald apart creating a feeling of finality.

Question 4

So foul and fair a day I have not seen

Answer 4

It is a “foul” day because he regrets the many deaths involved in the battle and acknowledges the stormy weather that darkens the day.

Question 5

Why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs

Answer 5

wondering why he is thinking about murdering King Duncan

Question 5

Stars hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires

Answer 5

This line suggests that Macbeth recognizes that what he is doing is wrong. He knows he is committing a grievous wrong against the king who has placed so much trust in him. However, this guilt is not enough to dissuade him from his path. Instead, he prays for darkness that will match his desires.

Question 6

we but teach bloody instructions, which being taught, return to plague the inventor

Answer 6

The first problem Macbeth has with killing the king is that he knows that such actions have a habit of coming back to haunt the people who do them

Question 7

False face must hide what the false heart doth know

Answer 7

macbeth phrase pertains to the theme of ‘appearance vs reality’. Just after deciding to kill King Duncan, Macbeth states this, recognizing that he must use deception and hide his true intentions to successfully carry out his plot.

Question 8

Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee

Answer 8

it is clear that Macbeth is unsure of the existance of the dagger. Yet by having a vision of a dagger, it is clear that the violent ambition of Macbeth is clearly tempting Macbeth to commit the murder of Duncan.

Question 9

Sleep no more…Macbeth does murder sleep

Answer 9

This shows that Macbeth is so guilty that he will never be able to sleep again. He has murdered the king while he is sleeping, which is a deceitful thing to do especially as the king is in line to God.

Question 10

Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hands?

Answer 10

Macbeth speaks in hyperbole (exaggeration). He asks if all the water of the world can wash away the blood on his hands. This metaphor suggests that he feels his guilt will never be washed away. Again we see a man with a conscience.

Question 11

We have scotch’d the snake , not killed it

Answer 11

Macbeth indicates that the ‘snake’ is wounded but is still dangerous and despite their weak attempt to kill it off, it will threaten them in the future.

Question 12

O full of scorpions is my mind

Answer 12

Macbeth uses a metaphor to explain that his guilty conscience is attacking and stinging him.

Question 13

Be innocent of the knowledge dearest chuck (to Lady Macbeth)

Answer 13

Macbeth is essentially telling his wife that it is better that she does not know what he has planned concerning Banquo and Fleance. Macbeth then refers to his wife as “dearest chuck,” which is a term of endearment.

Question 14

Never shake thy gory locks at me

Answer 14

He feels that since he only ordered the murder of Banquo and did not commit it with his own hands, the ghost shouldn’t be haunting him.

Question 15

It will have blood; blood will have blood

Answer 15

foreshadows his impending charges of murder, as well as his violent demise. It also echoes more universal ideas about violence breeding more violence.

Question 16

I am in blood stepp’d in so far, that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as going o’er

Answer 16

Macbeth reveals to his wife that he has already killed so many people that it will be too difficult to go back to being good. Here, blood symbolizes both Macbeth’s guilt and his newfound resolve to preserve his own life.

Question 17

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes (Witches, Act 4)

Answer 17

It means she senses the approach of something evil, referring to Macbeth himself, who arrives shortly after. This line underscores Macbeth’s transformation into a figure of malevolence.

Question 18

Out, out brief candle

Answer 18

The phrase signifies his despair and the fleeting nature of life, comparing human existence to a brief candle flame that is extinguished.

Question 19

This dead butcher and his fiend-like queen

Answer 19

A butcher in the use of this play is a person who kills showing no regret for their actions or reason for the killings.

Question 20

Lady Macbeth

Answer 20

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Question 20

my dearest partner of greatness

Answer 20

to show that he feels as if she is his equal, and he relies on Lady Macbeth to help him in his quest to be king. Look for students…. Recognizing that “dearest partner” shows equality and respect.

Question 21

I fear thy nature, It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness

Answer 21

Shakespeare uses this metaphor to suggest that despite his reputation as a brave warrior, Macbeth also has a strong sense of compassion. Milk is mild, natural and, importantly, white.

Question 22

Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear; and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round

Answer 22

Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear; and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round

Question 23

The raven himself is hoarse. That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements.

Answer 23

The raven represents death and evil power, as it is dark and ominous. He croaks hoarsely as Duncan’s imminent death comes closer.

Question 24

Come to my woman’s breasts and take my milk for gall

Answer 24

Lady Macbeth says as she prepares herself to commit murder. The language suggests that her womanhood, represented by breasts and milk, usually symbols of nurture, impedes her from performing acts of violence and cruelty, which she associates with manliness.

Question 25

Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe-top full of direst cruelty

Answer 25

In Act 1 of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, sensing her husband’s shaky resolve in committing murder to secure the crown of Scotland, asks spirits to “unsex” her ‑ to take away the “weaknesses” associated with being female.

Question 25

Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t

Answer 25

The symbolism here shows that Lady Macbeth wishes her husband to appear well-meaning and gentle to hide his deceit.

Question 26

Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t

Answer 26

Lady Macbeth is expressing justification for a murderous action. She reflects on her hesitation to murder King Duncan because, in his sleep, he reminded her of her own father.

Question 27

Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself…and wakes it now to look so green and pale?

Answer 27

Lady Macbeth immediately goes on the attack by firing three rhetorical questions at Macbeth. She does not give him time to think or reply.

Question 28

When you durst do it, then you were a man

Answer 28

She is emotionally blackmailing him. (3) ‘coward’ - Macbeth’s bravery and courage are called into question. This would hurt his pride. (4) ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man. / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man. ‘ - Now she attacks his masculinity.

Question 29

A little water clears us of this deed

Answer 29

Lady Macbeth is reassuring her husband that no one will ever connect them with the king’s murder. They wash King Duncan’s blood off their hands, and Lady Macbeth makes the mistake of assuming that this act also frees them from all guilt.

Question 30

What’s done is done

Answer 30

Events that have already taken place cannot be changed and actions that have already been committed cannot be undone, so it is best not to dwell on them.

Question 31

Are you a man?

Answer 31

The experiment of a man, who sends a boy on a quest into the scary night. The boy manages to conquer his fears but back at home, a painful twist hurts beyond anything he went through the night

Question 32

She has light by her continually

Answer 32

This connects to symbolism and visual imagery because light is always referred to as something good. This information is significant because it shows that Lady Macbeth must keep some good with her due to her guilt.

Question 33

What’s done cannot be undone

Answer 33

reflecting her despair. While Lady Macbeth began the play as a woman who believed she could change the course of her destiny, she ends it without any sense of agency, resigned to the consequences of her tragic mistake.

Question 34

Out damned spot! Out I say

Answer 34

The ‘spot’ she is talking about is the imaginary blood she sees on her hands from the murders and other crimes she and her husband have been involved in. She then says that ‘hell is murky,’ which means that she already is in ‘hell’ or something like it, and she knows it is gloomy, or murky.

Question 35

Here’s the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand

Answer 35

Lady Macbeth means that nothing will ever get rid of the blood she got on her hands that night. When she went to put the dagger back in the room, she gets blood on her hands. She is unable to wash away her guilt.

Question 35

The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?

Answer 35

is said by Lady Macbeth in Act V, Scene 1 of Macbeth.

Question 36

The Witches

Answer 36

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Question 37

All hail Macbeth, thou shalt be King hereafter

Answer 37

Of noble having and of royal hope, That he seems rapt withal: to me you speak not. Your favours nor your hate.

Question 37

Thunder and lightning. Enter three witches

Answer 37

When they appear again in Act 1, Scene 3, there is also thunder. This continues throughout to show the audience that the witches will soon be on stage and strange things are about to happen. Thunder and lightning symbolise disruption and chaos.

Question 38

Fair is foul and foul is fair / Hover through the fog and filthy air

Answer 38

So a literal translation of this statement could be ‘Good is evil and evil is good/Fly through the fog and dirty air. ‘ The witches’ statement provides some foreshadowing for the play. People who are seen as good will be turned to evil (like Macbeth).

Question 39

Lesser than Macbeth and greater

Answer 39

In this scene, they tell Banquo that he will be lesser and greater than Macbeth, that he will not be as happy and yet be much happier, and that he will never be king but his descendants will be. These pronouncements are generally pretty vague, but the first 2 definitely come true within the play.

Question 40

Thou shalt get Kings, though thou shalt be none

Answer 40

This was said by the third witch regarding Macbeth and Banquo. She is stating that Banquo’s kids will be kings, but those of Macbeth, will not.

Question 41

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes

Answer 41

An intuitive feeling, a foreboding, often with allusion to the words of the Second Witch in Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1606) as Macbeth approaches,

Question 41

Not so happy, yet much happier

Answer 41

This prophecy means that Banquo should not be as happy as Macbeth since Mabeth will be king, but Banquo will be happier in the end because he is not laden with guilt.

Question 42

Double double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble

Answer 42

This phrase is an incantation designed to vex Macbeth and bring all his plans to ruin. The refrain works its magic later in the play because Macbeth goes on to meet Macduff in battle.

Question 43

Beware Macduff

Answer 43

The First Apparition, the Armed Head, warns Macbeth to beware Macduff. What is the Second Apparition’s warning (the Bloody Child)? The Second Apparition, the Bloody Child, warns Macbeth that no man born of a woman can harm Macbeth. The Second Apparition tells him to be violent, bold, and firm because of this.

Question 44

For none of woman born shall harm Macbeth

Answer 44

This line calms Macbeth’s fears since everyone is born from a woman, so he feels that his power is secure. He does, however, vow to make sure Macduff will not pose a threat to him.

Question 45

Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam wood…shall come against him

Answer 45

Macbeth interprets the prophecy literally, considering the possibility of his power being vanquished just as unlikely as trees uprooting

Question 46

Banquo

Answer 46

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Question 47

Noble Banquo (King Duncan)

Answer 47

Banquo is a thane in Duncan’s army, and at first a friend to Macbeth. He is equal in rank to Macbeth at the beginning of the play, and although Macbeth is told he will be King by the witches, Banquo is told that his children will also be kings.

Question 48

instruments of darkness

Answer 48

creatures of hell, doing the devil’s work. That’s how evil works, he says. It snares you with little trivial truths, gains your confidence.

Question 49

There’s husbandry in heaven; their candles are all out

Answer 49

the angels are illuminating few stars in order to economise. There’s Ulysses and old Nestor, whose wit was mouldy ere your grandsires had nails on their toes, yoke you like draught-oxen, and make you plough up the wars.

Question 50

I fear thou play’d most foully for it

Answer 50

He is afraid that Macbeth has done something bad to get the crown

Question 51

Macduff

Answer 51

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Question 52

O horror, horror, horror! Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope the Lord’s annointed table and stole thence the life o’th building

Answer 52

Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope the lord’s anointed temple​” ● Shakespeare uses this ​metaphorical language​, in stating that Duncan’s body was a “​temple​”, in order to reinforce the holiness of Duncan’s reign. ○ He recognises Duncan as the true, ​divinely ordained​, king.

Question 53

O Scotland, Scotland

Answer 53

Macduff says, “Oh, Scotland, Scotland” because Malcolm has told him what a horrid king Malcolm would be if he were on the throne instead of Macbeth. Between Malcolm and Macbeth, he fears for his country’s future.

Question 54

All my pretty ones? Did you say all? O hell-kite, all? All my pretty chickens and their dam?

Answer 54

Macduff speaks these tragic lines upon learning that his wife and children have been murdered. The affectionate imagery he uses to describe them shows how even though he is a strong and powerful warrior, he is also a loving husband and father.

Question 55

I shall do so. But I must also feel it as a man.

Answer 55

Macduff shows that manhood comprises more than aggression and murder; allowing oneself to be sensitive and to feel grief is also necessary.

Question 56

Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripp’d

Answer 56

meaning that Macduff was born by caesarean section.

Question 57

Re-enter Macduff with Macbeth’s head

Answer 57

He proclaims Malcolm to be King of Scotland and swears his loyalty.

Question 58

This dead butcher and his fiend-like queen

Answer 58

a person who kills showing no regret for their actions or reason for the killings.

Question 59

King Duncan

Answer 59

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Question 60

There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face

Answer 60

Duncan means that you cannot see through to what a man is thinking just by looking at his face

Question 61

He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust (about Macdonwald)

Answer 61

Duncan is saying that he had complete trust in the Thane of Cawdor. This is a warning to the audience that Macbeth, the new Thane of Cawdor, will also rebel against Duncan’s rule.

Question 62

Noble Banquo / Worthy Banquo

Answer 62

True, worthy Banquo. He is full so valiant, And in his commendations I am fed; 65 It is a banquet to me. —Let’s after him, Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome: It is a peerless kinsman.

Question 63

This castle hath a pleasant seat

Answer 63

the air Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself Unto our gentle senses. ‘’ It seems the King approves of the location of Macbeth’s castle. He especially seems to like the climate. Banquo, like a good and loyal General, agrees with King Duncan.

Question 64

Duncan “hath been so clear in his great office that his virtues will plead like angels”

Answer 64

trumpet-tongued, against 20 The deep damnation of his taking-off; And pity, like a naked newborn babe, Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubim, horsed Upon the sightless couriers of

Question 65

His silver skin laced with his golden blood

Answer 65

it glorifies him and his position of king that was unjustly robbed of him. It relates back to the idea of blood being the source of life and the make-up of a person.

Question 66

Malcolm

Answer 66

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Question 67

Our country sinks beneath the yoke. It weeps, it bleeds; and each new day a gash is added to her wounds

Answer 67

It emphasizes that Scotland is suffering, and the situation is deteriorating. It suggests that the people of Scotland are hurting their own country with their actions. It implies that Malcolm does not believe there is any hope for Scotland

Question 68

Siward

Answer 68

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