Fear Flashcards
Fear
TS1 – At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is presented as a fearless warrior.
TS2 – However, Lady Macbeth fears that Macbeth is too good natured to murder to become king.
TS3 – After murdering Duncan, Macbeth fears punishment from God ; he also fears that Banquo’s son will become kings.
TS4 – By the end of the play, Macbeth has become desensitised to fear and chooses to die fighting
[ Captain ]
‘brave Macbeth … distaining Fortune’
C - Macbeth embodies Jacobean ideas of masculinity as he is brave and noble
L
- Adjectives :
Macbeth is presented as brave
- Personification :
Fortune is personified as being on
Macdonwald’s side but Macbeth does not fear this and defeats him anyway
[ Lady Macbeth ]
‘I fear thy nature is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness’
L - Metaphor : feminising Macbeth
Milk is associated with women and maternity
Off the battlefield, Lady Macbeth thinks Macbeth is too good-natured to kill Duncan to become king himself. She realises she must persuade him.
[ Macbeth ]
‘I could not say Amen … every noise appals me’
C - After the murder, Macbeth cannot pray.
Therefore, he cannot ask God for forgiveness. He is also terrified the murder will be discovered.
Jacobeans believed in the divine right of king: the king is appointed by God. Macbeth realises his soul is damned as he has murdered God’s representative on earth and it terrifies him.
[ Macbeth ]
‘our fears in Banquo stick deep … genius is rebuked it is said Mark Antony’s was by Caesar’
L
Imagery :
Macbeth compares himself to Mark Antony and Banquo to Octavius Caesar. Caesar eventually defeated Mark Antony.
Adjective : ‘deep’
Shows how much Macbeth fears Banquo
[ Macbeth ]
‘they rise again … and push us from our stools’
D - Macbeth is terrified by the appearance of Banquo’s ghost, which is a projection of his guilty conscience.
The ‘stool’ could symbolise the throne. Macbeth is afraid that the murders he has committed will lose him his throne.
[ Macbeth ]
‘ I have almost forgot the taste of fears’
L - Alliteration
In contrast to scenes after Duncan’s murder, Macbeth no longer feels fear. He has no loyalty from his people and is ready to die. The natural order – and rightful king – can be restored.
