MAcbeth 20 QUOTES characters and ideas Flashcards
“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other.”
Ambition and the Lust for Power
(Act 1, Scene 7)
Macbeth reflects on his ambition, acknowledging it as the driving force behind his desire to kill Duncan.
“Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it.”
(Act 1, Scene 5)
Ambition and the Lust for Power
(Act 1, Scene 5)
Lady Macbeth critiques Macbeth’s hesitation, implying that ruthless ambition is necessary for success.
“Methought I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep.’”
Guilt and Conscience
(Act 2, Scene 2)
Macbeth experiences immediate guilt after killing Duncan, foreshadowing his mental unraveling.
“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.”
Ambition and the Lust for Power
(Act 1, Scene 5)
Encourages Macbeth to hide his true intentions behind a façade of innocence.
“A little water clears us of this deed: How easy is it, then!”
Guilt and Conscience
(Act 2, Scene 2)
Lady Macbeth dismisses guilt as something easily washed away, contrasting with her later torment.
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”
Guilt and Conscience
(Act 2, Scene 2)
Macbeth expresses his overwhelming guilt, believing nothing can absolve him.
“All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”
Fate and Free Will
(Act 1, Scene 3)
The witches plant the seed of ambition in Macbeth by predicting his rise to power.
“And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths.”
Fate and Free Will
(Act 1, Scene 3)
Banquo warns that the witches may use truthful predictions to lead Macbeth to ruin.
“If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir.”
Fate and Free Will
(Act 1, Scene 3)
Early in the play, Macbeth contemplates whether fate will bring him the crown without action.
“I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er.”
The Corrupting Influence of Power
(Act 3, Scene 4)
Macbeth acknowledges that he is too deep in his crimes to turn back, solidifying his descent into tyranny.
“Naught’s had, all’s spent, where our desire is got without content.”
The Corrupting Influence of Power
(Act 3, Scene 2)
Lady Macbeth reflects on the emptiness of achieving power through murder, despite their success.
“There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.”
Appearance vs. Reality
(Act 1, Scene 4)
Duncan laments that people’s true intentions cannot be discerned from their appearance, foreshadowing his trust in Macbeth.
“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
Appearance vs. Reality
(Act 1, Scene 7)
Macbeth resolves to hide his murderous intentions behind a mask of loyalty.
“O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart cannot conceive nor name thee!”
Violence and Its Consequences
(Act 2, Scene 3)
Macduff reacts to the discovery of Duncan’s murder, underscoring the play’s theme of violence and its shocking aftermath.
