KEY macbeth quotations Flashcards
“fair is foul and foul is fair”
witches - act 1 scene 1
what is right can be wrong, and what is wrong can be right. boundaries between good and evil are blurred and confused
the alliteration of the f sound creates a sinister and uneasy tone
the repetition of foul and fair implies that the two ideas are interchangeable, emphasised further by the definitive “is”
foul is more intimidating than fair-the evil element overpowers the good
king james wrote a book about how all magic is evil. this sounds like a spell therefore the audience would fear it
use in essays on: good vs evil, morality, the supernatural, the witches
“as cannons overcharged with double cracks”
sergeant - act 1 scene 2
the sergeant gives a report on the battle, giving the audience a good first impression of macbeth as a hero
vocal such as cannon and charged gives a sense of macbeth explosive and violent power, as if he was a powerful weapon
the alliteration of the strong c sound mimics the dynamic movements of macbeth through the battlefield
the use of over and double highlights macbeth has more value than a typical soldier, he stands above the rest
use in essays on: macbeth, kingship, violence, power
“Too full of the milk of human kindness”
lady macbeth - act 1 scene 5
lady macbeth believes macbeth doesn’t have the ruthless nature required to become king.
‘too full’ implies he isn’t just good natured but ‘too’ good natured - this will stop him achieving the crown
the image of ‘milk’ has associations with a comforting and soothing nature. jacobeans believed it should be the women who are gentle and kind, not men
she uses the phrase ‘human’ kindness, implying macbeth needs to be inhuman, maybe even supernatural if he is to succeed
use in essays on: lady macbeth, gender, ambition, macbeth, power
“unsex me here”….. “of direst cruelty”
lady macbeth - act 1 scene 5
lady macbeth believes she must reject her womanly nature, and that the only way to gain power is through a commitment to evil
‘unsex me here’ is an explicit rejection of traditionally female behaviour and she is rejecting the typical patriarchal society of the time
not only is she prepared to be cruel but ‘direst’ highlights the extreme lengths she is willing to go to
use in essays on; lady macbeth, gender, the supernatural, power, corruption
“look like the innocent flower/but be the serpent under’t”
lady macbeth - act 1 scene 5
manipulation and deceit are the most effective ways of gaining power
the imagery of the ‘innocent flower’ highlights the goodness but also the vulnerability of honest behaviour
the juxtaposition with ‘the serpent under’t’ is a clear biblical reference to the garden of eden and the serpent who helped to bring sin into the world. jacobean audiences would link this with the devil
this suggests lady macbeth would rather act like the devil than a moral human - like the witches, she sees that ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’
the word ‘under’t’ implies evil is underneath all of our behaviour
use in essays on: lady macbeth, good vs evil, corruption, sin , religion
“i would, while it was smiling in my face/have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums,/and dashed the brains out”
lady macbeth - act 1 scene 7
producing and caring for children was a main role for women-lady macbeth states that she would cruelly reject and destroy her child in the pursuit for power
her ability to feel no guilt is highlighted by the fact she believes she could kill her child if it were ‘smiling’, showing her evil and willingness to destroy innocence
her merciless nature is accentuated by the speed of her acts - ‘plucked’ and ‘dashed’ suggest, swift, clinical movements
‘dashed the brains out’ foreshadows the horrors acted upon macduff children later, again she is rejecting her traditional womanly role as a mother
use in essays on; lady macbeth, gender, violence, morality
“is this a dagger which i see before me?”
macbeth - act 2 scene 1
macbeth is hallucinating, showing his deteriorating state of mind and the influences that have been had on him
‘is this’ reflects his state of mind - full of uncertainty and doubt
‘dagger’ suggests his mind has become corrupted by violence-the handle of the dagger is pointing towards him, almost inviting him to use it
in a patriarchal society, males are not meant to have doubt and should be powerful and strong. macbeth has become a weaker warrior since act 1
use in essays on; macbeth, violence, the supernatural, madness
” but wherefore could i not pronounce amen?/i had most need of blessing, and amen/ stuck in my throat”
macbeth - act 2 scene 2
the fact that he cannot say ‘amen’ shows the audience that his actions have separated him from religion, striking fear into jacobean audiences who all held strong christian beliefs
the question is also representative of his state of mind - uncertain. his hesitance contrasts with the active behaviour of lady macbeth
the repetition of ‘amen’ brings religion to the audience’s attention. ‘stuck in my throat’ implies he has acted so evilly that religion has turned against him - evil cannot co-exist with religion
use in essays on; macbeth, good vs evil, religion, the supernatural
“a little water clears us of this deed”
lady macbeth - act 2 scene 2
lady macbeth has to become moe ruthless as macbeth courage beings to fade - she believes she can simply wash away her guilt
the use of ‘little’ highlights how insignificant murder is to her, emphasising her mercilessness
she believes washing their hand clears them of the deed which suggests she would only feel regret if they were caught. ‘clears’ implies she has gotten away with it
she refers to ‘us’. in a patriarchal society, she sees herself as equal to her husband which would have angered people as she is controlling macbeth actions rather than the other way around
use in essays on; lady macbeth, justice, sin, morality
“a falcon, towering un her pride of place/was by a mousing owl hawked at, and killed”
old man - act 2 scene 4
the natural order of things has become subverted- small owls are now killing flacons. the behaviour if macbeth is so unnatural that things in the natural world have fell apart
metaphor for macbeth and duncan. just like kings should never be killed by their subjects, powerful falcons should not be killed by weak owls
hierarchy was vital to the country’s stability. the divine right of kings should not have been challenged
the idea of a ‘mousing’ (small size and strength) owl killing a ‘towering’ (suggesting immense power and size) falcon links with the unnatural idea of macbeth killing duncan
use in essays on: the supernatural, power, macbeth
“sleek o’er your rugged looks./be bright and jovial among your guests tonight”
lady macbeth - act 3 scene 2
macbeth is beginning to lose his mind. lady macbeth understands that as long as he looks in control, power will remain in their hands
the juxtaposition of ‘rugged’ and ‘jovial’ links to the hypocrisy and two-faced nature of macbeth’s behaviour
to ‘sleek o’er’ creates an image of taking something unpleasant and ugly and giving it an appearance of positivity- to be king, he must look the part
his actions are rugged, suggesting violence, but his behaviour is ‘jovial, with associations of friendship and togetherness, remind the audience of his deceitful nature
use in essays on: macbeth, deceit, good vs evil, appearance vs reality, kingship
” whole as the marble, founded as the rock… but now i am cabined, cribbed, confined”
macbeth - act 3 scene 4
links back to the beginning of the play- macbeth used to be a true warrior but is now weak and vulnerable
the word ‘whole’ suggests he was the complete soldier and the associations with marble and rock are of strong, unbreakable, natural substances-all things macbeth used to be- a traditionally strong male
the tri-colon of ‘cabined,cribbed,confined’ suggests a feeling of claustrophobia and restriction, as if macbeth has nowhere to hide and is now vulnerable, emphasised by the alliteration
use in essays on: macbeth, power,madness, tragedy
“there the grown serpent lies: the worm, thats fled,/hath nature that in time will venom breed”
macbeth - act 3 scene 4
macbeth realises that in failing to kill fleance, he has allowed evil and poisonous thoughts to grow against his reign.
he initially describes fleance as a ‘worm’, suggesting something that is small and helpless
he suggests it will grow into a ‘serpent’ linking back to the original sin of adam and eve, and will ‘breed’ poison, emphasising that the anger and violence in the play will develop further
‘will’ confirms that these events are inevitable, evil is unstoppable and is is within everyone and ‘will’ lead to poisonous consequences
use in essays on; evil, corruption, revenge
prithee, see there! behold! look! ho! how say you?/why-what care i?”
macbeth - act 3 scene 4
macbeth has lost all control of his surroundings, he now confused, frightened and unaware of what is happening around him
most of shakespeare’s characters and certainly his powerful ones speak in iambic pentameter and definitely in verse. however macbeth sentences have become stuttering, fractured and broken. he is now speaking in basic words, and in prose, language reserved for uneducated characters, which shows his loss of power and deteriorating state of mind
use in essays on: macbeth,power, madness
“i have no words;/my voice is in my sword.”
macduff - act 5 scene 8
macduff realises that justice can only be achieved through fighting, not words-he must meet macbeth’s violent deeds with violence of his own to avenge the death of his family
macduff cannot put into words the pain he felt at macbeth’s actions, and he acts in the supposed way men should, with actions, not words
his ‘sword’ has become his ‘voice’. in killing macbeth, he will say everything he needs to so as to deliver justice and revenge
the idea of his voice being ‘in’ his sword suggests the sword is more than just a physical weapon-it contain all of the anger and hatred of macbeth’s victims, adding to its strength
use in essays on: violence, revenge and justice, power
