Key quotations

Question 1

“Fair is ______, and foul is fair, hover through the ______ and ______ air” - Witches, A1S1.

Answer 1

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air” - Witches, A1S1.

The witches speak in riddles/oxymoron to establish a sinister atmosphere.

Question 2

“O ______ cousin! Worthy ______!” - Duncan, A1S2

Answer 2

“O ______ cousin! Worthy ______!” - Duncan, A1S2

King Duncan believes that Macbeth is a brave, loyal and worthy soldier who would never betray him.

Question 3

“I have no ______ to prick the sides of my intent, but only ______ ambition which ______ itself” - Macbeth A1S7

Answer 3

“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself” - Macbeth A1S7

Macbeth notes that all he has to drive him onward is his ambition.

Question 4

“______ withal” - Banquo (describing Macbeth), A1S3

Answer 4

“Rapt withal” - Banquo (describing Macbeth), A1S3

Macbeth is spellbound by the witches’ prophecy and wants to believe them.

Question 5

“The instruments of ______ tell us truths,
Win us with honest ______, to betray ’s
In deepest consequence.” - Banquo, A1S3

Answer 5

“The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray ’s
In deepest consequence.” - Banquo, A1S3

Banquo realises that the witches could be feeding them small nuggets of truth to convince them to do dark deeds. Links to Macbeth’s anagnorisis at the end of the play when he says that he is beginning to doubt “the fiend that lies like truth”. If only Macbeth had not trusted the witches before it was too late!

Question 6

“Have we eaten of the ______ ______ that takes the reason ______?” - Banquo, A1S3

Answer 6

“Have we eaten of the insane root that takes the reason prisoner?” - Banquo, A1S3

Banquo does not trust the witches’ prophecy and thinks he must be having hallucinations from eating hemlock.

Question 7

“Look like the innocent ______ but be the ______ under it” - Lady Macbeth A1S5

Answer 7

“Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it” - Lady Macbeth A1S5

She uses a metaphor to convince Macbeth to hide his dark desires from Duncan and pretend to be a loyal servant. Consider the connotations of ‘flower’ and ‘serpent’.

Question 8

“cannot be ______, cannot be ______” - Macbeth, A1S3

Answer 8

“cannot be ill, cannot be good” - Macbeth, A1S3

Macbeth thinks the prophecy is neither good nor bad. He can’t decide whether or not to trust the witches.

Question 9

“Till he ______ him from the nave to the chaps,

And fix’d his head upon our ______.” - Captain, A1S2

Answer 9

“Till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix’d his head upon our battlements.” - Captain, A1S2

Macbeth’s extreme brutality in battle foreshadows his later violence. His head is also fixed on the battlements by the end of the play.

Question 10

“(Aside) If ______ will have me king, why, then chance may crown me without my ______” - Macbeth, A1S3

Answer 10

“(Aside) If chance will have me king, why, then chance may crown me without my stir” - Macbeth, A1S3

Macbeth hopes that he will become king by chance without having to do anything about it (i.e. without having to kill the king).

Question 11

“Stars, hide your ______; let not light see my ______ and deep desires” - Macbeth, A1S4

Answer 11

“Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires” - Macbeth, A1S4

Macbeth wants to be cloaked in darkness so that nobody can see the evil deed he is about to commit. Darkness = evil

Question 12

“I do fear thy nature. It is too full of the ______ of human ______” - Lady Macbeth, A1S5

Answer 12

“I do fear thy nature. It is too full of the milk of human kindness” - Lady Macbeth, A1S5

Lady Macbeth worries that Macbeth is too soft and kind to do what ‘needs’ to be done.

Question 13

“______ me here and fill me from the ______ to the toe top-full with direst ______” - Lady Macbeth, A1S5

Answer 13

“Unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full with direst cruelty” - Lady Macbeth, A1S5

Lady Macbeth commands the evil spirits to turn her into a man so that she can be cruel and violent, typically masculine traits.

Question 14

“Is this a ______ which I see before me, the handle ______ my hand?” - Macbeth, A2S1

Answer 14

“Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?” - Macbeth, A2S1

Macbeth hallucinates a dagger in front of him, leading him to Duncan. He is very unsettled and unsure; this is his last chance to turn back.

Question 15

“Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a ______ that summons thee to heaven or to ______” - Macbeth, A2S1

Answer 15

“Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell” - Macbeth, A2S1

Lady Macbeth rings the bell which is Macbeth’s signal that the coast is clear to murder Duncan. ‘Knell’ is a bell sound which has connotations of death or funerals.

Question 16

“______ stuck in my throat” - Macbeth, A2S2

Answer 16

“Amen stuck in my throat” - Macbeth, A2S2

Macbeth finds himself unable to pray when he murders Duncan. He cannot be absolved of this crime.

Question 17

“Will all great ______ ocean wash this ______ clean from my hand?” - Macbeth A2S2

Answer 17

“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” - Macbeth A2S2

Macbeth feels guilty for what he has done and wonders if he will ever be forgiven.

Question 18

“When thou durst do it, then thou were a ______” - Lady Macbeth, A1S7

Answer 18

“When thou durst do it, then thou were a man” - Lady Macbeth, A1S7

Lady Macbeth suggests that Macbeth will not be a man if he doesn’t dare to kill the king. She manipulates him by questioning his manhood.

Question 19

“Plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and ______ the brains out, had I so ______ as you have done” - Lady Macbeth, A1S5

Answer 19

“Plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done” - Lady Macbeth, A1S5

Lady Macbeth reveals how violent she is, saying she would murder her own baby if she had sworn to; she would always keep to her word, no matter what.

Question 20

“Lesser than Macbeth, and ______” - Witches, A1S3

Answer 20

“Lesser than Macbeth, and greater” - Witches, A1S3

The witches tell Banquo that he will not be king, but he will be father to kings. He is also morally greater than Macbeth, as he is loyal and honourable.

Question 21

“If a man were ______of hell-gate, he should have old turning the ______.” - Porter, A2S3

Answer 21

“If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key.” - Porter, A2S3

The porter pretends to be the porter of hell, and jokes that it would be a very busy job letting everyone into hell. It is ironic, because he basically is guarding the door of ‘hell’ - in this case, Macbeth’s castle.

Question 22

“O ______, ______, ______!” - Macduff, A2S3

Answer 22

“O horror, horror, horror!” - Macduff, A2S3

Macduff’s reaction when he find’s Duncan dead is extreme; he cannot believe the evil that has taken place. This further emphasises the severity of what Macbeth has done.

Question 23

“Most ______ murder” - Macduff, A2S3

Answer 23

“Most sacrilegious murder” - Macduff, A2S3

Macduff knows that the murder of Duncan goes against God and disrupts the natural order of things.

Question 24

“Upon my head they placed a ______ crown

And put a ______ scepter in my grip” - Macbeth, A2S4

Answer 24

“Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown
And put a barren scepter (the staff held by royalty) in my grip” - Macbeth, A2S4

Macbeth thinks that, because of Banquo, his crown is basically useless. “Fruitless” and “barren” mean useless and empty, and these word choices remind us of a woman who can’t have children e.g. a barren womb, unable to bear fruit.

Question 25

“His ______ skin laced with his ______ blood” - Macbeth, A2S3

Answer 25

“His silver skin laced with his golden blood” - Macbeth, A2S3

Macbeth uses language which has connotations of value and royalty when describing King Duncan’s dead body. This serves two functions: firstly, Macbeth pretends to be devastated at the death of Duncan in order to shift blame away from himself; secondly, Shakespeare presents Duncan as being an almost inhumanly precious and perfect king which would have pleased King James.

Question 26

“I fear thou play’dst most ______ for’t” - Banquo, A2S4

Answer 26

“I fear thou play’dst most foully for’t”

Banquo begins to realise what Macbeth has done.

Question 27

“To be thus is ______ but to be ______ thus.” - Macbeth, A2S4

Answer 27

“To be thus is nothing but to be safely thus.” - Macbeth, A2S4

Macbeth recognises that, even though he is now king, the crown may not be his forever because the witches prophesied that Banquo’s children would one day be king. Macbeth knows that Banquo is a threat which he must get rid of.

Question 28

“We have ______ the ______, not killed it.” - Macbeth, A3S2

Answer 28

“We have scorched the snake, not killed it.” - Macbeth, A3S2

Macbeth means that killing Duncan was not enough; he must now kill Banquo too. The ‘snake’ is a metaphor for the threats to the crown, as well as a possible Biblical allusion.

Question 29

“O, full of ______ is my mind!” - Macbeth A3S2

Answer 29

“O, full of scorpions is my mind!” - Macbeth A3S2

Macbeth uses this metaphor to explain to Lady Macbeth how he is obsessed with the thought of keeping his kingship safe, and is tormented by the thought of killing Banquo. What are the connotations of scorpions?

Question 30

Lady Macbeth: “Are you a man?”

Macbeth: “Ay, and a ______ one that dare look on that which might ______ the devil.” A3S4

Answer 30

Lady Macbeth: “Are you a man?”
Macbeth: “Ay, and a bold one that dare look on that which might appal the devil.” A3S4

Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in a chair at the dinner table and is horrified by the sight. Lady Macbeth tries to question his manhood again, but Macbeth insists that he must be brave and bold if he can look upon such a horrid sight.

Question 31

“I am in ______, stepped in so far that, should I ______no more, Returning were as ______as to go o’er.” - Macbeth, A3S4

Answer 31

“I am in blood, stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as to go o’er.” - Macbeth, A3S4

Macbeth uses a metaphor of a lake of blood that he is wading through to describe how he has now passed the point of no return. He recognises that he cannot redeem himself now so might as well keep ‘wading’ i.e. keep killing.

Question 32

“by the strength of their ______/ shall draw him on to his ______” - Hecate, A3S5

Answer 32

“by the strength of their illusion / shall draw him on to his confusion” - Hecate, A3S5

Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, plans even more powerful spells that she is going to cast on Macbeth to create chaos. This introduces the question of whether or not Macbeth has free will in what he is doing.

Question 33

“Beware ______” - First apparition
“None of ______ born shall harm Macbeth” - Second apparition
““Macbeth shall never ______ be until Great Birnam Wood to high ______hill shall come” - Third apparition

A4S1

Answer 33

“Beware Macduff” - First apparition
“None of woman born shall harm Macbeth” - Second apparition
““Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come” - Third apparition

A4S1

The witches conjure three apparitions to convince Macbeth that he is invincible (contributing to his hubris/excessive pride). However, although each prediction is technically true, they all have a loophole.

Question 34

“The poor wren, the most ______ of birds, will fight, her young ones in her nest, against the ______.” - Lady Macduff, A4S2

Answer 34

“The poor wren, the most diminutive of birds, will fight, her young ones in her nest, against the owl.” - Lady Macduff, A4S2

Shakespeare uses bird imagery to show that the Macduffs are foils to the Macbeths. Lady Macbeth says she would desperately defend her children against anything, which juxtaposes when Lady Macbeth said she would dash her baby’s brains out if she had promised it.

Question 35

“This ______, whose sole name ______our tongues, Was once thought honest” - Malcolm, A4S3

Answer 35

“This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues, Was once thought honest” - Malcolm, A4S3

Malcom describes how much of a terrible ruler Macbeth has become, and how it hurts to say his name (metaphor) because of how evil he is.

Question 36

“It ______, it bleeds; and each new day a gash Is added to her ______” - Malcolm, A4S3

Answer 36

“It weeps, it bleeds; and each new day a gash Is added to her wounds” - Malcolm, A4S3

Malcolm personifies Scotland to describe how much the country is suffering under Macbeth’s tyranny.

Question 37

“Thy royal father Was a most ______ king: the queen that bore thee,Oftener upon her ______than on her feet” - Macduff, A4S3

Answer 37

“Thy royal father Was a most sainted king: the queen that bore thee,Oftener upon her knees than on her feet” - Macduff, A4S3

Macduff, when talking to Malcolm, describes what a wonderful king Duncan used to be, and how pious the queen was (always on her knees praying). These two are what royalty should be like, and therefore contrast heavily to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

Question 38

“Out, ______ ______! out, I say!” - Lady Macbeth, A5S1

Answer 38

“Out, damned spot! out, I say!” - Lady Macbeth, A5S1

Lady Macbeth sleepwalks every night, hallucinating blood on her hands that she cannot wash away. Her repetition shows her desperation and panic; she is losing her mind with the guilt of what she and her husband have done.

Question 39

“All the ______of Arabia will not ______this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!” - Lady Macbeth, A5S1

Answer 39

“All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!” - Lady Macbeth, A5S1

Lady Macduff uses hyperbole to explain that she is beyond redemption - nothing can make right the wrongs she has committed. This reminds us of Macbeth’s hyperbole when he said that “all Great Neptune’s ocean” would not clean the blood from his hand. It also contrasts to when, earlier in the play, Lady Macbeth herself calmly and confidently said, “a little water clears us of this deed.”

Question 40

“Out, out, brief ______.
Life’s but a walking ______, a poor ______
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more.” - Macbeth A5S5

Answer 40

“Out, out, brief candle.
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more.” - Macbeth A5S5

After he learns that his wife is dead, Macbeth becomes very pessimistic and remarks that life is brief and meaningless, like a candle, or a shadow, or an actor on a stage. He succumbs to negative thoughts, ready to face his almost inevitable death.

Question 41

“______,familiartomy______thoughts, Cannotoncestartme.” - Macbeth, A5S5

Answer 41

“Direness,familiartomyslaughterousthoughts, Cannotoncestartme.” - Macbeth, A5S5

Macbeth acknowledges that very little can scare him now, as his thoughts are always so full of violence and evil these days.

Question 42

“I […] begin to doubt the equivocation of the ______that lies like ______” - Macbeth, A5S5

Answer 42

“I […] begin to doubt the equivocation of the fiend that lies like truth” - Macbeth, A5S5

This is Macbeth’s anagnorisis, his moment of realisation that the witches have been playing him all along. The witches have told him little pieces of truth in order to lull him into a false sense of security.

Question 43

“I will not ______to kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet” - Macbeth, A5S8

Answer 43

“I will not yield to kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet” - Macbeth, A5S8

Right at the end, even when Macbeth realises that the witches lied to him and he can and will be killed by Macduff, Macbeth is stubborn and brave. The declarative sentence shows how he will not give up without a fight.