KEY QUOTES Flashcards
“Fair is foul and foul is fair”
spoken by the witches shows that supernatural is going to be a key theme throughout the play, Shakespeare purposely uses this inversion as it stands out and will stay in the readers mind, its meaning is that no one should trust appearance of anything. Links to Macbeth and lady Macbeth coming across welcoming to King Duncan, however, behind his back are plotting to kill him
“Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires”
Macbeth reveals that he is aware that his desires are morally wrong, because of this he wants to hide his thoughts from God who is represented here by ‘stars’, these words show that Macbeth is conflicted; although he intensely desires power he is also not willing to openly challenge god by murdering the king. Juxtaposition of ‘stars’, ‘light’ and ‘fires and ‘black and deep’ emphasise that he must make a choice between correct morals and his grave ambitions.
“Yet do I fear they nature / it is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness’
Lady Macbeth knows that Macbeth is a great soldier but doubts that he is a murderer by nature, this proves that Macbeth is not only a villain but he may be full of kindness at heart. By saying that she fears his traits, she believes that his traits are weaknesses. ‘Milk of human kindness’ is an attack on Macbeths masculinity as it links him to a women breastfeeding. The Jacobean audience see that Lady Macbeth is an untraditional women and this sets her up to be viewed as a villain and manipulator as she takes on the role of convincing Macbeth to kill Duncan, proving herself just as guilty as Macbeth is.
“Come, you spirits / that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here / and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty”
She is subverting traditional gender roles of the time, by asking demons to strip away her femininity, so she can take on the role of a cold blooded killer. Shakespeare implements aliteration throughout these lines, for example, ‘fill’ and ‘full’ and ‘crown’ and cruelty’ which gives the impression of a ritual and suggests unholy actions are being committed. She does not believe her husband is masculine enough to fulfill their desires so she takes on the masculine role to see it through, however this is not natural behaviour and so this is why she calls on the supernatural to make this change
“Is this a dagger which I see before me”
this line reveals that Macbeth is conflicted all the way up until he kills Duncan, the image of a bloody dagger bring up the theme of fate versus free will as Macbeth is not sure if it is a supernatural sign leading him towards his destiny, or if it is a vision proceeding from his anxiety. This hallucination foreshadows all the ghosts and visons he will see later on in the play which will haunt him and his wife later.
“Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’ t”
Lady Macbeth reveals her softer and more vulnerable side to her character, showing she is clearly capable of empathy if she relates Duncan to her father, but it could be an excuse for her to hide her inability to kill. This links to the belief of the time that women, whilst capable of manipulation, were incapable of violence.
“sleep no more, Macbeth does murder sleep”
after he murders Duncan, Macbeth tells his wife that he hears voices saying haunting words, there is a supernatural element to these voices and they reflect his mental state. Macbeths strong reaction to what he has just done, allows the audience to feel a little bit of empathy for Macbeth, despite his terrible crime; however, if he had not been affected by the murder he would be viewed as much more of a two dimensional villain, but instead he realises that there will be consequences for his actions. Often thought out the play ‘sleep’ is used as a symbol for innocence, and in this line it is personified, signifying that Macbeth has killed the innocence of him and his wife. From this point of the play, both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are troubled with insomnia and sleep walking, triggering Lady Macbeths death.
‘‘tis unnatural, even like the deed that’s done”
spoken by an old man who remarks on the strange occurrences after Duncans death, the murder of a divinely righted king would have disrupted the natural order and nature reacts violently as a result (rumours of earthquakes, and the kings horses eating each other). These words emphasis that these events are not common occurrences and it is clear that Macbeth has committed a heinous sin and it foreshadows the failure of his reign, as even nature is seemingly against him.
“Naughts had, alls spent, where our desires is got without content”
we see another side of Lady Macbeth, it is revealed that she is suffering from remorse although she never shows this to her husband, instead she shames him for his inability to move on from their crime. “Better be with the dead” both her and Macbeth would prefer to be dead, than to live on with their guilt.
“Out damned spot, out, I say… / heres the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”
Whilst Lady Macbeth is sleep walking she says these words, they reveal her unstable mental health, symbols of blood and sleep have been shown throughout the play as representations of guilt. Her inability to to get rid of the sight and smell of blood on her hand directly contrasts her words following Duncans murder, ‘a little water clears us of this deed’; she now knows that she will never be able to get rid of her guilt that haunts her, this allegedly drives her to take her own life.
“Out, out, brief candle/ life’s but a walking shadow… it is a tale”
After hearing of his wife’s death, Macbeth reflects on the briefness and pointlessness of life, using the metaphors of candles and shadows; his cold reaction to the news of his wife’s death reflects his relationship with Lady Macbeth, it shows just how warn down he is by his guilt and paranoia.
“this dead butcher and his fiend like queen”
Malcom conveys the general hatred from the general public towards Macbeth and his wife in their role as King and Queen or rather tyrants. By referring to him as a ‘butcher’ Malcom is implying that Macbeth is a ruthless and remorseless killer, these descriptions dehumanise them both
