Macbeth Flashcards
‘For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—’ (A1S2)
(Heroic)
‘Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’ chops, And fixed his head upon our battlements.-’ (A1S1)
(Violence, Death)
- Macbeth presented as a hero at the start of the play
Conveys his bravery, portrays Macbeth as a good person for fighting on the side of the King
‘Deserves’ - His bravery stands out - Seen as violent, emphasizes his strength
‘We will proceed no further in this business’
Guilt, Heroic
- Struggles to with the decisions to kill Duncan.
- Doesn’t want to go against his friends, his king and God (Chain of Being)
‘Two truths are told / As happy prologues to the swelling act / Of the imperial theme’
(Ambition)
- Finds out he is Thane of Cawdor, which the witches told him and we could infer that he has the thought of becoming King
- But we see that he is not sure if it is the best for him
‘If good, why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair’
(Ambition, Disloyal)
- Macbeth’s mind jumps to the death of Duncan as the only possibility of becoming King
- Portray that Macbeth has turned from a loyal subject to a traitor due to the image of power
‘Stars, hide your fires, / Let not light see my black and deep desires’
(Ambition, Disloyal)
- Macbeth calling Malcolm an obstacle for him for becoming King
- We see that Macbeth admits he wants to become King, even if it means being disloyal
‘I have no spur / to prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’other’
(Ambition)
- Macbeth’s soliloquy
- Struggles to want to kill Duncan, but realizes he only wants to kill Duncan to fulfill his ambition of becoming King
- Macbeth is seen to beware that ambition makes people can lead to disaster
‘If chance will have me king, why then chance may crown me, / Without my stir’
(Fate, Ambition)
- Macbeth questions whether he will become king naturally or does he have to interfere to make this happen
‘What’s he / That was not born of woman? Such a one / Am I to fear or none.’
(Fate, Ambition)
- Thinks about the prophecies while stuck in his castles
- Believes he is invincible from the witches twisted prophecies
- He thinks no one can harm him, which fuels his ambition and gives him reassurance of his fate
‘My dearest love’
Love, relationship
- Uses loving language towards Lady Macbeth
- Treats her equally by telling her everything, conveys he values her opinion and cares about
‘We will speak further—’
Relationship
- Conveys Lady Macbeth as power of Macbeth, doesn’t have much of a say
‘Innocent of the knowledge’
- Macbeth doesn’t share his plan to kill Duncan
- Contrasts with Lady Macbeth who planned to murder Duncan
‘We have scorch’d the snake, not killed it.’
- Macbeth is worried about Banquo still being alive
- Snake is a metaphor for ‘Banquo’ however this is ironic
‘art thou but / A dagger of the mind, a false creation, / Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?’
‘Is this a dagger which I see before me’
- Soliloquy
- Represents his thought to kill Duncan
- ‘Dagger’ - used to commit suicide, could portray that killing Duncan is ultimately going to end in the downfall of Macbeth
‘Sleep no more: / Macbeth does murder sleep’
- ‘Sleep’ represents peace, conveying Macbeth has broken peace
‘To be thus is nothing, / But to be safely thus.’
Ambition, power
- Macbeth views Banquo and his line as a threat to his crown
- The quote shows how Macbeth is uneased even after having all this power
