Macbeth Flashcards
Faithful, loyal to the king
‘noble Macbeth’
Brave, Courageous - Macbeth is courageous in the face of danger and in battle shows his heroism
‘Like Valour’s minion carv’d out his passage’
Emotionless, cold - sword was moving fast enough to make it burn. The reference to the final word is important as, at this point in the play, Macbeth’s sword is working for justice, and executing those who are trying to attack
‘smok’d with bloody execution’
Tempted, seduced - Witches reveal final prophecy to Macbeth (Thane of Cawdor)
“All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, thou shalt be king hereafter”
Warrior, God-like - an ease in the brutal attack that Macbeth has made on his enemy. This shows that he is also violent and ruthless.
“unseam’d him from the naive to the th’chaps”
Hubris, arrogance - he will do whatever is appropriate for a decent person, which shows that his understanding of ‘man’ is all-encompassing, meaning ‘human’
‘I dare do all that may become a man’
Ambitious, determined - Macbeth is describing his lack of motivation, and the fact that the only thing driving him at present is ambition
“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other”
Regret, remorseful - he will go no more to the place where he has gone and commited the murder. He wont even think of what he has done
“I am afraid to think what I have done ; Look on’t again, I dare not”
Nervous, fearful - It is a warning that Macduff could harm Macbeth.
‘Beware Macduff’
Tragic hero
The central character of a play which is depicted as a noble figure who experiences a tragic downfall.
Catharsis
Tragedy set out to stir up feelings of fear and pity in the audience
Fatal flaw
Macbeth has the flaw of ambition. He wants to be king and follows through on his plans without considering the consequences for himself or the kingdom
Nemesis
A nemesis is the inescapable agent of someone’s or something’s downfall. Macduff his nemesis because in the end he was the one who killed Macbeth
