Macbeth Flashcards
How is Macbeth presented at the beginning?
A heroic warrior, praised for his violence and loyalty to Duncan
How does Macbeth change as the play progresses?
Becomes paranoid, starts to disconnect from his emotions, commits to the course of evil
How is Macbeth presented at the end?
Entirely corrupted by power, lost his reputation completely
“Like Valour’s minion”
Act 1 Scene 1 - the Captain (praising Macbeth to Duncan)
Simile - comparing Macbeth to being a servant to bravery itself
Makes Macbeth seem incredibly courageous and shows his loyalty to Duncan/his commitment to fighting
“Carved out his passage”
Act 1 Scene 1 - the Captain (praising Macbeth to Duncan)
Violent imagery
“Carved” has connotations of both brutality and artistry (like a craftsman)
Shows how dangerous but also how skilful Macbeth is in battle
“Stars, hide your fires: let not light see my black and deep desires”
Act 1 Scene 4 - Macbeth (when Duncan has announced Malcolm will be the next king)
Imperatives - calling on the supernatural to hide his sinful lust for power
“mine eternal jewel / Given to the common enemy of man”
Act 3 Scene 1 - Macbeth (when plotting to kill Banquo)
Metaphor - comparing killing Duncan to giving his soul to the devil
Shows Macbeth knows this is an irreversible sinful act
“to be thus is nothing; But to be safely thus”
Act 3 Scene 1 - Macbeth (when plotting to kill Banquo)
Euphemism - Macbeth feels so insecure in his power, he cannot even say he is king
“I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more / Returning were as tedious as go o’er”
Act 3 Scene 4 - Macbeth (after seeing Banquo’s ghost)
Metaphor of Macbeth standing in a river of blood - shows the extent of his guilt
“tedious” - Macbeth is motivated by convenience rather than morality
“Seize upon Fife; give to the edge o’ the sword / His wife, his babes and all unfortunate souls”
Act 4 Scene 1 - Macbeth (after he has heard the new prophecies)
Imperatives - makes Macbeth seem reckless or impulsive
Listing - shows the extent of the murders Macbeth is willing to commit
“unfortunate” - reveals that Macbeth knows they are innocent victims
“Turn, hell-hound, turn”
Act 5 Scene 8 - Macduff (to Macbeth on the battlefield)
Metaphor comparing Macbeth to a “hell-hound” - makes him seem like a monster sent from hell and therefore immoral/corrupted
“the usurper’s cursed head”
Act 5 Scene 8 - Macduff (to Macbeth on the battlefield)
“cursed” - certainty that Macbeth will be punished in the afterlife
Cyclical structure - Macbeth started the play by beheading a traitor and has now been beheaded as a traitor (shows how power corrupts/traitors are always punished)
“this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen”
Act 5 Scene 9 - Malcolm (in the final speech of the play)
“butcher” - shows Macbeth’s ruthlessness and brutality
Unnamed in the end - shows how they will be forgotten/lost their legacy and reputation
“this _______ ________ and his ______ -like ________”
“this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen”
“the __________ cursed ________”
“the usurper’s cursed head”
