Macbeth Flashcards
Macbeth quotes
beginning - “for brave Macbeth” “there’s no art To find the minds construction in the face”
middle - “is this a dagger which I see before me?” “cannot be ill, cannot be good” “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake
Thy gory locks at me”
end - “I am in blood stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more” “Lay on, Macduff”
Macbeth plan
intro - outline how Macbeth is a complex character who changes throughout the play
he goes from a noble war hero to corrupted brutal tyrant due to manipulation by LM on his fatal flaw - ambition which then turns into him becoming corrupted and killing many more people to get what he wants
beginning - He is noble war hero and brave/loyal soldier
explain how he is admired by King Duncan and peers -> he kills corrupted Thane of Cawdor and is rewarded by being made the new one
(ambition is hinted at but not dangerous)
middle - he becomes corrupted by LM
meets the witches and you can see the battle in his head of doing the right thing vs the power
he first struggles with his conscience however does end up killing Duncan (start of downfall)
kills Banquo then has the visions at the banquet scene of Banquo’s ghost showing he is becoming mentally unstable and loosing it.
end - Macbeths downfall and tragic ending
he becomes isolated - no longer talks to LM and has killed his best friend
LM kills herself and he isn’t even that sad
still clings to the hope from the witches prophecies
anagnorisis (moment of realisation) when Macduff tells him he is not born of women shortly before he is killed
conclusion - reiterate how he went from noble warrior to tragic tyrant
Shakespeare presents him as both a victim of fate and his own flaws as he just takes the prophecies and runs with them
Lady Macbeth quotes
beginning - “unsex me here” “fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty.” “hie thee hither / that i may poor my spirits in thine ear”
middle - “A little water clears us of this deed.” “Look like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t.”
end - “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”
Lady Macbeth plan
intro - she is main character who plays a crucial role in Macbeths downfall
Outline key points: her initial ambition and dominance (how she manipulates Macbeth by playing on his fatal flaw - his ambition), her descent into guilt and madness, and her ultimate downfall.
beginning - introduce her ambition for power and how she will do anything to get it
her reaction to Macbeths letter explaining the witches prophecies and then how she hatches her idea and is willing to reject her femininity to get power
middle - her role in Duncans death and Macbeths downfall
how she spends so long trying to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan and seems so confident on what to do as she herself goes back to place the daggers
her loss of control over Macbeth at the banquet as she tells him to act properly however he sees the visions
end - her descent into guilt and madness and then her death
her sleep walking and how she imagines the spot showing how her earlier confidence has faded and compare to how she originally was confident that “a little water clears us of this deed” however literally it can however she still has to cope with the guilt
her suicide
conclusion - talk about how she changes throughout the play
how Shakespeare presents her as powerful but ultimately tragic.
Discuss the play’s message about unchecked ambition and guilt.
ambition quotes
beginning - “cannot be ill, cannot be good” “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more!”
middle - “hie thee hither / that i may poor my spirits in thine ear” “I conjure you, by that which you profess— / Howe’er you come to know it—answer me.”
end -“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake Thy gory locks at me”
ambition plan
intro - Macbeth’s initial ambition, the role of Lady Macbeth, how ambition leads to moral corruption, and the consequences of unchecked ambition.
ambition is a central theme that drives the plot
beginning - Macbeths curiosity in the witches first prophecies and then how LM takes advantage of Ms fatal flaw and uses her manipulation to persuade him to kill duncan. How originally her ambition is stronger then Ms however later his becomes more powerful
middle - how ambition led to moral corruption
LM persuading M to kill duncan which then leads to M killing Banquo and Macduffs family
explain how he takes more interest in the witches as he keeps going back to them and how they fuel his confidence making him make worse and worse decisions
end - ambition leads to both LM and M downfall
M becomes very tyrannical and paranoid (banquet scene)
LM also becomes mentally insane with her sleepwalking the invisible spot and then how she can’t cope with the guilt caused by her ambition any more so she kills herself
M death as he is still overconfident until his moment of anagnorisis when Macduff kills him
conclusion - Summarize how ambition is presented as both a powerful and destructive force.
Reflect on how Shakespeare shows the dangers of unchecked ambition
supernatural quotes
beginning - “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more!” “cannot be ill, cannot be good”
middle - “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake Thy gory locks at me”
end - “Macbeth shall never be vanquished be until / Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him.” “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth.” “Lay on, Macduff”
supernatural plan
intro - the supernatural plays a key role in influencing events and characters (especially macbeth as the witches cleverly play on his fatal flaw of ambition)
Outline key points: the witches and their prophecies, hallucinations and visions, and the supernatural’s impact on Macbeth’s downfall
beginning - the witches and their first prophecies which plants the first seeds for Ms downfall
the witches first meeting (where they set the theme of chaos and deception) and then their first meeting with M where they never actually tell him to do anything however they are aware of his ambition as they just manipulate him
middle - the visions of the dagger, banquos ghost
the dagger which foreshadows his killing Duncan and also suggests that he can’t escape his ambition due to how everyone is manipulating him off it
Banquo’s ghost which shows the start of Ms loss of control and paranoia that he will be caught as the witches have manipulated him to do all the things which he would never have originally done o
end - the supernatural’s role in Macbeth’s downfall
the last prophecies which boost Ms confidence as he believes he in is invincible which leads to him being even more reckless
how the moment of anagnorisis just before Macduff kills him when M realises that he has just been manipulated on his ambition by the witches
conclusion - Summarize how the supernatural is presented as a driving force in Macbeth.
Reflect on how it influences the characters and themes of fate, ambition, and guilt.
Discuss the play’s message about relying on supernatural forces.
kingship and country quotes
beginning - “for brave Macbeth” He was a gentleman on whom I built / An absolute trust.”
middle - “Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope / The Lord’s anointed temple, and stole thence / The life o’ the building!” “blood will have blood.”
end - “I think our country sinks beneath the yoke / it weeps, it bleeds; and each new day a gash is added to her wounds” “Hail, King of Scotland!”
kingship and country plan
intro - is a central theme explored through the good and bad rulers
Duncan is the ideal, goodhearted king then Macbeth kills him which disrupts the natural order and is a tyrannic leader and then Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm becomes king restoring the natural order
beginning - King Duncan is a Just and noble ruler
he always sees the positive in everyone (ironic as he says this to macbeth who kills him)
wants the best for his country
he rewards loyalty by making macbeth Thane of Cawdor
his leadership brings stability and order
middle - Macbeth kills Duncan and becomes King - disrupts natural order
does not rightfully become king -> commits regicide (due to being manipulated by LM and the prophecies) and kills Duncan
he abuses his power and does not do anything for Scotland he just does whatever he needs to to ensure he stays king (gets very paranoid - the banquet scene)
rules through fear -> kills Banquo, Macduffs family, makes Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England
end - Malcolm becoming king and restoring the natural order
Malcolm proves he is a good person like his dad by testing Macduff to check he actually wants the best for Scotland which is a main quality of a good king
the order being restored after Macbeth is killed and Malcolm becomes king (LM and the witches don’t reappear)
conclusion - Summarize how kingship is presented through Duncan, Macbeth, and Malcolm.
Reflect on Shakespeare’s message about what makes a good or bad ruler.
Discuss how the play reinforces the idea of legitimate leadership and order.
good vs evil quotes
beginning - “For brave Macbeth” “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent” “blood will have blood” “O, full of scorpions is my mind”
middle - “fair is foul, and foul is fair” “The instruments of darkness tell us truths”
end - It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood.” “And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty.” “O Scotland, Scotland!”
good vs evil plan
intro - central theme to the play - explored through the characters, actions and supernatural events in the play
Outline key points: Macbeth’s moral struggle, the contrast between good and evil characters, and the consequences of evil.
beginning - Macbeths transformation from a loyal soldier serving his country to brutal tyrant who sends his country into chaos.
him being commended for his noble fighting by Duncan
then him being manipulated by LM and the witches prophecies causing his fatal flaw to be his downfall and making him kill Duncan and then that causes him to fall into total evil
Him killing Banquo, Macduffs family and then becoming very paranoid (banquet scene)
him going back to the witches to find out more about his power as it is all he now cares about
middle - the role of the supernatural representing evil
the witches first plotting to cause chaos and destruction and blurring moral boundaries
the first and second set of prophecies which manipulate and play cleverly on Macbeths fatal flaw causing him to descend into evil
however banquo sees through the witches evil and doesn’t believe them and also suspects Macbeth showing how he represents good and then how he gets killed as good can’t survive in Macbeths evil kingdom
end - contrast between good and evil
contrast between M and LM and then Macduff and Malcolm as LM M disrupt the natural order to gain power as they have been
manipulated by evil whereas Macduff and Malcolm restore the natural order and simply just want the best for Scotland
how all the evil goes away when the natural order is restored when Malcolm becomes king as both M and LM are dead and we don’t see the witches again showing how good has triumphed
conclusion - Summarize how Macbeth presents the struggle between good and evil and the consequences that come from being corrupted by evil (LM and Ms death)
Reflect on Shakespeare’s message about the dangers of unchecked ambition and moral corruption.
Discuss how the play ultimately reinforces the victory of good over evil.
appearance and reality quotes
beginning - “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth”
middle - “False face must hide what the false heart doth know” “Look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” “Woe, alas! What, in our house?”
end - “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake Thy gory locks at me” “Lay on, Macduff”
appearance and reality plan
intro - Define the theme of appearance vs. reality: the contrast between what seems to be true and what actually is.
Introduce key ways Shakespeare presents this theme, including the witches’ prophecies, deception by characters, and the impact of guilt and paranoia.
beginning - the witches and their prophecies
first when they are plotting to cause chaos and then their prophecies to Macbeth which makes him believe that he is invincible however the reality is much different
The witches manipulate Macbeth by exploiting his ambition, showing how appearances can be deceiving.
middle - Macbeths and LMs deceptive appearances
Macbeth hides his true intentions while appearing loyal to Duncan before he then kills him (the dagger marks the start of descent into madness where we see the first instance of the lines of reality blurring)
once Duncans dead body they both pretend to be grief stricken to fool the others
end - the consequences caused by buying into the deception and false reality
LM goes crazy -> sleepwalking and imagining the blood (losing touch with what is real and not)
M also becomes very paranoid and delusional (banquet scene where he doesn’t know what is real and what isn’t) and then realises he has been tricked just before he is killed
conclusion - Summarize how Shakespeare presents appearance vs. reality through the witches’ manipulation, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s deceit, and the illusions of power.
Emphasize how the theme contributes to the tragedy of the play, as characters fall victim to their own misconceptions.
Reflect on the play’s message: deception can lead to downfall, and reality cannot be ignored forever.
guilt quotes
beginning - “‘Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep’” “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” “a little water clears us of this deed”
middle - “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!” “Never shake / Thy gory locks at me!”
end - “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” “What’s done cannot be undone.” “I have almost forgot the taste of fears.” “lay on Macduff”
guilt plan
intro - Define guilt as a key theme that haunts Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after they commit murder.
Introduce the main ways guilt is presented: through hallucinations, psychological torment, and its effects on their downfall.
beginning - Macbeths immediate regret after killing Duncan contrasted with LMs lack of guilt
Macbeth is very reluctant to kill duncan and takes lots of persuasion before he does and immediately he feels very guilty and talks about how he will never sleep again and is obsessed with the blood
LM however is very calm and dismissive and is clear that water can easily fix the problem
middle - visions and later effects from guilt
the banquet scene where macbeth is loosing touch on reality due to the things the paranoia from killing duncan have made him do
macbeths confessions to his wife about how he is feeling very guilty
end - how guilt led to their downfall
LM sleepwalking and imagining the spot of blood showing how the guilt has caused her to go mad and is ironic as how earlier she said that “a little water clears us of this deed” showing how she has changed -> then she kills herself
M being very paranoid and loosing touch on reality and going back to the witches as he needs reassurance and then how the guilt has desensitised him and his death
conclusion - Summarize how guilt is presented as a powerful and destructive force in Macbeth.
Highlight the contrast between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s initial attitudes toward guilt and how it ultimately destroys them both.
Reflect on Shakespeare’s message: guilt cannot be ignored, and it will always find a way to surface.
violence quotes
beginning - “For brave Macbeth”
middle - “Is this a dagger which I see before me” “I go, and it is done. The bell invites me” “It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul’s flight” “Give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword / His wife, his babes”
end - “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” “Never shake / Thy gory locks at me!” “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth”
“lay on, Macduff”
violence plan
intro - Define violence as a central theme, driving the plot and leading to the downfall of characters.
Introduce key ways violence is presented: through battle and warfare, murder for ambition, psychological violence, and its consequences.
beginning - Macbeth originally using violence for good - as a soldier in war
Macbeth praised for being such as good soldier as he is able to kill the previously betrayed thane of cawdor and is rewarded for it
The play begins with a depiction of brutal warfare, establishing violence as honorable
This contrasts with later unjustified acts of violence driven by ambition rather than duty.
middle - Macbeth now using violence for evil
Him killing Duncan (this takes persuasion by LM however as he becomes more guilty he doesn’t need persuasion anymore to kill others) and then the guilt causing him to kill Banquo and Macduffs family
end - consequences of violence
LM going crazy with the sleepwalking and imagining the spot of blood which then causes her to kill herself -> she was the one who caused M to go onto the wrong violent path)
M going crazy with the banquet scene showing how paranoid he is and then him needing to rely on the witches for reassurance before he is killed with violence from Macduff
conclusion - Summarize how violence is a key theme that drives Macbeth’s rise and fall.
Highlight the transformation of violence from honorable (battle) to destructive (murder for power).
Reflect on Shakespeare’s message: unchecked violence leads to destruction, and those who live by the sword die by the sword.
fate vs freewill quotes
beginning - “Hail to thee, that shalt be king hereafter!” “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth.”
middle - “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, / Without my stir.” “Art thou afeard / To be the same in thine own act and valour / As thou art in desire?” “When you durst do it, then you were a man.”
end - “It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul’s flight” “Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword / His wife, his babes” “He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor / To act in safety.”
fate vs freewill plan
intro - Define the theme of fate vs. free will: the extent to which Macbeth’s downfall is predestined or caused by his own choices.
Introduce key ways Shakespeare presents this theme: the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth’s own decisions, and the consequences of his actions.
beginning - the role of the witches - manipulate him based on his fatal flaw - ambition
their multiple prophecies which promise him to be king however they never instruct him to kill Duncan showing how he had freewill
also how the witches make M believe he is invincible and how he then clings to that
middle - the role of LM
she hears the prophecies and persuades him to make them true himself -> removing free will as he may have still become King if he had not killed duncan. He does try to stand up to her however ultimately succumbs to her persuasion.
end - Macbeth using freewill
He does many of his later actions without any persuasion from LM or the witches such as killing Banquo and Macduffs family however he is spurred to do this out of fear and paranoia due to his previous actions which he was unfairly tempted into
conclusion -Summarize how fate and free will interact in Macbeth.
Argue that while fate presents opportunities, it is Macbeth’s free will and ambition that drive his downfall.
Reflect on Shakespeare’s message: fate may set the stage, but individuals are responsible for their own choices.
power quotes
beginning - “Hail to thee, that shalt be king hereafter!” “Art thou afeard / To be the same in thine own act and valour / As thou art in desire?” “When you durst do it, then you were a man.”
middle - “I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er.” “brave Macbeth”
end - “It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul’s flight” “Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword / His wife, his babes” “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus.” “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” “Never shake / Thy gory locks at me!”
power plan
intro - Introduce Macbeth as a tragedy by William Shakespeare that explores the corrupting nature of power.
Define power in the play: political power (kingship), manipulative power (persuasion), and supernatural power (the witches).
Introduce key ways power is presented: through ambition, corruption, tyranny, and its consequences.
beginning - ambitions role in Macbeths power
the witches firstly manipulating M into believing he is going to get power and then the further manipulation (on Ms fatal flaw) from LM which causes him to break the natural order and kill Duncan causing him to rise to power
middle - tyranny vs kingship
the noble and just leadership of Duncan and Malcolm who are the rightful kings contrasted to the brutal and tyrannical leadership which came from macbeth who was not the rightful king
end - the corrupting influence of power and the downfall caused by power
After gaining power, Macbeth changes from a noble warrior to a paranoid tyrant.
His guilt and fear of losing power make him dangerous -> he went and had Banquo and Macduffs family killed out of fear he may lose his power
doesn’t believe their is a point in power unless it is secured which is why he attempts to have Banquos son killed as the prophecy implied he would become king
Both M and LM going crazy from the power with LM sleepwalking and Ms visions (banquet scene)
M also goes back to the witches to get reassurance about his power
conclusion - Summarize how power is presented as dangerous and corrupting in Macbeth.
Highlight how Shakespeare contrasts just and tyrannical leadership.
Reflect on the message: unchecked ambition leads to destruction, and power without legitimacy is doomed to fail.
