macbeth Flashcards
“Fair is foul and foul is fair”
The witches Act 1 Scene 1
Themes: The supernatural, appearance vs reality, Fate
Sets the tone for the rest of the play as it’s the opening line of the play. It’s spoken by the witches which suggests that the supernatural is going to be a significant presence throughout the story. Inversion – catchy. Shakespeare’s purposefully written this line to stand out and linger in the minds of his audience because its very important to understanding the play. The witches are warning us not to trust appearances.
This theme comes up often. For example, Macbeth and his wife may put on a pretense of loyalty to the King but behind his back they are plotting to murder him. The witches themselves are very deceptive. They tell Macbeth plenty of fair sounding promises but they are almost always half truths which end terribly for him.
We see a lot of allusion to this line later in the play as Macbeth says “So foul and fair a day I have not seen in Act 1 Scene 3 which foreshadows his involvement with the witches. The phrase ‘foul and fair’ reminds the audience to beware of his deceptive words.
“Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires.”
Macbeth Act 1 Scene 4
Themes: Ambition, Guilt, Paranoia
Reveals the depth of his ambition and admits that he knows his desires are morally wrong. This quote shows that Macbeth is conflicted because although he intensely desires power, he is also unwilling to openly challenge God by murdering the divinely appointed king. This is further enforced by the juxtaposition of the words ‘Stars’ and ‘fires’ which emphasise the choice he must make between the path of morality, or the path of uncontrolled ambition. The metaphor ‘black and deep’ implies that his desires are evil and suggests that he’s afraid to even fantasize about killing King Duncan as he knows that his sense of reason will be overpowered by his ambition and thus wants his thoughts to be hidden.
“Yet I do fear thy nature. It is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness.”-
Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth referring to her husband Macbeth.
Themes: Masculinity and Cruelty, Ambition, Guilt, Fear, Paranoia
Reveals a lot about their characters. This metaphor suggests he’s not a murderer by nature which proves that Macbeth is not a 2D villain and may be a kind and empathetic person at heart. By saying she fears his nature however, she is implying that she sees these traits as weaknesses. The wording she uses for ‘milk of human kindness’ is a subtle dig at his masculinity as it associates his good qualities with breastfeeding. Because it would’ve been very unusual for a Shakespearean woman to have these views, LM is setting herself up to be a villain in the eyes of the audience and a manipulator as well as she knows she will need to convince her husband to kill go through with the murder. By accepting this role however, she is just as guilty as Macbeth and thus she must be punished in equal measures.
“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.”
Act 1 Scene 5 Lady Macbeth
Themes: Masculinity and Cruelty, Ambition, The Supernatural, Appearance vs reality
Asking dark spirits to strip her off her femininity so that she can take on the role of a cold-blooded killer. The use of alliteration ‘fill’ ‘full’, ‘crown’ ‘cruelty’, ‘toe’ ‘top’ gives the impression of a ritual or invocation. This quote also really illustrates the idea of gender roles in this play as she believes that in order to achieve any kind of power at a time where women were incredibly restricted, she needs to embody traits associated with masculinity such as ruthlessness. Her behaviour is unnatural for the time period which is why she must call on the supernatural to make this change. It also reveals that she is not normally disposed towards cruelty since she’s asking to be filled with it and furthermore, this foreshadows her inability to cope with the consequences of her unnatural deeds.
“ Is this a dagger which I see before me?”
Act 2 Scene 1 Macbeth
Themes: The Supernatural, Appearance vs Reality, Guilt, Fate vs free will,Madness+Paranoia
Quote from his soliloquy on his way to kill King Duncan. Important milestone in this play because it reveals his hesitation and inner conflict up to the point of murder. This rhetorical question projects the conflict and confusion in Macbeth’s own mind which would create a similar impact on the audience. The vision of the dagger, which in modern psychology would be related to as a hallucination, projects Macbeth’s inner wish to use it as a means of putting Duncan to death. This vision leads him to finally make the choice to serve his selfish ambition and also foreshadows the other ghosts and hallucinations which will haunt him later on.
“Sleep no more, Macbeth does murder sleep.”
Act 2 Scene 2 Macbeth right after murdering Duncan.
Themes: Guilt, The Supernatural, Fear, Madness and Paranoia
Tells his wife he heard a voice saying these haunting words. There is a supernatural element to the shapeless voice which reflects his mental state as he knows he’s condemned his soul by committing regicide because he has such a strong reaction to what he has done. Allows audience to feel some sympathy for Macbeth despite his terrible crime. The personification, “Murder sleep” is really powerful as sleep is a representative of peaceful rest, which Macbeth has indeed killed for Duncan and possibly himself.
“Tis unnatural, Even like the deed that’s done.”
Nameless old man, Act 2 Scene 4
Themes: Kingship vs Tyranny, The supernatural, Nature
Remarks on the strange events that happen after Duncan’s death – the murder of a divinely appointed King, at the time would’ve disrupted the natural order and the nature reacts violently as a result. The use of the simile highlights the shocking and abnormal nature of the deed, comparing it to something equally disturbing and emphasizes the moral and emotional impact of the act.
“Bleed,bleed,poor country.”
phrase “bleed bleed” personifies scotland portraying it as a wounded body. Reinforces the idea that the way a monarch chooses to rule the country impacts the whole land to its core. The image of blood contrasts with the living,nurtured “harvest” Duncan created.
“Naught’s had, all’s spent, Where our desire is got without content”
Lady Macbeth Act 3 Scene 2
Themes: Ambition, Guilt, Appearance vs Reality, Fear, Paranoia
Has a moment alone when she says this line. Important because we are able to see a different side of her than the façade she puts on in the presence of others and it’s revealed that she, too, is suffering from remorse although she never showed this to her husband and rebukes him constantly for his inability to move on from their crime. This is further enforced when she says, “Better with the dead…Than on the torture of the mind to lie In restless ecstasy” in Act 3 Scene 2. This implies how she wishes that her and her husband were dead rather than be punished by their guilt and her words reflect this. All of their success is meaningless and hollow because they cannot enjoy it and must constantly live in fear of the repercussions.
“Out, damned spot; out, I say!”
Lady Macbeth Act 5 Scene 1
Themes: Guilt, The supernatural, Masculinity and cruelty, Appearance vs Reality, Blood, Fear, Paranoia
She tries to wash Duncan’s blood from her hands, metaphorically indicating the guilt she feels for her part in his murder. She thinks her hands are stained with Duncan’s blood. The exclamatory sentence emphasises her continual attempts to wash her guilt away highlighting her frustration and indicating her declining psychological condition. Her inability to get rid of the sight and smell of blood in her hands directly contradicts to her words after the murder of king Duncan where she says, “A little water clears us of this deed”. She now knows she will never be able to get rid of the guilt which haunts her, and this knowledge drives her to take her own life.
“Out, out, brief candle. Life’s but a walking shadow…”
Act 5 Scene 5 Macbeth After hearing of his wife’s death.
Themes: Guilt, Ambition, Fate vs Free will, Kingship
Macbeth reflects on the pointlessness and briefness of life using the metaphors of candles and shadows. This shows how worn down he is by his guilt and paranoia. He remarks that there is no real joy or meaning to be found in life and Shakespeare seems to suggest that this is the consequence of going against God in the natural order to serve one’s own ambition.
“This dead butcher and his fiend-like queen”
Act 5 Scene 11 Malcolm before he goes to scone to be crowned the new and rightful king of Scotland.
Themes: Ambition, Kingship and power
Last description of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the play and aptly sums up what people think of Macbeth as a king or rather as a tyrant. There is no sadness for his death or respect for the man he once was as everyone is now aware of his crimes. By referring to him as a ‘butcher’, Malcolm is implying that he is a ruthless remorseless killer. The use of the adjective ‘fiend like’ to describe Lady Macbeth dehumanises her and portrays her as a demon.
