Macbeth Flashcards
“I am in blood/ stepp’d so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious” Violence and Guilt
Macbeth (Act 3)
Previously, the “blood” (which is a motif for the consequences of murder) was merely on his hands, yet now it has enrobed his whole body, and by extension his entire sense of being.
Macbeth’s response to fear and guilt has transitioned from being horrified to indulging further in heinous acts, murder now becomes his means of self-preservation.
“Wade” has biblical allusions: Macbeth’s metaphorical wading in blood exemplifies how he acknowledges his conscience is permanently stained with guilt as a result of his violence.
Similar to Cain in the Book of Genesis who commits the first murder in the bible, his irreversible act of murder of his brother Abel results in his punishment by God.
“Stars hide your fires, Let no light see my black and deep desires” Appearance vs Reality
Macbeth (Act 1)
Dark and Light imagery : The contrast between the ominous connotations associated with “black” and the bright imagery linked to “light” highlights Macbeth’s dichotomous (divided in two) character.
Despite projecting a virtuous façade (moral mask) of an upright Jacobean man, he harbours malevolent and tyrannical intentions.
Macbeth wants to shroud his sinister motives in metaphorical darkness, as if his true intentions come to “light” this would obstruct him from acquiring his illegitimate title of King.
Rhyming couplet : The rhyme between “desires” and “fires” in this couplet has a resemblance to the enchanting spellcasting technique employed by the Witches, who also utilise rhyming couplets to accentuate their deceptions.
This emphasises Macbeth’s descent into a shadowy and malevolent trajectory as he is asking for his duplicitous intentions to be revealed so he can fufil his ambitious ego-centric desires.
“Tell me” “Call em” to witches. Supernatural
Macbeth (Act 4)
Macbeth’s hubris (excessive pride) is explicit as he enters, he speaks with imperative phrases such as “tell me” and “call em”.
Fuelled by insatiable greed and unbridled hunger for power, this marks Macbeth’s intentional engagement with the witches for the first time.
This deliberate encounter underscores his abandonment of resistance to evil, signifying a departure from any pretence (claim) of morality.
The imperativeness embodied in the command “tell,” coupled with the personal pronoun “me,” implies Macbeth’s authoritative demand for universal respect and obedience, extending even to the supernatural realm.
His illegitimate title of King has evidently inflated his sense of self-importance and his hubris has made him believe he can supersede the power of the supernatural.
“Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’ other” Ambition
Macbeth (Act One)
Personification: Macbeth personifies his ambition, portraying it as a possessing a potency comparable to a human force that can exert influence and corrupt his formerly innocent mind.
When he acknowledges its eventual “fall,” it indicates Macbeth’s awareness that his all encompassing ambition is his hamartia (fatal flaw that leads to his downfall) destined to lead to his mental and physical decline.
Alternatively, this portrayal positions Macbeth as a victim ensnared/trapped by his own ambition, showcasing his introspective (he knows his fatal flaws) understanding of its fatal consequences and presenting him as vulnerable to its relentless influence.
The metaphorical portrayal of Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition” draws a parallel between him and a jockey who is to manage an untameable, almost animalistic force.
The metaphor not only depicts Macbeth’s struggle to control his ambitious nature but also suggests self-deception - Macbeth believes that he is able to harness some control over his ambition, enough that he is able to transcend the societal, political and divine limitations placed upon him.
“With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design” Gender
Macbeth
Macbeth ambitiously strives to emulate Tarquin, the Roman tyrant whom raped his wife, so he can embody what it means to be a ruthless blood-thirsty leader.
Macbeth’s ambition is further fuelled by the lingering emasculation he experienced at the hands of Lady Macbeth in Act 1. For him, power becomes synonymous with brutality, and this perception is compounded by his insatiable ambition, which propels him towards a relentless pursuit of dominance through brute force.
Connotations on “design” : The diction “design” connotes intentional creating, mirroring Macbeth’s intentional crafting of his desired position as King through ambitious pursuits. Despite his transgression of natural order in this pursuit, the seductive allure of these temptations of power and authority obstucts him from seeing the permanent and eternal consequence he will face.
Macbeth clings to the belief that seizing the crown will fufil his need to prove his masculinity to his wife. He mistakenly thinks the external validation of kingship will compensate for the iternal strength Lady Macbeth seemingly stripped from him.
