Macbeth Flashcards
quotes
“I think not of them”
Macbeth is lying to Banquo. We know that he is going to kill the king in the future so he can be the king just like in the Queens prophecy. This is Irony as we have already heard the conversations between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth who are already planning to kill the king. It also shows how little Macbeth trusts Banquo who is his best friend.
“Is the king stirring, Worth Thane?”- Macduff
“Not yet.”- Macbeth
This lie of Macbeth’s is significant as he is lying to Macbeth. It also shows how much ambition means to Macbeth rather than his king who he had fought battles for and brutally murdered withought cold feet. It sets up the hamartia of his character. It is also irony as we know that Macbeth is lying to Macduff as we had a scene before between him and his wife talking about the murder.
” Goes Fleance with you”
This quote is foreboding the death of both Fleance and Banquo. Now that Macbeth and has started to lose all sense of his humanity, he is going to kill his best friend Banquo, and his son Fleance so that no one can become the next king. It shows Macbeths greed for power and ambition coming through and also shows us how much of a tyrant he is going to become because he is willing to kill his best friend in order to have full power.
“You must leave this”
Macbeth is starting to have second thoughts about killing the king. This shows how loyal Macbeth is still to the king and it also sets up Lady Macbeths character a bit as she then goes on to convince Macbeth that he should become the next king. It also shows a slight men vs women theme and who has the power theme between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth as Macbeth is said to be too innocent to kill the king in Lady Macbeths speech but now he is commanding her to leave it, which shows a little power change and how little power women had over themselves.
“Enter the Ghost of Banquo- stage directions”
This is significant to Macbeth as only he can see the ghost of his murdered best friend. This shows Macbeths moral compass isn’t as bad as it seems and shows he hasn’t fully lost his humanity as he is guilty of the murder. This makes people sympathise slightly with Macbeth as we think he is not really a tyrant and got manipulated by Lady Macbeth and lost in his power. This is also another theme of the supernatural as it could be the witches conjuring up a ghost to try and manipulate Macbeth into feeling guilt.
Till Burnham wood remove to Dunsindane, I cannot taint with fear
Macbeth covers up his fear with arrogance which is a break in his character of a tyrant and this would make the audience feel empathy for Macbeth. It also shows the only hope Macbeth has left now is the Witches prophecy which shows their power over Macbeth.
Signifying Nothing
Macbeth has just been told that his wife has committed suicide, yet he tells the doctor that it doesn’t matter, this shows how much humanity he has lost in his path for ultimate power. This shows how much power has changed him and how he is so focused on that path that now even his wife matters very little to him now. The audience would be shown his character change and see how much power the witches have over him now that he has become king and fully believes their prophecy. They would also be shocked as in those times Macbeth has committed regicide and is feeling no guilt for it.
