macbeth Flashcards
1.2 “disdaining fortune… smok’d with bloody execution”
-“smok’d” could connote to heat + hell foreshadowing MB’s evil
-“disdaining fortune” shows a disregard for his fate + his attempt to manipulate the natural order
-“bloody execution” emphasises destructive force of his actions hinting at his capacity for ruthless violence
-MB uses violence to dominate in battle but captain’s description celebrates MB as a loyal + noble hero - valiant
2.1 “With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design”
-classical reference: MB ambitiously wants to emulate Tarquin, a Roman tyrant whom raped his wife, so he will be a barbaric tyrant who feels no pity
-his ambition + hubris obstructs his moral compass
-he sees power synonymous with brutality + being a tyrant - predatory
-“ravishing” conveys violence + destruction
2.2 “wash this filthy witness from your hand” “Get on your nightgown”
-both LMB + MB appear to make a good team on the night of the murder
-however, MB seems to need a lot of guidance + reassurance from LMB as she has to tell him to “wash” his “hand” + put on his “nightgown”
-this reinforces the idea that LMB is the dominant one
-she also encourages him to not feel guilt, a natural human emotion, as she says “a foolish thought, to say a sorry sight” - relationship appears akin to a mother + child - vulnerable
3.2 “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife”
-“scorpions” are poisonous - represents MB’s ambition has poisoned his mind
-he is consequently plagued by guilt + remorse - tortured
-“full” highlights he has been completely engulfed with guilt + mercy
-metaphor of creature festering in his mind shows his tyrannical nature has been so omnipotent, he resembles more a savage creature than a moral human
4.1 threatens the witches with an “eternal curse”
-ironic as we have seen their overt supernatural power - MB believes he supersede this
-MB’s ego is prevalent as the witches ambiguous apparitions provide him an ephemeral sense of security + invincibility
-MB’s willingness to invoke such ominous imagery underscores his dependence on the supernatural to secure his power - gullible + desperate
-his desperation to learn his fate from the witches places him fully under the sway of dark forces
5.8 “Before my body, I throw my warlike shield”
-as a “shield” connotes protection, it shows MB desperately wants to protect + preserve his former noble image of him being a “worthy” + “valiant” soldiers - defiant
-as his last words contain a violent semantic field, it shows how his ambitious + violent nature has directly caused his fall from grace
