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
-jung’s concept of the shadow explains MB’s guilt, as his repressed desires and darker impulses emerge after his violent actions. his guilt stems from the conflict between his conscious self and these hidden aspects, which ultimately consume him
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
