macbeth act 3 Flashcards
O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”
Embedded and contextualised example: When Lady Macbeth tries to sooth an increasingly paranoid Macbeth early in Act 3, he resists, saying, “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”
Another powerful metaphor - a mind full of scorpions is pretty bad - they could sting at any time, so it would be impossible to feel safe or at peace - he cannot escape them as they’re in his mind
The adjective “full” used for emphasis - there is no room for any more scorpions - this is as bad as it could get
The exclamation mark at the end used to convey how ardently Macbeth feels this - he is not joking or being hyperbolic here - this is really how he feels
The imagery of scorpions is one of several evil images that Macbeth uses in this scene (alongside snakes, bats and beetles) all of which arguably convey his descent into evil following the regicide in Act 2
Relevant characters and themes: Macbeth, guilt and remorse, power and corruption, greed and ambition, good and evil
O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”
Embedded and contextualised example: When Lady Macbeth tries to sooth an increasingly paranoid Macbeth early in Act 3, he resists, saying, “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”
Another powerful metaphor - a mind full of scorpions is pretty bad - they could sting at any time, so it would be impossible to feel safe or at peace - he cannot escape them as they’re in his mind
The adjective “full” used for emphasis - there is no room for any more scorpions - this is as bad as it could get
The exclamation mark at the end used to convey how ardently Macbeth feels this - he is not joking or being hyperbolic here - this is really how he feels
The imagery of scorpions is one of several evil images that Macbeth uses in this scene (alongside snakes, bats and beetles) all of which arguably convey his descent into evil following the regicide in Act 2
Relevant characters and themes: Macbeth, guilt and remorse, power and corruption, greed and ambition, good and evil
“Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck
Embedded and contextualised example: Having alluded to his plans to have Banquo murdered in order to assuage his paranoia, Macbeth refuses to tell Lady Macbeth his plans, instead telling her to “be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck”.
Perfectly exemplifies the role reversal of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth which is so crucial to the start of the third act of the play
The irony that comes with the adjective “innocent” - the idea that Lady Macbeth could ever be innocent again after what she did in Act 1
The term of endearment at the end (“dearest chuck”) which conveys that, perhaps, the love that we saw in Act 1 still just about remains between these characters, but also the power dymanics have changed - it is now a little condescending, like a linguistic pat on the head
Repetition of “dearest” from earlier in play - but before she was “dearest partner of greatness” - now she’s a baby chicken (that’s what “chuck” means in this context - “chick”)
Possible link to Macduff’s use of chickens to describe his own wife and family after their murder (this might be pushing it a bit)
Relevant characters and themes: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, masculinity and femininity, power and corruption, good and evil
It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood”
Embedded and contextualised example: Following the banquet and the appearance of Banquo’s ghost, Macbeth broods on his current circumstances, claiming that “it will have blood; they say, blood will have blood”.
A nice easy quotation to memorise - short and most of the words are “blood” - but one with a rich symbolic meaning because of the blood motif in the play
Macbeth is literally saying that blood will lead to more blood, but symbolically he is saying a lot more
First, violence leads to more violence, foreshadowing the terrible murders that are to come in Act 4
Second, revenge, as mentioned by Macbeth mentioned in his soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 7, is inevitable – the dead are coming back to avenge their deaths
Third, violence and murder lead to guilt and torment, as Macbeth experienced after killing Duncan, and experienced again tonight after killing Banquo - killing always has consequences in the play
Relevant characters and themes: Macbeth, guilt and remorse, power and corruption, greed and ambition, good and evil
I am in blood / stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / returning were as tedious as go o’er”
Embedded and contextualised example: At the end of Act 3, Macbeth accepts that there is only one way forward for him: “I am in blood,” he claims, “stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er”
Another metaphor that plays on the motif of blood, with its double meaning
First, he has done so many terrible things – so much violence and murder – that it’s easier just to keep killing people rather than try to go back to being peaceful and good again
Second, he is dealing with so much guilt and torment now, that he might as well just put himself through even more in the hope that he comes out the other side
The imagery here (of a man halfway across a river of blood) is highly reminiscent of the “Neptune’s oceans” metaphor from Act 2 Scene 2 - things have gone exactly as Macbeth feared: the blood on his hands has turned the oceans red
Relevant characters and themes: Macbeth, guilt and remorse, power and corruption, greed and ambition, good and evil, free will and control
