Macbeth Act 5 Quotations Flashcards
Analyse the quotation - “Was he not ____ of woman?”
born
Macbeth’s fixation of prophecy through this rhetorical question demonstrates how obsessed he is with prophecy, since instead of caring about whether he is outnumbered or surrounded, he cares for whether prophecy is fulfilled. This could be Shakespeare indicating that one of the consequences of killing a King is to turn mad, to appease King James 1.
Analyse the quotation - “Thou ____-livered boy”
lily
The adjective utilised by Macbeth shows his lack of compassion for others and the tyrant he has become, as he feels superior to his peers. The transition from humility to pride in the face of power shows how evil Macbeth has become and how easily power can change a person. The irony of Macbeth’s statement is that his confidence and power is based off of false prophecies. When these prophecies turn out to go against him he loses all confidence in his fight against Macduff at the end of the play and becomes a coward. Shakespeare may be presenting Macbeth’s personality in such a way to impress the King of the time, King James I, who held a deep distain for the supernatural.
Analyse the quotation - “Seyton - I am ____ at heart”
sick
Macbeth calls out for a person called Seyton and not God to ask for help unlike what a contemporary audience would do, this could be seen as the Seyton representing Satan and showing how Macbeth has closed his heart to God and he feels the only person who can save him is the devil but in reality he is being dragged further into deceit and his fate is only further sealed by trusting him. Macbeth’s fate in the play and his trust in the supernatural could be considered a statement to a contemporary audience not to trust the devil as most people were Christian in Jacobean England.
Analyse the quotation - “Give me my ______”
armour
Macbeth’s sense of confidence and bravery at this point in the play is based on the witches’ prophecies and the ambition he holds to fulfil them. His desire for winning the battle and maintaining his power demonstrates how Macbeth has become less logical after trusting the witches and showing how they have twisted his mind.
Analyse the quotation - “She should have died _________”
hereafter
Macbeth’s lack of emotion after Lady Macbeth’s death demonstrates his character arc throughout the play, going from having remorse for the death of King Duncan to only acknowledging her death, this is an example of how the witches have affected his psyche throughout the play.
Analyse the quotation - “At least we’ll die with ________ on our back”
harness
Macbeth’s acceptance of his reign’s death leads to him becoming clear in his morals again. This demonstrates a cyclical structure in his character arc, him going from being brave to being unsure to being ruthless to being brave. This symbolises the pointlessness of tempting fate, as he returns the state he started in before he challenged the natural order.
Analyse the quotation - “I have almost forgot the _____ of fears”
taste
This metaphor indicates how reliant Macbeth is on the witches’ prophecy amd evil acts, the dramatic irony of this being that a contemporary christian audience would know that God will always win against evil and Macbeth is doomed to fail.
Analyse the quotation - “Such a one am I to ____?”
fear
This rhetorical question demonstrates how Macbeth feels almost invincible due to prophecy from the witches. The irony of this is that pride is one of the seven deadly sins, and therefore if he feels too overconfident, from a contemporary view, he is doomed. This shows the extent to which his view of logic has been twisted by the witches and why he, as king, has destroyed Scotland so heavily.
Analyse the quotation - “Weapons laugh to _____”
scorn
This metaphor indicates, further, how illogical Macbeth is and his deep trust in prophecy, as he views himself invincible and guaranteed to win when all of his men are abandoning his cause, simply due to prophecies made by untrustworthy witches. This could show the psychological impact of sin on the human mind from a contemporary standpoint, since his mind has been completely corrupted with false confidence.
Analyse the quotation - “I will not _____ to kiss the ground before ______ Malcolm’s feet”
yield, young
The refusal by Macbeth to surrender demonstrates how he carries his pride to his grave. This could be an attempt by Shakespeare to show that being influenced by demonic creatures can lead to a loss of logic in a person and ultimately a destruction of all plans they may have had.
Analyse the quotation - “Why should I play the _____ fool and die on ____ own sword?”
roman, mine
This rhetorical question shows how, after seeing faith in prophecy to shield him, Macbeth becomes brave again, and shows the cyclical nature of the play. The message of Shakespeare here could be to show that believing in anything other than God to save you will be your undoing, and it will only lead to arrogance, defeat and destruction. This message may be being conveyed to appeal to the King, since Shakespeare is reaffirming societal norms.
Analyse the quotation - “I will not _____ with ____”
Fight, thee
This declarative is said immediately after Macbeth’s brave statement, showing how reliant he was on prophecy to keep his conscious. After this he feels it is impossible to win and that he is doomed. This could be an attempt by Shakespeare to convey that evil is a road to cowardice and defeat, this could appeal to King James I after the gunpowder plot.
