Macbeth Key theme quotes and analysis Flashcards
Introduction -
A play in which there is a key theme is Macbeth by William Shakespeare. In this play Macbeth is a tragic hero, driven by the witches prophecy, fueled by his ambition and manipulated by his wife into committing regicide. The play then follows his consequential struggles with guilt, leading him to fall into murder, madness and tyranny. he is eventually killed by a thane named Macduff and order is returned to Scotland. Shakespeare explores the theme of guilt in this play through Macbeth being set up as having many positive character traits, enabling him to feel guilt later on in the play due to his actions, as can be seen after Duncan’s death through Macbeth’s words and actions. Guilt is also seen in Macbeth as he has not completely acted entirely out of his own will, due to the coercion from Lady Macbeth. Finally guilt is present through the paranoia that leads him to ruin as understands that he killed Duncan for nothing and now finds life meaningless, as seen in his final soliloquy.
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TS) Shakespeare introduces the key theme of guilt in the first few scenes as Macbeth is introduced as a character with good character traits that set him up to feel guilt for his later actions.
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The theme of guilt is also seen early in the play in Macbeth’s words and actions after he kills Duncan in cold blood, and his remorse over that deed.
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Finally, Macbeth’s paranoia and irrational behaviour caused by his guilt, led his character to ruin at the end of the play.
Paragraph 1) “o valiant cousin, worthy gentleman”
Act 1 scene 2,
- Duncan in regards to Macbeth’s deeds in the battle.
- The word choice of “worthy” has connotations of being deserving of praise or reward, or of Macbeth being in Duncan’s favour and in inner circle. This sets Macbeth up as being a person who Duncan considers to be close to him, and shows that Macbeth is very loyal to Duncan, to the point of being considered almost family and Macbeth knows this, thereby making his subsequent betrayal and murder of Duncan a terrible deed.
Paragraph 1) “Art thou afeard?”
The key theme of guilt is also introduced in this play through Macbeth being manipulated by his wife into committing the murder, causing him to feel guilt due to him not acting entirely out of his own will. One example of this is in the quote “Art thou afeard?” said by Lady Macbeth in response to Macbeth admitting he no longer wishes to commit the murder. This is a use of a rhetorical question, asking Macbeth if he is too scared and cowardly to commit this crime. She uses this to manipulate and mock Macbeth as she is challenging his pride as a warrior, making Macbeth react defensively, causing him to act due to pressure from his wife and not fully of his own choice.
Paragraph 2) “This is a sorry sight”
Act 2 scene 2.
- The word “sorry” has connotations of painful or distressing, meaning that it provokes remorse and sorrow in Macbeth, and leads to him feeling guilty about his choice to murder Duncan. It also has connotations of Macbeth mourning Duncan’s death and him being in anguish as to what he has just done to his country, as “sorry” can also mean Macbeth feeling grief about the loss of his King, despite that being caused by his own hand. Macbeth also realises the extent of an effect his deed will have on the country as it was seen in the Jacobean period that killing a King disrupts the natural order of the world, ensuring Macbeth will feel even more guilt over the deed he has just committed.
Paragraph 2) Macbeth’s desperate question of “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?”
reveals his overwhelming guilt over what he has just done. Shakespeare effectively uses the imagery of water, in that even the God of the sea, Neptune cannot cleanse Macbeth of the crime, using imagery to represent the deed he has committed as the literal blood on his hands. Macbeth is asking himself if he will ever be able to forgive himself for the crime that occurred tonight even if he spends the rest of his life trying to atone, making his guilt especially clear as Macbeth realises that his crime is permanent and unforgivable.
Paragraph 3) “Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
This can especially be seen in Act 5 Scene 5 where Macbeth hears the news of his wife’s death and performs his last soliloquy, where he finds his life to be meaningless and pointless. This can be seen in the phrase: “Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” The word choice of “nothing” has connotations of emptiness, or meaningless. This suggests that Macbeth believes that his life has become pointless, and that despite everything he has achieved and accomplished in his life, in the end it was all for naught. This can be seen as Macbeth trying to deny his guilt one last time, as he is trying to convince himself that because it was all meaningless in the end, his actions would have changed nothing
Paragrh 3) “Juggling fiends”
His guilt comes to the forefront at the end however where he realises that the witches had tricked him and that he was foolish to believe in the prophecy. In doing so he realises that he killed his King (who he was so loyal to for so long) for nothing, as his legacy was never going to come to pass and that in doing so he led himself down a bloody path of needless murder, all started by the witches. This in turn causes his guilt to come back to the surface as he understands that he has committed many wrongdoings at the behest of the witches, that only hurt him. “Juggling fiends” is used to display this as he compares the witches to beings from hell sent to ruin mortals’ lives, and he understands that the witches were never going to help him, and they only led him further down the path of ruin.
