Macbeth - Kingship Quotes - ANALYSED Flashcards
“[I have no spur to prick the side of my intent] only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other”
- Macbeth - Act 1 Scene 7
PERSONIFICATION: Macbeth personifies his ambition, portraying it as possessing a potency comparable to a human force that can exert influence and pull him into the allure of acquiring the illegitimate title of king
- When he acknowledges its eventual “fall”, it indicates Macbeth’s awareness that his all-encompassing ambition is his hamartia destined to decline as he will be VIOLATING THE TRUE ESSENCE OF KINGSHIP - the divine right of kings
- Alternatively this portrayal positions Macbeth as a VICTIM ENSNARED (trapped) by his own ambition, showcasing his introspective understanding of its fatal consequences and presenting him as vulnerable to is relentless influence.
METAPHOR: the metaphorical portrayal of Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition”** draws a parallel between him and a jockey who is to manage an untameable, almost animalistic force.**
- this metaphor not only depicts Macbeth’s struggle to control his ambitious desires to violate kingship but also suggests self-deception
“Worthy Cawdor![…] all hail hereafter” “to a coward”
- Lady Macbeth - Act 1 Scene 7
JUXTAPOSITION: LM’s initial flattery curdles into a poisonous insult in which emasculates Macbeth. Having hailed him as soon to be king, she now reduces him to be a mere “coward” to catalyse him into committing regicide to become king.
- The single word pierces Macbeth’s core, a soldier defined by courage and strength. it is not just a questioning of his masculinity; it is a brutal attack on the very essence of his identity and his battlefield reputation
CONTEXTUAL LINK: within the rigid gender roles of Jacobean society, a man’s dominance over his wide was paramount. LM recognised that M’s ambition, his hamartia, was deeply intertwined with his perceived masculinity and exploits this to propel him to violate kingship.
- By stripping him of the mantle of a dominant husband through the EPITHET (nickname) “coward” she threatened the very foundation of his self worth. This emasculation becomes a kay factor in his downfall is his ambition crumbles when his image of a powerful man is shattered and all he can do to reinstate his power lost is to become king.
“Oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths.”
- Banquo - Act 1 Scene 3
AUDITORY image on “instruments”: the auditory imagery created by the lexis (word choice) “instruments” to characterise the Witches implies a malevolent musicality. This showcases how their words possess an almost hypnotic trance for Macbeth in which catalyses his usurpation of kingship.
- The choice of “instruments” suggests a deliberate orchestration of their deceit framing their speech as a manipulative melodic composition that enchants its victims
PLOSIVE on “darkness”: the ‘d’ plosive sound in the word “darkness” creates a harsh sound foreshadowing the dark, ominous and grim destiny the witches are ready to inflict upon Macbeth due to his blind violation of the divine right of kings.
- significantly Banquo’s discernment ability to judge well) of this “Darkness” indicates his immunity to the hypnotic and malevolent musicality that captivates Macbeth. Banquo’s ability to perceive their looming malevolence distinguishes him as a character not easily swayed by the enchanting allure of kingship that Macbeth falls victim to.
“I have no words; my voice is my sword.”
- Macduff - Act 5
VIOLENT METAPHOR: in employing a violent metaphor, Macduff contends that the restoration of Scotland’s Natural order necessitates physical violence - his ambition is to rightfully restore Scotland from Macbeth’s violation of kingship. Thus, the initial upheaval brought about by Macbeth’s violent tyrannical means, mandates a similar force to rectify the natural order of the divine right of kings that has been disrupted
- Macduff is the archetype (perfect example) of the avenging hero , motivated by revenge. Despite his personal motivations rooted in revenge, the nobility of his intentions shines through as he wants to eradicate the chaos brought about from Macbeth’s immoral kingship
- His ambitious pursuit of dismantling Macbeth single-handedly to restore order is materialising into a reality
SHORT SENTENCE: The short sentence reflects the short amount of time that Scotland will have to continue to suffer - by slewing Macbeth Scotland can be rightly governed and flourish under divine ordain.
“Macbeth does murder sleep!”
- Macbeth - Act 2 Scene 1
He hears a voice telling him he will no longer be able to sleep
“Sleep” symbolises peace or calm, so this is a suggestion that Macbeth will no longer be at peace because he committed regicide
Shakespeare could be suggesting that in the act of murdering a king, he has murdered his own chance at peace – and perhaps eternal peace: Heaven
- The disintegration of innocence is a direct consequence of his deceitful actions in seizing the throne and committing regicide. Macbeth’s descent into madness is evident as he no longer issues IMPERATIVE COMMANDS like “stars hide your fires”. instead he reflects on the mental anguish and haunting cries that torment his troubled mind due to his transgression of the divine right of kings.
- EXCLAMATIVE SENTENCE emphasises the enduring and irreversible nature of Macbeth’s loss of sleep and innocence. His disruption of the natural order through his wickedness, masked by a facade of moral piety (religiousness) has forever condemned his mind to the relentless torment of guilt.
