Macbeth: Macbeth Flashcards
When Macbeth and banquo meet the witches
Act 1 scene 3
Speaker: Macbeth
- supernatural
“Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more”
L/S:
- imperative suggests he wants to know more about the prophecies
Macbeth switches roles with Lady Macbeth when discussing banquo
Act 3 scene 2
Speaker: Macbeth
- Deception
“Make our faces vizards(masks) to our hearts, disguising what they really are”
L/S:
- ‘vizards’ shows that they are hiding their true intentions to other people
- ‘what they are’ is very general and may be showing Macbeth’s fear
- now Macbeth is the one telling lady Macbeth to hide there true intentions (“look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it”
When M and Banquo meet the witches, M talks about how his ambitions are scaring him
“Present fears…Are less than horrible imaginings”
Contrast ‘fears’ and ‘imaginings’ his thoughts and ambitions frighten him more than the dangers which threaten him in the present
Macbeth talking to LM about Banquo still being a threat to the throne, snake act 3 scene 2
“We have scorch’d the snake, not kill’d it”
Scorch’d means the snake is wounded but can still be dangerous
Snake can represent banquo
Sibiliance creates a sinister tone
M discussing his ambitions and how he will leave it up to chance act 1 scene 3
“If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me”
Personification of “chance” Macbeth doesn’t want his ambitions to take over
But “may” suggests chance might fail and he in fact does have to take over
Macbeth talking about his temptation in act 1 scene 4 stars
“Stars hide your fires; / let not light see my black and deep desires”
Juxtaposition of ‘black’ and ‘light’
‘Desires’ becoming king
Macbeth addressing LM greatness act 1 scene 5
Speaker: Macbeth
“My dearest partner in greatness”
Superlative ‘dearest’ showing the closeness and intimacy of there relationship
‘Partner’ shows they are equal here
Macbeth hallucinating about seeing a dagger act 2 scene 1
“Is this a dagger which i see before me? The handle towards my hand”
The ‘handle’ is temping him to kill Duncan
Macbeth talking about his guilt after killing Duncan religious imagery
“ I could not say Amen”
Guilt since he couldn’t say amen
Shows Macbeth’s insecurities after becoming king act 3 scene 1
“To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus”
- when talking about being king he is saying it means nothing unless he is safely king
- ‘thus’ refers to being king
Macbeth tells LM to not worry about his plans to kill Banquo and Fleance act 3 scene 2
“Be innocent of knowledge dearest chuck”
‘Dearest chuck’ term of endearment
Macbeth is becoming less dependent on lady Macbeth to fuel his ambitions and is becoming more ruthless
Shows Macbeth descending into madness before killing banquo act 3 scene 2
“O, full of scorpions is my mind”
‘Scorpions’ poisonous due to the guilt he is facing
Macbeth shows his guilt when he sees Banquos ghost gory locks
“Never shake thy gory locks at me…thou canst not say I did it”
‘Never’ shows his guilt
‘It’ is indefinite doesn’t want to speak about the actual murder
Macbeth talking about blood repetition to show his guilt act 3 scene 4
“It will have blood they say, blood will have blood”
Repetition of blood shows he is stuck in a cycle of violence
Macbeth talking about all the violence and he can’t go back now act 3 scene 4
“I am in blood stepp’d in so far, that should I wade no more returning were as tedious as to go O’er”
‘Tedious’ violence has gotten repetitive
There no way out of the violence
