Macbeth Quotations Flashcards
“Brave Macbeth (Well he deserves that name)”
Ross Act 1 Scene 2
He is seen in high regard by the king and people around him.
Zoom in - on word deserves because not only is he strong and fearless in fighting on the battlefield but he protects his king and country. He is worthy of this as a valiant soldier
Foreshadowing - This bravery allows him later on in the play to murder other characters so fighting on the battlefield prepares him for this. Other characters wouldnt use their bravery to this extreme.
Irony - He is given the title of Thane of Cawdor to reward him for his loyalty.
Context - Patriachy - Society judged a mans character not on his values - how honest or trustworthy he was but on how brave he was.
This quote shows that the royals are a terrible judge of character because the last Thane of Cawdor betrayed them and Macbeth will do the same.
” Let not light see my black and deep desires”
Macbeth Act 1 Scene 4
Metaphor - Light - Meaning God or people he knows
Deep inside - thoughts are stuck with him
Shows he already had thoughts like these before meeting Lady Macbeth. We can use this quote to argue that Macbeth influences her not the other way round. This quote is in act 1 scene 4 before he even speaks to her. He is having these dark and deep desires about killing the king.
Zoom in - Deep - They have become a part of him deep inside.
Supernatural - It shows how powerful the supernatural is. They are a catalyst for character change.
Transformation of character - in scene 3 (within 1 scene) we see how Macbeths character changes. Before he was willing to sacrifice his life on the battlefiled for his country. Now after meeting the witches he is overcome with desire and ambition.
” Unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty”
Lady Macbeth Act 1 Scene 5 (From Lady Macbeths Soliloqy
Take away feminine qualities and give her masculine features
Wants to be fully emersed. She wants everything thats good (Compassion, consciousness, guilt) taken out and to be filled entirly with cruelty and evilness. Zoom in “from the crown to the toe”
Supernatural - Demonstrates the supernatural is more powerful than Lady Macbeth
Imperative/Command - “Unsex me here” here shows desperation - she wants this to happen now.
Society/Patriachy - For a women to be powerful she wopuld have to sacrifice so much
Manipulation - Lady Macbeth’s Character
“When you durst do it, then you were a man”
Lady Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7
Uses masculinity as a way to prove he is masculine to Lady Macbeth
Patriachy - Macbeth has to show that he is courageous and brave in the eyes of his wife
Lady Macbeth - Manipulative - She plays on this and when Macbeth has second thoughts about killing the king, she implies that hes a coward. Blackmailing him and questioning his masculinity. Macbeth will want to prove her wrong.
Some people may argue that Macbeth kills Duncan to prove hius masculinity to his wife rat her than the desire to become king.
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand”
Macbeth Act 2 Scene 2
Hes not used to killing for a bad reason
Guilt fades away with every person he kills. After killing Duncan the guiltis extreme but then the time he kills Macduffs son he doesnt feel the same level of guilt. This is because killing is now normalised.
Character - From Act 2 Scene 2 up until Act 5 Scene 2 Macbeth becomes almost emotionless
Link with Act 5 Scene 1 when Lady Macbeth tries to wash blood off he hands
Irony - When Macbeth says this Lady Macbeth tells him to get over it but then she does this in act 5
“out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow”
Macbeth Act 5 Scene 5
Shows him chasing power, money, status
He has a realisation he cant reach his shadow
Character - Macbeth is showing regret and remorse but realises its too late to make a change. The armies are outside the castle and they will kill him whether he fights or surrenders.
Metaphor - “brief candle” is a metaphor for life and represents Macbeths life. Once its lit it wil burn until its blown out or the wax is used up. Macduff chops his head off
Symbolism - Shadow symbolises power, ambition and money
Zoom in - “walking shadow” - means macbeth always wants more
He wanted to become king once he had become king he wanted to kill Banquo and try and kill fleance to protect his lineage.
“Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t”
Lady Macbeth Act 1 Scene 5
2 faced
Look happy but be evil
Semantic field of snakes being evil
Personification - Innocent flower - be two faced
Biblical - Serpent - Refering to the serpent in the garden of eden, which helped to bring originall sin into the world and the audience would link this with the devil.
Imagery - “Innocent flower” higihlights goodness but vulnerability of honest human behaviour
Juxtaposition with innocent flower and serpent
Links Lady Macbeth to the withches because she is evil.
“Full of scorpions is my mind”
Macbeth Act 3 Scene 2
Foreshadowing - he will lose his mind - scorpions are eating at his mind
In act 3, 4 and 5 he is a man possesed by his hunger and his desire for power
“Fair is foul and foul is fair”
The witches Act 1 Scene 1
Morality is flipped
Sums up whole play - to begin with Macbeth is brave but then becomes evil and confident and beautiful Lady Macbeth is a broken mess by the end.
Supernatural forces have taken everthing and turned them upside down.
“the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence.”
Banquo Act 1 Scene 3
Tell truths to win you but they will suffer consequences
Foreshadowing - Something terrible will happen
The witches are the instruments of darkness “play” Macbeth and Banquo but more so Macbeth as he falls for it.
Juxtapositition - The witches are evil and nasty but will tell us truths. Not because they care about you but they want to win your trust and loyalty.
Foreshadowing - they pull you in and betray you and put you “in deepest consequence” suffer the consequences of trusting the witches.
He keeps going back like a drug addict. They keep drawing him in saying things like “no man born of a woman can hurt you” so Macbeth thinks he is invincible. The witches knew that Macduff wasnt born that way. Once they have drawn Macbeth in, they destroy him.
