Macbeth Quotes Flashcards
From the beginning of the play the audience see that what is right can be wrong, and what is wrong can be right. Boundaries between good and evil are blurred and confused.
Act one Scene one
Witches: “fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
Analysis
Act one Scene one
Witches: “fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
The alliteration of the “f” creates a sinister, uneasy tone
The repetition of “fair” and “foul” suggests the two ideas are interchangeable, emphasised further by the definite “is”
“Foul” is more dominant and intimidating than “fair” is caring and pleasant - the evil element overpowers goodness
Macbeth killing rebel during the battle against Norway.
Macbeth “unseamed” him “from the nave to the chaps”. “Unseamed” suggests that Macbeth managed to slice the enemy with strength and brute force, as if he were merely slicing through the seam of clothing.
Macbeth is willing to use violence and put ‘seams’ through people who are disloyal to his king.
The sergeant gives his report on the battle that has just occurred, and Banquo and Macbeth’s role in it. The audience’s first impression of Macbeth is as a great warrior, a heroic character who is fierce and valiant on the battlefield
Act One Scene Two
Sergeant: “As cannons over-charged with double cracks.”
Act One Scene Two
Sergeant: “As cannons over-charged with double cracks.”
Vocabulary such as “cannon” and “charged” gives the audience a sense of Macbeth’s explosive, violent power, as if he himself was a powerful weapon who is highly capable of killing.
The alliteration of the strong “c” sound mimics the dynamic movements of Macbeth through the battlefield
The use of “over” and “double” highlights Macbeth has far more value than a typical soldier - he stands above the rest
Act one Scene four
Macbeth: “Stars hide your fires” “Let not light see my black and deep desires”
This quote is spoken by Macbeth and contains two instances of alliteration in the repeating sounds of “let light” and “deep desires,” which emphasise the passion behind his words. Macbeth also uses metaphor in his depiction of light as symbolic of goodness, while black symbolises the evil he is about to commit. This juxtaposition of light and dark emphasises Macbeth’s tumultuous mental state.
Lady Macbeth believes Macbeth does not have the ruthless nature required to become king. Through this statement the audience come to believe she is the driving force behind the events of the play
Act one Scene five
Lady Macbeth: “Too full of the milk of human kindness”
Act one Scene five
Lady Macbeth: “Too full of the milk of human kindness”
The suggestion Macbeth is “too full” implies he is not only good-natured, but he is “too” full - it will stop him from achieving the crown
The image of “milk” has associations with a comforting and soothing nature - not the qualities Lady Macbeth thinks are required to become king. In Shakespearean context, it should be the women who are gentle and kind, not men.
It is significant she uses the phrase “human” kindness - she implies Macbeth needs to be inhuman, perhaps even supernatural like the witches, if he is to succeed
Lady Macbeth believes she must reject he womanly nature is she is to help Macbeth - she also suggests the only way to gain power is through a commitment to evil rather than positive actions
Act one Scene five
Lady Macbeth: “Come, you spirits”
“unsex me here! / And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full/ Of direst cruelty!”
Act one Scene five
Lady Macbeth: “Come, you spirits”
“unsex me here! / And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full/ Of direst cruelty!”
The fact that Lady Macbeth invites the spirits with the phrase “Come, you spirits” shows she has embraced the supernatural whereas Macbeth seems nervous of its power.
The phrase “unsex me here” is an explicit rejection of traditionally female behaviour. Lady Macbeth is rejecting the typical patriarchal society of the time
Wants spirits to strip he of her feminine qualities
Not only is Lady Macbeth prepared to be cruel, but the adjective “direst” highlights the extreme lengths she is willing to go to.
Lady Macbeth wishes for her “milk” to be turned into “gall”
Indicates that she is willing to become cruel and callous in order to help Macbeth become king.
Lady Macbeth shows that manipulation and deceit are the most effective methods of gaining power
Act one Scene five
Lady Macbeth: “Look like the innocent flower/ But be the serpent under’t”
Act one Scene five
Lady Macbeth: “Look like the innocent flower/ But be the serpent under’t”
The imagery of the “innocent flower” highlights the goodness, but also the vulnerability, of honest human behaviour.
The juxtaposition with “the serpent under’t” is a clear biblical reference to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, who helped to bring original sin into the world. The audience would certainly link this with the Devil
This suggests Lady Macbeth would rather act like the devil than as a moral human being - like the witches, she sees that “fair is foul, and foul is fair”
The word “under’t” implies evil is underneath all of our behaviour
Producing and caring for children was a main role for women - Lady Macbeth states she would cruelly reject, even destroy, her child in the pursuit for power
Act one Scene seven
Lady Macbeth: “while it was smiling in my face” “plucked my nipple from his boneless gums”
and “dashed the brains out”
Act one Scene seven
Lady Macbeth: “while it was smiling in my face” “plucked my nipple from his boneless gums”
and “dashed the brains out”
Lady Macbeth’s ability to feel no guilt is highlighted by the fact she believes she could kill her child even if it were “smiling in my face”, also showing her willingness to destroy something innocent
Her ruthless nature is accentuated by the speed with which she is willing to act - the words “plucked” and “dashed” both suggest swift, clinical movements
The use of the phrase “dashed the brains out” foreshadows the horrors acted upon children later in the play. She is again rejecting her traditional womanly role as a mother
Macbeth is hallucinating, showing the deterioration of his state of mind and the influences the witches and Lady Macbeth have had on him
Act two Scene one
Macbeth: “Is this a dagger which I see before me?”
Act two Scene one
Macbeth: “Is this a dagger which I see before me?”
The question “is this” is representative of Macbeth’s state of mind - he is full of uncertainty and doubt
The fact that it is a “dagger” before him suggests his mind has become corrupted by violence - the handle of the dagger is pointing towards his hand, almost inviting him to use it
In a patriarchal society, male leaders are not meant to have doubt - they are meant to be powerful, certain and strong. Macbeth has become a weaker warrior since warfare on the battlefields in Act One
Doubt, confusion and guilt have now overcome Macbeth. The fact that he cannot say “Amen” shows the audience that Macbeth’s actions have separated him from religion, something that could strike fear into a Shakespearean audience with a strong Christian belief
Act two Scene two
Macbeth: “But wherefore could not I pronounce Amen?/ I had most need of blessing, and Amen/ Stuck in my throat.”
Act two Scene two
Macbeth: “But wherefore could not I pronounce Amen?/ I had most need of blessing, and Amen/ Stuck in my throat.”
Much like “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” the question is representative of Macbeth’s state of mind - he is too full of uncertainty and doubt. His hesitancy contrasts greatly with the active behaviour of Lady Macbeth.
The repetition of “Amen” brings religion to the audience’s attention - the fact it “stuck in [his] throat” implies Macbeth has acted so evilly that religion has turned against him - evil cannot co-exist with religion
Lady Macbeth has to become more ruthless as Macbeth’s courage begins to fade - she believes she can simply wash away any sense of guilt for the murders
Act two Scene two
Lady Macbeth: “A little water clears us of this deed.”
