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macbeth quotes Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

‘fair is foul, and foul is fair’

A
  • witches
  • foreshadowing, setting the mood of the supernatural
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2
Q

‘let not light see my black and deep desires’

A
  • macbeth
  • after duncan announces that he will name his son Malcolm the next king, Macbeth hopes his disappointment doesn’t show. he must find a way to prevent Malcolm from becoming king
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3
Q

‘yet i do fear thy nature; it is too full of the milk of human kindness’

A
  • lady macbeth ( referring to macbeth )
  • she fears that Macbeth is too kind to go through with killing duncan
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4
Q

‘look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t’

A
  • lady macbeth (speaking to macbeth)
  • this is just before king duncan’s arrival at their castle. macbeth’s wife wants him to act nice to duncan’s face and hide his evil intentions
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5
Q

‘come you spirits, unsex me here , and fill me from the crown to toe top-full of direst cruelty’

A
  • lady macbeth
  • calling on the spirits to take away her feminine, weakness and fill her with evil because she wants duncan dead
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6
Q

‘is this a dagger i see before me, the handle toward my hand?’

A
  • macbeth
  • hallucinating that he sees a dagger before he kills duncan
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7
Q

‘a little water clears us of this deed’

A
  • lady macbeth
  • after killing duncan, she tells macbeth that all they have to do is wash their hands and they will be cleared of their sin
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8
Q

‘double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble’

A
  • the witches
  • shows that what the witches say can have a double meaning
  • macbeth better watch out, he’s in big trouble for killing everyone on his way to the crown
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9
Q

‘O, full of scorpions is my mind!, my dear wife!’

A
  • macbeth
  • his guilty conscience is attacking him and stinging him
    -the scorpions represent both macbeth’s uneasiness and his dark desire to murder fleance and banquo. The knowledge that fleance and banquo are still alive fills macbeth with anxiety and dread.
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10
Q

‘there’s daggers in men’s smiles’

A
  • donalbain
  • donalbain is saying that him and his brother malcolm are not safe if they stay where they are
  • the men who smile at them are actually concealing daggers, wanting their blood
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11
Q

‘here’s the smell of the blood still. all the perfumes of arabia will not sweeten this little hand’

A
  • lady macbeth
  • she says this as she realises that nothing in the world will erase the stain of king duncan’s death from her conscience
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12
Q

‘macbeth does murder sleep!’

A
  • macbeth
  • due to his crime and guilt, he will never be able to sleep’
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13
Q

‘a coward in thine own esteem’

A
  • lady macbeth
  • she’s asking macbeth if he’s too afraid to make the move
  • manipulating him
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14
Q

‘when durst you do it, then you were a man’

A
  • lady macbeth
  • manipulating macbeth by speaking of his manhood
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15
Q

‘disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel’

A
  • macbeth will completely turn his initial bravery on its head, resulting in macbeth’s downfall
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16
Q

macbeth

A

macbeth is an ambitious man, fated to be king. he starts the play as Thane of Glamis, but is told by the witches that he will soon be declared Thane of Cawdor and later King.
* Married to Lady Macbeth
* Is told the future by The Witches
* Murders Duncan
* Initially friends with Banquo but then sees him as a threat
* Orders The Murderers to kill his enemies
* Defeated in battle by Macduff

17
Q

lady macbeth

A
  • it is she who suggests to macbeth that they should kill duncan in order to make the witches’ prophecy come true.
  • seemingly more strong willed than macbeth, she helps her husband recover from his fear after he kills duncan, and helps the cover up. But as macbeth grows more and more used to being a tyrant following duncan’s murder, lady macbeth suffers more and more from guilt. she goes mad and finally kills herself#
  • married to macbeth
  • helps to murder duncan in her house
18
Q

macduff

A
  • macduff is a loyal thane in duncan’s service. unlike the treasonous macbeth, macduff is completely loyal to duncan and his son malcolm. he discovers duncan’s body, and he soon becomes suspicious of macbeth
  • fearing macbeth’s vengeance, he flees to england to support malcolm in his assault on macbeth. however, this leaves his castle, wife and children undefended, and macbeth has macduff’s family killed. this spurs on his anger and desire to restore scotland. macduff is finally able to kill macbeth as he was, as the witches’ prophecy stated, “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped”.
  • Married to Lady Macduff
  • Discovers the dead body of Duncan
  • Allies himself with Malcolm
  • Kills Macbeth in battle
  • A relation of Ross
19
Q

lady macduff

A
  • lady macduff is married to macduff and together they have a young son who also appears in the play
  • we meet lady macduff as she talks with ross and then her son about macduff, declaring him a traitor. she believes he cannot love his family as he has fled the country for england and left them behind. this conversation is cut off midway at the arrival of the murderers, who proceed to kill both lady macduff and her son by order of macbeth.
  • Married to Macduff
  • Is killed by The Murderers
  • A relation of Ross
20
Q

banquo

A
  • banquo is a thane in duncan’s army, and at first a friend to macbeth. he is equal in rank to macbeth at the beginning of the play, and although macbeth is told he will be King, banquo is told that his children will be kings.
  • after macbeth kills duncan and becomes king, banquo grows suspicious of his former friend and considers him to be a tyrant. however, macbeth has him murdered before he can act.
  • he later appears as a ghost and frightens macbeth at his banquet. banquo finally appears in the play as an apparition with eight of his descendents, showing macbeth that they will be kings. by frightening him into becoming more of a tyrant, banquo pushes macbeth towards his fate.
  • Initially friends with Macbeth but returns to haunt him
  • Is told his future by The Witches
  • Is stabbed to death by The Murderers
21
Q

duncan

A
  • duncan is the king of scotland.
  • the play begins with duncan, his sons and his thanes engaged in a battle with rebel lords and the invading king of norway. he trusts macbeth and all of his loyal men, and makes macbeth Thane of Cawdor in gratitude for his service in the battle. he is presented as a good king, not least by macbeth, who initially seems reluctant to kill him
  • with his death scotland descends into chaos and tyranny under macbeth.
  • Father of Malcolm
  • Trusts Macbeth but is killed by him
  • Accepts the hospitality of Lady Macbeth but is betrayed
21
Q

ross

A
  • ross is a Scottish nobleman, and a relation of macduff and his wife.
  • he acts as a messenger repeatedly in the play, delivering the news of the Thane of Cawdor’s treachery to duncan, announcing to macbeth that he has been promoted to Thane, reporting to macduff that his family has been slaughtered, and finally telling seyward of his son’s death in battle
  • Thane in service of Duncan
  • Tells Macbeth he is Thane of Cawdor
  • A relation of Macduff
  • A relation of Lady Macduff
  • Tells Macduff of his wife’s murder
21
Q

malcolm

A
  • malcolm is duncan’s eldest son. he is declared as duncan’s heir at the end of the opening battle, an event that macbeth sees as an obstacle to his ambitions.
  • upon duncan’s death, malcolm and donalbain flee from scotland, fearing that they will suffer a fate similar to duncan. This is perceived as guilt, and they are blamed for duncan’s murder.
  • He is later seen hiding in england with macduff, where he tests macduff’s loyalty to scotland and to him by lying about himself. when macduff proves to be loyal to scotland, he reveals his true, kingly nature and tells of his plan to regain scotland from macbeth. he suggests that his soldiers disguise themselves as trees from birnam wood, and thus brings about a sign of macbeth’s downfall. It is implied, at the end of the play that he will be crowned king.
  • Son of Duncan
  • Tests the loyalty of Macduff
21
Q

the witches

A
  • the witches, or ‘weird sisters’ (act I, scene 3), appear before macbeth and banquo whilst they are out walking and tell them prophecies of what both of their futures hold.
  • they predict that macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and king of scotland, while banquo’s sons will be heirs to the throne although he shall never be king himself.
  • their predictions begin the train of events that lead to many murders, the downfall of scotland, and ultimately macbeth’s death.
  • Predict that Macbeth will become king
  • Tell Banquo that his children will be kings

english poem quotes (4 decks)

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