Macbeth Quotes Flashcards
Macbeth at start of play
In Act 1, Scene 2 of Macbeth, Macbeth is first introduced as a brave and loyal warrior. This scene showcases his valor and the respect others have for him, particularly in his role in helping to defeat the traitorous Macdonwald. Below are some key quotes about Macbeth in this scene:
- The Sergeant’s Praise of Macbeth’s Bravery:
“For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name— / Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, / Which smoked with bloody execution, / Like valour’s minion carved out his passage.” (Act 1, Scene 2)
Explanation: The Sergeant praises Macbeth’s bravery and skill in battle, describing him as “brave Macbeth” and emphasizing his valor in defeating the rebel forces. This establishes Macbeth as a courageous and noble warrior, before his tragic descent into ambition. - Duncan’s Admiration for Macbeth:
“O valiant cousin! / Worthy gentleman!” (Act 1, Scene 2)
Explanation: Duncan uses these words to express his admiration for Macbeth after hearing about his heroic actions in battle. Duncan refers to him as a “worthy gentleman,” showing the trust and respect he has for Macbeth at this point in the play. - The Sergeant’s Description of Macbeth’s Fighting:
“Till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps, / And fix’d his head upon our battlements.” (Act 1, Scene 2)
Explanation: The Sergeant describes how Macbeth killed the rebel Macdonwald, highlighting his brutal and fearless nature. This vivid imagery of Macbeth’s combat prowess shows him as a warrior capable of executing savage and decisive acts. - Duncan’s Praise of Macbeth:
“No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive / Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death, / And with his former title greet Macbeth.” (Act 1, Scene 2)
Explanation: Duncan’s decision to reward Macbeth with the title of Thane of Cawdor is based on his belief in Macbeth’s loyalty and bravery. This moment foreshadows Macbeth’s rise to power, setting the stage for the witches’ prophecy to take hold.
Mcabeth quotes act 1 scene 4
In this quote from Macbeth (Act 1, Scene 4), Macbeth reveals his internal conflict and moral struggle. He expresses a desire for his dark, ambitious thoughts (“black and deep desires”) to remain hidden from the world (“stars, hide your fires”), suggesting that he does not want divine forces or anyone else to witness his intentions. The metaphor of the “eye wink at the hand” reflects his wish to ignore his conscience (represented by the “eye”) so that he can carry out his actions (symbolized by the “hand”) without guilt. However, this paradox creates tension, as Macbeth is torn between his ambition and his awareness of the wrongness of his plans. The phrase “stars, hide your fires” could symbolize a desire to act in darkness and avoid detection or judgment, further emphasizing his moral blindness and the conflict between his desires and his conscience.
Mcabeth quotes act 1 scene 4
In this quote from Macbeth (Act 1, Scene 4), Macbeth reveals his internal conflict and moral struggle. He expresses a desire for his dark, ambitious thoughts (“black and deep desires”) to remain hidden from the world (“stars, hide your fires”), suggesting that he does not want divine forces or anyone else to witness his intentions. The metaphor of the “eye wink at the hand” reflects his wish to ignore his conscience (represented by the “eye”) so that he can carry out his actions (symbolized by the “hand”) without guilt. However, this paradox creates tension, as Macbeth is torn between his ambition and his awareness of the wrongness of his plans. The phrase “stars, hide your fires” could symbolize a desire to act in darkness and avoid detection or judgment, further emphasizing his moral blindness and the conflict between his desires and his conscience.
Act 1 scene 7 quotes for macbeth
“I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’other.” - Macbeth, (A1S7)
• Macbeth knows that the only argument for killing Duncan is to satisfy his ambition. He also knows that blindly obeying ambition will end in disaster. The phrase “o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’other” suggests ambition makes people think illogically, so that they overestimate their own abilities and get ahead of themselves. Additionally, it portrays ambition as self-destructive. It
“o’erleaps itself” rather than having someone or something else make it
“o’erleap”.
• The metaphor of horse-racing continues throughout this whole line of thought, mimicking the way people treat life as a race or competition. The motif evokes the sense of a rush to the finish, with everyone panicked as they chase down power and success.
• In the metaphor, Macbeth sees himself as both jockey and horse. Shakespeare could be implying that Macbeth is trying to control his ambition, but feels like his ambition will end up controlling him. As he is reduced from the jockey to the horse, he becomes more animalistic.
• This reflects the way the Jacobeans believed the only thing that separated humans from animals was reason or logic. If a man lost his reason and acted irrationally, he was a beast. Macbeth is aware that ambition can make him act mindlessly, in the same way an animal would.
Quotes macbeth act 2 scene 1
Act 2, Scene 1 – Macbeth’s Soliloquy Before the Murder of Duncan:
“Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. / I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.”
Explanation: This famous soliloquy represents Macbeth’s overwhelming guilt and anxiety as he prepares to murder Duncan. The vision of the dagger symbolizes his inner conflict, and the fact that he “sees” it even though it is not physically there reflects his deteriorating mental state.
Act 2 scene 2 after murdering duncan
Act 2, Scene 2 – After the Murder of Duncan:
“I am afraid to think what I have done; / Look on ’t again I dare not.”
Explanation: Immediately after killing Duncan, Macbeth is overwhelmed with guilt and fear. This quote shows how his ambition has led to irreversible actions, and his inability to look at his own deeds emphasizes his psychological distress.
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas in incarnadine, / Making the green one red.”
Explanation: Macbeth is consumed by guilt after Duncan’s murder, believing that nothing can cleanse him of his sin. His statement illustrates the extent of his moral corruption and foreshadows the idea that his actions will forever stain him, both literally and figuratively.
Act 3 quotes
Act 3, Scene 1 – Macbeth’s Growing Paranoia:
“To be thus is nothing; / But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo / Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature / Reigns that which would be feared.”
Explanation: Now that Macbeth is king, he feels insecure and fearful of losing his throne. His jealousy and paranoia about Banquo and the witches’ prophecy make him view Banquo as a threat to his rule, even though Banquo himself has shown no ambition to harm Macbeth. This highlights Macbeth’s growing instability and his increasing dependence on violence to secure his position.
Act 3, Scene 2 – Macbeth’s Alienation from Lady Macbeth:
“Better be with the dead, / Whom we, to gain our place, have sent to peace, / Than on the torture of the mind to lie / In restless ecstasy.”
Explanation: Macbeth expresses how he feels trapped by his conscience and is tormented by his actions. He suggests that death would be preferable to living with the constant guilt and anxiety that plague him after Duncan’s murder.
Act 3, Scene 4 – Macbeth’s First Encounter with Banquo’s Ghost:
“Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! / Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; / Thou hast no speculation in those eyes / Which thou dost glare with.”
Explanation: At the banquet, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost and is horrified. His irrational fear and inability to control his emotions in front of his guests demonstrate his unraveling mental state and growing paranoia. His desperate attempts to dismiss the ghost indicate his inability to escape the consequences of his actions.
Act 3, Scene 4 – Macbeth’s Descent into Tyranny:
“It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood. / Stones have been known to move and trees to speak; / Augurs and understood relations have / By maggot-pies and choughs and rooks brought forth / The secret’st man of blood.”
Explanation: Macbeth acknowledges that murder leads to more murder, and that violence begets violence. This marks his further moral degradation as he justifies further killings to secure his rule. His reference to “blood” reflects the central theme of guilt and violence throughout the play.
