Macbeth quotes analysis Flashcards
Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth
Look like th’ innocent flower / But be the serpent under ‘t
(themes/meaning/context)
appearance/reality
shows power of LM
LM changes throughout play - here she is powerful and manipulative
shows ability to influence husband - does she have a supernatural influence over him?
links to gunpowder plot - medal created featuring a snake amongst flowers
Shakespeare is conveying the message that those who are deceitful will fail, foreshadowing
Act 2 Scene 1
M
Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle towards my hand?
effect of the guilt Macbeth feels, he is hallucinating
alternatively links to the supernatural, they could be real daggers
‘handle towards my hand’ - the dagger is tempting Macbeth, maybe it has been placed there by the witches
may also symbolise the throne, he sees it and can’t touch it - he never really has full control of the throne
A3 S2:
M
O, full of scorpions is my mind
shows the guilt is breaking Macbeth
unable to cope with what he’s done
A1 S3:
M
So foul and fair a day I have not seen
echoes the witches words
Macbeth is already evil/influenced by the witches
A5 S7:
(MALCOLM) Of this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen
‘butcher’ Macbeth killed cruelly and messily without thinking it through
‘fiend-like’ Lady Macbeth was manipulative and sly
A2 S3:
M
If I had died but an hour before this chance, / I had lived a blessed time
irony
hearers assume Macbeth is mourning the death of the king
he is actually expressing his guilt over the murder, which he ignores as the play progresses and he causes more murders
Act 1 Scene 5
LM
fill me from the crown to the toe top full / Of direst cruelty
goes against traditional gender roles, desires power
wants to get rid of her feminine qualites to increase her desire to make M king
appeals to evil spirits
from ‘crown’ to toe - lots of ambition needed for their goal
A5 S5:
M
full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing
describes life after hearing about LM’s death
extended metaphor
regrets his actions, knows nothing he has done will last or be celebrated
his ambition destroys the meaning of everything
A3 S1
M
Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown
decides to murder Banquo
is jealous
seems to have overcome his guilt
Act 3, Scene 4
LM
This is the very painting of your fear
frustrated with Macbeth
she can’t console him, shows her power/influence is declining
when she and Macbeth stop working together they both go insane, message that secrecy and lies will fail
Act 5 Scene 1
LM
Out, damned spot!
sleepwalking, outward manifestation of her guilt
when Macbeth loses remorse for the murders, she begins to feel guilty
permanently stained, she can’t undo what she’s done
consequence of going against great chain of being
A5 S1
LM
What’s done cannot be undone / To bed, to bed, to bed.
repetition and monosyllabic language
fragmented speech shows her altered state of mind, desperation
short sentences convey sense of urgency, as if she is asking for help
implies she wants to get rid of herself, foreshadows her suicide
metaphor of death, wants to put issues to bed
change of character
A1 S1
(witches)
Fair is foul and foul is fair
establishes plays mood and main theme: things are not as they seem
evidenced by false sense of security
confusion between good and bad
characters will struggle to understand what is going on
alliteration draws attention to words starting with f
A1 S1
(stage directions)
Thunder and lightning
sets mood of strange and curious things to come
makes them seem more dangerous
