Macbeth Quotes and Analysis Flashcards

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1
Q

what genre of play is Macbeth? What does this make the character Macbeth?

A

It is a tragedy, and this makes Macbeth the tragic hero

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2
Q

what is a tragic hero?

A

The Greek philosopher Aristotle in his work ‘Poetics’ defines the tragic hero as someone who is highly renowned but has a reversal of fortune from good to bad and whose misfortune is brought about by some personal error or frailty which we call a character’s hamartia.

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3
Q

how is Macbeth presented in the opening scenes of the play?

A

In the opening scenes of the play, even before the audience meets Macbeth, Shakespeare made sure to present him as “noble” and highly renowned. In Act 1 Scene 2, the sergeant describes how “brave Macbeth” killed McDonald on the battlefield, cutting him open from the “nave to th’ chops”. Act 1 Scene 2 ends with King Duncan referring to Macbeth as “noble”, a term which Banquo repeats in Act 1 Scene 3, referring to him as his “noble partner”. Therefore, in these opening three opening scenes, we see that Macbeth is indeed highly renowned, from the sergeant who witnessed his actions on the battlefield, the King he serves, and his close friend. This well-rounded trio of opinion leaves the audience with no doubt that Macbeth starts the play as a man well respected by others.

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4
Q

Macbeth is described as cutting open Donalbain from “the nave to th’ chops”. How is this reflective of the society that Macbeth is set in?

A

Whilst this imagery might seem unnecessarily gory and shocking to modern society, it’s a good indicator of the martial society in which the play is set: a society where people prove themselves worthy of honour by their actions on the battlefield. We see this echoed throughout the play: when Siward learns of his son’s death in battle, he is pleased to know that his son’s wounds were to his front not his back, meaning that he died not running away from his foe, but facing them head on. This is a violent play, with blood spilled from the start to the end, and it’s into this setting that Macbeth is placed.

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5
Q

compare Macbeth and Banquo

A

However, when Macbeth meets the witches who prophesise, among other things, that Macbeth will one day be King, we see what many thing of as Macbeth’s harmartia: his ambition. To understand the significance of Macbeth’s reaction to the witches, we can compare

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6
Q

Prove + suggest reasons for Macbeth’s lack of love for lady Macbeth.

A
  • “She should have died hereafter” - afterwards he hardly speaks about her, only focuses on himself
  • death happens off stage to symbolise his lack of love, even interest - he ignores her, doesn’t go to her
  • their marriage has broken down - could be because of bitterness about the way Lady Macbeth emasculated him - “art thou a man”, “and live a coward in thine own esteem”, “i shame to wear a heart so white” (“white” has connotations of surrender, links to cowardliness)
  • it is a patriarchal society - Lady Macbeth has embarrassed Macbeth in public when he saw Banquo’s ghost and humiliated him in private by calling him a “coward”. Shakespeare reminds the audience of her proper, subservient place in this patriarchal society by having her die off stage. She is punished for being unsexed and rejecting her gender, her feminine role - “unsex me here”, “come to my woman’s breasts… Take my milk for gall”
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7
Q

One interpretation of the quote “she should have died hereafter” is that Macbeth has no love for Lady Macbeth. Suggest an alternative interpretation.

A
  • Macbeth is facing his own death, yet pities his wife for her guilt and mental anguish
  • on the eve of battle, he stops his vital preparations to summon a doctor to “minister” to her, which is an extraordinary mark of his love. He realises he has tried to keep her “innocent of the knowledge” of his own descent into violence, but he has failed in this and must take the blame for her madness
  • His comment perhaps means that he knows his death is imminent, but he had desperately hoped she would live a longer and perhaps a happier life.
  • he exclaims “throw physic to the dogs”, suggesting that he is so angered by the doctor’s inability to cure Lady Macbeth that he wants to get rid of all medicine - suggests he is desperate to save Lady Macbeth but can’t - sign of him loving her
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8
Q

give two interpretations of the fact that Macbeth doesn’t tell Lady Macbeth about Banquo’s murder.

A
  1. Macbeth wants to protect Lady Macbeth from his descent into violence - realises he has become addicted to violence and doesn’t want her caught up in it
  2. He doesn’t care about her and no longer has need of her to carry out his plans. He is perhaps angry at Lady Macbeth for goading him into killing Duncan, and therefore leaves her out of his future plans
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9
Q

suggest a reason for Lady Macbeth’s death happening off stage

A

The off-stage tragedy of Lady Macbeth’s death is presented partly to explain what can happen when women are denied any equality or power in a patriarchal society. Shakespeare wants us to be shocked that Lady Macbeth is not present on stage when she dies (plenty of characters do die on stage in Shakespeare’s plays). He could be saying that its not Macbeth’s indifference that leads to her dying off stage: it’s society that has shoved her to one side because she’s seen as unimportant, especially as she has tried to “unsex” herself and behave like a man.
Shakespeare could be suggesting that It is her marginalisation that leads to her desire to become queen and her subsequent persuasion of her husband to commit regicide.

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10
Q

give a piece of context about Shakespeare to do with the quote “my dearest partner in greatness”

A

Shakespeare married a woman who was at least his equal - Anne Hathaway was 26 compared to his 18 years

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11
Q

give a (contextual) link between Lady Macbeth persuading her husband to commit regicide and the Witches

A

It could be said that it is Lady Macbeth’s marginalisation that leads to her desire to become queen and her subsequent persuasion of her husband to commit regicide: would she have had to fight to try and make her husband as powerful as possible if she had been allowed to gain power in her own right? You can look at the creation of the witches in the same way: women are denied power by the patriarchal society, so they are forced to go to extreme lengths to obtain it. Therefore, it could be said that play is an attack on the male abuse of power.

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12
Q

what is the significance of the witches being ugly?

A

In those days, a woman’s looks were her only real way of obtaining power due to the patriarchal society. One interpretation is that, without this beauty, the witches were forced to go to extreme lengths to gain some form of power - could be seen as an attack on the male abuse of power.

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13
Q

“I come Graymalkin”

A

Graymalkin = grey cat
Cat = common Witches’ familiar
“Malkin” is a diminutive of Mary - Mary is a common name, grey cat pretty nondescript - could be a warning of Witches + supernatural’s omnipresence

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14
Q

“What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won”

A
  • Connection to “when the battle’s lost and won”? - perhaps reminding audience of omnipresence of Witches + supernatural.
  • perhaps suggesting Macbeth also inherited his treachery - old thane of Cawdor dies in “a deep repentance” and “nothing in his life became him like the leaving of it” - perhaps suggesting that the position of Thane of Cawdor is somehow cursed, and that as soon as he was relieved of the position he realised what he’d done, repented, and stopped being a traitor. This could foreshadow Macbeth, the newly appointed Thane of Cawdor, falling into treachery himself
  • “noble Macbeth” furthers this impression, as it highlights Macbeth’s nobility before his acquisition of the title of Thane of Cawdor and his descent into treachery.
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15
Q

Give two interpretations of the phrase “Aroynt thee” (said to the Wotch by the sailor’s wife). What does it show?

A
  1. ‘Rynt thee’ is an expression used by milkmaids to a cow after milking to get it out the way
  2. Relation to Scottish word ‘runt’, a term applied in contempt to an old woman
    Either way, it shows the woman’s contempt and dismissal of the witch, perhaps conveying the idea that the Witches, in their ugliness, were outcast from society and forced to take extreme measures to obtain any power. This could be a comment by Shakespeare on the effects of the patriarchy, showing what happens when you deny women of any power.
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16
Q

suggest a reason why Shakespeare started Macbeth with the Witches

A

To please King James I - wrote “Demonologie” in 1603, just 2 years before Macbeth was written - in 1597 James I presided on witch trials, accusing witches of trying to sink his ship and kill him by controlling the weather and storms

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17
Q

what meter do the witches speak in? why?

A

trochaic tetrameter - it gives their speech the quality of a childlike rhyme - imagery of familiars adds to this (children often play with animals) - Shakespeare could be insinuating (although he can’t say it outright) that the belief in the supernatural is a childish belief

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18
Q

what is a trochaic foot/trochee?

A

a pair of syllables: a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable

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19
Q

what is trochaic tetrameter?

A

a line of 4 trochaic feet

DUM-da DUM-da DUM-da DUM-da

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20
Q

what is an iambic foot/iamb?

A

a pair of syllables: an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

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21
Q

why does “fair is foul and foul is fair” seem sinister?

A

the fricatives (repetition of the “f” sound) cause the speaker to naturally bare their teeth, and this creates an impression of violence and suggests that the character has violent intentions - suggests right from start that witches have designs on Macbeth and that their designs will probably lead to violence

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22
Q

what is the word for a fatal flaw?

A

hamartia

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23
Q

what is a martial society?

A

a society that is driven by warfare and celebrates the warrior

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24
Q

Macbeth’s sword “smoked with bloody execution”. Analyse.

A

“smoked” - covered in steaming hot blood, connotes the speed of his attack
“execution” - he isn’t fighting - soldiers don’t have time to fight back before he “executes” them - shows his skill as a warrior

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25
Q

“till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps”

A
  • macbeth had to be using a short sword - wouldn’t be possible with a longsword - had to be really close to Macdonald as he sliced him open “from the nave to the chaps” - suggests he kills because he enjoys it not because he wants to - bloodlust?
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26
Q

what message could Shakespeare be trying to convey to the audience (king James I and his nobles) by setting the play in a martial society?

A

One of the political aspects of the play could be viewed as a campaign for a peaceful society and one that is ruled by civil law: by showing the way that the martial society has allowed Macbeth, an incredibly violent and destructive individual, to rise to power and cause so much chaos in Scotland, Shakespeare could be warning the court to move away from conflict. A natural consequence of conflict is that you create men of power like Macbeth. This would have been very relevant in 1605 due to the recent events of the Gunpowder Plot

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27
Q

first witch: “here I have a pilot’s thumb, wrecked as homeward he did come”
How does this show a parallel to Macbeth?

A

“homeward” - coming home - should be the safest part of the journey. Macbeth coming home after battle - should be the safest part - but witches set in motion the events leading to his downfall

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28
Q

“all hail Maceth, thou shalt be King hereafter”

why might the witches use “thou” with Macbeth? How does this compare to the way Banquo addresses Macbeth?

A

“thou” was the informal form of ‘you’, and as such it was used almost exclusively for either those you loved or those who had a lower social status than you. By referring to Macbeth as “thou”, the witches are both treating Macbeth as an inferior and suggesting a common link between them, perhaps implying that they have seen in Macbeth the same evil that is within them.

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29
Q

what was the story of Macbeth based on?

A

Hollinshed’s chronicles - a large, comprehensive description of British history published in three volumes (England, Scotland and Ireland).

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30
Q

why might Banquo not be as innocent as he seems?

A
  • “good sir, why do you start and seem to fear things that seem to sound so fair” - ostensibly sounds innocent (made Banquo seem good to flatter King, as Banquo is thought to be his ancestor), but sibilance suggests a hidden malice
  • he has a vested interest in Macbeth becoming King - his sons will only become kings if Macbeth does
  • he doesn’t take any of the many opportunities he has to prevent Macbeth killing Duncan
  • In Hollinshed’s Chronicles (the publication that Macbeth was based on), Banquo and Macbeth work together to kill King Duncan
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31
Q

“if good, why do I yield to that suggestion that doth unfix my hair”

A
  • “unfix” - everyone’s positions in society are fixed - Macbeth wants to “unfix” himself and change the Great Chain of Being
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32
Q

“if chance will have me King, why, chance may crown me, without my stir”. What is significant about the word “chance” in this quote?

A

he is choosing to use the word “chance” instead of the word ‘fate’, which introduces an element of doubt. “chance” has connotations of luck and gambling, perhaps implying that Macbeth would be gambling with his chance of becoming King if he left it to fate. This shows the strength of Macbeth’s immediate predisposition to regicide, as, even in trying to convince himself of the futility of murdering Duncan, he is still using language that subtly manipulates himself to be more open to the idea of murder.

33
Q

Macbeth writes a letter to Lady Macbeth to tell her of the prophecies. What meter is this written in? why?

A

it is written in prose, perhaps to emphasise to Lady Macbeth their continued low status (as Shakespeare uses prose for all of his unimportant characters), and therefore perhaps to subtly manipulate her into coming up with a plan to kill Duncan and encouraging him to carry it out. Is Lady Macbeth, as most people believe, really the true manipulator?

34
Q

give 3 reasons that suggest Macbeth actually manipulated Lady Macbeth into coming up with a plan and persuading him to carry it out.

A
  1. the fact that Macbeth writes a letter to Lady Macbeth to tell her of the prophecies despite the fact that he arrives at the castle no more than half an hour after that - gives her time to plan the murder
  2. “my dearest partner in greatness” - highly unusual in both 1200s and 1600s - flattering her + making her believe that she has as much power to further their social status as he does - subtly manipulating her into deciding to kill Duncan
  3. the letter is written in prose - emphasising their low status in comparison to King’s - again manipulating her into coming up with a plan
35
Q

when Macbeth is trying to persuade himself not to kill Duncan, why are his references to a “a naked new-born babe” and “heaven’s cherubim” significant?

A

The Macbeths have previously had a child (“I have given suck, and know how tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me”), but it is not directly seen or mentioned at all after this in the play, suggesting that the baby had died. This allusion to their loss could have been meant to evoke a sense of sympathy for Macbeth in the readers. He also describes “heaven’s cherubim” as “horsed upon the sightless couriers of the air”. For the devout Christians in the audience, this could have been interpreted as a reference to God, they believe it to be God that controls the winds. In 1605, everyone was required to be christian by law, and so it is likely that the contemporary audience would have picked up on this reference, due to the ubiquitousness of christianity. It could even be interpreted in such a way that Macbeth is calling God “sightless”, perhaps implying that he is bitter about the loss of his child, and even that he blames God for it. In the contemporary audience, this could have served to explain in part why Macbeth chose to kill Duncan: by committing regicide, he is killing the King that God appointed, and therefore it is a crime against God. Therefore, Macbeth committing regicide could be seen as an act of revenge for the untimely death of his own child.

36
Q

how does Lady Macbeth utilise the difference between “thee” and “you” when she is attempting to goad Macbeth into killing Duncan?

A

she starts off by using “thou”, the informal form of the word “you” that suggests he has a lower status than her (“art thou afeard?”). Then when she talks about him “breaking this enterprise to her”, she uses the formal form “you”, implying that he had high status when he suggested killing Duncan, but that he has since lost it now that he has changed his mind and become “afeard”

37
Q

Lady Macbeth: …Have done to this
Macbeth: If we should fail?
Lady Macbeth: we fail!
explain the significance of the iambic pentameter in these lines

A

these three lines form 10 syllables of perfect iambic pentameter, illustrating that they are perfectly united. However, the iambic pentameter places the stress on the word “fail” twice, perhaps foreshadowing their eventual failure.

38
Q

give a reason why Macbeth could have hallucinated the dagger

A

It is as if he is personifying the murder that he is about to commit, suggesting that his brain is going to extreme lengths to justify the murder: it is not truly within his control, but being controlled by the dagger. This impression is furthered by the use of the phrase “come, let me clutch thee”, as it suggests that he is having to request permission from the dagger in order to hold it, implying that the dagger is truly in control and therefore truly to blame. Links to when he says “I go, and it is done” - passive voice suggests he can’t articulate the fact that he has done it and that he is avoiding the consequences of his actions

39
Q

“come, let me clutch thee”

A
  • “thee” - shows he believes the dagger (and therefore the supernatural) to be below him and able to be controlled
  • “come” - imperative verb - shows he believes he can command the supernatural
  • “let me” - requesting permission from the dagger - relieving himself of some responsibility as he is suggesting that the dagger is truly in control, and therefore truly to blame
  • “clutch” - foreshadows the moment where he comes out of Duncan’s bedchamber, clutching the two daggers with which he has killed duncan, unable to let go. Suggest a bloodlust - wishes to “clutch” an instrument of death
40
Q

“A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?”
how many syllables are in each of these lines? why is it significant?

A
  • there are 11 in the first line and 12 in the second, but there should be ten.
  • him using more syllables than he should be allowed is reflective of him trying to gain more power than he should be allowed
  • This breakdown of the iambic pentameter shows the damage that Macbeth is doing to his own mind, and the addition of another extra syllable in the second line could suggest that this deterioration is getting and will continue to get worse as the play progresses, foreshadowing the toll that the act of regicide will take on Macbeth’s psyche, conscience and sanity (“full of scorpions is my mind”).
41
Q

who says “witchcraft celebrates pale Hecate’s offerings”, and when?

A

Macbeth says it in his soliloquy when he hallucinates a dagger

42
Q

“witchcraft celebrates pale Hecate’s offerings”

A
  • “Hecate” is a deliberate reference to a Greek Goddess, and therefore this could be interpreted as Macbeth rejecting both Christian teaching and God himself
  • he imagines a world in which evil is prospering
  • does he see himself as the “offering” and being controlled by “Hecate”? - probably not - says it comes from the “heat-oppressed brain” - suggests he believes it to be a creation stemming from his own mind
  • witches could be controlling his mind, but Macbeth doesn’t see it this way - he believes himself to be fully responsible for his own actions - perhaps suggests an element of naivety (contemporary audience would almost certainly have believed in witches)
43
Q

“With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design

Moves like a ghost.”

A
  • Tarquin the Proud (Lucius Tarquinius Superbus) was a tyrant who became king because his wife, Tullia, persuaded him to assassinate the existing King, her father
  • parallel with Lady Macbeth - persuades Macbeth to kill Duncan, and doesn’t kill Duncan because he reminds her of her father
  • this scene is probably referring to a rape scene in roman literature where Tarquin’s son (also called Tarquin) rapes a girl called Lucrecia, who then commits suicide - foreshadows Lady Macbeth’s suicide - parallel with Lady Macbeth, but as a victim - is Macbeth blaming himself?
  • Shakespeare wrote a poem about Tarquin - could be an attempt to promote it
  • allusions to Tarquin and Hecate are pagan references, which predate christianity, and therefore Macbeth is calling Christian beliefs into question - proof to contemporary audience of Macbeths evil. Question is, is it Macbeth’s lack of faith in christianity that lead to regicide, or is it regicide that leads to his lack of belief in Christianity (hope that he won’t end up tortured for eternity)?
44
Q

why did Lady Macbeth not kill Duncan herself?

A

“had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t”

  • patriarchal society - girls have to obey their fathers - patriarchal society so deeply engrained in her that she can’t commit such a treacherous act as to kill her own father
  • could be showing signs of having a conscience
  • link to mythical greek king Oedipus and his son Laius - Laius unknowingly killed his father, leading to the Gods becoming angry - Lady Macbeth will have known this myth, and so would be reluctant to kill Duncan if he looked like her “father”. This could also suggest that Lady Macbeth knows that the killing of Duncan will lead to murder
45
Q

discuss the meter of Lady Macbeth’s line “Give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures”

A

the iambic pentameter stresses “me”, emphasising her self-absorption and desire to be in charge. “death”, being the last word of the line, is not stressed, and this could be suggesting that it is not important that he is dead

46
Q

“will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand”

A
  • “Neptune” is a pre-Christian God - once Macbeth has killed Duncan he turns away from any ideas of Christianity - could argue that by the end of the play he has lost his Christian faith - doesn’t seem to fear eternal damnation
  • using water to wash you of your sins is a christian idea - baptism. Macbeth knows that regicide is too great a sin for him to be able to be saved by baptism - he could even be seen to be rejecting the Christian idea of baptism, turning to the pagan god “Neptune” - serves to damn him even further in the audience’s mind
47
Q

“my hand are of your colour; but I shame to wear a heart so white”

A
  • link to “too full of the milk of human kindness”
  • links to knights jousting - a lady would give the knight an emblem of a “heart” that he would put around his arm, so that he is fighting not just for his honour, but for the honour of a lady. Lady Macbeth is therefore perhaps comparing herself to the knight and Macbeth to the Lady, and she’s telling him that she would be “ashamed” to wear his heart. This is a direct attack on Macbeth’s masculinity, but would also serve to emphasise the subversion of the natural order that they have created by killing Duncan
48
Q

Banquo: to you have have show’d some truth
Macbeth: I think not of them
explore the significance of the meter of these lines

A
  • Macbeth’s line is 5 syllables - 2 more than it should be in keeping with iambic pentameter - breakdown of iambic pentameter suggests he is lying, as well as highlighting the discordance and lack of clear communication between Macbeth and Banquo
  • the iambic pentameter places the trochaic stress on “I”, giving an impression of him as evil, as it relates to the way the witches speak (in trochaic tetrameter)
  • iambic pentameter also places stress on “some” - ambiguity - could be interpreted as a warning from Banquo that just because they have shown “some” truth doesn’t mean that they will always tell the truth - foreshadows Macbeth’s downfall, which was partly down to blind faith in Witches. However, it could also be interpreted as Banquo goading Macbeth into murder by reminding him of the greatness that still awaits him (if Macbeth becomes King, Fleance is much more likely to). If this was the way that Shakespeare intended to portray Banquo, the ambiguity would have been necessary because James I was thought to be descended from Banquo, and Shakespeare wouldn’t want to risk offending the King.
49
Q

‘too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness’

A

Implies that Macbeth is weak because he is too compassionate, not able to switch off emotions that make him weak. Milk has connotations of motherhood, so she is emasculating Macbeth, suggesting he is too sentimental and feminine.

50
Q

‘without the illness should attend it’

A
  • Suggests that Macbeth lacks the cruelty and ruthlessness to pursue his ambitions. She is being unusually critical and open about her opinions of her husband
  • Foreshadows Lady Macbeth’s “illness”
  • Suggests Lady Macbeth has an understanding of the absurdity of what they are planning - you need to have an “illness” to commit regicide - could suggest that Lady Macbeth understands the risk of regicide + that she may end up with an “illness” (as she does)
51
Q

‘pour my spirits in thine ear’

A
  • Appears manipulative, wanting to persuade Macbeth to do as she says. ‘pour’ suggests she has many ideas/opinions to share – she is forthright. ‘spirits’ reminds us of the supernatural and the witches, suggesting her influence is unnatural and evil. This image reminds us of the serpent tempting Adam and Eve to sin in the Garden of Eden.
  • used to poison people by pouring poison in their ears - suggests she is poisoning him
52
Q

‘chastise with the valour of my tongue’

A

chastise’ suggests she wants to criticise, tell him off, teach him how to be better – she feels she can and should do this. Not conventional for a wife to behave this way. ‘valor’ associated with male warriors, suggests she feels she has the courage of a man.

53
Q

‘the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements’

A
  • Foreshadowing the death of Duncan, which she is already planning. She comes to the resolution to do this far quicker and with fewer doubts than Macbeth.
  • “my battlements” - shows she thinks of it as her castle - unusual in those times - men owned everything
54
Q

‘unsex me here’

A

She asks the spirits to reverse her gender and make her the opposite of what women were thought to be (weak, emotional). She want to be more masculine, strong, heartless, brave – unnatural behaviour in a woman

55
Q

Give 2 quotations that show Lady Macbeth is embracing masculine characteristics like ruthlessness and cruelty, but rejecting feminine characteristics like being able to feel softer emotions, such as regret and sympathy.

A
  1. ‘fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty’
  2. ‘Make thick my blood. Stop up the access and passage to remorse’
56
Q

‘take my milk for gall’

A

Shows how far she is willing to go. Wants to be stripped of the thing that society thought defined a woman – her ability to raise a child and feed them. ‘gall’ – acid, violent, poisonous – reflects her desires and nature.

57
Q

‘thick night blanket of the dark my keen knife see not the wound it makes’

A

Wants to disguise her actions from the eyes of God and his judgement. Also suggests she is maybe worried about confronting her own actions and how she might react to killing Duncan. Suggests she knows deep down this is wrong and is worried about feeling guilt.

58
Q

‘Look like th’ innocent flower, But be the serpent under ’t’

A

Instructing Macbeth to appear guiltless – to hide his true self beneath an appearance of innocence. Links back to Duncan in scene 4, his believe that you cannot trust a person’s face/how they behave on surface.
‘serpent’ also reminds us of Satan, evil intentions, ambition to overthrow God.

59
Q

‘From this time such I account thy love.’

A

Lady Macbeth manipulate Macbeth by claiming that his promises, like his love for her, cannot be trusted. She might also be suggesting that her love for him is weakened because of his lack of manliness and determination. Emotional blackmail.

60
Q

‘live a coward in thine own esteem’

A

Insults his masculinity and claims he does not live up to the expectations of what a man should be (brave, ruthless, determined). Reverse psychology – hoping he will prove her wrong. More manipulation.

61
Q

Give 5 quotations that show Lady Macbeth is emasculating Macbeth

A
  1. “From this time such I account thy love”
  2. “Live a coward in thine own esteem”
  3. “when you durst do it, then you were a man”
  4. ‘You do unbend your noble strength to think so brainsickly of things’
  5. ‘Tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil.’ 
62
Q

‘When you durst do it, then you were a man;

And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man’

A

Contradicts Macbeth’s ideas of what a man should be/should do – says that if he kills king he’ll be more of a man. Trying to flatter, motivate. Manipulating him using his desire for status and power.

63
Q

give a quote from Lady Macbeth that contradicts Macbeth’s ideas of what a man should be/should do – says that if he kills king he’ll be more of a man. Trying to flatter, motivate. Manipulating him using his desire for status and power.

A

‘When you durst do it, then you were a man;

And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man’

64
Q

‘I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums
And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn’

A

Claims she would rather kill her own child than go back on her word – shows ruthlessness, cruelty and determination. Her ambition is more powerful than her motherly instincts. Might suggest that she doesn’t have any maternal instincts – would be seen as unnatural by audience.

65
Q

Give the quote in which Lady Macbeth claims she would rather kill her own child than go back on her word – shows ruthlessness, cruelty and determination. Her ambition is more powerful than her motherly instincts.

A

‘I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums
And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn’

66
Q

‘Screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail’

A

Violent verb ‘screw’ – shows the power of her desire for the throne, how much she wants to change his mind. Forceful, aggressive. Tone is confident, trying to reassure him that this will work. Creates the impression she is someone who knows how to manipulate and control her husband.

67
Q

‘thy undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males’

A

Nothing soft, sentimental or feminine in LM to pass on to girls – only has masculine features in her nature, like power, ruthlessness, cruelty, which should be passed on to boys.

68
Q

‘Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done ’t.’

A
  • Lady’s Macbeth’s inability to bring herself to kill Duncan suggests she is still troubled by some emotions or by her conscience – this is in contrast to how she presents herself to Macbeth as being masculine, ruthless and unemotional. Suggests that this has been an act or façade, to manipulate him into doing what she wanted.
  • shows how deeply entrenched the patriarchy is in society - even Lady Macbeth can’t bring herself to defy her father
69
Q

‘You do unbend your noble strength to think so brainsickly of things’

A

Lady Macbeth again questions Macbeth manliness (emasculating him) and courage as a way of manipulating his behaviour. She suggests that thinking these kind of thoughts will torment and send him mad. Foreshadowing what will happen to Macbeth.

70
Q

‘Infirm of purpose!

Give me the daggers.’

A

Tone of frustration and irritation. Use of imperative verb and the exclamation mark shows how forceful and controlling she is being.

71
Q

‘Tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil.’ 

A

Accuses him of behaving like a weak and innocent child. Suggests he has nothing to be afraid of, ‘painted devil’ threats that are in his imagination. Belittling, mothering and patronising.

72
Q

‘My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white.’

A

Lady Macbeth turns the idea of having a pure, white heart into something negative, suggests it makes Macbeth too soft and feminine. Trying to shame and embarrass him into action by comparing their reactions. Suggests they have shared in this murder, are equals in it.

73
Q

‘A little water clears us of this deed. How easy is it, then!’ 

A
  • Shows Lady Macbeth’s belief that if they get rid of the evidence, there will be no consequences. Could be her trying reassure Macbeth, and calm him down. Again shows her manipulative powers.
  • contrasts to her later self, obsessively washing her hands, in order to emphasise the breakdown of her character because of the murder
74
Q

Lady Macbeth: “our desire is got without content… ‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy. “

A

Lady Macbeth is not happy with the consequences of their murder of Duncan – she appears to be beginning to regret it (though she does not reveal this in front of Macbeth – still putting on a front). She claims that she would rather be dead than a murderer sounds desperate and we start to question her state of mind. The use of the heroic couplet makes her thoughts sound final, like there is no going back to how things were. The rhyming couplet also links her to the witches, as the rhyme mimics the way they speak.

75
Q

What does Lady Macbeth’s question to Macbeth “Why do you keep alone,” reveal?

A

This reveals the increasing physical distance between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, as though he is avoiding her. It symbolised the emotional distance and the start of the breakdown of their relationship. We could imply Macbeth avoids her because she reminds him of his guilt and he resents her for this.

76
Q

“Sleek o’er your rugged looks. Be bright and jovial

Among your guests tonight.”

A

Lady Macbeth, as in Act 1 and 2, tells Macbeth to put on a pretence of innocence and happiness. There is dramatic irony because the audience knows that she is also tormented by fear and regret, but she doesn’t trust Macbeth with this. Her advice now doesn’t work, showing her loss of control and power over Macbeth. Could it be that the Witches’ spell is wearing off?

77
Q

“My lord is often thus

And hath been from his youth. ”

A

Lady Macbeth is forced to make excuses for Macbeth’s behaviour and save him from discovery – suggesting this is normal behaviour for him and is part of his nature. This would only increase the suspicion of the lords who would be worried by the idea of a king who always behaved like this.

78
Q

“Are you a man? … These flaws and starts,… would well become a woman’s story at a winter’s fire, …Shame itself! …Quite unmanned in folly? “

A

Lady Macbeth goes back to using the same manipulative trick of trying to control Macbeth’s behaviour by questioning his manhood and suggesting he is behaving weak and emotional like a woman. For the first time these threats and insults do not work and she is unable to stop Macbeth from behaving in an unstable, insane way. Shakespeare suggests how she is losing her power and control.

79
Q

when is Macbeth set?

A

11th century Scotland