š“ Macbeth: Themes Flashcards
What quotes are for the theme āambition & powerā?
- āI have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, only vaulting ambitionā
- āWhen you durst do it, then you were a manā
- āLife [ā¦] is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothingā
What does āno spurā mean in the quote āI have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, only vaulting ambitionā
No other motivation for Macbeth - only ambition
Analyse āWhen you durst do it, then you were a manā
- LM attacking Macbeths masculinity
- Role reversal - would have shocked the Jacobean audience (women seen asā¦)
What does anagnorisis mean?
Moment of realisation for a tragic hero
How would the quote āLife [ā¦] is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothingā have effected the Jacobean audience
- Rejection of Godās plan & the suggestion of a rejection of Heaven and Hell, would have been shocking
- Moment of pathos as he had lost his wife
How is the quote āLife [ā¦] is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothingā a moment of anagnorisis?
Tragic heroās actions were for ānothingā and that he will be defeated
What are the quotes āLife [ā¦] is a tale told by an idiotā¦ā and āI have no spur to prick theā¦ā an example of?
Soliloquy
What quotes are for the theme āthe supernaturalā?
- āStars hide your fires; let not light see my dark and deep desiresā
- āThe dead butcher and his fiend-like queenā
- āDouble, double toil & trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubbleā
Analyse āStars hide your fires; let not light see my dark and deep desiresā
- Religious symbolism (āstarsā, ālightā, āHeavenā) suggests that M = aware of consequences of committing regicide
- Imperative verbs to command natural world (stars)
ā> Disruption to great chain of being
What are the intentions of Shakespeare when Malcom says this quote āThe dead butcher and his fiend-like queenā
- Shake suggesting that bc of Mās ambition = turned from noble general to a common murderer
- Malcom doesnāt refer to his name = Fall in status
- Fiend = LM is compared to the evil forces in the play
What quotes are for the theme āappearance vs realityā?
- āCome you spirits [ā¦] Unsex me hereā
- āLook like the innocent flower but be the serpent underneath itā
- āOut, damned spot: out, I say!ā
- āOut, out, brief candleā
Analyse āCome you spirits [ā¦] Unsex me hereā
- Subvert characteristics of a typical woman
- Imperative verbs to command evil spirits
ā> Shows how hubris she is - humans canāt command evil forces - Male characteristics = power
Analyse āLook like the innocent flower but be the serpent underneath itā
- LM duplicitous nature
- āserpentā - Bible to the snake, tempts Eve in the garden
ā> Temptation is the fall of man (in the bible
Analyse āOut, damned spot: out, I say!ā
Use of imperative verbs is ironic
ā> Earlier in the play she used commanding language w/ evil spirits now she lost power
Analyse āOut, out, brief candleā
- M echoās LMās language
- Increasing desperation
- Creates a sense of pathos for the audience
What is the quote āOut, out, brief candleā an example of?
Soliloquy
What quotes are for the theme ācorruption of natureā?
- āFair is foul and foul is fairā
- āSo foul and fair a day I have not seenā
- āMacbeth does murder sleep!ā
Analyse āFair is foul and foul is fairā
- Paradoxical statement
ā> Suggests witches speak in deceiving riddles - Shakespeare could suggest the disruption & chaos to come, a kingdom turned upside down
Analyse āSo foul and fair a day I have not seenā
Macbeth echoās the witches language
ā> he is already being led by them
ā> Perhaps his āfairā character will be corrupted and become the most āfoulā
Analyse āMacbeth does murder sleep!ā
- āSleepā - peaceful & tranquil
ā> M will no longer be able to sleep bc he committed regicide - Voice he hears can be his own conscience
What are the intentions of Shakespeare when Macbeth says this quote āMacbeth does murder sleep!ā
Suggesting that in the act of murdering a king, he has murdered his own chance at peace ā and perhaps eternal peace: Heaven
