Macbeth Themes Flashcards
Ambition
OVERALL IDEAS
Ambition was a destructive trait at the time as you were going against god
Ambition can destroy lots of things, such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship
Lady Macbeth will go really far outside the realms of usual human behaviour in order to fulfil her ambitions
QUOTES AND ANALYSIS:
“only vaulting ambition which overleaps itself and falls on the other”
A01: After listing a range of reasons not to kill the “virtuous” Duncan, he feels a lack of motivation to kill, as if the only thing driving him is ambition
A02:The horse metaphor compares the act of killing to a horse attempting to leap over a large obstacle. Macbeth recognises that ambition can make people rush and make mistakes, Macbeth is anxious and pre-empting the events about to come. This metaphor describes the tension between Macbeth’s unwillingness to move ahead with his plan, and his acknowledgement that his ambition is leading him down the wrong path.
A03: Shakespeare presents ambition as an inherently destructive trait which was in accordance with the religious beliefs of the Jacobean era. God awarded you your place on earth and to attempt to go against or transcend this was viewed as a direct crime against god
“Be innocent of the knowledge dearest chuck”
A01:This contrasts their relationship during the murder of Duncan, now Macbeth distances himself from Lady Macbeth
A02:This imperative marks the dramatic shift in the power dynamic in their relationship. Lady MacBeth goes from being viewed as Macbeth’s “Dearest partner of greatness” to merely his “dearest chuck.” Which reconfigures the relationship into a typical of the patriarchal Jacobean society. However, a different interpretation could suggest that Macbeth is trying to keep his wife safe, by taking full responsibility for the murder of Banquo. However, this interpretation can be contradicted due to Macbeth’s lack of concern in act 5. His ambition has caused him to view his wife’s presence immaterial
A03: Shakespeare shares a cautionary message that ambition can destroy a previously loving relationship
“I have given suck”
A01:When Macbeth tries to cancel the murder, Lady Macbeth uses manipulation to make Macbeth reconsider
A02: Implies that she has given birth to and breastfed a child, however the child must have died very young as an absence of an heir is crucial to the plot. By bringing up such an emotional and personal moment, she ensures her words carry immense weight. She is willing to make a personal sacrifice for the good of the marriage and to fulfil her ambitions.
A03: Shakespeare is emphasising how far outside the bounds of usual human behavior Lady Macbeth will go in order to fulfil her ambitions
The Supernatural
OVERALL IDEAS
It could be argued that the overall message in the play is the dangers of the supernatural, because the play was intended for King James I
Shakespeare warns those who have been indoctrinated by the supernatural
QUOTES AND ANALYSIS:
“Be these Juggling fiends no more believed”
A01: After Macduff’s Revelations about his birth, Macbeth experiences an anagnorisis, he learns that the witches have deceived him.
A02:The verb “Juggling” is a metaphor for how he has been tricked by the witches. “Juggling” has connotations of a clown juggling 3 balls. Which is ironic as Macbeth has been juggled by the witches, or perhaps by his own motivations. The noun “fiends” shows how he recognises the evil, satanic nature of the witches
A03:Shakespeare wrote the play for James I, who wanted to stamp out witchcraft. Macbeth made the discovery that witches are evil to deliver the key message of the play: Don’t trust the supernatural
“Art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation”
A01: Macbeth’s hallucination before killing duncan.
A02: Literally, it depicts Macbeth questioning whether the dagger is real or a symptom of his fear, metaphorically, it is a manifestation of his guilt and self doubt. Symbolically, it represents Macbeth’s bloodthirst and capacity for violence.
A03: To the Jacobean audience, it depicts how the witches have made him hallucinate and have urged him to kill Duncan. Shakespeare warns those who have been indoctrinated by the Supernatural
“Sore night….A falcon, towering in her pride of place, Was by a mousing owl hawk’d at and kill’d.”
A01:Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy and animal symbolism to explore how nature and the great chain of being has been affected by the murder of Duncan.
A02: Uses personification of the “sore night” to suggest that the weather in Scotland was wild and chaotic on the night of Duncan’s murder.
A03:After the gunpowder plot, The Jacobean plot was politically turbulent . Shakespeare is reflecting this by demonstrating the ramifications of disrupting the great chain of being.
Guilt
