Macbeth Themes Flashcards
Ambition- Macbeth
“Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls”
-ambition makes people aim too high and fail- foreshadows happening to Macbeth links to “falls” going down to hell
-tragic hero
-Macbeth morality yet his ambition exceeds it
-“vaulting” refers to horse jumping and falling conveys he’s got to aim high, like he knows it’s beyond his capabilities
-doubts about killing Duncan juxtaposes banquos killing
Context: Shakespeare plays tragedies and fatal flaws, divine right of kings
Ambition Lady Macbeth
“If we should fail?” “We fail?”
-rhetorical question shows Lady.m has no doubts or she’s lost everything already so what can go wrong, link to dead baby
-conveys confidence but needs Macbeth to get power
-written in iambic pentameter juxtaposes the end of play
-“we” personal plural pronoun and shared line conveys unity and shared unity but also foreshadows L.macbeths manipulation of Macbeth because he trusts her
Context: gender, witches manipulative
Ambition Malcolm and Macduff
“It weeps, it bleeds and each new day a gash is added to her wounds”
-metaphor country is dying, needs saving cos of Macbeth
-physical pain conveys damage is obvious
-verbs in lexical field of war conveys ambition to change as scotlands at war, also portrays Macbeth battle with guilt and ambition
-also they want to help country not for selfish reasons, different ambition to macbeths
Context: King James and macolm, morality structure of religion
Ambition Banquo
“And set me up in hope? But hush no more”
-ambition is cautious and not violent, juxtaposes Macbeth
-he wants it to happen but knows it’s wrong to think about it, “hush” lexical field of silence
-rhetorical question, questioning whether he wants to be let down or asking himself what he wants, then realises he should think of others “but” unexpected connective
-conveys his good morals
Context: justice system, king James, divine right of kings
Ambition and Gender Lady Macbeth
“If we should fail?” “We fail?”
-rhetorical question conveys she no doubts or she’s already lost everything so what more can go wrong- link to dead baby
-she’s confident but has to use Macbeth to achieve power. ambition makes her manipulative
-Iambic pentameter juxtaposes ending
-“We” and shared lines show their unity but goes away as play progresses conveys they’ve been consumed by ambition
Context: James 1. witches and gender
Ambition Banquo
“And set me up in hope? But hush no more”
- he’s cautious, doesn’t want to be let down juxtaposes Macbeth
- conveys morality as doesn’t follow witches who just met
- rhetorical question juxtaposes this because questioning if he wants more however the connective “but” conveys his jolt back to reality because it’s unexpected
- “hush” lexical field of silence, he doesn’t want anyone to find out his thoughts, links o Macbeth but different reasons
Ambition and Kingship Malcolm/Macduff/Macbeth
“It weeps, it bleeds and each new day a gash is added to her wounds”
-metaphor country is dying, conveys how much damage ambition can do
-physical verbs convey the pain can be seen, they have ambition to stop it
-lexical field of war could convey Macbeths conflict between guilt and ambition, for him there’s no turning back someone else has to save Scotland
-Their ambition is different to Macbeths
Context: Malcolm and James 1, justice system, gun powder plot
Kingship Duncan
“that his virtues will plead like angels”
Duncan was a good King and was liked by everyone
-“angels” symbolises God and purity…
-“virtues” suggests Duncan’s good attributes will grant him access to heaven and shows he liked to help people which is why he “nurtured” Macbeth. This is ironic because there the only two to be let down by their fatal flaws
-“plead” conveys Duncan will have to beg to get into heaven because fatal flaw is he’s too trusting and that leads to downfall. Could convey even the best have flaws but his flaws help Malcolm grow
Context: James 1, religion, fatal flaws
Malcolm Kingship
“To give obedience where tis truly ow’d”- said by soldier
-This suggests soldiers want Malcom to be king, they’re fighting for him
-“obedience” Malcolm true king as connotes duty and power and only a rightful king can defeat Macbeth
-The circular patter of the play links with this because it begins and ends with the killing of a traitor
-verb “ow’d” suggests Malcolm has earned the title because it was Duncan’s dying wish and the soldiers want to respect that
-links with verb “give” suggesting it’s like a gift because they want to honour Duncan and show traitors can’t get away
Context: Divine Right of kings, James 1
Ambition and Deceit Macbeth
“Let not light see my black and deep desires”
-Macbeth is ashamed of his thoughts, commit regicide
-“light” symbolises God, he doesn’t want him to know his thoughts because he doesn’t want to lose his purity
-“let” connotes pleading suggesting he’s begging God for forgiveness because he’s gone against divine right of kings
-“black” links to witches, they’re taking control and Satan is opposed to God
-“desires” suggests it’s something Macbeth rly wants but doesn’t want to kill Duncan shows morality but foreshadows ambition as his fatal flaw
Context: James 1, witches and God
Deceit and Gender Lady Macbeth
“Look like the innocent flower, be the serpent under’t”
-hide their intentions, regicide, shows they know it’s wrong
-“innocent” connotes purity conveying they’re not guilty for their actions, juxtaposes rest of text. By just thinking these thoughts they’ve gone against god because they have to pretend to be innocent
-they think they’ve fooled Duncan but their actions come back to haunt them
-“serpent” straying from God link to Adam and Eve
-“flower” conveys they think no one will suspect them because their reign is fruitless, link to dead baby makes Lady m have power over Macbeth
Context: divine right of kings, justice system, gender
Deceit Apparations
“Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until Great Birman wood to Dunsinane hill”
-Macbeth solely trusts the witches especially as trees can’t move, context foreshadows their manipulation
-Macbeth may trust them because he has no one else, God has gone and no one believes he’s the rightful king
-“vanquished” connotes to being conquered which is ironic because the witches are playing him so they’re conquering him
-Macbeth speaks in IP, witches speak in TT and rhyming couplets(like spells,and from another world), shows Macbeth more noble. Apparitions speak in IP and RC bridging the gap but still have impression their putting a spell on Macbeth
Context: Divine right of kings, James 1, God
Guilt Macbeth
“Multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green ones red”
-his guilt could fill a ocean red symbolising blood and guilt, if fills an ocean it can’t occupy his mind- because “incarnadine” symbolises being huge
- “Incarnadine” represents red so it could imply his guilt his guilt is growing because it can’t just occupy his mind and he’ll do anything to get rid of it
“Green” symbolises nature so Macbeth will ruin nature with his guilt because it came from an unnatural act, regicide. Or it could suggest he’ll turn back to the witches because there unnatural
-links to turning against god and religion, Hecate is a pagan and he references Neptune. These suggests he feels he’s no longer religious or he can’t bring himself to say gods name because he’s too guilty for his actions
Context: religion, divine right of kings, gunpowder plot
Guilt and revenge Macbeth
“Macbeth does murder sleep”
-Macbeth has been stripped of his humanity because murder in inhuman
-sleep” could convey Macbeth has nightmares about Duncan so he haunts him because Macbeth committed a sin
Or it could connote innocence and how he’s a lost God, innocence always conveys youth suggesting his problems stem from the death of his child
“Macbeth” in 3rd person implies he blames himself even though it was lady Macbeth idea. Or could imply he feels another person did the crime, he can’t believe it was himself as “sleep” does actually represent Duncan
Context: regicide, gunpowder plot, divine right of kings, god
Guilt, supernatural and revenge Lady Macbeth
“Will these hands ne’er be clean?
-
