Meaning of Macbeth quotes Flashcards
Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?
Will he ever forget what he has done? Macbeth has blood on his hands and his wife says “a little water clears us of this deed”, but Macbeth is skeptical.
Full of scorpions is my mind.
His mind is full of unwanted ‘venomous’ thoughts. The scorpion metaphor is used to signify the dangerous thoughts plaguing his mind.
Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me!
Macbeth believes he is seeing the ghost of Banquo at a banquet. He is having a fit which demonstrates his mental instability after committing regicide. It ties in with the supernatural theme of the play. Macbeth might be imagining it from his guilt or there could really be a ghost.
Life’s but a walking shadow
Macbeth is questioning life. He is saying that life is only walking in other people’s shadows and that we are always walking in the shadow of death.
If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir.
Why mess with fate if fate will make me king anyway? This shows the theme of fate.
My dearest partner of greatness
Their relationship is equal and loving. Their relationship falls apart as the play progresses.
Prithee, Peace! I dare do all that may become a man.
Macbeth’s response to his wife’s emasculating comments.
Is this a dagger which I see before me?
A dagger of the mind has appeared before Macbeth. The handle is towards him, as if the dagger is being offered to Macbeth.
