P1: Macbeth Flashcards
Context:
Religion: Natural order, Witches, Patriarchy reinforced, Bedlam, Adam&Eve
- NO refers to women being subservient to men, including the Kings Right which refers to the godly status of king - regicide is betraying god
- Witches seen as anti trinity - since mb and lmb asscociated with them, they were also seen as going against god - mb seen as ‘something wicked’ hence, even more demonic than the anti trinity itself - seems to level with the devil so much so that it ‘appals the devil’ himself
- patriarchy is reinforced since lmb is punished worser than mb to show what happens when women defy their subservience
- Bedlam - archaic term for mental hospital, the mentally ill seen as those who were infeced with the devil
- Both lmb mb lead into the same fate as Adam and eve - to signify the opposite of a righteous christian
Context:
Patriarchy: LMB, MB, manipulation
- becoz LMB could not produce an heir, she was inevitably shunned from society as being a failed wife hence- supplanted the crown for her child since the man had been entitled NOT to compromise for her
- when she fraternized with the spirits to take her ‘milk for gall’ she believed that she had to become a man to achieve anything in society - so the patriarchy has pushed her towards blame
- perhaps god punished lmb worser than mb to signify that disrupting the natural order of patriarchy is more sinful than regicide itself or that lmb is to blame as she had facilitated mb’s ‘deed’ with her sinful feminine wiles (femme fatale)
- the fact that mb sees a ‘dagger before’ him, shows the “unoriginal”, naive nature of women, how theyre quick to act and play by emotions rather than an actually dignified, though out plan e..g. poison
- LMB acts as the Eve to Adam’s MB since she used her femme fatale and her foolishness as a woman to damn them both into exile from eden.
- witches seen as women who have strayed from christian NO and therefore, shunned from society - they are seen as trivial, meagre women since they were only hallusinations, arguagbly - they only relayed a prophecy, it was MB who did the rest
Context:
Shakespeare’s pro-royalist views: Gunpowder plot
- GP plot was analogous to that of regicide, hence, Shakespeare parallels the two as a cautionary tale, to ward off anyone plotting against the king - aim was to gain the kings favour
Quotes:
4 quotes for Macbeth’s character at the end:
- analysis
- alt
‘whose sole name blisters our tongues’
‘ tyrant’
‘something wicked this way comes’
‘runaway i pray you!’
- it was believed that if the pure righteous christians uttered a sinners name - it would blister their tongues - blisters are painful, remeniscent of the plague, widespread crisis - reflects mb’s bloodlust being a wrathful, immerciless crisis onto scotland
- juxtaposition to ‘valours minion’ captures his reign in contrast to the ‘cherubin’-like reign of duncan - shows how his decisions are based on self satisfaction, in a way it is an effeminate quality as he runs on emotions rather than masculine rationality - disruption of NO
- mb seen as ‘something wicked’ hence, even more demonic than the anti trinity itself - seems to level with the devil so much so that it ‘appals the devil’ himself- somehow witches are righteous in comparison - now mb truly embodies ‘tarquins ravishing strides’
- the fact that he targets innocent children shows how he is now driven by bloodlust, god is essentially excaberating his downfall now that he is driven into this insanity - his plan for eternal success has failed as he now is severely paranoid at uprisings against his rule - drives audience away from any thought of regicide or defying kingship
Quotes:
2 quotes for Macbeth’s state of mind at the end
‘fitful fever’
‘even till destruction sicken, answer me to what i ask you’
- ref to Duncan’s death and how it has relieved him - as if mb has done him a favour - guilty consicence is betraying him by revealing mb’s actual lack of sleep - equated to his guilt, cannot access antidote for his guilt - deaths counterfeit - arguagbly to much of a coward to face consequwnces of his sins
- does not seem to care about pandemonium of scotland, only that his whims be fulfilled - juxtaposes to reign of the ‘pious edward’ of Duncan - how rightful kings are benevolent in the ‘image of god’ - perhaps ‘ask’ implies that he is completely at mercy and revelation of the witches - no legitimate power of his own, only ‘borrowed robes of power’ - even masculine domincance is nothing - in a state of frenzy
Quotes:
3 quotes for Macbeth’s state of mind following his plan of regicide
‘my thought, whose murder is yet but fantastical’
‘vaulting ambition’
‘stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires’
‘
Quotes:
quotes for Lady Macbeths ambition
‘take my milk for gall’
‘look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent undert’
‘too full of the milk of humn kindess’
- perhaps ‘gall’ references her own trauma and self resentment as she failed to produce an heir - hence- wants to distance herself away from any feature of motherhood - gall also believed to be impure (Aristotle) which was purified by maternal love - perhaps lmb has already lost her maternal qualities - as the 4th witch (some argue)
Quotes:
quotes for Lady Macbeths state of mind at the end
‘she has light by her continually’
‘whats done cannot be undone’
‘ all the perfumes of arabia sweeten will not sweeten this little hand’
‘out damned spot!’
-
- has been degraded to talking in prose - associated w/ lower class and powerless characters - captures how now that NO has been restored, she is irrelevant - pushed into oppression and subservience to men
