Power Flashcards
Witches - Power
Power of prophecy/foresight “There to meet with Macbeth”
Controls the weather - “Thunder and lightning”
Abuse of power - wants suffering from the sailor just because of a trivial wrongdoing from his wife “shall he dwindle, peak and pine” - disproportionate reaction
Reprimanded by Hecate for their use of their power for nefarious intentions/without consulting her first “all you have done/Hath been but for a wayward son/spiteful and wrathful”
There is someone more powerful than the witches yet they are still shown to be able to throw a whole country into chaos - vastness of the scale of power demonstrated
+ manipulate M “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” to enact their own desires for chaos
Macbeth - Power
Power shown through his fierce battle strategy “doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe” “brave” “valour’s minion”
Desire for power drives all of his actions throughout the play
“why do I yield to that suggestion/Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/And make my seated heart knock at my ribs”
Once he gets power, however, he realises that it is not all that he desired in the way that he has to be overly paranoid of his surroundings/subordinates in order to keep this power - he is truly weak at his heart and has to project this image of power to try and keep that image he wanted people to have about him.
Doesn’t have doubts about the power he desires but instead he doesnt have the will to achieve his full potential
Lady Macbeth - Power
Greed/hunger for power - drives M’s ambition because she wants to gain power and can only get that through him - she never has doubts in the methods she wants to use to get this power “the raven himself is hoarse/that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan/Under my battlements” - use of “my” shows she holds power in this relationship equal to or greater than that of M’s.
1.5 Shows her true power - otherwordly nature. Imperitive verbs “Come to my women’s breasts” (emphasis on her being a woman) “Come, thick night” “Come, you spirits”. Rousing, enchanting speech that shows her effect on the people and world around her
Power to manipulate M. “Art thou afeard?” - she is not a typical weak woman. For her own ambibtion for power she knows she needs a man (or her “keen knife”) to execute it so she harnesses her femininity - the one thing that holds her back - and forcefully takes power from the king by committing regicide.
Attempts to save face to keep M’s powerful image - “my lord is often thus”
femme fatale
Malcolm - Power
Good kingly qualities
Is the rightful king - should be in power and shows his power through military strategy and having people behind him “leafy screen”
“Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell” he does not have the weak qualities of his father - he has a strong nature that naturally lends himself to being in power - “Your leafy screens throw down” - good military strategy, showing power is not something that can be learned but is intuitive/intrinsically part of you either through being a rightful heir or being a natural born leader.
False way he presents himself (Strategy to manipulate others for the good of his country + to outsmart other spies M had sent to him) - “smacking of every sin that has a name” “never was forsworn”
Loss of power - Power
Paranoia leads to M’s downfall “Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs” - He has an unreasonable/tyrannical role in Scotland
“juggling fiends” - tragic hero - moment of anagnorisis - catharsis almost envoked - audience will feel a sense of pity seeing this power be lost/this kingdom completely crumble
“out, damned spot, out i say” - mentally ill - the power she had desired led to her own downfall.
“self and violent hands”
Their power was never destined to stay so it could never naturally stay and could never exist no matter how much they tried to prolong this
