power Flashcards
1.3 “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”
-power of ambition which is catalysed by LMB
-witches instigate MB’s nascent ambition by saying he will be “king hereafter”
-however this isn’t enough to “spur” him on
-LMB catalyses ambition owing to her power over MB - she emasculates + manipulates him - “When you durst do it, then you were a man”
1.7 “Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other”
-ambition still remains powerful causing MB to kill D
-LMB misleads MB owing to her powerful influence over him taking full control
-MB realises ambition is sole motivation + understands could lead to his downfall
-suggests ambition is inherently precarious
-metaphor compares ambition to rider overestimating a jump - implies quest for power often leads to ruin - foreshadows MB’s eventual downfall
3.1 “With barefaced power sweep him from my sight”
-verb “sweep” indicates MB’s power has no end + he can easily remove BQ - connotes a godlike control over reality
-modal verb “could” suggests if he wanted to, implying MB has ultimate power + choice
-“barefaced power” - MB doesn’t care who sees, or who knows of his wrongdoings - shameless + outright
3.4 “cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in to saucy doubts and fears”
-fate emerges as all-powerful force in act 3
-MB tries to alter fate by having BQ + F killed but can’t be stopped
-fate also shows up in supernatural form of BQ’s ghost to mock MB’s failure
-imagery of trapped shows MB’s growing realisation that fate is inescapable
4.1 “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth”
-fate + witches ability to manipulate truth seem to be most powerful factors for the end of the play
-2nd prophecy sends MB mad with power as he transforms into tyrannical king
-witches provide MB with false sense of security - power to control his perception
-reflects fates power as it is ultimately a paradox + MB cannot escape the predetermined outcome
5.8 “I bear a charmed life”
-MB believed in the witches until bitter end - source of his downfall
-demonstrates his overconfidence, rooted in the witches prophecy - illusion of power bolstered by the supernatural
-shows how external forces can wield power by controlling someone’s perception
-fragility of power based on false assurances - easily stripped away by truth
