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
-friedrich nietzsche’s concept of will to power explains MB’s ambition as an insatiable drive to transcend limits and gain dominance. his desire to “o’erleap” boundaries reflects how unchecked ambition leads to chaos and self-destruction
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
