Quotes Flashcards
The captain sees Macbeth as a hero
“For well he serves that name”
He’s going to face the army anyway.
“At least we’ll die with harness on our back”
Shakespeare uses a simile to portray Macbeth’s character as audacious and fearless. Suggests that Macbeth is courageous in the face of danger and in battle, in doing so it shows Macbeth’s heroism and gallantry.
“like valour’s minion”
Macbeth feels his courage fading. After this confession of fear–his first in the play–Macbeth curses the fiends who have lied to him
“it hat cow’d my better part of man”
Guilt - he would prefer to be totally knocked out, unconscious, so that he would not have to think about the crime he’s just committed.
“Wake Duncan, why thy knocking”
inability to truly rest now that he has committed murder. His conscious will not allow him the rest.
“sleep no more”
Macbeth simply uses a metaphor to reveal Malcolm as an obstacle to his achieving the throne. It’s just a simple metaphor, used by Macbeth before he is king to reveal what he will have to do to become king, in addition to killing King Duncan.
“That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’ver-leap for in the way it lies”
shows him trying to puzzle out the implications of the Witches’ prophecy. … He reasons that since what the Witches predicted turned out to be correct, it cannot be evil
“Cannot be ill, cannot be good”
This quote is a soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5. … Lady Macbeth is saying that in this situation her husband is too kind to kill the king.
“too fullo the milk of human kindness”
Lady Macbeth is implying that she is just as guilty as Macbeth
“I shame to wear a heart so white”
Macbeth wants to hide his dark feelings he wants his secret yearning for the throne to remain covered in darkness, especially the fact that he would be willing to do anything, including murdering Duncan, the rightful king, to achieve his ambition.
“Stars hide thy fires, let not light see my black and deep desires”
As soon as Macbeth is told he will become king he becomes ambitious and already has thoughts of murder,
“Whose murder is yet but fantastcal”
A messenger enters with astonishing news: the trees of Birnam Wood are advancing toward Dunsinane. Enraged and terrified, Macbeth recalls the prophecy that said he could not die till Birnam Wood moved to Dunsinane.
“I will not be afraid of death and bane, till Burnam forest come to Dunsinane”
Lady Macbeth would put on the false appearance of a good hostess to “mock,” or hide, the murderous intentions of the time.
“mock the time with fairest show”
his tells us that Macbeth is nervous of what he has done. He afraid that if anyone sees his heart it will be dark and souless but to hide it they have to put on a dangerous face
“make our faces vizards to our hearts”
