Quotes Flashcards
“Fair is foul and foul is fair” - Act 1 Scene 1
by Witches
- Related Themes = Supernatural, Appearance vs Reality
- Spoken by the witches and are warning us to not trust appearances
“Brave Macbeth - Well he deserves that name” - Act 1 Scene 2
by Ross
- Used to describe the character of Macbeth primarily
- Even at the beginning Macbeth is seen with a very high regard by the king and the people he is surrounded with
- He deserves the name not because he is strong and muscular
- Patriarchy a mans character was judged on his values and not how honest he was
- Just because he is brave they thought he was perfect
“Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my dark and deep desires” - Act 1 Scene 4
by Macbeth
- Light is a metaphor for god or the people around him
- Macbeth before meeting Lady Macbeth is already having deep desires
- Macbeth reveals the depth of his ambition and admits that his desires are morally wrong and wants to hide this from god.
- They are dark but DEEP inside of him almost like they are a part of him
- Thoughts are stuck with him
- Learn about the power of supernatural
- Catalyst for Macbeth change in meeting the witches
- Alliteration: Let and light, Deep and Desires
- Juxtaposition: ‘stars’ vs ‘Black’, ‘Fires’ vs ‘Deep’
- Has to choose a path between ambition, morality
” Come you spirits that tend mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty” - Act 1 Scene 5
by Lady Macbeth
- Related Themes = Masculinity, Cruelty, Ambition, Supernatural, appearance vs Reality, women and patriarchy
- Lady Macbeth asks Dark to strip her femininity and take on the role of a cold-blooded killer
- The alliteration gives the impression of a ritual
- She thinks to get power you need to be masculine
- willing to give it all to get power to be evil
” Yet do I dear thy nature. It is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness” Act1 Scene 5
by Lady Macbeth
- Related themes = Masculinity and cruelty, Ambition and Guilt
- About Macbeth
- saying although he is a soldier and regularly commits acts of violence, he is not a murderer by nature.
- When she says “Milk of human kindness” she is questioning his masculinity by saying it like breastfeeding starts to create a villain and manipulative aura
“Is this a dagger I see before me” - Act 2 Scene 1
by Macbeth
- Themes = Supernatural, Appearance vs Reality, Guilt and fate us free will.
- Macbeth hesitates to kill the king
- doesn’t know if it is a supernatural sign or a hallucination this foreshadows what will haunt him later
“Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t” - Act 2 Scene 2
by Lady Macbeth
- Related Themes: Guilt, Masculinity and cruelty, Appearance vs Reality
- Shows a softer more vulnerable side of her character
- Victorians said women back then were incapable of violence
- She has to rely on her husband for everything.
A1S5, Lady Macbeth: “Unsex me here and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty”
Shows the stereotypes and struggles of women and how she has to sacrifice her femininity in order to have the strength and ability to commit the crimes she will.
A1S7, Lady Macbeth: “When thou durst do it, then you were a man”
Threatens and emotionally plays with Macbeth in order to get what she likes.
- Macbeth commits murders to prove his worth to his wife, more so than due to his desire for power.
A2S2, Macbeth: “Will all of great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand”
It is used to show the immense guilt that he has after killing Duncan.
- However, the guilt he feels after killing Banquo and the Macduff family seems to lessen, showing his delve into being more cold-hearted.
A5S2, Macbeth: “Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow”
The metaphor of shadow is used as it can never be caught, possibly representing his quest for power. respect? kingship?
- Candle is used as a metaphor for life as its end is inevitable.
A1S5, Lady Macbeth: “Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’ t”
- Act nice so that you are not suspected
- Examples of where this was done was when Lady Macbeth fainted to act as though this was all a shock to her
A2S3, Macbeth: “Full of scorpions is my mind”
This foreshadows how he will lose his mind later in the play and start hallucinating things
- His guilty conscience has started attacking and stinging him
A1S5, witches: “Fair is foul and foul is fair”
Foreshadows the entire play in the sense that morality will flip
- ‘Brave’ Macbeth will become nasty and evil
- Beautiful and caring Lady Macbeth will become masculine and murderous
- The last prophecies also seem impossible but end up acting as the downfall of him
A1S3, Banquo: “The instruments of darkness tell us truths, to betray us in deepest consequence”
The witches are toying with Macbeth, telling him ‘truths’, which will lead to his downfall.
- They are pulling him in before they will betray him
