retry version- macbeth revision Flashcards
He is known as a brave Scottish general, then he receives a prophecy from a trio of witches, he is also Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife. who is this?
Macbeth!
A deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power and position. Early in the play she seems to be the stronger and more ruthless of the two, as she urges her husband to kill Duncan and seize the crown. After the bloodshed begins, however, she becomes victim to guilt and madness to an even greater degree than her husband. Who is this?
Lady Macbeth!
The brave, noble general whose children, according to the witches’ prophecy, will inherit the Scottish throne. He is also known to think ambitious thoughts, but he does not translate those thoughts into action. This character stands as a rebuke to Macbeth, since he represents the path Macbeth chose not to take: a path in which ambition need not lead to betrayal and murder. Who is this?
Banquo!
described as “black and midnight hags” plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies. The predictions that where made had managed to persuaded him to kill king Duncan, to order the deaths of Banquo and his son, and to blindly believe in his own immortality.
The Witches!
The good King of Scotland whom Macbeth, in his ambition for the crown, murders. He is the model of a virtuous, benevolent, and farsighted ruler. His death symbolises the destruction of an order in Scotland that can be restored only when his line, in the person of Malcolm, once more occupies the throne.
King Duncan!
A Scottish nobleman hostile to Macbeth’s kingship from the start. He eventually becomes a leader of the crusade to unseat Macbeth. The crusade’s mission is to place the rightful king, Malcolm, on the throne, but he also desires vengeance for Macbeth’s murder of his wife and young son.
Macduff!
The son of Duncan, whose restoration to the throne signals Scotland’s return to order following Macbeth’s reign of terror. he becomes a serious challenge to Macbeth with his aid (and the support of England). Prior to this, he appears weak and uncertain of his own power, as when he and Donalbain flee Scotland after their father’s murder.
Malcolm!
This line is said by Lady Macbeth after she reads a letter from her husband informing her of the prophecy of the witches which say that Macbeth would be King. She is excited by the letter but fears that Macbeth is too ‘full of the milk of human kindness’ or of too good a nature, to take the shortest route to the crown which would be to eliminate the king and seize the throne.
“Yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way.”
- Lady Macbeth (Act I Scene V)
This line is said by Lady Macbeth during a speech in which she is convincing her husband to pretend like a perfect host when King Duncan visits them to hide their true purpose of murdering Duncan. Hence she tells Macbeth to look like an innocent flower but be like the serpent which hides underneath it.
“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under ‘t.”
- Lady Macbeth (Act I, Scene V)
The ‘bloody child’ is the second of the three apparitions that the witches conjure for Macbeth and it is perhaps the most famous. It tells Macbeth to be confident and without fear, for no person who is born of a woman can harm him. This convinces Macbeth that he is invincible as he would never be killed by another man. He chooses to neglect the first apparition which warned him of Macduff and doesn’t realise that the ‘bloody child’ is in fact the infant Macduff covered with the blood of the untimely ripped womb of his mother.
“Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.”
- Second Apparition (Act IV, Scene I)
This line is said by the younger son of King Duncan in a conversation with his elder brother after their father’s murder. Donalbain suspects that the people who surround them and are acting kindly contain among them the person who murdered their father. He says that daggers are present in men’s smile probably referring to the canines which show when one smiles and implying that not everyone who acts friendly is a friend. ‘The near in blood, the nearer bloody’ implies that beware of the ones who are in the closest-relation with you as they are most likely to betray and murder you.
There’s daggers in men’s smiles. The near in blood, The nearer bloody.”
– Donalbain (Act II, Scene III)
This line is spoken by Macbeth when Macduff challenges him. He says that let your blade fall on chests that are vulnerable or fight with someone who can be defeated. He adds that he leads a charmed life which can’t be ended by anyone born of a woman. Macbeth gets this illusion of being invincible due to the second apparition which states that “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.” Macduff then states that he was not born but cut out of his mother’s womb before she could bear him naturally. This quote gave rise to the famous phrase ‘charmed life’. Though charmed meant magical in Shakespeare’s times, the phrase was extended to mean anyone who was lucky and escaped danger narrowly.
“Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests; I bear a charmed life, which must not yield to one of woman born.”
– Macbeth (Act V, Scene VIII)
Among the last lines in Scene I of Act I, this famous quote is said by the witches and sets the tone of the play. It could be simply deciphered as what is fair or pretty will become foul or ugly and vice versa, i.e. things would be opposite to what they appear. It could be also interpreted as suggesting that Macbeth’s world will become upside down and he will do things he considers foul or unfair disregarding what appears fair to him. This line is among the most important in Macbeth and can be considered closest to describing the theme of the play.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
– The Witches (Act I, Scene I)
This famous quote is spoken by Macbeth in the scene where he returns after killing Duncan in his sleep. Macbeth is stating that it would be better if he was completely unaware of himself than to be conscious and think of the crime he had committed. He doubts whether he knows the man who committed the crime. The quote reflects that although Macbeth chooses to realise his ambition by unethical means, he is also aware of his wrongdoing. What act is this said in?
“To know my deed, ’twere best not know myself.”
– Macbeth (Act II, Scene II)
This quote is from one of the most famous soliloquies in Macbeth. It is spoken by Macbeth after he hears that his wife has committed suicide and he also knows that armies are marching against him. He says that days on this world are short, a ‘brief candle’ and ultimately one is enveloped in darkness. He compares life to an unimportant actor, a ‘walking shadow’ for the character he plays. This insignificant actor “struts and frets his hour upon the stage” or is proud and anxious for the small part he has to perform on stage and then he is heard no more. He then compares life to the tale told by a director which is full of noise and passion but ultimately it signifies nothing. What act is this said in?
“Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”
– Macbeth (Act V, Scene V)
