Themes N Symbolism Flashcards
What appears in the play to portray the themes of ambition ?
the dagger appears through out the play, in reality and hallucinations, to symbolise Macbeths violent choice and ambition. Although he has the choice to ignore the dagger, he chooses to use it
How does lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth ?
GUILT :
• emasculation
• emotional blackmail
• cunning loeciet (conceal or misrepresent the truth
• gender
SYMBOLISM OF BLOOD:
GUILT
• as the play continues the symbolism gets stronger .. at first macbeths sword meets the end of many and then lady macbeths asks to ‘make thick my blood‘ meaning she wants to be more powerful ready to embrace her ambition
• lady Macbeth and Macbeth struggle to wash the blood from their hand, they commit murders to maintain the throne
Dagger : conscience
• the vision of the dagger is the final most propelling factor for Macbeth to commit regicide
• symbolises what will be and what will follow
THE OWL:
• owls r know as ‘birds of darkness’ because of their nocturnal habitats
• symbol of wisdom as they are observant and said to be able to look into our inner truth.
• the owls shriek illustrated death and how killing Duncan is wrong and immoral
SLEEP:
Sleep represents the lack of peace of mind. Macbeth can no longer sleep with all the guilt. He has destroyed his chances of resting easily forever.
Duncan the peacefully sleeping king represents the rightful state of a king. The murder of a king killed a man in no state to resist and he has symbolically destroyed the countries potential stability as imbodied by its peaceful king.
‘ sleep no more, Macbeth does murder sleep’
Religion :
Biblical illusion to Lady Macbeth and Pontius Pilate. After killing, Jesus Pontius Pilate says ‘ took water and washed his hand’ similarly to Lady Macbeth saying a little water clears us of this deed.
Deciet : appearance vs reality
Deception is a prominent motive in the play, and it ties in with the theme of appearance vs reality. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth convince Duncan, they are trustworthy but instead deceive him.
Act 2 Svene 4 : aftermath
• Pathetic fallacy : ‘sore night’ the murder of Duncan has made the weather in Scotland chaotic to reflect how the natural order has been destabilised. ‘ dark night strangles the travelling lamp’ darkness is strangling the sun.
• horses became wild and started eating each other. This could be a symbol of how Duncan murder was an unnatural.
Explain how nature has been affected by the murder of Duncan.
In act 2 scene 4 evil is presented with the quote ‘dark Knight strangles the travelling lamp’ this suggest after Duncan‘s death evil has been taking over. He isn’t there to stop it. After Macbeth broke his chivalric code, everything has changed. The quote ‘A Falcon, towering in her pride of place was by a mousing, owl hawked and killed’ shows Duncan as the falcon who was the highest ranking and Macbeth as the owl that took his rank. Macbeth has disturbed natural peace.
Banquo soliloquy : Ambition
Banquo hopes the predictions will come true. He’s ambitious but unlike Macbeth, he isn’t corrupted by his ambition.
