TOP 20 QUOTES Flashcards
I am in blood stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go’er
1) When does Macbeth say this quotation?
2) What context does this have?
3) What themes can we link this too?
1) Act 3 Scene 4, he is safely king and has no more reason to keep killing
2) James 1 patronage - there had been the gun powder plot and Shakespeare was trying to tell James 1 to be a peaceful king and not take revenge.
3) Bloodlust - metahpor of stepping into a river of blood
Kingship - Wants to avoid the bloody reprisals James could have put in place
Identify the quote and analyse it.
‘W s d e c t be u e’
What’s done cannot be undone
-These are Lady Macbeth’s words to her husband after he’s killed King Duncan. They are supposed to stop him thinking about the terrible thing he’s done.
However, the words themselves are all about fate. Once you have started something you can’t stop it. Expressing fate, what’s done cannot be undone our destiny is set.
Context: Great Chain of Being - To become a King when that it’s not your destiny is impossible. It cannot be undone.
Alternative meaning: the violence they have started is just going to keep growing there is no way of going back. Context that leads to is the idea of patriarchy a women’s role is set in society and she can’t change it. We can look at Lady Macbeth’s motivation in this play as a desire to change her status as a woman. She is not allowed any power or authority unless she is married to it sop she has to change Macbeth’s status to improve her own. When she does that patriarchy punishes her, God punishes her and she eventually commits suicide.
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‘It w l h e b d t y s y, b d w l h e b d’
It will have blood they say blood will have blood
Turning away from Christianity and this is going to link to supernatural and the way Macbeth and LM are turning towards supernatural help.
The word “it” shows Macbeth is afraid to voice the identity of Satan because what he is doing is so tabboo and transgressive.
The repetition of the word “blood” symbolizes Macbeth’s bloodlust that drives him towards killing.
Context: This is caused by being a warrior in this martial society.
The repetition of “will” invokes the idea of fate. As a tragic hero he doesn’t believe he can change his fate which is the opposite of a greek tragic hero. Greek tragedies the hero ends up with a tragic death while desperately tring to avoid their fate wheras Macbeth rushes towards it as first as he can.
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M t I h d a v e c y,”S p no m e!”
Methought I heard a voice cry,”Sleep no more!”
-Says this after he has committed regicide. We can see he is being punished by God which leads to our context of Christianity. He is punished by God because he is breaking the Great Chain of Being.
Shakespeare’s writing the play for King James and is being peformed in front of King James and the nobles. He wants to flatter King James by pointing out to the nobles the dangers of regicide. You will become King he says but it will be a poisoned chalice. You won’t will be able to enjoy it. It will as you see in the events of the play eventually kill you. It is warning to not try overthrow the King which is relevant to the context of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot where they tried to get rid of King James
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‘W l a l g t N s o n w h t s b d c n f m my h d?’
Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?
Macbeth is expressing his guilt. He is being punished for his ambition to kill the King but he is also being punished also for this challenge against God. He chooses a pagan god a roman god “Neptune” to talk about here. In his methaphor, he is clearly rejecting a Christian God just as in his actions he is rejecting Christian God. So his own imagery condemns him in the mind of the Jacobean audience as a pagan who has turned against the Christian God. The sin of a tragic hero in greek theatre is hubris - excessive pride - often against the gods. This is exactly what’s happening here in Christian context. He is suffering from pride where he rejects a Christian God in front of a Christian audience who will be against him. This links to James I. Shakespeare is saying it is an unchristian act which will be punished by God for you to turn against you king the great chain of being supports this view.. The word “blood” gives us this other clue that his ambition is just as much as to do with bloodlust as becoming King.
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‘I h e no s r to p k t e s s of my i t’
I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent
Partriarchy - Lady Macbeth is the rider that is going to prick his sides and urge him to kill King Duncan. She is taking control and has has power in this relationship. This is totally unexpected in a patriarchal society where power lies with men. But in this marriage Macbeth is happy to give his power to his wife because he trusts her. He says the only has “vaulting ambition” and that this is not enough. That is why ambition is not the thing that makes him kill Duncan. It makes him want to kill King Duncan but it is his bloodlust and love for his wide that pushes him. He says ambition will o’erleap itslef and fall on the other side of the hurdle. This shows he knows from the beginning that he is likely to fail if all he has is ambition.
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‘F e f e m t h e w t t e f e h t d h k w’
False face must hide what the false heart doth know
This is an instruction to her husband. An immediate link to the patriarchy showing how much he trusts his wife and how much he willing for her to direct him. In terms of society Shakespeare is describing this is an attack on society. Women known to be worse than men because of orignial sin where eve took the forbidden fruit first and then tempted adam and consequently God punished her worse than adam. That’s why get pain of childbirth according to genesis. We’re also supposed to be disgusted with Lady Macbeth and Shakespeare gives us that clue with the alliteration of the sound ‘f’. That fricative is always agrressive and indicative of disgust. That reflects the audience’s opinion which contrasts Macbeth’s opinion. Shakespeare is asking in a patriarchal society how on earth do women gain influence? If they can only gain it through me perhaps they are forced by society to become manipulative. They are forced to become what society calls evil. It is not necessarily their fault. Another links through original sin is to Christianity. Is it fair Shakspeare is asking that women are treated not just as second class citizens but also as more evil than men.
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O t! d d s t! O e, t o, -w y, t n ‘t s t e to d ‘t
‘Out! damned spot! One, two, -why, then ‘tis time to do’t
Last time LM is in partnership with her husband. She is actually imagining being her husband on her way to kill Duncan. That’s why she says why then tis time to do it which are Macbeth’s thoughts. Because she is ringing the bell twice to give him the instruction that it’s safe to kill Duncan.
The “damned spot” suggests her soul is going to hell. Macbeth spends very little time thinking about hell whereas this is something that obsesses LM and possibly links to her suicide at the end. This links to Christianity as she is going to be punished for her unchristian act. And because she has defied the Great Chain of Being God isn’t just going to punish her when she’s dead he is going to recreate hell whilst she is alive. Shakespeare uses this ironically. Later she will say ‘Out, out I say”. Macbeth will echoe that in “Out, out brief candle!”. He is going to mirror his wife’s language. You can use that to show they are still perfectly in love and in tune. Alternatively, it could be symbol of how they are apart as he only starts to echoe her language once she’s her dead but in the sleep walking scene she is alone. “Hell is murky” - links to Christian context and to the theme of the supernatuarl. Because LM appeals to the supernatural to “unsex her” she is punished in Hell. This is a punishment Shakespeare’s Christians audience would demand - a fitting end to the “fiend-like queen”. A modern audience would look beyond that and see how far the patriarchal society has forced LM in making immoral choices in order to achieve power.
Identify the quote and analyse it.
O t, o t, b f c e..
Out, out, brief candle..
Mirroring LM ‘out, out I say’ earlier on in the play. Could argue they are still in love, or you could suggest how they are appart. He only starts to echoe her language once she is dead.
Analyse the quote
‘Hell is murky’
links to Christian context and to the theme of the supernatuarl. Because LM appeals to the supernatural to “unsex her” she is punished in Hell. This is a punishment Shakespeare’s Christians audience would demand - a fitting end to the “fiend-like queen”. A modern audience would look beyond that and see how far the patriarchal society has forced LM in making immoral choices in order to achieve power.
L k l e t e i t f r, b t be t e s t u r it
Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it
Christian imagey - the serpent symbolizes the serpent of gensis which the audience would know is the serpent that persuaded Eve to tempt Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. Consequently, LM is directly linked to the idea of hell and the punishment deserces. It suggest Macbeth is being tempted to kill King Duncan by his wife. Alternative interpretation would look Macbeth’s innate desire to kill King Duncan and the bloodlust that drives him and blame him. Because in a tragedy it is always the hero’s hubris that leads to their downfall. So ultimately the final responisbility has to be Macbeth’s not his wfie. Shakespeare also emphasizes how LM challenges the patriarchy. She asks her husband to be feminine - to look like a flower a feminine image. Perhaps Shakespeare is suggesting if male and female roles were more equal this kind of lust for power wouldn’t occur. Alternatively, he is demonizing LM in order to punish her for breaking society’s patriarchal rules.
Y t do i f r t y n e; it is t o f l of t e m k of h n k s
Yet do i fear thy nature; it is too full of the milk of human kindness
LM is the person who knows Macbeths the best and she feels Macbeth doesn’t have it in him to commit regicide to become truly evil. Therfore that backs the idea he doesnt have enough ambition. He needs her to help him. This placs her in the place of Eve tempting Adam. However, the letter Macbeth sent LM telling her about the about the witches promises shows that he knows he needs her help and he encourages it. Therefore he uses her to help him develop the necessary evil to kill Duncan. This is why both of them guilty and both of needed to be punished.
