violence Flashcards
1.1 “[Thunder and lightning]”
-shakespeare couples the witches introduction with pathetic fallacy
-atmosphere is volatile, ominous + dangerous from the offset
-could foreshadow violence that will ensure + dominate throughout the play
-disrupted + aggravated weather being nature’s fury at coming violence
1.2 “disdaining fortune… smok’d with bloody execution”
-“smok’d” could connote to heat + hell foreshadowing MB’s evil
-“disdaining fortune” shows a disregard for his fate + his attempt to manipulate the natural order
-“bloody execution” emphasises destructive force of his actions
-MB uses violence to dominate in battle
1.7 “dash’d the brains out”
-merciless act of rejecting maternal inclinations characterises LMB as violent
-she effectively competes with MB who as a man of that era, couldn’t be weaker than a woman
-explicitly describes act of extreme violence reinforcing unrestrained aggression
-violent hypothetical shows determination + she emotionally manipulates MB
3.4 “I am in blood Stepp’d in so far”
-“blood” was merely on his hands, yet now it has enrobed his entire body + by extension his entire sense of being
-he feels he has no choice but to further indulge in his heinous acts
-MB recognises he’s committed violent acts that have an all-consuming nature
4.3 “Let’s make us medicines of our great revenge, To cure this deadly grief”
-“medicines” + “revenge” are alike in their outcome (solving / curing)
-MD uses this idea as the only way to help solve / partially cure his insurmountable grief is to make MB accountable for his sins
-thus, his violence is justified + he still remains the archetype of the avenging hero - motivated by revenge
5.8 “Before my body, I throw my warlike shield”
-as a “shield” connotes protection, it shows MB desperately wants to protect + preserve his former noble image of him being a “worthy” + “valiant” soldier
-as his last words contain a violent semantic field, it shows how his ambitious + violent nature has directly caused his fall from grace
