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
-freud’s theory of the unconscious explains MB’s violence. repressed desires, unchecked, lead to destructive behavior. MB’s conflict between ambition and guilt drives him to murder, as his primitive urges (id) clash with his moral conscience (superego), consuming him
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
