1.7 Flashcards
(19 cards)
What happens in Act 1 Scene 7?
Macbeth leaves the state dinner, suddenly worried by what he is planning to do. But Lady Macbeth stirs up his spirits again.
“If it were done quickly when tis done, then twere well it were done quickly.”
Adverb shows he needs to act on impulse
“If the assassination could trammel up the consequence and catch with his surcease, success,”
Neologism of assassination (Shakespeare invented the word)
Sibilance = whispering and secrets as he schemes
“We still have judgement here that we but teach bloody instructions, which being taught, return to plague the inventor.”
Religious context about afterlife juxtaposes the sinful action that is murder and sanctity of religion and Christianity
Metaphor for karma
“Angels”, “trumpet tongued”, “damnation”, “heavens cherubin”
Religious imagery shows how wrong the murder is, associating sin with life (Christianity)
“Vaulting ambition which overleaps itself no falls on th’other.”
Horse metaphor shows harmartia
“Business.”
Euphemism for murder- can’t talk about it
“To be the same in thine own act and valour as thou art in desire?”
Connotations of Military bravery that Macbeth can relate to- helps to persuade him
Interrogatives- questioning his manhood
“And live a coward in thine own esteem, letting I dare not wait upon I would like the poor cat in the adage?”
Derogatory terms
Simile is insulting
“The ornament of life”
Metaphor for crown objectifies kingship
“I dare do all that may become a man; who dares do more is none.”
Standing up to Lady Macbeth
Declarative utterance
“When you durst do it, then you were a man. And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.”
Hyperbolic and superlatives
Emasculates Macbeth to threaten his dignity and identity
“Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had i so sworn as you have done to this.”
Violent semantic/violent verbs
Subverts gender roles/stereotype of nurturing mother
Emphasises hee own power and strength/evil in order to persuade him
“If we should fail?”
Inclusive pronoun shows he is starting to convinced
Shocking shift in attitude
“His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt”
Cunning and scheming- Machiavellian
“But screw your courage to the sticking place, and we’ll not fail.”
Determination
Definitive ‘not’
How does Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth?
Calling him weak/coward
Emasculates him
Emphasises her own power and strength/evil
“Away and mock the time with fairest show, False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
Rhyming couplet
Macbeth is decided
Duplicity is a textual echo
