analysis of quotes Flashcards
“unseemed him from the nave to the chops”
imagery shows how skillfully and effortlessly Macbeth murders.
Instantly inserting that Macbeth is evil, even before witches’ influence as he is clearly experienced in murdering.
And that he enjoys killing, foreshadowing it will be his hamartia.
Ironic, Macbeth started the play by killing, but it ended with him killed. So the audience clearly see his demise.
Shakespeare’s intentions: regicide + entertaining the supernatural is wrong.
“Bellona’s bridegroom”
In the beginning Macbeth’s prowess skill of killing is celebrated because he kills on behalf of the king.
Showing Macbeth supports Duncan, in turn honouring the divine right of kings.
Shakespeare’s intentions: the belief of the Divine Right of Kings was rife. So Shakespeare wanted to teach that supporting the reigning monarch shows your support for God, which was essentially in the heavily Christian society.
As there was a divide between Protestants and Catholics during the time, Shakespeare may have wanted to unite people establishing a common moral value: honouring God.
“if chance will crown me king, why chance may crown me”
Lady Macbeth demands the spirits “fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty” because of the evil Macbeth is lacking, as he’s “too full of the milk of human kindness”
However her judgement of Macbeth is false.
Macbeth is not too compassionate to commit murder because he clearly his ruthlessness in Act 1 Scene 2.
Lady Macbeth’s psychological understanding of Macbeth is incorrect, suggesting she doesn’t manipulate him into murder.
Instead Macbeth has a psychological understanding that Lady Macbeth has a ferocious desire for power.
So he wants her to instigate the plan to kill Duncan.
He writes to her instead of waiting to tell the news of the Witches in person so that Lady Macbeth has time for her ambition to heighten and time to create a plan before Duncan’s arrival.
Macbeth manipulates Lady Macbeth by praising her (“dearest partner of greatness”) so that she is assured she is strong enough to carry out the plan.
Lady Macbeth’s psychological understanding of herself in false.
Lady Macbeth’s psychological understanding of herself in false.
She thinks she is a emotionless being that can commit any sin to satisfy her ambition for power.
Lady Macbeth doesn’t perceive guilt as a threat that can impair her (“a little water clears us off this deed”).
Yet it consumes her (“will these hands never be clean?”) and manifets into a immoral sin (“a cry of women within”)
“vaulting ambition which overleaps itself and falls on the other”
Macbeth has proved he has the ability to be ruthless (Act 1 Scene 2).
And it is evident he has the desire for power and to be king (“stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires”.
In this metaphor Macbeth’s ambition is his desire to kill Duncan to become king.
However Macbeth fears he will not be able to execute it alone so his attempt will “falls on the other” and fails.
Lady Macbeth is the key to executing Macbeth’s plan.
Therefore Macbeth pushes away the patriachys attitudes that women are inferior and porperty of men, in order to create a euphoric atmosphere between him and Lady Macbeth, where in society they are the only 2 that are true partners and will prosper together.
“Is this a dagger which I see before me”
The fist line of the soliloquy before Macbeth kills Duncan.
The soliloquy shows Macbeth’s deepest unfiltered thoughts.
The fact that his first words are about the dagger shows Macbeth is fixated on the idea of killing.
“a dagger of the mind” reinforces that Macbeth’s love for murder stems from deep within him.
He wasn’t influenced by Lady Macbeth or the Witches, but his true pleasure from murder
Lady Macbeth is not mentioned in the soliloquy.
Clearly showing the plan to commit regicide was curated by Macbeth, and only the practicalities were executed by Lady Macbeth.
Hamartia context
Macbeth is a tradegy, this genre stems from Greek Mythology.
In Greek mythology stories centre around a heroic protagonist who has a hamartia which leads to their downfall.
In Greek tradegy the hero is shown what their fate will be, and do all possible to prevent this fate. This is their hamartia because in prehistroic times fate was thought of as inevitable and it was impossible to change it.
Macbeth is the complete opposite. He does everyhting possible to secure the witches prophecies, instead of letting fate bring the crown to him.
Macbeth’s greed and desire for instant power can be seen as his hamartia, he doesn’t allow for fate to fulfil itself, instead he takes agency to exercise his free-will.
free-will vs fate context
Before 1606, it was commonly believed that your life was mapped out at birth, so people were destined for the same occupation as their parents.
During 1606 it was a time of social revolution in that people were increasingly taking control over their futures.
Shakespeare is a prime example. His father was a farmer, whereas Shakespeare lead a creative career of literature.
So free will was becoming increasingly significant for Jacobean society.
Shakespeare may be suggesting the audience have some sympathy for Macbeth, in that he is trying to take control of his future, rather than surrendering to a predestined fate.
“here lay Duncan, his silver skin laced with his golden blood”
Silver and gold connote wealth and royalty, emphasizing Duncan’s elite status.
These are precious metals, suggesting Duncan should have been protected.
The fact that Macbeth uses description that connotes royalty shows he knows murdering Duncan is a sin, yet continues anyway, showing he is responsible for his actions.
Shakespeare purposefully describes Duncan’s blood as gold rather than his skin, to symbolise what is important to Macbeth.
Not only is becoming king important to Macbeth, but bloodshed and murder, reinforcing Macbeth is a bloodthirsty warrior.
Macbeth’s plan to kill Banquo, without Lady Macbeth’s involvement.
“be innocent of the knowledge dearest chuck”
“fruitless crown”
“barren scepter”
Macbeth doesn’t kill Banquo out of desire for power or ambition, but our of jealousy. So he doesn’t include Lady Macbeth in the plan as Macbeth has a psychological understanding that Lady Macbeth will develop a guilty conscience if the murder doesn’t contribute to the fight for the crown.
Killing Banquo was not a necessity because only Banquo’s “descendants” will be kings.
Instead Macbeth is riddled with jelousy for Banquos ability to have male heirs.
Macbeth recieved a prophecy dictating he has a “fruitless crown”, so will not be able to pass the monarchy to his children. And he’s been given a “barren scepter”, implying he got his desire to be king but it is barren because he will not be able to have children and do his moral obligation of providing a male heir.
Macbeth encountering Banquo’s ghost
“never shake thy gory locks at me”
grotesque imagery of blood rushing down strands of Banquo’s hair after he’s been murdered.
Continues Macbeth’s obsession with blood.
The blood from Banquo catches Macbeth’s attention
Banquo’s ghost is a manifestation of Macbeth’s mental state, so as he mentions the blood from Banquo, it highlights Macbeth is constantly obsessed with the idea of bloodshed.
“something wicked this way comes”
Macbeth has been dehumanised by the most evil symbol in the play, showing he has fell into such sinful tradegy that he has lost all human qualities of compassion.
He has fully embraced his hamartia.
The witches havent influenced him, his true inate sefl has been exposed,
“out, out, brief candle!”
In Christian symbolism a candle flame represents Gods life.
However it is clear (as he committed regicide) Macbeth has rejected God’s judgement and his belief in Christianity.
Therefore Lady Macbeth can be seen as the figure Macbeth greatly worships, and when the candle flame blows out, it marks the end of her life.
Macbeth’s monologue in Act 5 Scene 5
“a poor player that struts and fret his hour upon the stage”
“a tale told by an idiot”
Macbeth is shown to take no responsibility for his immoral actions by distancing himself from them. He compares himself to a “poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage”, suggesting that “this is a tale told by” someone else - “an idiot”.
Macbeth is likely to be referring to God as the “idiot” for dictating his life, as historically it was believed that people’s lives were planned by God the moment they were born.
