Blood/Violence quotes

Question 1

Explain the quote: “Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops, And fix’d his head upon our battlements” - A1 S2

Answer 1

Macbeth has sliced someone in half and chopped his head off as a prize. This might seem in character for the killer that we know Macbeth to be. The difference is that Macbeth’s actions here are celebrated by the king. So what the play gives us is two different types of violence: one that is acceptable, and one that is criminal.

Question 2

Explain the quote: “I would…Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash’d the brains out” - A1 S7

Answer 2

Lady Macbeth is trying to persuade Macbeth to keep his promise but using her own example of what she would do to her baby. She uses these vicious and ruthless words as the language of violence is the most convincing in Macbeth’s world.

Question 3

Explain the quote: “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” - A5 S1

Answer 3

Lady Macbeth speaks these words at the end of the play, wandering around the castle in a delirium trying to wash out an invisible bloodstain, a symbol of her guilt. In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth appears more ruthless than her husband, but by the end of the play, she finally gives in to the guilt for her crimes, and she is unable to cope with the reality of what she’s done.