Macbeth Flashcards
(17 cards)
“ Too full of the milk of human kindness”- act 1
-Lady Macbeth
THEMES:Gender,ambition,Macbeth,power
CONTEXT:LM believes MB does not have ruthless nature to become a king, Lady MB driving force between events of the play
TECHNIQUES:Imagery, language
ANALYSIS:Too good-natured will stop him from getting the crown
-human, implies Macbeth needs to be inhumane to succeed
-🥛, associations with comforting and soothing nature
-in Shakespearean context 👩🏼 are gentle+kind not 👨🏼
“Look like the innocent flower but be serpent under’t”- act 1
-Lady Macbeth
THEMES:good+evil,corruption,religion
CONTEXT: LM shows manipulation and deceit are the most effective methods of gaining power
TECHNIQUES:Imagery,juxtaposition
ANALYSIS:implies LM would rather act like the devil, same as witches
-flower, highlights goodness but also vulnerability of honest human nature
-under’t, implies there’s evil beneath everyone
-serpent, biblical reference to ‘Garden of Eden’- brung original sin into world
“Fair is foul and foul is fair”- act 1
-Witches
THEMES:good+evil,morality,supernatural,witches
CONTEXT:boundaries between this and evil are blurred
TECHNIQUES:alliteration,repetition
ANALYSIS:foul more dominating than fair, suggesting evil overpowers good
-F, creates a sinister uneasy tone
“As cannons over-charged with double cracks”-act 1
-Sergeant
THEMES:Macbeth,kingship,violence,power
CONTEXT:report that battle had just occurred, first impression of MB is heroic character
TECHNIQUES:simile,alliteration
ANALYSIS:’double’, MB far more value than the typical solider
-‘cannons over-charged’, gives sense of MB explosive violent power, he is a powerful weapon capable of anything
“Is this a dagger which I see before me?”- act 2
-Macbeth
THEMES:violence,supernatural,Macbeth,madness
CONTEXT: the dagger represents the bloody course on which Macbeth is about to embark, killing Duncan
ANALYSIS:’is this’, representative of MB’s state of mind, uncertain+doubtful
-‘dagger’, suggests his mind has become corrupted by violence
-in a patriarchal society, male leaders are not meant to have doubt but be powerful+strong
-shows affect of warfare on men
“A little water clears us of this deed”- act 2
-Lady Macbeth
THEMES:morality,justice,sin
CONTEXT:LM has to become more ruthless as Macbeth’s courage fades-she believes she can wash away guilt for murders
ANALYSIS:’us’, in a patriarchal society she sees herself as equal to MB
-the fact she believes washing hands “clears us of the deed” suggests she’d only feel regret if she got caught
-‘little’, highlights how insignificant murder is to LM
“O, full of scorpions in my mind, dear wife!”- act 3
-Macbeth
CONTEXT:just seen Banquos ghost
ANALYSIS:he would rather deal with wild animals than the guilt
-metaphor explains his guilty conscience is attacking and stinging him
“Sleek over your rugged looks. Be bright and jovial among your guests tonight.”- act 3
-Macbeth
THEMES:Macbeth,good+evil,appearance+reality,kingship
CONTEXT:MB beginning to loose his mind
ANALYSIS:’rugged’, his actions suggest violence- his current behaviour is ‘jovial’ with associations of friendship+togetherness, also reminds audience of his deceitful nature
-juxtaposition-jovial, rugged, links the two-faced nature of MB behaviour
-sleek o’er, uses imagery of something ugly+unpleasant and making it look positive, as a king must look the part
“Your wife and babes. Savagely slaughtered.”- act 4
-Ross
THEMES:violence,power,good+evil,revenge+justice
CONTEXT: shows how far Macbeth will go to power+difference between murders in the play+ MacDuffs family
ANALYSIS: juxtaposition, images of innocence, love and care being savagely slaughtered indicates to the audience the level of violence and evil Macbeth engages in
-sibilance,adds a swiftness to the sentence, shows development from the hesitancy he showed before he killed Duncan
“Finger of birth strangled babe, Ditch-delivered by a drab”- act 4
-Witch
CONTEXT:Ingredient that goes into witches cauldron, body parts of dead baby
ANALYSIS:Creates a chant like tone enhancing supernatural feel+extreme cruelty
-Suggest MB is always going to be defeated by the horrific magic
-A symbol of pure innocence being destroyed linking to destruction of the previously good MB
“Let grief. Convert to anger. Blunt not the heart, enrage it”- act 4
-Malcolm
CONTEXT: shows the climax of the play will be violent+bloody. Malcolm tells MD to use pain to get revenge
ANALYSIS:Suggests behaviour that feels no remorse
-act in a stereotypical masculine way
-Use of emotive language shows how emotionally charged the final act will be
-enrage it, as if he were a soldier in battle with MB
“Out, damned spot”- act 5
-Lady Macbeth
-CONTEXT:lady MB starts to hallucinate blood
ANALYSIS:After killing Duncan she said a little water clears of this deed, but now she’s hallucinating and pleading for the blood to be washed away
-Ironic that she mocked Macbeth for needing to clean his hands but now guilt is having the same effect on her
-‘damned’ how she describes the blood spot, associations with hell-her guilt has caught her and she fears being punished
-Religious audience could see this as divine punishment from God
“I have no words;my voice is in my sword”- act 5
-Macduff
CONTEXT:Realises justice is only achieved through fighting, wants to avenge death of family
ANALYSIS:His sword has become his voice in killing MB
-MD cannot put into words the pain he feels at MB actions
-He acts in the way LM suggests early in the play
-Contains all anger and hatred of MB victims, idea of his voice being in his sword suggests it is more than a physical weapon
“Life’s but a walking shadow”- act 5
-Macbeth
CONTEXT:MB decided life has no real substance
ANALYSIS:’walking’,Implies life is a shadow but not an energetic one, not powerful, not the dynamic action expected of a king
-‘shadow’,Metaphor suggest life is empty and has no real meaning to it
-‘but’,Sentence structure focuses on this word meaning only or just
“Oh horror horror horror”
-MACDUFF
-Repetition-MD thought pattern is gushing but focused on the ‘horror’
-Mirrors rule of 3 witch Chants
-Duncan’s Murder, loyalty to king causing him to fall apart in utter dismay
“Turn, hell hound, turn”
-MACDUFF
-imperative lang shows he’s taking control+challenging MB to fight
-hellhound reminds audience of MBs evil
-suggests he’s devils protector
“Thunder and lightning”
-WITCHES
-pathetic fallacy, powerful scene
-climatic conditions, dangerous, severe, chaotic
-intensity of weather mirrors witches ability to create chaos, emphasis nature of witches
-shows how Shakespeare trying to show supernatural forces as immoral and sinful
