Macbeth Flashcards
O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman
Duncan
Valiant - Brave and courageous, praised by Duncan himself
-Courage was considered a vital quality of a man
Cousin - duncan trusts Macbeth and considers him as family
Worthy Gentleman - Same as valiant tbh
A this point, We have not met Macbeth - Increases our expectations of him
Stay, you imperfect speakers. tell me more.
Use of imperatives (stay, tell)
-Macbeth trying to control the supernatrual
Is (as Banquo says) “rapt withal” by the Wiches and their prohercies.
This is the start of his downfall as he gets lured by the prophercies and the prospect of becoming King
Imperfect - Shows how weird and unusual they are
This supernatrual soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good.
Macbeth committing regicide is a “supernatural soliciting”.
“supernatural” - shows that Macbeth is aware that his actions are against nature
The alliteration of “supernatural soliciting” sounds alluring, and highlights Macbeth’s thirst for the crown.
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,
‘horrid image doth unfix my hair’ and ‘my seated heart knock at my ribs’, emphasises Macbeths horror of his own thoughts.
“my seated heart knock at my ribs” -personification
- Fear
If chance will have me King,why chance may crown me without my stir.
Macbeth places his previous thoughts aside and hopes to be crowned King without interference
chance - he doesnt want to affect fate , repetion
- Jacobeans belived in fate and destiny and that your life was already planned out and you cannot do anything
-Divine right of Kings
Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires
Rhyiming, perhaps influenced by the witches
“black, deep, desires” alliteration of the d, shows his awareness that he is doing something bad
Macbeth calls on darkness (evil) to hide his sins from “heaven/good”
I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itseld and falls on th’other
Macbeth realises he has no other reason to kill Duncan than his ambition for the crown.
He personifies his ambition - his ambition is his best quality and is above all others, solving most of his problems
We will proceed no further in this buisness
Macbeth tries to take control of the convo, following traditional gender roles
I dare do all that may become a man
Alliteration of D - emphasises him trying to prove
Fights back against L Macbeth, trying to prove his masculinity
Is this a dagger before me,
Dagger - symbolises violence and Macbeth’s choice
- Final catalyst for Macbeth to commit regicide
Hallucionation - Macbeth is now taken over by the evil/ supernatrual
Rhetorical question
Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.
Macbeth will be burdened by this murder forever and that there is no way to erase it.
-Soul will be pernamently sent to hell
Metaphor and Hyperbole
-shows his guilt
his silver skin laced with golden blood and his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature
silver skin - alliteration/ sibilance
golden blood - like ichor the blood of gods, showing his divinity
breach in nature - alludes to divine right of kings and how earth will be in disaray and chaos becaus ethe king was killed
Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature
Is paranoid of his own friends and loosing the crown
Royalty - Banquo is predicted to have heirs that will be Kings + King James had an anscestor called Banquo
We have scorched the snake, not killed it
Macbeth feels that his crown is at risk.
Shows that Macbeth is separating from l Macbeth, doing thing himself
Macbeth wants to secure his future by killing anyone who threatens his rule.
O, full of scorpions in my mind, dear wife!
Upset , makes he audience sympatise
scorpions - poisous and dangerous, like the witches
dear wife - uses an endearing term , uses wife as he takes control of himself and masculinity
never shake thy gory locks at me!
Imperative verbs - tries to use his kingly authorities to try control a ghost - abseloutelly paranoid
gory - describes banquos violent passing
Has imagery and stuff
She would have died herafter, there would have been time for such a word
Ambiguous and vauge response, showing his confusion
-too early to die
-should have died later?
Very emotionless
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
Very rhytmic, repetion, rule of 3
sounds tried and weighed down, thinks life is meaningless
At least we we’ll die with harness on our back
Uses royal we
-insecure af
He still wants to die like a soldier, showing his stubborness and pride
makes the audiene sympatize with him
Why should I play the roman fool and die on mine own sword?
Shows his past brave warrior
Does not want to die in a cowardly way
Thinks suicide that is cowardly and should die in war. Unlike L Macbeth
A deed without a name.
Euphenism for murder,
How he cant even mention the crime
Knows that this is wrong
Blood must have blood
Cycle of violence
Blood symbolises the guilt and violence
Very simple and monosylablic
