macbeth Flashcards
(11 cards)
introduction
- in Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Macbeth’, the tragic hero, Macbeth, is presented as a profoundly conflicted character whose latent ambition and susceptibility to external pressures propel him from esteemed warrior to isolated tyrant
- from his first appearance, his reputation for courage and loyalty masks an inner restlessness that the witches’ prophecies and Lady Macbeth’s urging bring to the surface
- through shifting imagery - from heroic association with honour to motifs of darkness and blood - Shakespeare reveals Macbeth’s gradual moral collapse
- his soliloquies expose a psyche torn between conscience and desire, while the tightening dramatic structure reflects his growing paranoia and alienation
- ultimately, Macbeth is portrayed not simply as a villain, but as a tragic hero destroyed by his own vaulting ambition and the manipulation of fate
paragraph 1 quotation
‘brave Macbeth’
‘brave Macbeth’ analysis
→ the epithet instantly frames him as the archetypal hero: the pre-modifying adjective ‘brave’ commends his courage and establishes him as a model soldier whose prowess inspires confidence
→ furthermore, by placing ‘brave’ before his name, Shakespeare uses an epigrammatic technique that elevates Macbeth above his peers, signalling to the audience that he is a hero of exceptional stature
→ by choosing this laudatory tag rather than a neutral descriptor, Shakespeare emphasises Macbeth’s sterling reputation in the opening scenes. Yet, this very prideful acclaim carries a note of dramatic irony, for the audience soon learns that his bravery will be perverted by ambition
→ the name ‘Macbeth’ is derived from Gaelic elements meaning ‘son of life’ or ‘born of honour’, which resonates alongside ‘brave’ to suggest noble lineage and divine favour; however, the audience later learns this initial title mocks his descent
→ moreover, the brevity of the phrase mirrors the swift, decisive action for which he is framed on the battlefield, yet its simplicity belies the complexity of his inner conflict
→ in this way, Shakespeare presents Macbeth at the outset as a figure whose outward reputation for bravery masks an undercurrent of latent ambition and moral instability
paragraph 1
- at the outset of the play, Macbeth is celebrated as a peerless warrior - he is hailed as ‘brave Macbeth’ for his ferocious skill in battle
→ the epithet instantly frames him as the archetypal hero: the pre-modifying adjective ‘brave’ commends his courage and establishes him as a model soldier whose prowess inspires confidence
→ furthermore, by placing ‘brave’ before his name, Shakespeare uses an epigrammatic technique that elevates Macbeth above his peers, signalling to the audience that he is a hero of exceptional stature
→ by choosing this laudatory tag rather than a neutral descriptor, Shakespeare emphasises Macbeth’s sterling reputation in the opening scenes. Yet, this very prideful acclaim carries a note of dramatic irony, for the audience soon learns that his bravery will be perverted by ambition
→ the name ‘Macbeth’ is derived from Gaelic elements meaning ‘son of life’ or ‘born of honour’, which resonates alongside ‘brave’ to suggest noble lineage and divine favour; however, the audience later learns this initial title mocks his descent
→ moreover, the brevity of the phrase mirrors the swift, decisive action for which he is framed on the battlefield, yet its simplicity belies the complexity of his inner conflict
→ in this way, Shakespeare presents Macbeth at the outset as a figure whose outward reputation for bravery masks an undercurrent of latent ambition and moral instability
paragraph 2 quotation
‘full of scorpions’
‘full of scorpions’ analysis
→ the metaphor compresses Macbeth’s mental turmoil into a single, striking image: his mind is envisioned as a nest of venomous creatures, each thought capable of inflicting a paralysing sting
→ by liking his thoughts to scorpions, Shakespeare uses zoomorphism and vivid imagery to convey the pain, paranoia and self-inflicted torment that overtake him after Duncan’s murder
→ the harsh ‘s’ sounds mimic the hiss of poison, reinforcing the idea that his ambition has become a toxin, corroding his sanity from within
→ additionally, the phrase ‘full of scorpions’ suggests an internal plague or infestation, emphasising how Macbeth’s conscience has become a source of perpetual torment rather than moral guidance
→ this imagery of venomous creatures also foreshadows his increasingly paranoid and hostile behaviour towards those around him, as his inner turmoil manifests in outward violence
→ in this moment, Macbeth is presented not as the triumphant warrior of the opening scenes but as a man undone by guilt and fear, his noble qualities poisoned by the very vaulting ambition he once prided himself upon
paragraph 2
- by the middle of the play, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a haunted tyrant whose unchecked ambition has splintered his mind and twisted his nobility into cruelty
- his private soliloquies reveal a psyche ‘full of scorpions’, a stark metaphor that conveys the poisonous thoughts writhing beneath his surface composure
→ the metaphor compresses Macbeth’s mental turmoil into a single, striking image: his mind is envisioned as a nest of venomous creatures, each thought capable of inflicting a paralysing sting
→ by liking his thoughts to scorpions, Shakespeare uses zoomorphism and vivid imagery to convey the pain, paranoia and self-inflicted torment that overtake him after Duncan’s murder
→ the harsh ‘s’ sounds mimic the hiss of poison, reinforcing the idea that his ambition has become a toxin, corroding his sanity from within
→ additionally, the phrase ‘full of scorpions’ suggests an internal plague or infestation, emphasising how Macbeth’s conscience has become a source of perpetual torment rather than moral guidance
→ this imagery of venomous creatures also foreshadows his increasingly paranoid and hostile behaviour towards those around him, as his inner turmoil manifests in outward violence
→ in this moment, Macbeth is presented not as the triumphant warrior of the opening scenes but as a man undone by guilt and fear, his noble qualities poisoned by the very vaulting ambition he once prided himself upon
paragraph 3 quotation
‘Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow’
‘Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow’ analysis
→ the insistent repetition of ‘tomorrow’ creates a sense of inescapable routine, as if time itself has become a torment rather than a promise
→ the harsh plosive consonant in the ‘t’ sounds punctuates each echo, giving the line a grinding, deliberate rhythm that evokes the relentless ticking of a clock
→ by halting the flow with commas after each ‘tomorrow’, Shakespeare introduces a caesura that prolongs the pauses, emphasising how each day drags unbearably into the next
→ in this moment, Macbeth is presented as utterly defeated - stripped of agency and hope, imprisoned by the very progression of time he once wielded with martial precision
→ his voice, caught in the repetition, reveals a man who has sacrificed both honour and purpose, now left only with the hollow cadence of days leading inevitably to destruction
paragraph 3
- by the play’s close, Macbeth is cast as a defiant yet hollow figure whose once-noble courage has curdled into a desperate fatalism
- he utters ‘Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow’ as he reflects on the futility of life, using anaphora to trap his thoughts in an unending loop that mirrors his inescapable despair
→ the insistent repetition of ‘tomorrow’ creates a sense of inescapable routine, as if time itself has become a torment rather than a promise
→ the harsh plosive consonant in the ‘t’ sounds punctuates each echo, giving the line a grinding, deliberate rhythm that evokes the relentless ticking of a clock
→ by halting the flow with commas after each ‘tomorrow’, Shakespeare introduces a caesura that prolongs the pauses, emphasising how each day drags unbearably into the next
→ in this moment, Macbeth is presented as utterly defeated - stripped of agency and hope, imprisoned by the very progression of time he once wielded with martial precision
→ his voice, caught in the repetition, reveals a man who has sacrificed both honour and purpose, now left only with the hollow cadence of days leading inevitably to destruction
conclusion
- in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth is ultimately rendered as a profoundly tragic figure whose extraordinary strengths become the instruments of his undoing
- from his emergence as a celebrated warrior through his complex interactions with the supernatural and his unravelling in private soliloquies, the play meticulously charts his descent from an honourable thane to isolated despot
- techniques such as shifting imagery - from heroic light to encroaching darkness - alongside dramatic irony and tightly controlled structure reveal the corrosive power of unchecked ambition
- Macbeth’s journey illustrates how external manipulations and inner vulnerabilities can pervert noble qualities into sources of guilt, paranoia and existential despair
- in presenting a hero both admirable and flawed, Shakespeare invites the audience to confront the fragile balance between virtue and vice, and to recognise the enduring human cost of striving for power at the expense of integrity
