Macbeth: April assessment

Question 1

indomitable

Answer 1

“unseamed him from the nave to the chaps”

• lexical field of violent imagery shows Macbeth to be indomitable
• advocate for the quintessential form of he scottish soldier
• ease of ‘unseamed’ foreshadows the ease at which he kills king duncan
• dog whistle to king james, arning his respect as he portrays to the audience the might of his army.

Question 2

credulous

Answer 2

• credulous nature of Banquo shows him to be a much more responsible figure compared to macbeth
• ‘if you can look into the seeds of time’
• rhetoricl nature of the question proves it to be a warning from duncan. obviously macbeth cannot look into the ‘seeds of time’ but if he could, he’d stop in his philotimo
• ‘if’ casts doubts over the legitimacy of the witches prophecy.
• contextually, theme of fate which links to greeks shows that regardless of their intervention, the following violence and destruction would still have happened. witches are simply a catlayst.

Question 3

malevolant

Answer 3

‘unsex me here’

• dramatic irony. asking for satanic assistance without the knowledge of her husband. her feelings of inferiority are exacerbated by her compulsive thirst for power.
• commanding nature shows how she is aware that time is short for her.
• challenging the patricarchy. moving up it which usually wouldnt be allowed displays her capcity for destroying formerly stable societal structures.

Question 4

dutiful

Answer 4

‘we will proceed no further in this business.’

• ironic bcz its the most rational king like statement macbeth has made in the play thus far.
• ‘business’ is usually conducted with the mind not the heart. contrast to volatile character seen before who acted upon his hearts wishes instead of his minds.
• previous transactions in the play have resulted in tragic consequences, like wen lady macbeth ‘sold her sole’

Question 5

deceitful.

Answer 5

‘there’s no art to the minds construction of the face.’

• first time the audience sees duncan become aware of the vulnerbiity he holds in his current position. support of machiavellian leaderhsip from shakespeare as without action, ducan will die.
• ‘minds construction’ brain is a mutable object, rapidly evolving. this evolution is not however reflected in the face is duncans point, accepting he is in a disadvantaged position as he cannot see the true intentions of his challengers.
• ‘what the false heart doth know’ contrast to macbeth who acts with his heart and is therefore volatile.

Question 6

perfidious

Answer 6

• ‘look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t’
• timing of the quote shows macbeth to be using LM in his philotimo. already knows the need for deception when he mentioned his ‘black and deep desires’. needs her to seduce duncan.
• ‘like’ shows being a flower does not come naturally to LM. consdiering the 16th century connotations of fertiliy surrounding a flower, it shows she is willig to give up her societal responsibility as a mther on her quest for power.

Question 7

gulieful

Answer 7

• ‘like the poor cat in the adage’
• belitteling macbeth. saying he wants to reep the rewards without the consequences, almost naively.
• a cat itself cannot be ‘poor’ but its owner can be. by calling macbeth a ‘cat’ she sees herself as his owner, and him gaining kingship will stop her being poor.
• jacobean audience would recognise this and link it to a story where the cat wants to catcha fish without getting its paws wet.

Question 8

disequilibrium

Answer 8

• ‘why did you bring the daggers from the place?’
• LM is truely scared of the consequences of her actions. ironic as she accused him of being like ‘the poor cat in the adage’. foreshadows macbeths ability to go all th way whilst LM cant as he can cope with inevitable disequlibriums that occur as a result of killing the king.
• use of term ‘place’ shows omission of an exact location which further portrays her fear of consequence.
• upsetting the divine right of kings causes disequilibriums. further dog whistle to king james from shakespeare.

Question 9

rational.

Answer 9

• ‘what’s done is done’
• repetition of done shows how he has hidden guilt
• omission of specific details highlights his desire to go back
• links back to the idea of the withces only being a catalyst.