Macbeth Quotations Flashcards
(13 cards)
Will all neptunes ocean wash this blood from my hand
- hyperbole
- rhetorical question
Never escape guilt and consequences - symbolises guilt ( recurring )
- psychological impact
- blood symbolising guilt
- water symbolises purity
The princess of Cumberland that is a step I must fall down or else over leap
- supernatural corrupts him
- foreshadows Malcolm might be killed
- metaphor Malcolm is a step over overcome
- becoming increasingly ruthless
- “must” ambitious to be king
- shows his lack or remorse as he will do anything to be king
Dashed the brains out
- juxtaposing of an innocent child and lady Macbeth evil and violent doings
- shocks the audience
- semantic of force “ plucked” and “dashed”
- manipulated Macbeth
I’d good why do I yield to that suggests who’s horrid image both unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs
- internal conflict
- onomatopoeia
- the witches prophecies have corrupted his ambition
- Macbeth surrenders to the image despite its emptiness
Is this the dagger I see before me
- Dagger symbolises evil and murder
- Theoretical question shows his doubt to his hallucinations
- internal conflict (uncertainty)
- the dagger could represent the supernatural suggest the dark forced are playing with Macbeth mind
- shows the damage the murder has done this mind slowly unravelling contacts with his violent outbursts and lack of sleep
Archetype of Macbeth
Tragic hero
Hamartia?
Hubris?
Hamartia - fatal flaw
Hubris - pride
What does equivocate mean
Use ambitious language to conceal the truth
What is the divine right of kings
God is at the top authority from the king underneath
My hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white.
Hands are of your colour”: She acknowledges shared guilt — both are stained with Duncan’s blood. But while Macbeth is horrified, she remains emotionally composed.
• “Heart so white”: “White” connotes purity and cowardice here. She mocks Macbeth’s fear as weakness, flipping traditional gender roles.
• The sentence is full of irony — later, her own heart is overwhelmed by guilt, shown in the sleepwalking scene.
Themes Linked:
• Masculinity and Gender Roles – She challenges Macbeth’s manhood, taking on a dominant, traditionally “masculine” role.
• Guilt and Emotional Detachment – She attempts to deny guilt by focusing on practical action.
Contextual Link:
• Shakespeare critiques rigid gender expectations. Lady Macbeth’s manipulation subverts the idea of submissive women, which would shock a Jacobean audience.
There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.
Language Analysis:
• “No art”: Duncan reflects on how appearances can be deceptive — “art” implies that understanding someone’s true nature is a skill no one has.
• “Mind’s construction in the face”: The metaphor suggests trying to “build” or read a person’s inner thoughts by their expression, which proves impossible.
Themes Linked:
• Appearance vs Reality – Trusting faces over truth is a key flaw in Duncan’s leadership.
• Deception – Macbeth also hides his true intentions behind a mask of loyalty.
Contextual Link:
• Dramatic irony: Duncan makes this statement just before Macbeth enters, already plotting murder. Shakespeare is warning the audience not to trust surface-level appearances.
Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown
• “Fruitless crown”: A metaphor showing Macbeth’s frustration. He’s achieved the throne, but has no legacy — it’s barren. The word “fruitless” also implies unnaturalness and sterility, contrasting the idea of kingship as life-giving and divine.
• The crown, usually a symbol of glory, becomes a burden and source of anxiety for him.
Themes Linked:
• Power and Kingship – Macbeth is a king, but not a rightful one.
• Ambition and Emptiness – He’s achieved his goal but feels no fulfilment.
• Fate vs Free Will – The witches predicted Banquo’s heirs would rule, not his.
Contextual Link:
• The idea of a “fruitless” rule would be disturbing to a Jacobean audience. The monarchy was seen as sacred — a king without heirs meant chaos.
The multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red.
• “Multitudinous seas”: Hyperbolic image suggests that the scale of Macbeth’s guilt is cosmic — nothing natural can cleanse his sin.
• “Incarnadine”: An unusual Latinate word (meaning “to make red with blood”) adds a scientific, almost emotionless tone. This contrasts with the emotional horror he feels, showing a split in his psyche.
• Colour symbolism: Green (nature, purity) turning red (violence, guilt) represents how Macbeth’s crime has corrupted nature itself.
Themes Linked:
• Guilt and Conscience – His guilt is immeasurable; he believes nothing will wash it away.
• The Supernatural and Natural Order – His act is so unnatural it contaminates the natural world.
• Ambition and Regret – He’s already realising the price of ambition.
Contextual Link:
• In Jacobean belief, regicide was a sin against God and nature. Macbeth’s guilt “staining” the seas reflects divine punishment.
