Macbeth quotes Flashcards
(7 cards)
Heat…
Heat oppressed brain
Form: Soliloquy (when a character is revealing their thoughts out loud)
Macbeth admits that his thoughts are being controlled by “heat”.
Lady Macbeth + The witches are the ones manipulating him.
Deep down he wants to kill Duncan
Context: Freud:id (macbeth is a slave to his desires)
Zoom: foreshadowing (hints at macbeth’s mental instability, which increases throughout the play).
Oppressed = controlled
Macbeth is saying that his brain is being controlled by heat
Thoughts are being reshaped (remoulded by the witches and lady macbeth)
Soliloquy (revealing thoughts out loud) - Macbeth is showing weakness in private, while in public, he is a strong, patriachal man.
Macbeth is weak, manipulated, in a compromised position.
Mind corrupted by women
Deep down, he wants to kill duncan.
Pursuit of kingship
Something wicked…
Something wicked this way comes
Technique: Juxtaposition
Witches are complimenting macbeth (he is compared to the devil in how he behaves, the witches like bad people). Even they are in awe of who he has become.
Context: Kingship (macbeth is defying the divine right of kings / great chain of being)
Chremamorphism (they refer to macbeth as “something”) - talking about a human as an object
Chremamorphism - Witches talk about macbeth as “something” (an object) as opposed to a person (objectification)
Juxtaposition - How can the witches call macbeth evil, when they are evil themselves? (How can a fat kid call another kid fat?)
Kingship - macbeth tarnishes the role of a king (shows amcbeth is not the rightful heir to the throne when he begs to the witches)
Shows how macbeth has changed (changes from “brave macbeth” to “something wicked”).
“Wicked” - heightens the extent of his evil
Witches ‘wipe their hands clean’ of responsiblility (they plot and plan, but take no responsibility)
Lady macbeth has blood on her hands (she plays a part in creating “something wicked”)
The instruments…
The instruments of darkness tell us truths only to betray us
Macbeth is being played by the witches (they are convincing him to kill the king, yet not informing him of the consequences).
To an extent, Banquo is also being played, since he was promised to be the father of kings, yet that also meant he would die.
Banquo sees that macbeth is intruiged in the prophecies
Banquo calls the witches “intruments of darkness”, and an instrument must be played (someobdy is going to get played)
Witches will “play with darkness”, be evil, etc
Metaphor for the evil forces used by the witches.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both victims (both get played by the witches)
They are targeting the kingship
Shows the power of the supernatural
Unseamed him…
Unseamed him from the nave to the chops
“Unseam” means to tear apart - macbeth tears enemies apart, getting up close before killing.
Chremamorphism - macbeth treats his opponents like objects by “unseaming” them.
Patriachy - mabeth is the “perfect man”, in the sense that
Violent imagery - a clear image is being painted in the minds of the readers - a violent battlefield with people being split in half.
Unsex…
Unsex me here
Lady Macbeth wants to get rid of her more “female” characteristics - she wants to rise to power, yet is limited by them.
In thunder…
“In thunder, lightning, or in rain?”
Shakespeare is giving the witches godlike powers (they can choose the weather).
Foreshadowing the entire play (act 1 scene 1 is a prologue).
“Thunder” is a metaphor for Lady Macbeth talking during act 1.
“Lightning” is a rare thing - metaphor for Macbeth killing the king. Thunder comes before lightning, so lady macbeth and the witches caused Duncan’s death.
“Rain” - when Macbeth kills the king, everybody suffers.
Shows the power of the witches
Symbolism - chaos and evil throughout the play
Pathetic fallacy - the violent weather reflects the witch’s evil and disruption.
Life is…
“Life is but a walking shadow”
Lady Macbeth just committed suicide
Metaphor: Comparing life to a shadow (Lady Macbeth had a hold over macbeth). When she died, her control over macbeth was removed.
You can never catch your shadow (macbeth is questioning what he has been doing)
Macbeth is never satisfied with his desires
Macbeth shows (for a split second) that he feels remorse / regret.
Freud: id (macbeth realises the danger of following his id)
“Walking” - macbeth is constantly chasing his desire, but he can never catch / fullfill it.
