macbeth quotes & analysis Flashcards
“pour mine spirits in thine ear”
- LM manipulates her husband into carrying out her plan to kill Duncan
- she is forced to do this due to her position as a woman preventing her from doing it herself
- illustrates her ambition
“look like a flower but be the serpent under’t”
- tells M to appear innocent and loyal to Duncan to earn his trust, and then betray him
- references garden of Eden, she’s asking him to act against christian values
- serpent = venomous, malicious, murderous
“are you a man?”
- another illustration of LM manipulating her husband
- plays on his masculinity, which is very important to him, to get her way
“I am in blood stepp’d so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er”
- he has gone so far, killed so many people, that he is past he point of no return and going back now would be just as painful and difficult as continuing on his current path of murder and destruction
“I go, and it is done”
- represents turning point, point of no return
“will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”
- deed cannot be washed away by any amount of water
- will forever tarnish his name, consequences inevitable and he is set on a bloody path
- guilt is overpowering, unable to rid himself of it and stop thinking about what he has done
“seize upon Fife: give edge to the edge o’ the sword his wife his babes and all the unfortunate souls”
- unnecessary killing of women and babies shows how he has become increasingly evil/mad
“tis unnatural” / “tis said, they eat each other”
- demonstrates the effects of M’s evil
- natural order (GCOB) is perverted and completely lost due to M’s heinous actions
“sleep no more: Macbeth doth murder sleep, the innocent sleep” - cant say Amen
- M cant sleep = not innocent
- demonstrates effects of his evil actions
- guilt overpowering
“and thou oppos’d being of no women born, yet I will try the last”
- follows prophecy until the end, doesn’t believe he is in the wrong
- still trying to win even though he knows Macduff can kill him
- shows his intentions are selfish and he continues to only look out for himself until the end
“unseamed him from the nave to th’chops”
- hints at bloodlust - excessive, merciless fighter
- characteristics that will become a problem when he is king - kings must be able to control themselves
“brave Macbeth”
- initial presentation of character: fearless, honourable, noble, valued figure
“Belladonna’s bridegroom”
- Belladonna is a war goddess, illustrates the fact he is a strong, courageous, respected fighter
“stars hide your fires/let not heaven see my black and deep desires”
- hamartia (ambition) already evident and potentially problematic
- internally conflicted - knows his desires are unacceptable, but recognises their existence, controlled by ambition
- already threatens to upset GCOB
- light = truth, symbolises good nature, which isnt there, dark = guilt
“stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more. Speak, I charge you”
- desperate to hear more from the witches
- commanding speech - Kingly, however his potentially foul actions do not align with this
- ambition can be seen from the beginning - in his nature
