Macbeth Themes Grade 9 Flashcards
(9 cards)
Guilt - “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”
Macbeth uses hyperbolic imagery to express the enormity of his guilt, suggesting even the vast ocean couldn’t cleanse his conscience
The metaphor of blood represents moral stain - a guilt so profound it corrupts nature itself
Shakespeare reveals how guilt distorts Macbeth’s perception, isolating him from redemption
Guilt - “Out damned spot! Out, I say!” - lady macbeth
Lady Macbeth’s hallucination of blood symbolises the psychological torment her guilt causes
Her once-commanding tone now sounds desperate, reflecting a breakdown of her mental state
Shakespeare uses this moment to show that guilt is not just emotional - it becomes physical and irreversible
Guilt - “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife”
Metaphor of “scorpions” illustrates how Macbeth’s mind is poisoned by guilt anxiety, and violent intent
His thoughts have become dangerous and uncontrollable, foreshadowing further bloodshed
Shakespeare uses this to explore how guilt doesn’t lead to remorse - it drives Macbeth
Kingship - “His virtues will plead like angels” - Macbeth
Macbeth describes Duncan’s goodness using religious imagery, elevating him to a saint-like figure
By invoking “angels”, shakespeare links Duncan to divine right and moral order
Macbeth’s betrayal becomes not just political, but a spiritual crime against God’s chosen ruler
Kingship - “Bleed, bleed, poor country” - Macduff
Macduff’s repetition and metaphor reflects suffering of Scotland under Macbeth’s tyrannical rule
Personification of the nation shows the moral and physical decay caused by illegitimate kingship
Shakespeare critiques rulers who gain power without virtue, showing they infect the state itself
Kingship - “The king-becoming graces justice verify, temperance” - malcom
Malcom lists qualities that define ideal kingship, contrasting sharply with Macbeth’s tyrannical nature
These virtues represent order, fairness and control - all of which Macbeth lacks
Shakespeare frames true kingship as a moral responsibility, not just a position of power
Supernatural - “Fair is foul and foul is fair”
The paradox immediately disrupt moral clarity, establishing a world where appearances decieve
Shakespeare uses the supernatural to challenge the audience’s expectations of good and evil
The line also reflects how Macbeth will later embody this confusion, corrupted by ambition
Supernatural - “Is this a dagger which I see before me”
The hallucinated dagger symbolises the supernatural tempting Macbeth toward regicide
The ambiguity - is it real or imagined? - reflects how the supernatural blurs reason and madness
Shakespeare suggests supernatural doesn’t force evil, but manipulates human weakness
Supernatural - “Come you spirits… unsex me here”
Lady Macbeth calls on dark supernatural forces to strip away her feminity and empathy
This invocation shows rejection of natural order, gender roles and morality
Shakespeare portrays supernatural as a corrupting force that enables ambition and leads to destruction
