GCSE English Literature - "Macbeth"

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”

A1S1 - Shakespeare establishes the theme of masked appearances and inversion.

“Stars hide your fires;

Let not light see my black and deep desires”

A1S4 - Shakespeare juxtaposes the imagery of light (purity & truth) with darkness (mischief) to contribute to the theme of deception and masked appearances. Furthermore, the plural form of the noun “stars” conveys the vast magnitude of the evil deed Macbeth plans to commit.

“There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face”

A1S4 - masked appearances; Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony reinforces the theme of deception in the play.

“Nothing is but what is not”

A1S3 - Shakespeare’s use of this paradoxical phrase conveys Macbeth’s confusion and implies the inverted, unnatural nature of the play.

“Too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness”

A1S5 - metaphor; Shakespeare’s use of the noun “milk” implies Macbeth’s unmanly nature, as the tender noun connotes the vulnerability of a child. This metaphor contributes to the motif of gender throughout the play.

“Come, you spirits

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,

And fill me from the crown to the toe topful

Of direst cruelty!”

A1S5 - hyperbolic imagery; Shakespeare’s use of the imperative “unsex” reflects Lady Macbeth’s sheer adamance to gain the power wielded by men. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s use of the sinister noun “spirits” contributes to the underlying theme of the supernatural within the play.