Macbeth

‘brave..’

“brave Macbeth.”

emphasises his greatness and thus makes his downfall more tragic

‘this dead butcher..’

“this dead butcher and fiend-like queen”[Malcolm]

metaphorical imagery

evokes pity, but fear the consequences of overambition

shows macbeth’s bleak legacy, proving how evil corrupted him

{malcolm} ‘is a step on which..’

{malcolm} “is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies.”

metaphor

Macbeth regards Malcolm as a barrier to the throne

‘Stars hide your fires..’

“Stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep
desires,”

personification

symbolism

rhyme

wants his crimes to be invisible, the darkness symbolises his evil actions

rhyme, like witches, as if casting a spell, further highlighting how evil he has become

‘vaulting..’

“vaulting ambition' which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other-”

metaphor

biblical imagery

foreshadowing

macbeth’s desire for power

foreshadows his own downfall, corrupt ambition has consequences

the downfall of humanity in the bible started from greed

‘Stay you..’

“Stay you imperfect speakers. Tell me more.”

declarative

intriuged

suggests Macbeth understands the witches are evil

‘Is this a..’

“Is this a dagger which I see before me,”

interrogative

reflects confusion, marking the start of his insanity

‘A dagger of..’

“A dagger of the mind,”

symbolism

an invitation to murder Duncan, a reflection of his mental state: shows his mental anguish, a warning

'O full of scorpions..’

“O full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”

exclamative

imagery

symbolises his mental pain, his is stung by the thought of having to murder Banquo

‘never shake thy..’

“never shake thy gory locks at me!”

interrogative

desperation for the ghost to vanish, manifestation of his guilt

‘Those he commands, move..’

“Those he commands, move only in command, Nothing in love.” [Angus]

shows how unworthy he is of kingship, juxtaposes Duncan’s character

‘like a giant’s..’

“like a giant’s robe upon a dwarfish thief.” [Angus]

simile

emphasises how Macbeth has stolen the throne and bears a title that is too great for him

‘Will all great Neptune’s..’

“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”

hyperbole

interrogative

shows the extent of guilt he feels

‘I will not yield to..’

“I will not yield to kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet,”

declarative

has too much pride to live and be humiliated- so he chooses death instead, somewhat seeming to be a tragic hero once again

‘Be so much more..”

“Be so much more than a man”

easily manipulated by Lady macbeth'

‘I have no spur to prick …’

“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, only vaulting ambition”

Macbeth’s only motivation to kill Duncan is his ambition

Soliloquy

Macbeth clearly states his own hamartia, shows that it overshadows all other traits

‘When you durst do it..’

“When you durst do it, then you were a man”

Lady Macbeth trying to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan by attacking his masculinity

Role reversal, Lady Macbeth is manipulating Macbeth

“Life..is a tale told by an idiot..”

“Life.. is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”

Macbeth’s soliloquy after his is told of Lady Macbeth’s death

Nihilism shocking to Jacobean audiences

Brings sympathy to Macbeth as he realises his actions were all for nothing

“Come, thick night

“Come, thick night and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of Hell … nor Heaven peep through”

Lady Macbeth wants her evil desires hidden by God

Shows Lady Macbeth’s true feelings

Religious symbolism suggests Lady Macbeth is aware of the consequences of her actions

Imperatives disrupting great chain of being

“Come you spirits …”

“Come you spirits … Unsex me here”

Lady Macbeth rejecting femininity and subverting typical characteristics, disturbing to Jacobean audiences

Imperative verbs show Lady Macbeth’s power and arrogance to command evil forces

“Look like the innocent

“Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent underneath it”

Lady Macbeth suggesting Macbeth should hide his treachery from Duncan

Shows Lady Macbeth’s duplicitous nature

Imperative shows power over Macbeth

Religious connotations of the serpent , a serpent tempted Eve in the garden of Eden

“Out, ..

“Out, damned spot: out, I say!”

Lady Macbeth desperate and pleading for her hallucination to disappear just before her suicide

Lady Macbeth’s desperation is shown through repetition to show desperation and punctuation to show her disjointed mind

Use of imperatives is ironic as now her imperatives do nothing

“A little water…

“A little water clears us of this deed”

Lady Macbeth thinks it won’t take much to clear their consciences

Lady Macbeth shows hubris through her assertion

Water contrast with Macbeth quote “Neptune’s ocean”

“Sleep no more ..

“Sleep no more, Macbeth does murder sleep”

Immediately after murder Macbeth begins hallucinting

Sleep symbolises peace so Macbeth’s regicide will keep him from peace and possibly even Heaven

“All’s to weak”

“All’s to weak, for brave Macbeth”

“His brandish’d steel”

“His brandish’d steek which smok’d with bloody execution”

“Unseam’d him”

“Unseam’d him from the nave to th’chaps / And fix’d his head upon our battlements”

“The prince of cumberland”

“The prince of cumberland: that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap”

“Stars, hide your fires”

“Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires”

“stay you imperfect”

“Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more”

“Yet do I fear thy nature”

“Yet do I fear they nautre; it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness”

“Leave all the rest”

“Leave all the rest to me” (LM to M)