'Macbeth' Revision Notes

Ambition

• “No spur but…”

• “Vaulting ambition, which…”

• Without ambition…”

• “Let not light…”

• “No spur but only vaulting ambition” 

Context: Ambition, to a Jacobean audience, is sinful as to rise above one’s rank is to disobey God’s plan.

• “Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other”

ELB: His ambition is established, from the outset, as his hamartia.

• “Without ambition… but without the illness should attend it”

ELB: Ruthlessness is presented as a necessary accomplice to ambition, undercutting the morality of Macbeth’s ambition. 

• “Let not light see my black and deep desires”

  Context: Reflects fear of divine judgement prevalent in Jacobean society

Power and corruption

• “Hail to thee…”

• “Let not light…”

• “I am blood stepped in…”

• “A dagger of the…”

• “Hail to thee, thou shalt be King hereafter” 

ELB: Witches are agents of the devil- their prophecies of Macbeth coming to power trigger his moral corruption

• “Let not light see my black and deep desires”

Context: This shows that if not divinely sanctioned, power feeds corruption as for Macbeth to hold the power of kingship, he must commit the corrupt act of murder. The divine right of Kings prevents such corruption.

• “I am blood stepped in so far… returning were as tedious as go o’er”

Context: To the religious Jacobean society, this refers to the idea of mortal sin- that some sins are so great (such as regicide) that there is no longer any forgiveness to be earned.

• “A dagger of the mind… proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain”

Context: His hallucinations result from his corruption, reflecting the Jacobean belief that evil is the root of a loss of sanity.

Fate versus free will

• “If chance will have…”

• “Come, fate…”

• Is this a…”

• “None of woman…”

• "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir." 

ELB: Macbeth obeys fate when it suits him, but later abandons it in favour of following his own whims- free will.

• “Come, fate, into the list, and champion me to the utterance”

Context: Macbeth appears to challenge fate, and by extension God, as he controls all destiny, which is equivalent to blasphemy to a deeply religious Jacobean society

• "Is this a dagger which I see before me?"

ELB: Macbeth has trouble identifying whether him killing Duncan is truly of his own free will or if he is just following his predestined fate- there is a blurred line between free will and fate in the vision. 

• “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth”

Context: In Jacobean society, witches are believed to tempt people to use their free will in order to fall into sin- they are agents of the devil.

Supernatural

• “When shall we three..”

• “Fair is foul…”

• “Double, double…”

• “The instruments of darkness…”

• "When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"

Context: In Jacobean society, witches are believed to have the power to control the weather and use this power to create bad weather, symbolising, through pathetic fallacy, disorder and chaos.

• "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."

Context: In Jacobean society, witches are agents of moral confusion and often use equivocatory language to win people to their harm. 

• "Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Context: The witches purposefully speak in a different meter and using a different range of vocabulary to further alienate and ostracise them- aligning with King James VI’s views on witchcraft, published in ‘Daemonology’

• "The instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence."

Context: Banquo is embodiment of Jacobean beliefs and values- and Jacobean society was deeply religious and untrusting of sinful temptation witches bring.

Guilt

• “Will all great Neptune…”

• “O, full of…”

• “Out, damned…”

• “These deeds must not…”

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

ELB: Hyperbolic imagery reflects gravity of sin and extent he has upset the Natural Order. 

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

Context: Macbeth’s deed has been penalised with a loss of peace of mind, reflecting Jacobean belief that there is a divine justice that punishes evil. 

• “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”

Context: Lady Macbeth’s guilt overcomes her and manifests in her sleepwalking- reflecting societal belief women are the weaker sex and therefore more susceptible to moral collapse. 

• “These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us mad”

Context: Lady Macbeth’s dismissal of guilt is ironic as she later goes mad as a result of such guilt- something which would be apparent to the Jacobean audience who believe in divine retribution.

Patriarchy

• “Come, you spirits…”

• “When you durst do…”

• “Bring forth men-children…”

• “Dispute it like…”

• "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here."

Context: Lady Macbeth rejects her femininity and consequently, Jacobean patriarchal standards.

• "When you durst do it, then you were a man."

Context: In threatening his bravery and therefore manhood, Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband, showing the fragility of masculinity and strict gender norms in the Jacobean era. 

• "Bring forth men-children only; for thy undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males."

Context: Lady Macbeth’s strength is seen as a masculine trait- reflecting patriarchal belief that women are the weaker sex. 

• "Dispute it like a man."

Context: Malcolm is forced to hide his vulnerability and remain ‘strong’ even at his darkest moment, showing the emotional suppression men suffer as a result of patriarchy.

Loyalty/betrayal

• “The service and the loyalty…”

• “Look like the innocent…”

• “There’s daggers…”

• “False face must…”

• "The service and the loyalty I owe, in doing it, pays itself."

ELB: Macbeth’s loyalty to the King is doubly a loyalty to God as King Duncan is God’s representative on Earth as shown in the Divine Right of Kings. 

• "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't."

Context: Here, Lady Macbeth’s mention of a ‘serpent’ reminds the devoutly Christian Jacobean audience of Adam and Eve’s betrayal of God. Like Adam and Eve commit evil against God, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth commit evil against God’s representative on Earth- King Duncan. 

• "There's daggers in men's smiles."

Context: Donalbain speaks to the Jacobean fears of insurrection and rebellion following the betrayal of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot

• "False face must hide what the false heart doth know."

ELB: Macbeth hides evil intentions behind a deceitful outward appearance.

Kingship and tyranny

• “The king-becoming graces…”

• “A good and virtuous nature…”

• “Here lay Duncan…”

• “Bleed, bleed…”

• "The king-becoming graces... justice, verity, temperance, stableness."

Context: Malcolm contrasts Macbeth’s tyranny with true kingship- reflecting the importance of the Divine Right of Kings and the consequences of not honouring it. 

• "A good and virtuous nature may recoil in an imperial charge."

Context: Macduff tells of the corruption of the divine sanctity of kingship- a God-given responsibility-  under Macbeth’s rule and shows that power can be corrupting. 

• "Here lay Duncan, his silver skin laced with his golden blood."

Context: Duncan is presented as saintly to show the sacrilege of regicide- the murder of a King, God’s representative on Earth, is a crime against God himself. To a deeply religious Jacobean society, this is a grave sin. 

• "Bleed, bleed, poor country!" 

Context: Scotland’s suffering under Macbeth shows the harmful effects of a disruption of the Natural Order- which Macbeth’s kingship and the unnatural disruption to Duncan’s own rule provoke.

Violence

• “It will have blood…”

• “and dash’d the…”

• “Never shake thy…”

• “…unseam’d him from the…”

• "It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood."

Context: Here, the Jacobean belief of divine justice can be seen- Macbeth’s violence eventually causes his own demise.

• “and dash’d the brains out”

Context: Here, Lady Macbeth rejects the notion that a woman’s worth is tied to their fertility- a belief held both in 11th century Scotland, and in Jacobean England- through violent imagery.

• 'Never shake thy glory locks at me'

Context: Through his visions, Macbeth is forced to face the consequences of his excessive violence- reflecting Jacobean belief in divine retribution.

• ‘...unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops.”

ELB: Macbeth’s violence is celebrated as a mark of his bravery, but his violence as King is condemned. Shakespeare asks the audience whether violence is truly something to reward.

Appearance versus reality

• “This castle hath…”

• “Look like th’...”

• “Never shake thy…”

• “There’s daggers in…”

• “This castle hath a pleasant seat”

Context: Hospitality is a pillar of Jacobean society, rooted in feudal and Christian values, and Macbeth’s violence violates this tradition. 

• “Look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.”

Context: Here, Lady Macbeth’s mention of a ‘serpent’ reminds the devoutly Christian Jacobean audience of Adam and Eve’s betrayal of God. 

• “Never shake thy gory locks at me”

Context: Macbeth is unable to distinguish between appearance and reality- reflecting the loss of peace of mind which occurs after committing great evil, tying in with the Jacobean belief of divine retribution.

• “There’s daggers in men’s smiles”

Context: Donalbain’s paranoia reflects the same paranoia of the Jacobean people following the Gunpowder Plot.

Justice and retribution

• “It will have blood…”

• “This even-handed justice commends…”

• “That calls upon us, by the grace…”

• “And I fear thou played…”

• "It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood." 

Context: Reflects Jacobean belief in divine retribution

• "This even-handed justice commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice to our own lips."

Context: The noun ‘chalice’ has religious connotations (Last Supper) and therefore resonates with Jacobean audiences who believe in divine justice.

• "That calls upon us, by the grace of Grace, we will perform in measure, time, and place."

Context: Malcolm taking the throne signposts return to justice in play, linking to Divine Right of Kings, belief that only rightful Kings, chosen by God, will provoke a time of justice.

• “And I fear thou played most foully for’t”

Context: It is important that Banquo is presented as an advocate for fairness and justice as he was the ancestor of King James I of Scotland, who was a patron of Shakespeare.

Order versus disorder

• “The night has been…”

• “A falcon, towering in her…”

• “Those he commands move…”

• “Macbeth doth murder…”

• "The night has been unruly. Where we lay, our chimneys were blown down."

Context: Shows chaos of macrocosm after disruption to Great Chain of Being in Macbeth murdering King Duncan

• "A falcon, towering in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd."

Context: Reflects the fact that everything has been subverted without the divine control of a rightful King- which will resonate with Jacobean believers of the Divine Right of Kings.

• “Those he commands move only in command, nothing in love.”

Context: Macbeth is not and cannot be fit for King due to the Divine Right of Kings.

• “Macbeth doth murder sleep… Macbeth shall sleep no more.”

Context: Macbeth loses his peace of mind and loses all semblance of control and order in his personal life- an example of divine retribution the Jacobean audience would have believed in.

Light versus darkness

• “Stars, hide your fires; let…”

• “Come, thick night, and…”

• “Out, out…”

• “She has light by…”

• "Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires."

ELB: Here, ‘light’ represents truth, and his ‘black and deep desires’, the evil of his intentions. The juxtaposing ideas reveal Macbeth’s inner conflict. 

• "Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell.”

ELB: Lady Macbeth calls on spirits to hide the truth of King Duncan’s murder.

• “Out, out, brief candle”

ELB: The absence of light symbolises the absence of hope and will to live Macbeth experiences in losing his wife.

• "She has light by her continually; ’tis her command."

Context: Here, the light represents grace and forgiveness- without it, Lady Macbeth succumbs to guilt and regret over her killing King Duncan. This resonates with the Jacobean audience as light has divine connotations.

Greed

• “To be thus is…”

• “I will not…”

• “You’re like the poor…”

• “All my pretty…”

• “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus.”

Context: He will never be satisfied, not even as King. This warns the Jacobean audience against overindulging in their pleasures as satisfaction cannot be found in a deadly sin. 

• “I will not yield.”

ELB: Macbeth would rather die than surrender and give up his power.

• “You’re like the poor cat…who wants to eat fish but refuses to get its feet wet.”

ELB: Lady Macbeth asserts that Macbeth wants to both be King and reap Kingly benefits and also face no consequences for making that happen (killing Duncan). 

• “All my pretty chickens and their dam, at one fell swoop”

ELB: Here, Macduff describes the massiveness of grief Macbeth has caused him in murdering his entire family- an excessively cruel and deliberate act.

Family

• “and dash’d…”

• “He has no…”

• “Fathered he…”

• “But I must…”

• “and dash’d the brains out”

Context: Here, Lady Macbeth rejects the notion that a woman’s purpose is tied to their role within the family home (as a mother, and as a wife)- a belief held both in 11th century Scotland, and in Jacobean England- through violent imagery.

• "He has no children."

Context: Reflects the importance of the traditional family unit which is central to Jacobean society- deviation, such as electing to have no children- is frowned upon. 

• "Fathered he is, and yet he’s fatherless."

Context: Here, Macduff does not fulfil his role as protector of the family unit as the father and husband of the home and therefore defies Jacobean expectations. 

• "But I must also feel it as a man."

Context: Macduff defies patriarchal expectations by mourning the loss of his wife and child- in the Jacobean era, any show of emotion was discouraged.

Fear

• “Oh, full of scorpions…”

• “But wherefore could…”

• “Oh, I am afraid they…”

• “Give me mine…”

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

Context: Macbeth’s fear of Banquo’s descendents taking the throne causes him to lose his peace of mind- a loss of sanity in Jacobean society correlated with a loss of morality. 

• "But wherefore could I not pronounce ‘Amen’?"

Context: Macbeth’s moral corruption provokes a fear of divine retribution and punishment that a deeply religious Jacobean society would believe in.

• "Oh, I am afraid they have awaked, and ‘tis not done!”

ELB: Lady Macbeth is fearful that her plan will be foiled and she will remain powerless.

• "Give me mine armour."

Context: Here, Macbeth’s request for armour reflects his need for emotional protection, showing his fear and desperation. This is also a commentary on a patriarchal Jacobean society where men find security through violence.

Manipulation

• “Are you not…”

• “None of woman…”

• “Know that it was he…”

• “Who can be wise, amazed…”

• “Are you not a man?”

ELB: Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth’s fragile masculinity in order to convince him to commit murder. 

• “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth.”

Context: The witches use equivocal language to lull Macbeth into a false sense of security. Jacobean audiences believe this to be typical of witches.

• "Know that it was he, in the times past, which held you so under fortune."

ELB: Macbeth attempts to appeal to the murderer’s sense of justice and patriotism to convince them that Banquo is a threat to Scotland and get his way.

• "Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious, Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man."

ELB: Macbeth pretends that killing the guards is an act of loyalty to the King.

Religion

• “But wherefore could…”

• “Will all great Neptune…”

• “Angels are bright still…”

• “Out, out…”

• "But wherefore could I not pronounce ‘Amen’?"

Context: Macbeth’s moral corruption provokes a fear of divine retribution and punishment that a deeply religious Jacobean society would believe in.

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

Context: The hyperbole reminds the Jacobean audience of baptism- a sacrament that washes sins away- and to say that Macbeth’s sins are so great that they cannot be forgiven  by God conveys the true magnitude of Macbeth’s deeds.

• “Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell.”

Context: Here, Malcolm uses the example of Lucifer, whose pride caused him to fall from his position as God’s best angel, to the devil, to warn of deception. This story will be recognised by the deeply religious Jacobean audience.

• “Out, out, brief candle!”

ELB: The absence of light symbolises the absence of faith and belief in salvation as the light represents the light of life which has left him through his rejection of divine authority.

Macbeth

• Ambition

• Guilt

• Tyranny

Ambition

• "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition."

ELB: Ambition is presented as Macbeth’s hamartia- the flaw that leads to his demise.

Guilt

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

ELB: Macbeth’s guilt is presented as a consequence to his actions, and is evidence of divine retribution.

Tyranny

• “Bleed, bleed, poor country! Great tyranny…”

ELB: Macbeth is a wrongful leader because he has disrupted the Great Chain of Being and was not chosen by God.

Lady Macbeth

• Patriarchy

• Manipulation

• Guilt

Patriarchy

• "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here."

ELB: Lady Macbeth is the antithesis to the Jacobean woman and in her undermining the patriarchy and, separately, performing evil acts, Shakespeare seems to associate the subversion of gender roles with unnaturality and immorality. 

Manipulation

• “Are you not a man?”

ELB: Lady Macbeth weaponises societal standards to coax Macbeth into murdering Duncan- mirroring Eve’s role in the Genesis accounts- both women playing the instigator of evil.  

Guilt

• “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”

ELB: Lady Macbeth falls into guilt more severely, and quicker, than her husband, reflecting Jacobean belief that women are weaker and susceptible to traditionally feminine emotions such as guilt. This is supported by James I of Scotland who believed only women could be witches due to their being the ‘weaker sex’.

King Duncan

• Kingship

• Betrayal

• Religion

Kingship

• “Let me enfold thee, and hold thee to my heart.”

ELB: King Duncan is presented as nurturing and selfless; the perfect king. This is supported by him ruling by the Divine Right of Kings, a belief that God appoints and guides Kings.

Betrayal

• “This castle hath a pleasant seat.”

ELB: Duncan is betrayed by his hosts and subjects- Macbeth and Lady Macbeth- whom he trusted and was above in the Great Chain of Being. His death is a subversion of the Natural Order and the Jacobean pillar of hospitality. 

Religion

• “The Lord’s anointed temple”

Context: Macduff likens King Duncan’s body to a sacred temple, presenting his murder as deeply sacrilegious as it reminds the audience that the King is God’s representative on Earth and so a crime against Duncan is a crime against God.

Banquo

• Kingship

• Fate versus free will

• Ambition

Kingship

• “Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature, reigns that which would be feared.”

ELB: Banquo has “king–becoming graces” and is presented as noble. This is because King James I of Scotland believed Banquo was his ancestor, and was a patron of Shakespeare.

Fate versus free will

• “Speak, then, to me, who neither beg nor fear… your favours nor your hate.”

ELB: Banquo’s indifference to the witches presents him as a foil to Macbeth and suggests that Macbeth’s moral decay was not fate, as suggested by the witches, but rather a product of his own free will. 

Ambition

• “May they not be my oracles as well, and set me up in hope?”

ELB: This shows that Banquo, like Macbeth, has ambition and is curious. However, much unlike Macbeth, he is able to keep his ambition in check which shows ambition is not sinful if restrained.

Malcolm

• Justice and retribution

• Loyalty

• Kingship

Justice and retribution

• "Let grief convert to anger, blunt not the heart, enrage it.”

ELB: Malcolm acts as an agent of justice who encourages Macbeth’s condemnation. 

Loyalty

• “It weeps, it bleeds; and each new day a gash is added to her wounds.”

ELB: Malcolm’s sorrow over the state of Scotland shows his commitment to its wellbeing and shows his patriotism- his loyalty to his country.

Kingship

• “The king-becoming graces… justice, verity, temperance, stableness, bounty.”

ELB: Malcolm shows he understands what it means to be a good King and seeks to embody such God-inspired traits.

Macduff

• Loyalty

• Justice and retribution

• Family

Loyalty

• “Oh, Scotland, Scotland!”

ELB: Macduff’s sorrow over the state of Scotland shows his commitment to its wellbeing and shows his patriotism- his loyalty to his country.

Justice and retribution

• “Bring thou this fiend of Scotland.”

ELB: Macduff seeks justice not only for himself, for his wife and son were murdered by Macbeth, but for the whole of Scotland, who suffered under his tyrannous rule.

Family

• “All my pretty chickens and their dam, at one fell swoop”

ELB: Here, Macduff describes the massiveness of grief Macbeth has caused him in murdering his entire family and shows the same massive extent he loved them.

The witches

• Supernatural

• Manipulation

• Fate versus free will

Supernatural

• "Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Context: The witches purposefully speak in a different meter and using a different range of vocabulary to further alienate and ostracise them- aligning with King James VI’s views on witchcraft, published in ‘Daemonology’ and the general Jacobean perception of witches.

Manipulation

• “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth”

Context: In Jacobean society, witches are believed to tempt people to use their free will in order to fall into sin- they are agents of the devil.

Fate versus free will

• “Hail to thee, thou shalt be King hereafter” 

ELB: The witches do not make it clear whether his being King is already decided, or if it is Macbeth who must make it happen in killing Duncan, raising questions on whether they tell of a decided fate, or just seek to confuse people to their harm.