english lit macbeth quotes

includes all characters

Duncan 1.2

“brave macbeth”

“nobel macbeth”

“valient cousin”

• Duncans flaw is that he is too trusting of others

• creates dramatic irony as he praises macbeth , unaware he is feeding the very “serpent” that will soon consume him

• ‘cousin’ highlights their blood bond , establishes that macbeth is really percieved as the ‘innocent flower’ to an outsides eye but hidden is a deep contrast to his appearance.

• Theme relates to appearance vs reality. Shakespear does this to reveal to the audience about peopls inner secrets and sins, not to trust everyone.

Duncan 1.6

“this castle hath a pleasent seat; the air, nimbly and sweetly recommends itself”

• Duncan arrives at macbeths castleand praises the atmosphere, ironic as he will eventually be killed and he is entering his death.

• Completley fooled by the ‘innocent flower’ trap.

• ‘nimbly’and ‘sweetly’ contrats to the ‘smoke of hell’ LM summoned to the same location

• Shakespear uses this as a psychological trap to heighten the plays tension and wants the audience to deeply feel the intense dread.

Lady macbeth character profile

• primary engine of manipulation and an example of subverted feminity

• Begs for feminity to be stripped away , views role of women as an pbstacle to her boundless ambition

• Manipulative towards M , makes him question his masculinity and drives and directs his crimes

• Journey ends in total collapse of a result of her guilt feeding in on her , results in her suicide.

LM 1.5

“unsex me here, come you spirits”

• she rejects her feminity and wants her maternal instincts replaced with cruelty

• She aligns herself with the witches and to a 17th cetury audience, withcraft and possesion was feared and frowned upon, making her a deeply unatural woman.

• Believes M lacks courage and cruetly to murder duncan , which shows her ambition is more dangerous than macbeth as she is willing to sacrifice her humanity for power to commit the act herself.

LM 5.1

“out,dammed spirit”

• marks total collapse of LM

• imaginary of bloodstain represents permanent guilt which creates irony to her recent confidence in her cruelty.

• The ‘milk of human kindness’ she once mocked , she actually couldnt survive what she forced upon herself

• Her inability to cleasnse herself of the deed provides religious connotations that regicide is an unforgiveable sin and your actions will haunt you.

• No escaping , sleep walking is a result of her guilt

LM 1.5

“look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it”

• tells M to appear innocent , welcmoing, harmless while secretly harboring evil and trecherous intent

• Flower symbolises beauty, purity andvunerability , creating a powerful contrast to evil

• ‘flower’ shows nurturing qualities assigned to women , while hiding a ‘serpent’ .She tells him to mimic femininity as a shell for masculine cruelty

• Reveals LM character, she is calculated by manipulation , subversion of gender norms and spiritual corruption.

LM 1.7

“pluck my nipples from his boneless gums and dash’d the brains out”

• she is willing and ready to murder / smash her own child to accomplish their plan and gain power

• Jacobean era, mother and childs bond was sacred and this proved she has unsexed herself

• Manipulating as she guilt trips M

• Makes his moral hesitation look cowardice and a betrayal of their marrige as she shows she would commit the most ultamite sins then break a promise

• Foreshadows and highlights her change as later on she can’t wash away her guilt

LM 5.1

“all the perfumes of arabia willl not sweeten this little hand”

• she realises the ‘stain’ is now internal and no amount of distraction can mask the stench of moral rot

• Her guilt is beyond any earthy emedy

• Irony of ‘ little hand’ as demanded to be unsexed now refers to vunerable and powerless conotations of herself

• Mocked M terrors with ‘ a little water clears us’ shes now inherited his conscience. Shakespear uses this to show guilt is a contagian , guilt has spread to her and now infected her.

Macbeth character profile

• tragc protagonist , journey from valiaint hero to deadly tryant. His deep-seated ambition overwhelms his moral compass.

• intense psychological conflict , haunted by his imagination , vivid hallucinations

• manipulatef by LM , masculinity stripped by her , guilt-tripped , directs his crime , makes him feel morally inferior

• downfall caused by influence of supernatual

• disrupts GCOB and sends world into chaos

• ambition powers him , rules over some alse-security set by the witches.

M 3.2

“full of scorpians is my mind”

• reves his inner mind is poisoned and troubled with dangerous venomous thoughts.

• metaphor shows anxiety , growing paranoia about securing role of king

• ‘scorpians’ symbolises toxic thoughts stinging and tormenting him

• tone is dark and comptemplative

• ‘mind’ no longer place of reason , but ambitiouss and obsessive , no peace as its infested

M 1.3

“ so foul and fair a day i have not seen”

• echoes withces earlier , suggesting their influence showing the temptation begin subtly

• mirroring their language foreshadows his moral coruption and connection with evil

• Macbeth whom a noble warrios , assosiation with witches shows his moral decay

• his spiritual vunerability , even the most honorable men can be corrupted by engaging with evil and inner ambition , can lead to devestating psychological consequence.

M2.1

“is this a dagger i see before me? the handle towards my hand. come , let me clutch thee.”

• hallucinations occuring before he commits the murder, crucial early moment where his disturbed mental state is revealed to the audience

• Symbolisises ambition, temptation and reflects inner conflict ,good vs evil.

• tone is hesitant but compelled , shows struggle with conscience

• projection of his guilt haunting him

• symbol of blood and death

M 2

“stars, hide your fires ; let no light see my black and deep desires”

• dark/light imagery shows the conflict between ambition and conscience

• soliliquy reveals his moral awareness, foreshadowing his inner torment

• begs starts to conceal his evil , desires for secrecy and shows internal conflict with good v evil

• secrecy shows his guilt , acknowledges his ambitions are not pure, but revealing his desires would lead to guilt and moral conflict.