Macbeth quotes

‘Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires'

Fate and Freewill

-Celestial imagery is employed, stars symbolise fate, rhyming couplets show supernatural influence, implies that him being lured into evil by the witches is fate, shows his lack of agency in the matter.

- "fires' connote aggression, foreshadows how he becomes crueller and more aggressive as the play develops as he falls into the evil because of his fate, and shows how his 'deep desires" will lead to the destruction of himself and others relating to the Great Chain of Being. Stars could relate to natural order i.e. stars being 'fixed' in place.

- The fact that he wants to hide it and is shameful shows his self-awareness and acknowledging what will happen, audience feels sympathy towards Macbeth as he has no control over it but knows what will happen.

-Personification by commanding the stars, shows his futile endeavour, suggests that going against fate is a futile endeavour.

- Macbeth also uses metaphor in his depiction of light as symbolic of goodness, while black symbolizes the evil he is about to commit. This juxtaposition of light and dark emphasizes Macbeth's tumultuous mental state, emphasising the sympathy the audience may feel for him.

*I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself And falls on th'other?

Fate and Freewill

- Equestrian metaphor describes the tension between Macbeth's unwillingness to move ahead with his plan, and his acknowledgement that his ambition is leading him down a dangerous path, saying that his 'vaulting ambition' will fall on his lack of motivation to carry out the act. Acknowledges his 'vaulting ambition' as his hamartia which will lead to his downfall from grace as a tragic hero shows the dangers of an unchecked ambition.

- Can relate to the witches' initial prophecies at the start of the play: do they have control over Macbeth's fate or are they simply leading him to his hamartia? Leads the audience to question whether Macbeth is victim of fate and can lead to a varied view on whether we feel sympathy towards Macbeth.

Banquo's son Fleance must 'embrace the fate of that dark hour'

Fate and freewill

- Dark symbolises evil, evil things happen at night. In the same way that light offers protection from evil, darkness is used as a means of covering up monstrous acts and provides an element of disassociation. Implies that Macbeth believes he can kill Fleance and cover it up the same way he did to Duncan, shows that he's willing to carry on going down this path of evil, shows his downfall as a tragic hero into sin.

- Believes he has the power to control fate and believes Fleance to be a victim of fate, ironic because it is argued Macbeth in fact is the victim of fate.

"And take a bond of fate' He will kill Macduff so that he can 'tell pale-hearted fear it lies'

Fate and Freewill

-"bond' in the literal sense at Jacobean time was to receive a sincere promise that the person will pay us a debt, therefore Macbeth is going to kill Macduff to ensure that fate is kept, implies that his actions and fate work together and not everything is down to fate. Also, the fact that he must reassure himself shows he doesn't fully trust the witches.

-"bond" in the metaphorical sense could connote his lack of agency as fate's bondage, and his "bond' with fate, and everything up until this point is therefore a product of fate, could also imply that Macbeth is being forced into these actions to ensure that fate is carried out.

"Bloody instructions which plague the inventor'

Guilt

-Blood is a repeated motif in the play, symbolising guilt.

-Instructions' imply his lack of agency, relates to not only Lady Macbeth's dominance and manipulation but also the supernatural influence and the idea of fate. Implies his lack of agency will lead to his guilty actions.

- "plague' connotes sickness which affects others, relate to Macbeth's actions disrupting the natural order and plaguing Scotland.Directly links to the quote 'bleed, bleed poor country!' where Scotland is personified as an organic entity, as Macbeth's actions ‘plague' Scotland.

‘Will all great Neptune's oceans wash this blood clean from my hand?'

Guilt

- Blood is a repeated motif in the play, symbolising guilt.

- Hyperbole, he will literally be able to wash his hand however emphasises heaviness of his sin, shows his inability to rid himself of his guilt, his guilt will torment him for life and lead to his downfall as his actions will stay with him for life. It's not the blood he can't wash off, but his guilt.

- He can no longer appeal to the Christian God as he has strayed so far from Him, as he has committed regicide and gone directly against God and the Divine Right of Kings. However, not even the Roman Gods can help him, emphasising the heaviness of his sin. He is a tragic hero and can no longer be the noble Macbeth he once was.

-Shows that he is shameful at what he did as he is trying to rid himself of his guilt, aspect of sympathy as he was coerced into his actions

‘out, damned spot‘

Guilt

- Spot of blood, blood is a repeated motif of guilt in the play, symbolising guilt. At this point in the play, Lady Macbeth's mental state is declining because of her guilt.

-Imperative out' shows the downfall of her mental state as she orders a spot of blood.

-'damned" connotes sin and implies that she is accursed to hell because of her sin, Shakespeare presents all her efforts to rid the

-'damned spot' as a futile endeavour.

-Ironic and painful reversal of her earlier claim 'a little water clears us of this deed".