Macbeth quotes

“Let not light see my dark and deep desires”

• Noun “light” is a metaphor for God and the people around him. This quote can counteract the idea that Lady Macbeth influenced Macbeth's evil actions

• Prior to his wife’s persuasion, Macbeth is already thinking of killing Duncan, in a time and place where it is difficult to notice: night-time. He is already influenced by the witches; they can be viewed as a catalyst to his hamartia

• Adjective “deep” suggests his desires are almost a part of him; they consume him and are stuck with him. They aren’t thoughts that leave quickly

“False face must hide what false heart doth know”

Theme: appearance vs reality

• Macbeth is duplicitous (two-faced) with his intentions. He appears valiant and noble, yet he is deceitful and malevolent (evil)

• Repetition of “false” emphasises his false and unnatural taking of the crown (contradicts the divine right of kings). He is a false king, and doesn’t have nobility, morality or a pious nature; his appearance is deceptive

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

• Hyperbole emphasises the gravity of his crime. Macbeth recognises that he has committed regicide (an unforgivable sin). Motif of “blood” runs throughout the play

• The guilt is immense but overtime Macbeth doesn't feel it and becomes emotionless after committing several murders. As time goes forth and his desire for a higher rank of power grows, it's feels appropriate for him to kill Lady Macduff and her son. This quote shows how ambition can lead to evil within any character.

• Shakespeare represents the dangers of power as it not only blinded Macbeth but also blackened his heart to the extent where there's no guilt in murder.

• This quote can also be used to show a sense of irony as when Macbeth says this, Lady Macbeth tells him to get over it and act like a man but she ends up suffering from guilt's effect too in Act 5, Scene 5 and eventually dies

“I am his kinsman and his subject” (Referring to King Duncan)

Theme: Loyalty and Betrayal

• Macbeth kills an innocent man while he sleeps - a man Macbeth should be loyal to for a number of reasons: Duncan is the King and his friend, therefore he trusts him (but Macbeth betrays this trust)

• In the 17th century, hospitality was very important. Duncan placed himself in the care of Macbeth and his wife, who should have treated him with kindness and loyalty. Instead, they betray his trust and murder him

“Sleep no more, Macbeth does murder sleep”

Theme: guilt

• 'Murder' indicates not only was Duncan’s death intentional, but it was done brutally and with violence, which Macbeth now feels remorse for. He is so perturbed (unsettled) by guilt that he is imprisoned within a state of restlessness

• Connotations of sleep: synonymous with innocence, peace and rest. His inability to sleep explores his complete loss of innocence. Shakespeare is insinuating that Macbeth has killed his peace and will forever be in a state of guilt

“O, full of scorpions is my mind”

• Noun “scorpions” reveals that they are eating away at his mind which foreshadows the eventual downfall of Macbeth: he loses his sanity and composure. They are also poisonous, foul creatures which represent how Macbeth’s ambition has poisoned his mind. Consequently, he is plagued by guilt + remorse (highlighted through “full”)

• The metaphor of a creature festering in his mind implies his tyrannical nature is so omnipotent, he now resembles more of a savage creature than a moral human being

• Another interpretation is the fact that Fleance managed to escape and survive is like the sting of a scorpion

“Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow”

Theme: ambition

• For the first time in the whole play Macbeth has a moment of remorse, regret and contemplation. He describes his mortality (by a metaphor) through a candle. When a candle is lit, it will burn and continue burning until it's blown or naturally dies away as the wax finishes. His life was blown away by Macduff who chopped his head off. It's a point of realisation for Macbeth where he wonders whether the chase for power was all worth it.

• Adjective “brief” is a metaphor for life, showing how short and ephemeral it is. Noun “shadow” is something you always chase but you can never catch. Shakespeare suggests Macbeth’s life was always just chasing his ambition, kingship, titles, power, respect, etc but like a “shadow” he was never able to catch it

“upon my head they placed a fruitless crown”

Theme: Kingship

• Verb “placed”: connotes carefully crafted, not naturally given - Macbeth has meticulously manipulated his position as king and acquired it though illegitimacy

• Adjective “fruitless”: a king is synonymous with being fruitful to their people in leadership and morality. Macbeth’s omission of fruit signifies his tainted kingship and how he violated natural order to acquire this

• Context: his conscience is riddled with the awareness of his violation of the great chain of being and the divine right of kings - he has gone against his creator (God)

“Never shake / Thy gory locks at me”

Theme: The Supernatural

• Visions are supernatural signs of guilt. Adjective “gory” suggests that Banquo’s ghost is a physical manifestation of his violent death

• Structurally, the murderers enter the banquet before Macbeth, exacerbating how his kingship is unnatural as he’s disrupted the divine right of kings

“We have scorched the snake not killed it”

Theme: Ambition

• Imagery of Hydra. Killing Duncan has beheaded the snake but until his entire line has been eradicated, the head will grow back again

• Hydra has multiple heads growing from its body, symbolising that each murder Macbeth commits ages it worse

• Links to Lady Macbeth: “Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t” and the theme of appearance bs reality

“Is this a dagger which I see before me. The handle toward my hand?”

• Noun “dagger” suggests his mind has been corrupted by violence

• The dagger is almost inviting/seducing him to use it

• “Is this?” is representative of Macbeth state of mind - uncertainty. In a patriarchal society, men are not supposed to possess doubt but be assertive and confident. Macbeth has started to lose composure since the warfare in Act One due to suffering from inner turmoil/conflict, but this foreshadowing his eventual demise