English GCSE Macbeth (External)

Theme of Ambition Quote 1

Quote: 'Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself,

And falls on th'other'

Explanation: ACT 1

Macbeth acknowledges his 'vaulting ambition' when contemplating the murder of Duncan.

Shows an intense desire for power, which vaults even beyond its intrinsic limits and beyond reason

Techniques: Horse metaphor

Audience: Audience knows Macbeth is unreasonable-here's no good reason to kill Duncan, because Duncan is perfectly good at this whole king-business

Theme of Ambition Quote 2

Quote: 'So Foul And Fair A Day I Have Not Seen'

Explanation: ACT 1

The day is foul due to the witches raising a storm, and fair because of Macbeth's victories on the battlefield.

The witches had not mentioned murder. The fact that his first thought is about killing the king is mighty suspicious—almost as though they've just awoken a murderous ambition that's been there all along.

Techniques: Repetition of witches words, paradox

Audience: sees immediately the calamitous inseparability of Macbeth and the forces of darkness.

Alternative interpretation: foreshadows Macbeth's future. "Fair" presages his own rise to the throne, as well as the promise of Banquo's own sons also gaining the ascendency.

"Foul" will refer to the tragedy that is to come. Duncan dies, as well as Macbeth and his wife.

Theme of The supernatural Quote 1

Quote: 'Would they have stayed'

Explanation: ACT 1

The witches tell Macbeth something that lingers on his mind, and he is hooked on them from the start.

He wanted to know where the witches got their information and why they have told it to him and Banquo and so Macbeth is filled with regret

Context: People belived in witches- they were people who had made a pact with the devil in exchange for supernatural powers. 1604 witchcraft became a capital offense.

Theme of The supernatural Quote 2

Quote: 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair'

Explanation: ACT 1

Said by the witches and Macbeth.

The witches cause the 'foul' atmosphere.

Techniques: paradox

Audience: Audience knows they are bad, as well as influential and confusing characters.

Context: 1604 witchcraft became a capital offence.

Theme of Revenge Quote 1

Quote: 'It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood'

Explanation: ACT 3

Banquo's ghost suggests he's seeking revenge on his death, and Macbeth notices this.

Now that Macbeth has taken life, his life will be taken- his bloody path of murder must lead to other murders

Techniques: repetition

Audience:

Audience may be fearful of what will happen to him because of his actions

Links:

Macbeth alludes to the sons of Duncan earlier in Act 3, scene 1, with the word "bloody"

Context:

the Elizabeth Chain of Being: whatever affects one thing affect others

Alternative interpretation: the shedding of Banquo's blood will have to lead to (get) the shedding of his sons' blood as well, because the prediction was that Banquo should be the father of kings, which Macbeth can't allow.

Reference to the predictions of the three witches in Act 1, scene 3, who have told Banquo that his "blood" will have "blood" (sons)--"Thou shall get kings, though thou be none"

Macbeth is feeling both guilt and paranoia.

Theme of Revenge Quote 2

Quote: 'Banquo, with his blood-clotted hair, is smiling at me'

Explanation: ACT 4

When Macbeth summons the witches, the ghost of Banquo 'smiles' at him.

His revenge is complete and that his descendants will be kings.

Links: Links to foreshadowed revenge in act 3- 'It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood'

Theme of Guilt Quote 1

Quote: 'Methought I heard a voice cry "Sleep no more"'

Explanation: ACT 2

Guilty conscience.

Macbeth's crime is especially heinous because he killed a man while his victim was sound asleep

Audience: Sees Macbeth is mentally unstable.

Sees the consequences of his actions- guilt.

Alternative interpretation: Macbeth has seen how vulnerable a king can be when he is sound asleep, and now he proposes to become the king himself. He is accepting the danger that goes with the position. Therefore he will be afraid to go to sleep and will suffer from insomnia for the rest of his life, driving him insane. It wouldn't help him any to be guarded- Duncan had two grooms supposedly guarding him.

Theme of Guilt Quote 2

Quote: 'Why do you start and seem to fear, Things that do sound so fair?'

Explanation: ACT 1

Banquo's guilty reaction.

Banquo begins to believe in the witches, even though he doesn't want to.

Techniques: Alliteration- snake, or serpent, in that they make that 's' sound

Audience: Although we too know the witches are bad, we may too believe in them as Banquo now does too

Links: The alliteration suggesting a snake links to the rest of the play- there is evil all around as the weird sisters give their prophecies and the seed of Macbeth's demise is planted.

Theme of Kingship Quote 1

Quote: 'royalty of nature'

Explanation: ACT 3

Macbeth is jealous of Banquo's 'royalty of nature'.

Banquo, he notes, has the makings of a fine leader, being brave, wise and disciplined. Macbeth is worried that Banquo is destined to triumph over him.

Context: Shakespeare always tried to flatter the King.

Macbeth is worried that Banquo is destined to triumph over himjust as in Ancient Rome, the great political and military leader Mark Antony was eventually upstaged by Octavius Caesar who went on to become the first Roman emperor.

Alternative interpretation: The phrase is an allusion to the Witches' prophecy that Banquo "shalt get kings" in Act 1

Theme of Kingship Quote 2

Quote: 'each new morn, new widows howl, new orphans cry'

Explanation: ACT 4

Macbeth makes a terrible king- Macduff is doing here is telling Malcolm how bad things are in Scotland.

Macbeth is killing many people. That is why there are new widows and new orphans every morning.

Audience: Feel sympathy for the people of Scotland- 'widows' and 'orphans' will be grieving

Theme of Order/disorder Quote 1

Quote: 'Stars, hide your fires'; Come thick night'

Explanation: ACT 1

Macbeth and Lady macbeth call on darkness, suggesting disorder to come.

He recognised that, in order to achieve the throne, he will have to commit deeds that are contrary to his sense of right and wrong. 'dark' is associated with evil and destruction - exactly what Macbeth intends doing.

Context: The great chain of being: Hierarchy where God came first, followed by angels and then humans- Macbeth here is playing God, which would bring disorder.

Theme of Order/disorder Quote 2

Quote: 'chimneys were blown down...the earth was feverous and did shake'

Explanation: ACT 2

On the night Duncan is murdered, Lennox describes the 'unruly' storm, and an earthquake.

Links: a supernatural God- links with theme of the supernatural

Context: Elizabethan England believed that the King was appointed by God, it makes sense that the natural world would be in chaos on the night that God's king was murdered

Theme of Falseness Quote 1

Quote: 'Fair is foul and foul is fair'

Explanation: ACT 1

Witches chant this verbal paradox,emphasising this duality, the phrase meaning things that look pretty will become ugly and things that are ugly will become beautiful.

The witches are referring first to themselves. They look ugly, but the predictions they offer are beautiful to Macbeth.

Techniques: paradox

Audience: Knows the witches have bad intentions and are misleading

Alternative interpretation: Macbeth hears great predictions, but they lead him to evil actions. He starts lying and deceiving, and no longer can anyone trust anyone else's face to reveal his or her

Theme of Falseness Quote 2

Quote: 'when the battle's lost and won'

Explanation: ACT 1

The witches suggest that something may be good for some people, but bad for others.

Techniques: paradox

Alternative interpretation: If one side wins the battle, the other side has to lose

Theme of Manhood/bravery Quote 1

Quote: 'then you were a man'

Explanation: ACT 1

Lady Macbeth says that the courage he had to do the murder made him a man.

Lady Macbeth tries to tempt him to do the murder, by saying that to be king would be to be much more of a man.

Audience: Knows the Lady Macbeth is manipulative

Context: A man was considered the head of the marriage and women had very limited roles- here Lady Macbeth is being controlling

Theme of Manhood/bravery Quote 2

Quote: 'dispute it like a man'

Explanation: ACT 4

Macduff shows his grief over the deaths of his wife and children and Malcolm tells him this, suggesting action will help repair his sorrow.

Macduff's initial response is one that normally associates with females. Gender roles are reversed. Macduff says that he must first feel the loss before he handles the situation in the macho, masculine way Malcolm suggests.

Links: Reverse in gender- Lady Macbeth's personality

Context: Men virtually ran all aspects of society

Theme of Power Quote 1

Quote: 'To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus'

Explanation: ACT 3

Macbeth discovers power without security is not worth having.

Now that he's king, what he's focusing on is the fact that he does not feel safe in this position, especially because of Banquo's depth of understanding.

Alternative interpretation: Macbeth is saying that now that he is king, he finds that it is more difficult to maintain his kingship than he imagined it would be

Theme of Power Quote 2

Quote: 'barefaced power'

Explanation: ACT 3

Macbeth realises that although he could commit crimes with"barefaced power" he still has to consider his public image.

He is saying that he needs to be able to tell the mutual friends that he shares with Banquo that he had nothing to do with man's murder, and of the best way to do that is to have someone else carry out the deed.

Techniques: Personification

Context of King James I of England

Play appeals to many of the kings interests: supernatural, compliments him by making his ancestor Banquo a hero in the play.

King James had survived an assassination attempt.

Context of Succession and Order

The king ruled over men by divine appointment and to violate or seek to violate this situation was against Gods will, and would produce unnatural results.