Macbeth Key Quotes

Highlighted in red means a technique

‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair’

The Witches/Act 1 - use of repetition and a trochaic meter → supernatural

Theme of Appearance vs Reality

‘in thunder, lightning or rain?’

The Witches/Act 1 - they control the weather → supernatural

‘All hail, Macbeth’

The Witches/Act 1 - ‘All hail’ is repetition and rule of three, they are manipulating trust

‘not so happy, yet much happier’

The Witches/Act 1 - To Banquo, foreshadowing Macbeth’s later path into madness

‘happier’ suggests that Banquo will be happier than Macbeth

‘double, double, toil and trouble’

The Witches/Act 4 - use of repetition and alliteration → suggests supernatural and otherworldliness

‘fire burn and cauldron bubble’

The Witches/Act 4 - ‘fire’ → symbol for warmth but also can cause destruction → mystery and unknown morals

Supernatural imagery

‘something wicked this way comes’

The Witches/Act 4 - referring to Macbeth → he is even more evil than they are.

‘brave Macbeth’

Captain/Act 1 - Macbeth is seen as good and a hero

‘from the nave to th’ chops’

Captain/Act 1 - Macbeth is brutal and violent but since he is on the winning side, he is rewarded.

‘If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me, without my stir’

Macbeth/Act 1 - ‘Chance’ suggests fate and luck which links to God and it is repeated, suggesting that Macbeth holds God in very high regard.

‘without’ suggests that Macbeth will not go against God at this point in time which suggests he is more logical and loyal to the King.

‘stars, hide thy fires, let not light see my black and deep desires’

Macbeth/Act 1 - ‘Light’ juxtaposes ‘black’. ‘fires’ suggest light. ‘stars’ represent God and fate. Macbeth doesn’t want God to see his intrusive thoughts to kill the king → great chain of being

‘his kinsman and his subject’

Macbeth/Act 1 - Macbeth is lower than King Duncan in the great chain of being, and so it would be against God to kill him. They are also equals suggested by ‘kinsman’ but even so, it would be wrong to kill him.

‘as his host’

Macbeth/Act 1 - The use of ‘host’ suggests that Macbeth also shouldn’t kill the king as he is supposed to look after him, not murder him in his sleep.

‘not bear the knife myself’

Macbeth/Act 1 - Macbeth is certain that he cannot kill the king as that would go against his duty as a host. ‘knife’ is a symbol of violence.

‘no further in this business’

Macbeth/Act 1 - The use of ‘business’ suggests a sense of formality and also that Macbeth doesn’t even want to acknowledge that he just thought about killing the king.

‘I think not of them’

Macbeth/Act 2 - ‘them’ is referring to the Witches in which Macbeth has been thinking about them but doesn’t want to acknowledge that

‘a dagger which I see before me?’

Macbeth/Act 2 - Macbeth is hallucinating or it’s the Witches doing this → Theme of supernatural + madness. ‘dagger’ is a symbol for danger and death.

‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep!’

Macbeth/Act 2—Theme of madness, ‘sleep’ is a symbol of peace, which Macbeth will no longer have due to his actions and guilt.

‘murder’ → violent connotations (also could reference how Macbeth murdered Duncan) → foreshadows Macbeth’s barbaric descent into madness

‘Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood?’

Macbeth/Act 2 - ‘blood’ is a symbol of guilt, ‘ocean’ is a symbol of forgiveness. ‘Neptune’ is the Roman god of the seas, this emphasises Macbeth’s guilt

‘Clean from my hand’

Macbeth/Act 2 - ‘Clean’ suggest Macbeth wants to be free from the responsibility and consequences of his actions. ‘hand’ is a symbol for action and choice

‘not I pronounce “Amen”?’

Macbeth/Act 2 - “Amen” suggests Macbeth is straying from God.

‘o full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife’

Macbeth/Act 3 - ‘scorpions’ is a metaphor for evil. ‘scorpions’ are venomous which suggests Macbeth’s mind is poisoning him which suggests his mental state is deteriorating.

‘be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck’

Macbeth/Act 3 - Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s roles have switched, ‘chuck’ is a term of endearment

‘to be thus is nothing but to be safely thus’

Macbeth/Act 3 - ‘thus’ means king, Macbeth is saying that being king means nothing now if he isn’t safe

‘thou canst not say I did it’

Macbeth/Act 3 - Said to Banquo’s ghost. Macbeth is equivocating here, he had Banquo murdered by someone else.

‘never shake thy gory locks at me’

Macbeth/Act 3 - ‘gory’ is vivid imagery, suggests Banquo’s death was gruesome, implying Macbeth is violent even when he’s not technically doing it himself. This also suggests Macbeth’s guilt and his madness increasing.

‘Let the earth hide thee.’

Macbeth/Act 3 - Macbeth does not want reminders of his guilt, corpses are often buried in the ground.

‘Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff!’

The Witches/Act 4 - use of rule of three and repetition → witch'-like, warning Macbeth of Macduff

‘None of women born shall harm Macbeth’

The Witches/Act 4 - The Witches are equivocating here, Macbeth believes that he is immortal as ‘all people are born from a women’ but in reality, Macduff was born from a C-section.

‘she should have died hereafter’

Macbeth/Act 5 - when receiving news of Lady Macbeth’s death. Double meaning → could be interpreted as him not caring about Lady Macbeth in this moment or wishing he could of had time to grieve her.

‘this dead butcher and his fiend like queen’

Malcolm/Act 5 - ‘butcher’ contrasts with Act 1’s description of Macbeth as ‘noble’ ‘and brave’ → shows his downward character arc. (also ‘butcher’ has violent and barbaric connotations)

‘fiend’ has connotations of the devil and witches are known in mythology to work with the devil which implies Lady Macbeth is a witch (links to the Witches and witchcraft)

‘come you spirits’

Lady Macbeth/Act 1 - links her to the Witches

‘unsex me here’

Lady Macbeth/Act 1 - She wants to be more masculine which she sees as being cruel (toxic masculinity)

‘look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t’

Lady Macbeth/Act 1 - the theme of appearance vs reality. ‘serpent’ is a symbol of deceit, biblical illusion (Bible-Garden of Eden) → suggests sin and doing things against God.

‘flower’ symbols innocence and purity

‘take my milk for gall’

Lady Macbeth/Act 1 - ‘milk’ suggests maternal instinct which LM wants to get rid off, and turn it into ‘gall’ which suggests acidity which suggests toxicity which suggests cruelty.

‘while it was smiling in my face’

Lady Macbeth/Act 1 - ‘it’ suggests inhumanity which suggests an apathy towards children.

‘from his boneless gums’

Lady Macbeth/Act 1 - ‘boneless’ suggests that it is a child but also implies disgust and apathy

‘dash’d the brains out’

Lady Macbeth/Act 1 - use of violent imagery, LM is presented as violent and apathetic

‘had I so sworn’

Lady Macbeth/Act 1 - ‘sworn’ suggests LM is using Macbeth’s loyalty against him, manipulating him into doing what she wants.

‘a little water clears us of this deed’

Lady Macbeth/Act 2 - ‘water’ is a symbol for forgiveness, and ‘deed’ suggests that this murder is just business and not a big deal. This implies LM doesn’t feel guilty about their actions here.

‘water’ is also used to clean things in the literal sense, with Lady Macbeth suggesting that it doesn't take much for them to get away with what they’ve done suggesting that it is easy.

‘resembled my father as he slept’

Lady Macbeth/Act 2 - ‘father’ suggests that she does have humanity. Still, it also could suggest she is manipulating Macbeth by painting herself as weak and unable to murder, forcing him to do that act instead.

‘are you a man?’

Lady Macbeth/Act 3 - ‘man’ suggests masculinity. The question mark suggests she is questioning his masculinity which suggests she is using it against him to get what she wants.

‘very painting of your fear’

Lady Macbeth/Act 3 - ‘painting’ suggests fabrication which suggests that she is degrading Macbeth’s hallucination and that he is just being silly.

It also suggests that she is trying to take control of the situation, which she is struggling to keep.

This suggests she is losing control of her power

Lady Macbeth is absent in Act 4, what does this suggest?

‘will these hands ne’er be clean?

Lady Macbeth/Act 5 - parallels Macbeth in Act 2, contrasts to Lady Macbeth in Act 2, suggests that guilt has finally taken over her. ‘clean’ suggests purity which suggests being free from sin, which Lady Macbeth is not which suggests she is filled with guilt for not being pure.

‘Out, damned spot! Out I say!’

Lady Macbeth/Act 5 - repetition of ‘Out’ suggests she is begging to be rid of the guilt. ‘damned’ is a vulgar word during Jacobean times due to Christianity being the main religion → suggests Lady Macbeth has gone against god → guilt

‘when you durst do it, then you were a man’

Lady Macbeth/Act 1 - ‘durst’ means to dare, she is emasculating Macbeth here, saying to him that if he gives in to ambition, then he is worthy of being a man

‘my noble partner’

Banquo/Act 1 - ‘partner’ shows that he sees Macbeth as an equal.

‘lesser than Macbeth and greater’

The Witches/Act 1 - To Banquo, ‘ lesser’ is relating to Banquo’s current life, ‘greater’ relates to his descendants

‘instruments of darkness’

Banquo/Act 1 - use of a metaphor, ‘darkness’ suggests evil and that he knows that the Witches aren’t good or trustworthy.

‘instruments’ suggest something that is played with, which suggests puppets, which suggests that the Witches are just tools being used for evil

‘worthy’

Duncan/Act 1 - to Banquo, showcases that he is seen as good as well as Macbeth, that they are equal.

‘can the devil speak true?"‘

Banquo/Act 1 - ‘devil’ is a metaphor'/symbol for the Witches, here he is uncertain about trusting the Witches and their prophecies.

‘dream’d’ ‘the weird sisters’

Banquo/Act 2 - He was also tempted by the witches and their prophecies.

‘weird’ suggests strangeness, which in Shakespeare’s time often meant evil and sinfulness which suggests that Banquo aknowledges that the witches are bad which suggests that he doesn’t want to give in to their prophecies.

‘allegience clear’

Banquo/Act 2 - He is loyal to Duncan to the end unlike Macbeth

‘allegience’ means loyalty or commitment to someone superior. This also suggests he is a foil to Macbeth as he has no ambition to overthrow the king.

‘restrain in me the cursed thoughts’

Banquo/Act 2 - ‘restrain’ means to prevent or something which suggests that Banquo cannot control himself already which suggests that Banquo is struggling not to give into the Witches’ prophesies.

However, ‘cursed’ suggests that he knows these ‘thoughts’ are bad and evil which suggests he has more willpower than Macbeth, showcasing that they are foils.

‘Fly, good Fleance!"‘

Banquo/Act 3 - His one last heroic act, saving his son. Died a hero (foil to Macbeth)

‘fly’

Banquo/Act 3 - use of repetition and rule of three → suggests panic

‘most sacrilegious murder’

Macduff/Act 2 - use of alliteration which emphasises how Duncan being murdered is unspeakable → Divine Right of Kings

‘sacrilegious’ means against sacred/holy things → against god → Great Chain of Being

‘o nation miserable with an untitled tyrant-bloody-scepter’d’

Macduff/Act 4 - use of personification which emphasies how Macbeth is the wrong ruler → Great Chain of Being

‘miserable’ suggests suffering and sadness which suggests everyone (‘nation’) is in pain because of Macbeth because he’s a tyrant and not the right ruler

‘tyrant’ relates to Macbeth and how he is cruel and uses arbitrary power

‘bloody-scepter’d’ → barbaric description of Macbeth is a demonic usurper

‘all my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop?’

Macduff/Act 4 - ‘chickens’ as a metaphor which suggests Macduff’s family was helpless and vulnerable → emphasises how evil Macbeth is → links to ambition

‘I must also feel it as a man’

Macduff/Act 4 - ‘feel’ suggests emotion and pathos which suggests that Macduff doesn’t have any toxic masculinity in him → surprising for a Jacobean play

‘was from his mother’s womb untimely ripp’d’

Macduff/Act 5 - a declarative sentence. Macbeth realises because of this that the Witches have equivocated to him and that he is going to die now → no longer immortal.

‘untimely’ suggests that it was not planned and ‘ripp’d’ suggests violence which suggests Macduff’s mother did not have a normal pregnancy. This is further explained by it being implied that Macduff was born through C-section, which technically makes Macduff not born of a woman.

‘The usurper’s cursed head (…) Hail, King of Scotland!’

Macduff/Act 5 - ‘usurper’ means someone who illegitimately claims power → links to the Great Chain of Being and Ambition.

‘Hail’ parallels the Witches with their ‘Hail, Macbeth’ → suggests that Fleance being in power could cause chaos and destruction.

-seen as lesser than men

-seen as only mothers

Jacobean Women - CONTEXT

-commonly held belief that kings were placed on the throne by God → going against the King = going against God

-Regicide = killing the king = bad

Divine Right of Kings + Regicide - CONTEXT

-directed where you were in society and that you had to stay there forever → ambition = bad

The Great Chain of Being - CONTEXT

-Scottish Witch trials

Witchcraft - CONTEXT