English: Macbeth in Act 1 Quotes

Quote about Macbeth’s apocalyptic imagery

‘Plead like angels, trumped-tongu’d against the deep damnation of his taking-off’ - Act 1 Scene 7

What happens in Act 1 Scene 7

Macbeth’s soliloquy (deliberates killing duncan)

What can we analyse from this quote (3):

‘Plead like angels, trumped-tongu’d against the deep damnation of his taking-off’ - Act 1 Scene 7

• angels = death imagery

• deep damnation = macbeth recognises that what he wants to do is evil

• taking off = euphamism

Quote about Macbeth’s dark thoughts & thoughts of murder

‘Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires’ - Act 1 Scene 4

What happens in Act 1 Scene 4

duncan names malcolm as heir & macbeth gets angry

What can we analyse from this quote (4):

‘Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires’ - Act 1 Scene 4

• stars hide your fires = suggests he’s going to be more powerful than the stars

• light = goodness, purity

• black = evil, death = thinking about murdering duncan

• Ds and Ps = dental & plosive sounds = dark/foreboding

Quote about what Lady Macbeth thinks about Macbeth’s ambition

‘Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it’ - Act 1 Scene 5

What happens in Act 1 Scene 5

Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy

What can we analyse from this quote (2):

‘Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it’ - Act 1 Scene 5

• means that macbeth has ambition, but not guts

• we can see this is true by how indecisive macbeth is about killing duncan

Quote about Macbeth deliberating about whether or not to kill Duncan

‘If it were done when ‘tis done, then twere well it were done quickly’ - Act 1 Scene 7

What can we analyse from this quote (3)

‘If it were done when tis done, then twere well it were done quickly’ - Act 1 Scene 7

• dental alliteration = Ts and Ds = tiptoeing around the subject

• if = first word = uncertainty

• it = euphemism

Quote about Macbeth’s fighting skill

‘Brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody execution’ - Act 1 Scene 2

What happens in Act 1 Scene 2

Macbeth’s fighting is described

What can we analyse from this quote (3)

‘Brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody execution’ - Act 1 Scene 2

• Brandish’d = strength, power, certainty

• smok’d = steaming with blood, fire

• Next line uses ‘carv’d’ = kills with ease (carving wood)

Quote about how macbeth wants to know more about the witches

‘Would they have stayed’ - Act 1 Scene 3

What happens in act 1 scene 3

witches come to macbeth and he is intrigued

What can we analyse from this quote (1):

‘Would they have stayed’ - Act 1 Scene 3

would = wish = wants to know more

Quote showing macbeth’s faith in the witches’ prophecy

‘Your children shall be kings’ - Act 1 Scene 3

What can we analyse from this quote (1)

‘Your children shall be kings’ - Act 1 Scene 3

shall = modal verb = he is sure of the prophecy

here have a biblically accurate angel