Macbeth Key Quotes

“fair is foul and foul is fair”

• Spoken by the witches in the opening scene, setting a tone of disorder, deception, and supernatural influence.
• The witches describe right and wrong as being the same thing, suggesting any action can be justified and morality is a human construct.
• Hints at Macbeth's corruption.
• Establishes blurred moral boundaries—good might be evil, and vice versa.
• Paradox/Oxymoron: Contradicts itself, creating ambiguity and confusion, suggesting disrupted natural order.
• Example: Macbeth, initially a noble warrior, becomes a tyrant.
• Chiasmus (Reversal of Structure): Mirrored structure (fair–foul / foul–fair) reflects reversal and chaos.
• Alliteration: Repeated "f" sound gives a chant-like quality, reinforcing the witches' supernatural power.
• Themes & Deeper Meaning:
  • Appearance vs. Reality: Warns the audience that things may not be what they seem, a key motif.
  • Moral Corruption: Suggests morality is subjective and evil can disguise itself as good—Macbeth’s rise to power reflects this.
  • Supernatural Influence: Witches establish their role as manipulators of fate, twisting reality.

“when the battle's lost and won”

• The witches are describing the battle between Scotland and Norway, which Macbeth and Banquo are fighting in
• It can also refer to what happens when Macbeth becomes king. The country ‘loses’ by having Macbeth as King, but then ‘wins’ when Malcolm becomes the rightful heir at the end.
• It can also refer to the loss of Macbeth’s honour and nobility (a battle for his ‘soul’, which evil wins).
• Spoken by the witches just before they meet Macbeth, reinforcing their ability to predict the future.
• Suggests dual outcomes—victory for one means defeat for another.
  • Paradox: Implies that no victory is absolute—winning comes with consequences (Macbeth wins the battle but loses his morality).
  • Ambiguity: The phrase lacks clarity—who is winning, and who is losing? This reflects the play’s theme of uncertainty.
  • Foreshadowing: Macbeth’s journey is a series of victories that turn into defeats—he gains the throne but ultimately loses everything.
• Fate and Destiny: The witches speak in riddles, hinting that events are predestined.
• Moral Cost of Ambition: Macbeth’s victories (killing Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family) lead to his downfall.
• Supernatural Influence: The witches’ words manipulate Macbeth into thinking he is invincible, which leads to his recklessness.

“if chance will have me king, why chance may crown me”

• Macbeth believes that fate/destiny (“chance”) will guide him to becoming King – he won’t need to take action himself in order to make it happen.

• Macbeth has just heard the witches’ prophecy that he will become king.

• He is debating whether to act on ambition or let fate take its course.

• This reflects the play’s central tension between fate and free will.

  • Personification of “Chance”: Macbeth treats fate like a conscious force that has the power to crown him.
  • He personifies fate, as if it has an active will, questioning whether he needs to act or simply wait for destiny to unfold
  • Repetition of "Chance": Emphasizes his internal conflict—does he need to intervene, or will destiny take care of it?
  • Conditional Mood (“If… why… may”): Suggests hesitation and uncertainty. He is undecided about taking action.
  • The word "may" (instead of "will") reveals his doubt and passivity—he is not yet fully committed to seizing power.
  • This contrast with his later ruthless ambition makes his character development more tragic.

• Ambition vs. Fate: At this point, Macbeth seems willing to wait for destiny. However, Lady Macbeth later convinces him to act instead of waiting.

• Moral Conflict: He considers letting fate decide, but his ambition grows stronger, leading him to murder Duncan.

• Irony: Despite saying he will wait for fate, he forces events to unfold through murder, contradicting this statement.

• Fate vs. Free Will: This line directly questions the role of destiny in human lives.

• The Corrupting Influence of Ambition: At this point, Macbeth’s ambition is not yet destructive.

• However, by Act 2 and beyond, he will no longer trust "chance" alone—he will actively kill to ensure his rise.

• This shows how ambition, when unchecked, leads to moral decay.

• The Deception of the Witches: The witches never tell Macbeth to kill Duncan—they simply plant the idea in his mind.

• Here, he trusts fate, but later he misinterprets their words, believing he must take action himself.

• This highlights the witches' manipulative role in his downfall.

• Contrast Between Passive and Active Ambition: At this stage, Macbeth is willing to let fate decide rather than taking action.

• Later, Lady Macbeth pushes him to take control and "act" rather than wait.

• This contrast foreshadows how Macbeth will shift from hesitant to ruthless, showing the corrupting nature of unchecked ambition.

“too full of the milk of human kindness”

• Lady Macbeth questions the masculinity and therefore the strength of her husband.
• She doubts his ability to ‘take’ the crown which has been promised to him by the witches’ prophecies and so she begins to realise that she will have to manipulate him into doing it.
• Spoken by Lady Macbeth as she reads Macbeth’s letter about the witches’ prophecy.
• She worries that Macbeth is too compassionate to seize the throne through murder.
  • Metaphor: "Milk" represents nurturing, innocence, and kindness—qualities associated with femininity and weakness in Lady Macbeth’s view.
  • Irony: Lady Macbeth criticizes goodness, showing her ruthlessness and inversion of moral values.
  • Word Choice: "Too full" suggests excess—she sees kindness as an obstacle to power.
  • Contrast to Macbeth’s Actions: Initially, Macbeth does hesitate, but later, he becomes more ruthless than even Lady Macbeth imagined.
• Masculinity vs. Femininity: Lady Macbeth rejects traditional gender roles, believing cruelty and ambition are more powerful than kindness.
• Corruption of Morality: She sees morality as a weakness, setting up the idea that unchecked ambition requires a loss of humanity.
• Power & Control: Lady Macbeth’s manipulation of Macbeth begins here—she plans to influence and reshape his nature.

“look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t”

• Lady Macbeth is trying to make her husband realise that he must disguise his true intentions and be full of deceit.

• Shakespeare contrasts the innocence and the beauty of the flower with the almost Biblical evil of the snake which strikes with surprise, just like Macbeth must.

  • The “innocent flower” symbolizes purity, goodness, and trustworthiness.
  • The “serpent” represents deception, danger, and evil.
  • This contrast suggests that outward appearances can be misleading, a key theme in Macbeth.
  • The serpent is a reference to Satan in the Garden of Eden, who tempts Eve to sin.
  • This aligns Lady Macbeth with evil and temptation, much like the devil persuades humans to fall from grace.
  • Macbeth is Eve in this scenario, being convinced to betray Duncan (a God-like figure of divine kingship).
  • Lady Macbeth uses a metaphor to suggest that Macbeth must act one way but think another.
  • This reflects the theme of appearance vs. reality, as characters in Macbeth often mask their true selves.
  • It also foreshadows how Macbeth will later deceive others while plotting murder.
  • Lady Macbeth gives direct orders to Macbeth, showing her dominance in their relationship.
  • At this point, Macbeth is still hesitant about killing Duncan, but Lady Macbeth pushes him into action.
  • Her assertive language contrasts with Macbeth’s initial uncertainty, emphasizing her manipulative power.

• Deception & Appearance vs. Reality: The quote highlights how people in power often hide their true intentions.

• Macbeth and Lady Macbeth pretend to be loyal, but they are secretly plotting treason.

• This connects to other moments of deceit in the play, like:

  • Duncan trusting Macbeth (“There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face” – Act 1, Scene 4).
  • Macbeth welcoming Banquo to his feast while planning his murder.

• Power & Manipulation: Lady Macbeth’s manipulative nature is shown through her ability to control Macbeth’s actions.

• She convinces him to shed his morals and embrace ruthlessness.

• This reflects Shakespeare’s exploration of how ambition can corrupt people.

• Gender & Inversion of Roles: In Shakespeare’s time, women were expected to be submissive and passive.

• However, Lady Macbeth challenges these norms, taking on a dominant and aggressive role.

• Her ability to manipulate Macbeth makes her seem more powerful than him in this moment.