Quotes in macbeth - notes PDF

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Quotes in Macbeth Macbeth 1. “So foul and fair a day I have not seen”. This is a paradox and it echoes that evil is already there. (Page 40) 2. “Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more”. Macbeth calls the witches imperfect speakers. They haven’t given Macbeth everything. Macbeth implies he isn’t sure how trustworthy witches are. (Page 41) 3. “Would they have stayed”. This shows how Macbeth wants more information in contrast to Banquo who is more sceptical. This also relates to the “Speak, I charge you!”. (Page 41) 4. “Glamis and Thane of Cawdor: the greatest is behind”. Macbeth thinks that the greatest is behind and that he shall be king. (Page 42) 5. “Two truths are told/ as happy prologues to the swelling Act/ of the imperial theme”. The swelling scene refers to main drama. The use of “imperial theme” refers to subject of kingship. Macbeth is more optimistic and trusting towards the witches than Banquo. (Page 42) 6. “This supernatural soliciting/ cannot be ill; cannot be good, “. This is a paradox. The use of “cannot be ill” highlights Macbeth’s optimism. (Page 42) 7. “why do I yield to that suggestion?” suggests that Macbeth is excited about murder. (page 42) 8. “If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me/ without my stir”. This shows how Macbeth says that if it is meant to be, it is meant to be. This is also reinforced by “come what, come may”. (Page 43) 9. “my dull brain was wrought/ with things forgotten”. This shows how on one hand Macbeth is lying and is thinking about murder. On the other hand, Macbeth considered killing the king but didn’t. (Page 43) 10. “That is a step/ on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap”. This shows how Macbeth is working out what to do. (Page 44) 11. “Stars, hide your fires, let not see my black and deep desires”. This refers to murder and Macbeth knows its evil and wrong. (Page 44) 12. wink at the hand, yet that be/ which the eye fears, when it is done, to see”. Macbeth is scared of what he will see when the murder is done. (Page 44) 13. “If it were done, when tis done, then twere well it were done quickly. If the murder were completely finished when it was done, it would be a good thing to do it quickly”. If the murder were completely finished when it is done, then it would be a good thing to do it quickly. (Page 47) 14. “Assassination”. This is the first time that the word assassination is used. (Page 47) 15. “Catch with his surcease success”. (Page 47). This is used to show how Macbeth will achieve success with Duncan’s death (then it would be a good thing to do). 16. “might be the be-all and the end-all- here” is the sum of total of everything to do with the murder, i.e the deed itself and the consequences. (Page 47) 17. “upon this bank and shoal of time” is a metaphor. Life is seen as a narrow strip of land in the eternity of time. (Page 48) 18. “we still have judgement here; that we but teach bloody instructions, which being taught, return to plague the inventor” foreshadows Duncan’s death. (Page 48) 19. “He’s here in my double trust:/ First as I am his kinsman and his subject/ string both against the deed and then as his host/ who should against his murderer shut the door/ not bear the

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knife myself”. Macbeth has responsibilities towards Duncan. Duncan is his relative and his subject. Also, he is his host. (Page 48) “Strong both against the deed”. Each reason is convincing Macbeth not to go through with the deed, murder. (Page 48). “Hath born his faculties so meek”, Duncan has shown himself to be a gentle person. (Page 48) “so clear in his great office that his virtues/ will plead like angels, trumpet tongued against/ the deep damnation of his taking off”. So honest that his kingly duties will plead like angels and make noises like trumpets against the sins of his death. This shows whether King Duncan will go to heaven or hell. (Page 48) “Pity like a naked new born babe”. Pity is being compared to a new born baby. This is a metaphor. (Page 48) “Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubin”, bad weather of storm depicts that something bad is going to happen’; “cherubin” relates to heaven, in class of angels. Duncan will either go to heaven or hell. (Page 48) “Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye/ that tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur”. Proclaim the murder in the presence of all men. Macbeth thinks of his purpose to murder Duncan as a charger, but he has no spur; no good motive, to urge it into action and so it stands still. (Page 48) “I think not of them”. Macbeth is a liar. This foreshadows the end of Banquo and Macbeth’s friendship. (Page 51) “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the hand toward my hand?”. This is a soliloquy, a speech to himself. He imagines the dagger, which implies his invitation to murder. (Page 52) “Fatal vision” foreshadows death is to come. (Page 52) “A dagger of the mind, a false creation/ proceeding from the heat oppressed brain”. The heat is caused by his obsessive thinking over whether murdering King Duncan is the right thing to do. Macbeth is showing a tormented conscience. “Thou marshall’st me the way I was going, Fate is guiding Macbeth to where he is going (I.e Duncan’s room). (Page 52) “bloody business” “wicked dreams” “witchcraft celebrates” “present horror”, are all images of evil, horror and death. (Page 52) “Hear it Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell”. Knell is the sound of the funeral bell and that this will determine whether Duncan goes to heaven or to hell. (Page 52) “I could not say Amen/ when they did say God bless us”. This shows how Macbeth felt guilty about the murder of King Duncan. (Page 53) “Macbeth does murder sleep, the innocent sleep”. Macbeth lives no more and this foreshadows the loss of peace. (Page 53) “Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor/ shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more”. Shakespeare foreshadows Macbeth’s death. (Page 53) “I am afraid to think what I have done”. Macbeth does not want to think about what he has done which is murder King Duncan and this shows what Macbeth has done is immoral. (Page 54) “With all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather/ the multitudinous seas incarnadine, make green one red” conveys Macbeth’s cleanliness of hands. (Page 54) “Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!” This is the first sign of genuine remorse. (Page 54)

39. The use of “from this instant there’s nothing serious in mortality” means there is nothing serious in life, which reveals the severity of King Duncan’s death. (Page 57, Macbeth) 40. “O yet I do repent me of my fury,/ that I did kill them”. Macbeth kills servants before they got the chance to deny murder. (Page 57, Macbeth) 41. “His silver sin laced with his golden blood” portrays how these images suggest Duncan’s royalty and greatness as a human being and a king. (Page 57, Macbeth) 42. “To be thus is nothing; / but to be safely thus- our fears in Banquo/ stick deep” shows that to be king is nothing unless one is safe and sure about remaining king. Our fears in Banquo stick deep, shows Macbeth’s fears of Banquo are like thorns in his flesh. “Stick deep” also suggests the killing of Banquo. (Page 62, Macbeth) 43. “There is nothing but he/ whose being I do fear” shows how Macbeth fears of Banquo being alive, because if Banquo is alive, Macbeth may never be king. (Page 62, Macbeth) 44. “Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, and put a barren sceptre in my gripe” is utilised. Barren scepture continues the image of infertility used in fruitless crown. (Page 62, Macbeth) 45. “for them the gracious Duncan have I murdered, but rancours the vessel of my peace” shows how Macbeth is obsessed with power and the witches. Put bitgerness, hatred, where there used to be peace. (pg.62, Macbeth) 46. “Come fate into the list/ and champion me to the utterance” shows how Macbeth is willing to let fate enter the battle and fight Macbeth to the death. (Page 62, Macbeth) 47. “For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind” shows how for banquo’s children, Macbeth has defiled (filed) his mind. (defiled-dirtied, corrupted). (Page 62, Macbeth) 48. “Hath you were borne in hand”. This shows Macbeth’s manipulation and convinces that Banquo is a bad man. (Page 62, Macbeth) 49. “Whose execution takes your enemy off” shows how Macbeth was able to manipulate the murderers to kill Banquo for him. (Page 63, Macbeth) 50. “Both of you/ know Banquo was your enemy” shows how Macbeth was able to manipulate the murderers to kill Banquo for him. (Page 63, Macbeth) 51. “for certain friends that are both his and mine/ whose lives not drop” shows how it is too risky for Macbeth. (Page 63, Macbeth) 52. “Masking the business from the common eye”. Macbeth does not want any witnesses seeing who killed Banquo and who is responsible for Banquo’s death. (Page 63, Macbeth) 53. “it is concluded Banquo thy soul’s flight/ if it find Heaven must find it out tonight. This is a foreshadow of Banquo’s death. (Page 64, Macbeth) 54. “We scotched the snake, not killed it;”. The snake is used as a symbol for all those forces against Macbeth. Snake is seen as images of manipulation and evil. (Page 64, Macbeth) 55. “After life’s fiful fever he sleeps well; treason has done his worst. Nor steel, nor potion” means that treason has done its worst to Duncan. Duncan sleeps well now that he is dead. He no longer has to be in a “fever” of anxiety about life’s problems and worries, tossing and turning in his bed at night. Death, Macbeth implies, brings peace; Duncan is not thinking about domestic and foreign threats or the possibility of treason. (Page 65, Macbeth) 56. “better be with the dead/ whom we gain our peace, have sent to peace, than on the torture of the mind to lie in restless ecstasy” shows how Macbeth prefers to be dead in peace than rather contemplate about murder and his life’s problems. (Page 65, Macbeth) 57. “And make our faces visards to our hearts/ disguising what they are” shows that the masks is to disguise what Macbeth is feeling in his heart, guilt. (Page 65, Macbeth)

58. “O full of scorpions” Macbeth’s mind is full of fear and thoughts of death. The scorpion shows Macbeth’s trouble. The image of scorpions represents deadly, self- swaying, Macbeth is a tragic hero, fatal flaw, ambition takes over. (Page 65, Macbeth) 59. “There shall be done/ a deed of dreadful note” foreshadows Banquo’s murder, does not tell Lady Macbeth. This shows how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are no longer partners anymore. This is different to murdering Duncan as they did it together. Macbeth decides only hardening himself will remove his guilt. (Page 65, Macbeth) 60. “Be innocent of the knowledge” shows how Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth to conceal the information of the death of Duncan. (Page 65, Macbeth) 61.“Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill” conveys that the murder of King Duncan was but the beginning, more killing will must be taken for Macbeth to live in safety. This means that when you do bad things, doing other bad things make them worse. Macbeth realizes this when he kills Duncan, but then he realizes that he has to Banquo also. Before all of the killing started he though all he had to do was kill Duncan to be king, but then he has to kill Banquo. After he kills Banquo, he has to try and kill Banquo's children. He realizes that the cycle of killing will never end if he keeps on going. 62. “I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in/ to saucy doubts and fears” conveys how Macbeth is overwhelmed by murder and his ambition to be king. (Page 67, Macbeth) 63. “There the grown serpent lies” talks about Banquo’s death. (Page 67,Macbeth) 64. “The worm that’s fled/ hath nature that in time will venom breed, no teeth for the present” conveys how Fleance has a life (nature) that will breed vengeance (venom breed) although he can do nothing at the present. (Page 67, Macbeth) 65. “Which one of you has done this?” shows how Macbeth does not realise at first that he is seeing Banquo’s ghost. To begin with he thinks that one of the guest has played a trick upon him by putting Banquo’s corpse in his seat. Macbeth does no reply and is losing his sense of reality. (Page 68, Macbeth) 66. “Let the earth hid thee!/ thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold/ thou hast no speculation in those eyes/ which thou dost glare with” shows how at this point, Macbeth has gone insane. He knows he dictated the murder of Banquo and his son due to his son becoming king in the prophecies of being king. Since he had become king as the prophecies predicted, he now believes in then and would like to keep his position. When Banquo’s ghost appeared during the feast, he was afraid the others would see him; and blame him for his death. His paranoia his reached such a high point during this moment of the novel, showing that he desires control. When Banquo’s ghost appears, he is not able to control the ghost; and as seen in his actions, he panics and loses his sanity in front of his audience. (Page 69, Macbeth) 67. “You make me strange/ even to the disposition that I owe/ when now I think you can behold such sights/ and keep the natural ruby of your cheeks/ when mine is blanched with fear” shows how paranoid Macbeth is of everyone being able to see Banquo’s ghost and accuse him of the death of Banquo. (Page 70, Macbeth) 68. “Strange things I have in head/ that will to hand, which must be asked/ ere they may be scanned”, Macbeth feels troubled. There is no time to think about what I have to do; I must act at once.’ (Page 70, Macbeth) 69. “secret black and midnight hags” vilifying witches to make villain (Page 75, Macbeth) 70. “I conjure you”, sense of entitlement, demanding to do what they tell you to, connotations of witchcraft (Page 75, Macbeth) 71. “I will be satisfied! Deny me this”, Macbeth is very demanding of the witches. (Page 76, Macbeth)

72. “Infected be the air, whereon they ride/ and damaged all those that trust them” highlights Macbeth is aware that the witches are evil and seems to know not to trust them but trusts them. (Page 77, Macbeth) 73. “Thy crown does sear mine eye-balls” scorches my eyes which show that Macbeth will never be king. A show of eight kings, Banquo’s ghost following. The significance of the parade of eight kings revealed to Macbeth demonstrates that Banquo’s heirs will rule Scotland not Macbeth’s. Ultimately, Macbeth will fail. Once Fleance escapes his would be murderers in Act 3, Macbeth cannot create the dynasty he is hoping to. Fleance’s escape is significant because Macbeth knows that his kingdom will end. As long as Fleance is alive, the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s line of rule can still come true, and Macbeth will never truly be free, always waiting to lose the throne. (Page 77, Macbeth) 74. “no man that’s born a woman” shows how Macbeth thinks that he is safe and this gives him security. (Page 89, Macbeth) 75. “I have lived long enough: my way of life Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf; And that which should accompany old age, As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have; but, in their stead” show how Macbeth is starting to have beginning signs of regret. (Page 89, Macbeth) 76. “I have almost forgot the taste of fears” is a contrast to Macbeth before when he was scared of everything. (Page 92, Macbeth) 77. “supped full of horrors… cannot once start me” shows how Macbeth has seen so much that he is no longer afraid. (Page 92, Macbeth) 78. “she should have died thereafter” shows how Lady Macbeth should have died after the war. (Page 92, Macbeth) 79. “she should have died thereafter” shows how Lady Macbeth should have died after the war. (Page 92, Macbeth) 80. “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” shows Macbeth’s sense of regret. (Page 92, Macbeth) 81. “Out, out brief candle” shows that life is being compared to a burning candle that lasts only a short while. (Page 92, Macbeth) 82. “And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” Conveys how one lives and one dies, therefore emphasising that life has no meaning. (Page 92, Macbeth) 83. “I gin to be aweary of the sun, And wish the estate o' the world were now undone.” Shows how tired Macbeth is of life, the sun is symbolic for life. (Page 93, Macbeth) 84. “My soul is too much charged/ with blood of thine already” shows Macbeth’s remorse that he does not want to kill any more of Macduff’s family, suffers too much from the burden of murdering people. (Page 95, Macbeth)

Lady Macbeth 1. “My dearest partner of greatness”. Lady Macbeth refers to Macbeth as her dearest partner. (Page 45) 2. “It is too full o’the milk of human kindness”. The milk of human kindness meaning gentleness. “To catch the nearest way” is the murder of King Duncan. The milk of human is a feminine image. (Page 45)

3. “That I may pour my spirits in the ear”. This is a reference to Hamlet. In Hamlet poison was dropped into the king’s ear to kill him. This quote is used to foreshadow the King or Macbeth’s death. (Page 45) 4. “Which fate and metaphysical and both seem/ to have thee crowned withal”. Relates to chance of Macbeth becoming king. (Page 45) 5. “Golden pound”. Lady Macbeth refers to Macbeth as “golden round” meaning royalty and goodness. (Page 45) 6. “The raven himself is horse”. The raven is a symbol of death. Raven’s croak foreshadows that death is coming, which means that Macbeth’s death is overdue. (Page 45) 7. That my keen knife see not the wound it makes/ nor heaven peep through the blanket of death the dark/ to cry, ‘hold, hold!”. Night. Lady Macbeth does not want any light to reveal Duncan’s murder. She does not want heaven to “see” what happens. (Page 46) 8. “look like the innocent flower/ but be the serpent under’t”. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to pretend to be like an innocent flower and then kill Duncan sneakily. Macbeth needs to look like a flower and prepare to strike at any moment like a snake. Macbeth seems sweet and innocent like a flower but he is really evil like a snake. (Page 46) 9. “O never shall sun that morrow see”. Duncan is the sun, the sun is associated with light and the light is associated with good. This shows that the world revolves around Duncan. (Page 46) 10. “To alter favour is to fear/ leave all the rest to me”. Lady Macbeth takes control and manipulates Macbeth into killing Duncan. (Page 46) 11. “It is the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman” conveys how the owl is compared to the bellman who preceded the corpse to the grave. (Page 52) 12. “That death and nature do contend about them/ whether they live or die”. This shows how death and life decide whether the attendants are alive or dead, they are so drugged that they appear to be dead. (Page 52) 13. “The attempt and not the deed confounds us”. This conveys how ruin is upon them and destroys our plan. (Page 53) 14. “Had he not resembled/ my father as he slept, I had don’t”. Macbeth reveals how if King Duncan did not look like her father, she would have given her word and completed the deed of killing King Duncan. (Page 53) 15. “I heard the owl scream and cricket’s cry”. Lady Macbeth shows panic and anxiety. (Page 53) 16. “These deeds must not be thought/ after these ways; so, it will make us mad” Shakespeare foreshadows Macbeth’s insanity. (Page 53, Lady Macbeth) 17. “the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures” (need to add explanation) metaphor, the sleeping and the deed are compared to pictures, being completely still. (Page 54, Lady Macbeth) 18. “infirm of purpose” means that Macbeth is a coward who can’t be brave enough to do what Macbeth means to do. This is said by Lady Macbeth, page 54. (Page 54 ,Lady Macbeth) 19. “A little water clears us of this deed”. Lady Macbeth says this, page 54. This shows how easy it was to get away with the murder of Duncan. (Page 54, Lady Macbeth) 20. The use of “My hands are of your colour; but I shame to wear a heart so white”, shows how Lady Macbeth is seen as innocent. (Page 54, Lady Macbeth) 21. “Wh...