Quotes

• Give 2-3 quotes for the effect of the witches on Macbeth's ambition


  1.3: "My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical"

  1.3: All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!

  1.5: "...and shalt be / What thou art promised"
• Analyse 1.3: "My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical"

  Macbeth is expressing his concerns about the plan to murder Duncan. He is completely uneasy murdering Duncan without a worthy enough reason. It is evident that Macbeth's ambition is being restricted by his empathy and logic. Macbeth struggles to wrap his head around the idea of killing someone unjustly, illustrating his hesitance.

  Macbeth uses euphemistic terms when discussing the idea of murdering and doesn't reveal his name to the audience
• Analyse 1.3: All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!


  This is said by the witches in a tricolon, making it sound like a chant and almost evil. It is this prophesy that promotes the downfall of Macbeth and feeds in to his ambitions, hinting that perhaps his ambitious attitude wasn't enough to convince him into murdering Duncan, but was in fact aided by other forces, like the witches and his wife
• Analyse 1.5: "...and shalt be / What thou art promised"

  Even Lady Macbeth, who can often be seen as originally more ambitious than Macbeth, is fueled by the witches prophecy

  The use of modal verbs almost echos the witches and so shows their importance and prevelance throughout the play, whilst also displaying Lady Macbeth's determination
• Give 2-3 quotes of Lady Macbeth's manipulation and effect on Macbeth


  1.5: "Look like th' innocent flower, / But be the serpent under 't"

  1.7: "When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man"

  1.7: Thou wouldst be great / Art not without ambition, but withoutThe illness should attend it
• Analyse1.5: "Look like th' innocent flower, / But be the serpent under 't"


  Lady Macbeth talks about acting like a flower but really behaving like the serpent/snake underneath it, and this is where things get really interesting. When we think about a flower - about the connotation - we think of some nice, something pleasant to look at. This reinforces Lady Macbeth's point about Macbeth treating his guests warmly and with kindness.

  However, when we think of a serpent or a snake, something far more sinister comes to mind. Think about the serpent in the Bible, for example, the snake which tempted Eve to eat the apple in the Garden of Eden. So this section of the quote is actually an allusion to that famous Biblical story, reinforcing the idea of Macbeth's sinister intentions.
• Analyse 1.7: "When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man"

  In this quote Lady Macbeth is manipulating her husband Macbeth by speaking of his manhood. She gains more and more control over Macbeth as the play goes on. This shows how Lady Macbeth usurps Macbeth's position as the head of the house and claims it for herself. By doing this, she is contradicting the accepted social hierarchy of the Elizabethan Age which stated that men were above women in the household.

  This can be seen as the ultimate catalyst for Macbeth's downfall
• Analyse 1.7: Thou wouldst be great / Art not without ambition, but without / The illness should attend it


  Lady Macbeth speaks these lines as she reflects on her husband's character. She knows that Macbeth is capable of ambitious dreams, but she thinks that he is unwilling to display the ruthless behavior necessary to achieve those dreams. These lines reflect Lady Macbeth's own philosophy of power, in which only individuals who are willing to set their morality aside will rise to greatness. They also show that she is a sound judge of character, and understands her husband very well.
• Give 2-3 quotes for Macbeth's tragic flaw


  1.7: "I have no spur // To prick the sides of my intent, but only // Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself // And falls on the other"

  2.1: "a dagger of the mind, a false creation" AND "Come, let me clutch thee"

  2.4: "Thriftless ambition that will raven up thin own life's means'"
• Analyse 1.7: "I have no spur // To prick the sides of my intent, but only // Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself // And falls on the other"


  He compares his current situation to horse riding; ambition is the metaphorical spur he, the rider, uses to motivate his horse (i.e. make his plans a reality).

  However, as he notes, a horse rider may overestimate their ability when trying to clear an obstacle and consequently fall down. Macbeth's admission foreshadows his tragic end.
• Analyse 2.4: "Thriftless ambition that will raven up thin own life's means'"

  Ross is saying it is a stupid ambition that causes a son to kill the father who supports him.

  Ross is talking about the king's sons' supposed involvement with the murder of Duncan.

  Yet this also implies to Macbeth, and so hints to his hamartia and foreshadows his downfall

  Macbeth's ambition is presented as destructive
• 2.1: "a dagger of the mind, a false creation" AND "Come, let me clutch thee"

  This quote shows the metal stress Macbeth is going through... he knows that his mind is playing tricks on him yet he welcomes it. The idea of a false creation may suggest some sort of supernatural background

  Macbeth uses an imperative in this quote, this shows his eagerness and ambition to commit regicide. This whole soliloquy shows how Macbeth is essentially losing his sanity and it is almost as though he is embracing it.