violence

• | heroic violence

  Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops (1,2).

  • This is how Macbeth is praised and rewarded for killing a treacherous thane, Macdonald.
  • The violent imagery describing Macbeth at the start of the play is honourable: his violence on the battlefield is for the king.
• | heroic violence

  Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops (1,2)

  • how MB is praised & rewarded for killing a treacherous thane, Macdonald.
  • violent imgry desc MB @ the start is honourable; his viol on the battlefield is for the king.


  'unseam'd'

  • The violent verb ‘unseam’d’ emphasises how MB opens his enemy from his navel to his face.
  • seems very fluid in motion; implies MB v strong & unphased by horrifically killing another man.
• | violent imagery: lady macbeth

   plucked the nipple from his boneless gums, / And dashed the brains out’ (1,7)

  • uses violence to show MB how strong her commitment is to anything she promises to do.
  • show MB is a coward for going back on the plan.
  • uses img of violence against the thing she cares most abt – her bby_ shows him that she’d do anything to keep her word to him and to make him change his mind.
  • Lady MB’s mind, this violent description shows MB the extent she’d go to for him & how much she loves him
• | violent imagery: lady macbeth

   plucked the nipple from his boneless gums, / And dashed the brains out’ (1,7)

  'Boneless'

  • adj = young the child is.
  • X teeth in his gums yet = reminds aud how vulnerable bby is & how L MB X care– careless attitude against nature, esp 4 women

  'Plucked'

  • verb = simple but devastating; as if she casually removed bby from the breast & broke connection between them.
  • L MB goes against nature by refusing to nurture her own child &, instead, describes the violent image of her murdering it
• | murder & violence

  ‘A sorry sight’ (2,2)

  • The viol of killing Duncan is clear from blood on Macbeth's hands.
  • Duncan was sleeping. Macbeth was esp cowardly in the mrdr & he prevented him from a warrior’s death.
  • Macbeth refers to his hands as ‘a sorry sight’= he done something incredibly weak in murdering a sleeping man & 1 who he was honour-bound (morally obliged) to serve & protect
• | murder & violence

  'Blood will have blood’ (3,4)

  • MB says after seeing Banquo’s ghost
  • metaphor saying that once a violent act is committed, more violence will fllw_ usually happens when a family tries to avenge the 1st murder.
• | murder & violence

  ‘He has killed me, mother’ (4,2)

  • murder of children (macduff's) is v violent & upsetting_ child= symbol of innocence & cannot protect themselves
  • calling out to his ‘mother’ is v emotive bc reminds aud how young he is_ this violence = how evil MB has become
• | murder & violence

  'your wife and babes / Savagely slaughtered' (4,3)

  • Ross tells Macduff that his wife & children r dead.
  • For Macduff, this is mission of personal revenge against MB
  • linking back to fate & tragedy, MB may have caused his own death @ this point – murder of Lady Macduff & son = that Macduff only wants revenge now