Macbeth

• "Stars hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires"

  Shows his initial innocence and loyalty to king Duncan but seeds of ambition had already planted the seeds of ambitions
• " Look like th'innocent flower, but be the serpent under't "

  Themes: Violence and Deception

  "innocent flower" juxtaposes active corruption of "the serpent", reflecting the ideas of "fair" and "foul" in Act 1, Scene 1.

  Biblical reference
• "Is this a dagger I see before me"

  Themes: Violence, Supernatural

  The soliloquy is the opening to the first signs of Macbeth's insanity. He possesses an inability to distinguish between an hallucinations.
• "sleep no more, Macbeth does murder sleep"

  Macbeth is referring to killing Duncan, but is later revealed to be a defenseless person while they were in a "innocent sleep". Also shows rampant guilt and madness that will plague him and Lady Macbeth to their deaths.
• "Something wicked this way comes."

  The irony in this statement is excessive, as the witches are evil and wicked characters have now deemed Macbeth to also be wicked.
• "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?"

  Shows that there is enough blood on his hands to turn the entire sea red—will stay with him until his death.
• "all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."

  Lady macbeth's sleepwalking scene act 5 scene 1
• 'Thou canst not say i did it' ' never shake thy gory locks at me'

  guilt-ridden contrast to the heroic Macbeth at the start becoming cowardly. Can represent punishment from god.
• 'secret black and midnight hags'

  Shows his idiocy where he thinks he is in control but the witches are actually playing with him.
• 'o valiant cousin, worthy gentleman'

  represents the perfects acts of King Duncan and immediatly compliments and acknowledges Macbeth
• 'fixed his head upon our battlements' ironic as Macbeth's head is also displayed this was at the end.
• cyclical ending implies that his violence leads t a destructive cycle as his own violence bring him to a tragic ending.
• 'he unseam'd him from the nave to the chops'

  not only is he fealess but obsessed with violence. Innate desire to kill
• 'if chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir'

  He knows it's very possible that he could become king without having to do anything. But his mind instantly turns to murder
• 'Top-full of direst cruelty'

  calling on the spirits that tend on her evil thoughts
• 'too full o'th'milk of human kindness'

  Lady macbeth is oblivious that he takes pleasure in killing
• He refers to Lady Macbeth as 'partners'. However In Macbeth's soliliquy which reveals his true feelings there is only a mention about a 'dagger' not his wife proving to the audience that killing is what excites him.
• Refers to Duncan with 'silver skin' and 'golden blood' to represent his royalty.
• 'fruitless crown' 'barren sceptre'

  Symbolises how he kills Banquo purely out of jealousy that his lineage will not continue.
• 'twenty trenched gashes on his head' The mercenaries emphasised the gore and violence to please Macbeth
• 'The Thane of fife had a wife, where is she now?'

  Finally realises macbeth is killing out of pleasure rather than ambition
• In the end Macbeth does not take responsibility but puts the blame on god. Life is 'a tale told by an idiot' refers to god which controls his fate and apparently is ultimately to blame
• Macbeth is described as a 'dead butcher' which emphasises his love of killing and bloodlust