Macbeth Quotes

• “When you durst do it, then you were a man” - Lady Macbeth


  LM is questioning Macbeth‘s manhood and emasculating him in hopes of persuading him to murder Duncan
• “Stars hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires” - Macbeth


  Macbeth is asking for his evil desires to be hidden from God (“light”)
• ”Come you spirits…unsex me here” - Lady Macbeth


  LM is calling on evil spirits to take away her feminine traits.

  Unlike a typical Jacobean women.

  Theme of Supernatural
• “Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t” - Lady Macbeth


  LM is telling Macbeth to seem welcoming and hospitable to Duncan so he doesn‘t realise his true intentions.

  Shows LM’s evil nature.

  ”Look” - LM is ordering her husband.

  ”Serpent” - Biblical reference
• “Out, damned spot!” - Lady Macbeth


  LM sees hallucinations of blood on her hands showing that she has lost her mind.

  Shakespeare may be telling us that sins can lead to great consequences (insanity)
• ”Is this a dagger I see before me?” - Macbeth


  Power of Supernatural.

  Macbeth is hallucinating like LM.

  Aftermath of power craze.
• “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” - Macbeth


  After killing Duncan.

  Macbeth feels extremely guilty.

  Hyperbole and metaphor.

  He has so much blood on his hands that not even Neptune’s water can wash it off.
• ”A little water clears us of this deed.” - Lady Macbeth


  Contradicts what she says later on - “Arabia”.

  LM feels very little guilt compared to Macbeth.

  LM only cares about power and will do anything to get there with no remorse.
• “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” - Lady Macbeth


  LM is starting to feel guilt like her husband.

  Metaphor and hyperbole.

  Her hand is so full of blood and evil scent that all of Arabia’s perfumes won’t remove the smell.

  Arabia is famous for strong and luxurious perfumes.
• “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.“ - Macbeth


  Macbeth is already linked with the Witches even before meeting them showing a connection.

  Macbeth is repeating similar words of the Witches.

  Macbeth may be under a spell of the witches.

  Macbeth’s ”fair” character will become “foul” (corrupted) throughout the play.
• “Macbeth does murder sleep.” - Macbeth

  Macbeth is quoting a voice in his heard after he kills Duncan.

  Hallucination.

  Macbeth is panicked and disturbed after killing Duncan.

  The voice tells him he will no longer be able to sleep.

  ”Sleep” is calm and peaceful so he may no longer be at peace.

  Consequences of committing regicide.

  “Sleep” may be eternal peace: heaven
• “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.” - Witches


  Witches’ prophecies.

  Macbeth will be king after becoming Thane of Cawdor.

  It becomes true.

  Witches have ability to see the future.
• “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.” - Witches


  Witches‘ prophecies telling Banquo he won’t become king but his sons will.

  Despite Banquo not being powerful, he is a better man than Macbeth.
• “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir.”


  Hello
• “It is too full of the milk of human kindness” - Macbeth


  M is too nice to kill Duncan hence why needs LM‘s help
• “To know my deed, it were best not know myself.”


  Macbeth