macbeth

• Sergeant- "brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name"

  Epithet connotes honour, which implies despite Macbeth's brutal execution of MacDonwald ("from the nave to the chops"), his actions are viewed as heroic, because he is defending King Duncan and fighting for his country.
• "carved with bloody execution"


  Juxtaposes the gruesome image of "smoked with bloody execution". This could reinforce his domineer in battle, as it gives an artistic impression to the audience. An artist carving connotes to him being careful and slow, but one in battle wouldn't be slow, unless they were extremely skilled. This elucidates meticulousness to the character of Macbeth, as if he makes no mistakes- this is ironic as he listens to the witches, this mistake leads to his doom.
• Macbeth- "so foul and fair a day I have not seen" (Act 1, Scene 3)


  Clear paradox here- echoes the words of the witches suggesting they will influence him. Fair and foul present the upcoming events his character will face. However when the witches used these words it was more balanced (fair is foul and foul is fair) representing deception- they will deceive Macbeth. Macbeth's hamartia is hubris.
• Macbeth- "we will process no further in this business" (Act 1, Scene 7)


  His language now mirrors Lady Macbeth's suggesting a unison between the two. He uses the noun "business" to refer to Duncan's murder, this euphemism is the same as his wife- suggests denial.
• Macbeth- "false face must hide what the false heart doth know" (Act 1, Scene 7)


  Juxtaposition between "hide" and "know" shows how appearances and reality are prominent. Sounds like Lady Macbeth and mirrors her thoughts and behaviour. Parallels the serpent quote. The use of the adjective "false" implies that he knows he isn't in line to have the crown.
• Macbeth- "Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?" (Act 2, Scene 1)


  Interpretation: Macbeth is hallucinating, showing the deterioration of his state of mind and the influence the witches and Lady Macbeth have had on him.

  
  

  Analysis: The question "is this" is representative of Macbeth's state of mind- he is full of uncertainty and doubt. The fact that it is a "dagger" before him suggests his mind has become corrupted by violence- the handle of the dagger is pointing towards his hand, almost inviting him to use it. In a patriarchal society, male leaders are not meant to have doubt- they are meant to be powerful, certain and strong. Macbeth has become a weaker warrior since the warfare on the battlefields in Act One.
• Macbeth: "We have scorched the snake, not killed it" (Act 3, Scene 2)


  Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that, by killing Duncan, they have not put the matter of the throne to rest. By scorching the snake, but not killing it, Macbeth means that they still have threats to face, even with Duncan out of the picture,
• Macbeth: "O full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife" (Act 3, Scene 2)


  Scorpions inflict pain and therefore he is aware that his ambition is in fact harming him on the flip side that it also gives him the power to be corrupt and inflict pain on others. He is worried about Banquo.
• Macbeth- "Thou canst not say I did it: never shake thy gory locks at me" (Act 3, Scene 4)


  Macbeth is hallucinating again because of the guilt he feels, saying that the use of the murderers makes him innocent. The adjective "gory"- the blood symbolism is used to show the disintegration of the mental and emotional stability of the protagonist. Metaphorically the banquet failing represents Macbeth's internal psychological collapse and how he has broken the Great Chain of Being by committing regicide.
• The Witches- "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes" (Act 4, Scene 1)


  The Witches describe the approach of Macbeth who is returning to them to seek more prophecies, having been influenced by ambition and power. He has now become corrupted and evil- unlike earlier. Noun "thing" shows Macbeth is no longer human and lost his morality.
• Macbeth- "life's but a walking shadow" (Act 5, Scene 5)


  Interpretation: Macbeth has had an epiphany that life has no real substance to it, it is simply a shadow.

  
  

  Analysis: The use of the metaphor depicting life as a "shadow" suggests life is empty and has no meaning- it also has connotations of following (our shadow follows us around) as if we are simply following someone else's plan. The use of "walking" implies life is a journey, but not a dynamic, energetic one- asking is not the powerful physical action seen in the earlier acts, nor the dynamic act expected from a king. The sentence structure focuses on the word "but", meaning only or just. Macbeth is arguing that life is worthless- it is only a shadow.
• Macbeth; "a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon a stage" (Act 5, Scene 5)


  Interpretation: Macbeth understands that he is under the control of someone, or something else. He is simply an actor who has his life controlled by the witches, and then he will be forgotten.

  
  

  Analysis: The image of Macbeth as a "poor player" contrasts the previous image of him as a powerful "cannon" in Act One. The verb "struts" and "frets" are both weak, indecisive actions- they suggest lack of control and power. The fact that we only have an "hour upon a stage" emphasises how fleeting and insignificant each person is, foreshadowing the death that is to come.
• Malcolm- "dead butcher and his fiend-like queen" (Act 5, Scene 9)


  Malcolm is describing Macbeth as a ravaging , merciless killer and Lady Macbeth as and evil demon at the very end of the book. Butcher shows he had a savage legacy.