MACBETH👑

• ”valour’s minion”

  • noun “minion” foreshadows his susceptibility to manipulation and how he will soon be a marionette of the witches
  • similie
  • potrayed as an epitome of courage and chivalry
  • “valour” refers to a demonstration of courage in the face of danger
• “disdaining fortune…smok’d with bloody execution“

  • ”smok’d“ could connote heat and hell, foreshadowing his evil
  • he will be subjected to eternal hell due to regicide
  • ”disdaining fortune” shows a disregard for his fate and his attempt to manipulate the order
• “so foul and fair a day I have not seen” - Macbeth

  • echoes the witches paradox
  • becomes mouthpiece for the witches evil, he is a vessel for their misconduct
  • 1st line said by macbeth- before even encountering the witches he’s susceptible to their schemes
  • lexis on "not seen" implies blindness or a loss of vision, parallel to how Macbeth is blinded by their equivocal prophecies, leading him to lose sight of reality
• “doth unfix my hair and make my heart knock at my ribs”

  • both externally and viscerally the witches have rattled him
  • showcases the power of the supernatural
  • foreshadows the turmoil to come
  • verb “seated” connotes calmness and steadiness
  • verb “knock” connotes alarming fear
• "why do you dress me in borrow'd robes?"

  • suggests hes been awarded a title that does not belong to him
  • provides element of hope for audience that Macbeth sees through their manipulation (he doesn't, his harmatia, ambition, leads to his downfall
  • subtle motif of clothes as a symbol of power, deception and identity
  • hierarchical ranking, superficial and transient, much like clothes
• "is this a dagger which i see before me, the handle towards my hand? come let me clutch thee"

  • shows his internal conflict and confusion
  • "the handle towards my hand" suggests he is ridding himself of responsibility over the murder as if it was being offered to him or forced upon him
• " i heard a voice cry, sleep no more: macbeth does murder sleep"

  • personification- guilt will keep him from sleeping again
  • loss of sleep signifies loss of innocence
  • has become an imprisoned state of restlessness
• "i am in blood"

  • motif blood (recurring symbol for consequences of murder) was merely on his hands yet it has enrobed his entire sense of being
  • metaphor- Shakespeare uses this to display the overwhelming guilt Macbeth feels
• "make our faces vizzards to our hearts"-Macbeth

  • reminiscent of "look the innocent flower"
  • appearance vs reality-hes extrapolated her evil
  • emulates words shes said before ("look the innocent flower")
  • desire to hide true thoughts and feelings behind a mask
  • they should appear innocent while concealing evil intentions
• ”be innocent of the knowledge dearest chuck”

  • trapped within the momentum of evil and dismisses her
  • uses feminine epithets which belittle her, much as she previously did to him
  • mockery of innocent flower
• ”his wife his babes, and all unfortunate souls”

  • syntax is suggestive that macbeth is focused on exterminating “all” souls he sees as unfortunate
  • first murder to occur in stage - suggests Macbeth no longer cares for his reputation and takes pride in his heinous acts
  • does not carry out murder himself - ensures he is still somewhat redeemable from the epitome of evil
  • vital for a tragic hero - must be able to elicit some sympathy from the audience despite their flaws
• “diminutive” “wren”

  • semantic field of birds - characterises them as prey
  • secures macbeth within the role of a predator
  • said by Lady Macduff
• ”life is but a walking shadow…it is a tale…signifying nothing”

  • noun “tale” extends the idea that the witches influence was like an ominous nursery rhyme - he realises he’s been placed upon a stage for the witches entertainment
  • macbeths lexis almost creates a semantic field of transcience, the nouns “candle” and “shadow” are impermanent and fragile in the sense they can be extinguished
• ”stars hide your fires”

  • motif of stars exposes Macbeth and Banquo as diametrically opposed in their aspirations
  • attempts to hide malicious intentions from God opposed to Banquo who wants to be free of them