Macbeth Themes

• So foul and fair a day I have not seen


  Paradox.

  Fate tied to the confusion of contradiction.

  Foreshadows moral ambiguity.

  "foul" and "fair" echoes the witches opening chorus - associating him with the supernatural to show the extent of Macbeth's ambition.

  Macbeth may seem "fair" but his actually "foul".
• There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face : He was a gentleman on whom i built an absolute trust


  King Duncan's naivety conveyed through dramatic irony.

  You can't tell easily who is trustworthy based on appearance.

  This is ironic as he builds "absolute trust" in Macbeth who eventually betrays him.
• Play the humble host

  Alliteration of "h" to portray a friendly facade.

  He pretends so his guests are less suspicious of his evil motives.

  Mabeth just ordered the killing of Banquo and then refuses to tell LM.

  Duplicity of hospitality.
• Theres daggers in mens smiles

  Said by Donaldbain after the king was killed.

  Metaphor for two-faced people.

  People who are closest to Duncan are more likely to have killed Duncan.

  The daggers symbolise the people killing them when hiding behind the masquerade of their smiles.
• False face must hide when the false heart doth know


  Juxtaposition between "false face" and "false heart" highlights the divide between someone's appearance vs true nature.

  "False face" means he must be able to keep his emotions invisible to others.

  Fricatives show the agression of his ambition.

  Juxtaposition of "hide" and "know" to show the extent of Mabeth's deception
• When you durst do it , then you were a man


  Mabeth's guilt is exposed by LM.

  LM undermines her husbands masculinity which would have been very powerful.

  She clearly knows how to manipulate as this is what causes Macbeth to change his mind and commit regicide.

  LM loses respect for her battle-hero husband , the once "brave macbeth".
• We'd jump the life to come


  Associates guilt with religion.

  References the afterlife which Chrisitians believed would be granted to those that honoured God.

  M realises regicide will sacrifice his life in heaven making him fully mortal and abondoned by God.

  This threat is enough to make Macbeth consider displaying the power of religion in the Jacobean era.

  Shakespeare intent - Mabeth should have listened to his conscience and his faith rather than his wife - one of King James I ideas.
• All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand


  She feels that she will forever stink of blood and no matter what she does the stink of blood will never go.

  The blood represent her guilt - she will be guilty forever.

  The reference to Arabian perfumes shows not only her wealth as a queen but also her femininity. Suggesting that the spirits have restored her femininity and she no longer feels strong and masculine, but weak and emotional.
• Full of scorpions is my mind! my dear wife


  His mind is vastly out of control that it is not controlled by something natural as the brain, but replaced by 'scorpions'.

  The symbolic Connotations of scorpion is death and dying, scorpions are known for their immense claws that can rip through prey easily. Just like that, his mind is a weapon that craves death.

  He has no conscience and if his mind has no conscience, he is not a human, but instead he is the personification of a creature like a scorpion who kills anything it wishes. 
• Weary of the sun...world were undone


  Macbeth understands he is going to die - he doesn't believe in the supernatural influence of the witches any more.

  He wants the whole world to be undone and to destroy everything - his nilhism is childish to show Shakespeare's message to the nobles as the desire to become king is a childish desire.

  In rejecting the sun he rejects God - he automatically rejects the whole world - without your faith in God you are nothing and you will be as nilhistic and Macbeth.

  Shows the childish refusal of taking responsibility
• Out , out brief candle life is but a walking shadow , a poor player


  "Out, out" -similiar to LM "out damned spot" to show the how they are similiarly evil or it could show how atuned they are to emphasise his love for her.

  Image of light in his cangle is a Chrisitian image to show his love for his wife overpowers his love for God.

  "a poor player" means an actor playing a part to show his nilhistic view on how life is pointless.

  He dismisses responsibility and blames the scriptwriter (God) which is ironic as he has been acting out on his free will
• Stars hide your fires ; let not light see my deep and dark desires


  Shakespeare also uses the noun "light" to give us a religous connotation as when you see light, you see salvation as you are being lead to how you can go to heaven from your sin.

  Revealed in the quote is the conflict between light and dark- also suggesting that there is a conflict within man between evil and goodness within.

  The imagery personifies the "deep desires" advocating that the evil inside Macbeth is not his own but the works of ‘evil spirits’ and could be implied that the Witches have heavily influenced.
• I think our country sinks beneath the yoke , it weeps , it bleeds.


  Patriotic - Malcolm is the epitome of a pure, honest , and a dedicated King (as he feels empathy for Scotland as he see's its plight) - juxtaposes Macbeth.

  Personifies Scotland and connotes emotional and physical agony and also emphasises it's importance to Malcolm.

  Reflecting how a country can suffer in the same way a person can.
• I'll make assurance double sure and take a bond of fate


  Macbeth maintains rule through merciless tyranny.

  His violence has progressed from reluctant cowardice to murder of his friend and now he kills a innocent woman and her child - demonstrating the corrupting influence of his power.

  Ironic as it is his apparent "fate" that has won him this kingship but now he believes he can control fate by killing the man who the witches say will destroy him. Suggests his warped sense of his own power and control will lead him to his downfall.
• His virtues plead like angels


  Even his enemies recognise that he is an excellent king - he is universally respected.

  Association with angles - position at the top of the Great chain of Beings - representative of God.

  Verb "plead" connotes desperation and helplessness shows that King Duncan is in a vulnerable position but the desparation could also link to Macbeth's desire to be king putting Duncan in a vulnerable position.

  Juxtaposition as Duncan's virtues are endeared by heaven whilst Macbeth virtues are destroyed by the witches (devil workers).
• Distaining fortune...smok'd with bloody execution"

  • "Smok'd" connotes heat and hell , foreshadowing his malevolent nature he will later face moral and phychological ramifications for.
  • Although Macbeth recieves commedation for his stoic bravery the syntax implies a symbiotic relationship between his downfall and his intrinsic proclivity for violence - positioning of "fortune" preceding "execution" foreshadows Macbeth's acquisition of an illegitimate title and wealth through violent means which will eventually lead to his "execution"
• I am in blood stepp'd so far that should i should wade no more

  • The emotif of blood is effective as first the blood was merely on his hand , yet now it has enrobed his entire body , and by extension his entire sense of being.
  • Macbeth's response to fear and guilt has transitioned from being horrified to indulging further in heinous acts , murder now becomes his mean of self-preservation.
  • "wade" has bibilical allusions as Macbeth's metaphorical wading in blood exemplifies how he acknowledges his conscience is permanently stained with guilt as a result for violence.
• "Make thick my blood, stop up th'access and passage to remorse"

  • Imperative illustrates she commands for emotional restraint.
  • She recognises that her aspirations for tyranny require a detachment from femininity
  • Lady Macbeth is a femme fatale (seductive and manipulative women who can lure men into danger or sin was a common trope in poetry and literature) - She is thus femme fatale as she is not just manipulative but rejects her womanhood which is a typical trope in femme fatale.
• "He hath wisdom that doth guide hsi valour that act in safety"

  • Macbeth epitomises the sin of envy - he is envious of Banquo's restraint of ambition.
  • The diction of the term "guide" connotes leadership , revealing Macbeth's initial attempt to direct and lead his ambition.
  • However , he succumbs to its potent influence , rendering him vulnerable in contrast to Banquo who emerges as a figure capable of self-guidance.
  • The portrayal of Banquo stands as an antithesis to Macbeth's bloodthirsty depction
• "I have no words ; my voice is my sword"

  • Violent metaphor - His ambition is to rightfully restore Scotland.
  • Macduff is the archetype of the avenging-hero motivated by revenge. Despite his personal motivations rooted in revenge the nobility of his actions shine through.
  • The short sentence is used to show the short amount of time that Scotland will continue to suffer.
• (enters with a taper)

  • A taper brings light which is emblematic of how Lady Macbeth is seeking light and hope in her eternal mental darkness.
  • In Christian symbolism , light often represents hope. Thus her entering with it could be seen as a desperate grasping for comfort and perhaps a plea for God's redemption from the sins that troment her.
  • Her need for light is the antithesis to her earlier presentation where she calls upon the night wanting darkness to help fuel her violent plans.
• "sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep"

  • Sleep connotes innocence however Macbeth troubled with guilt, experiences a disturbed sleep pattern symbolising her departure of innocence.
  • This disintegration of innocence is due to him committing regicide.
  • The exlamative sentence emphasises the enduring and irreversable nature of Macbeth's loss of sleep and innocence.
• "I dream'd of the three weird sisters last night" , "I think not of them"

  • The abstract noun "dream'd" signifies Banquo's afflcition suggesting he is haunted in his realm of sleep.
  • This implies the intrusion of superstition into Banquo's consciousness tresspassing on his unconscious mind.
  • Banquo's retains the capacity to sleep but acknowledges his ability to "dream" illuminates his preservation of innocence.
  • Foil to Macbeth as his moral characterisation is purposely employed to contrast Macbeth's duplicity and deceitfullness.
• "So fair and foul a day i have not seen"

  • Emulating the Witches' paradoxes - foreshadows that he will become a vessel for their twisted misconduct.
  • Alternatively Macbeth's emulation of the witches' oxymoronic phrases before even meeting them suggests a predestined suspectability to manipulation and deception.
  • Visual image on "i have not seen" connotes blindness potentially foreshadowing how Macbeth will be metaphorically blinded by the irresistible allure of the supernatural prophecies.
• “When shall we three meet again in thunder, lightning, or in rain"

  • The witches are talking about controlling the weather infront of a heavily religious audience - supports ideologies of King James.
  • Foreshadows the whole play as "thunder" is heard and it brings lightning which strikes rarely and the rare act that Macbeth does is killing the King. In "rain" everyone gets wet because of Macbeth
  • Witches are a democracy and the play is about accepting your king. Democracy is associated with evil - Shakespeare's message is that we shouldn't have a choice and this is your king.
• “the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence”

  • Foreshadows how he will get betrayed by Macbeth.
  • "Instruments" is an item you play with - he knows the Witches will play with their minds with tempting truths -Banquo notices this and reject them -Banquo is the antithesis of Macbeth.
  • Banquo - will do nothing, and remain silent Macbeth will push fate. Banquo’s silence speaks volume. Whilst quiet, he has plans of his own. So in the end, both are watching, and are wary of each other.
• Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under't


  • Flower connotes feminity and pureness which is juxtaposed by the deceitfullness of this quote.Juxtaposition of nouns (flower and serpent) links to the devil and deceitfullness.
  • She is saying be kind outside but be evil inside - foreshadows as a serpent will eventually eat a flower - Macbeth's evil side will eventually engulf him.
  • Serpent is an allusion to the bible as the serpent influenced eve the most just like LM influenced Macbeth - Macbeth acts like a machine. L.M is cunning, like a serpent, underneath it all.
• "Heat opressed brain"

  • First time he shows weakness-does it by himself-shows patriarchy
  • The heat will mould him. The heat is from the witches and L.M, and they will mould him with it. He will not be able to act himself -foreshadows his downfall.
  • Contrasts the Macbeth of the beginning. This is now too much for him. Warning to the nobles - regicide will bring immense stress.
  • Heat-opressed is Shakespeare's poetic way of saying "fevered".
  • As a metaphor, fever denotes a state of heightened or intense emotion or activity. The disease, in this instance, is ambition.
• "Out,out brief candle”, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player.”

  • A candle can be extinguished by: Blowing it out or letting it burn out.In this play, everyone is forcefully blown out. For the first time, Macbeth contemplates the fragility of life. Show the contrast of his character.
  • "Out, out" is similiar to LM "out damned spot" - they are similiarly evil to show atuned they are and to emphasise his love for her. Image of light is a Christian image-his love for LM overpowers his love for God.
  • You can never catch your shadow, which is symbolic of power:
• "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent , but vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other.
"


  He compares his intentions to a horse that is going to "vault"

  The jump is to great and he will fall and the only thing that is helping him control that jump is "spurs" -his ambition isn't enough.

  You need a rider for the horse which could connote how he isn't in contol of his ambition and the rider is LM - she is his hamartia.

  The metaphor draws a parallel between him and a jockey who is to manage an untameable , almost animalistic force - self deceptive.
• "Fair is foul and foul is fair"


  They speak in paradoxes which gives a sense of contradiction and disorientation that is established in the offset. This foreshadows the impending chaos in the play - the witches'deceitful nature will leave Macbeth disorientated.

  They speak in trochaic tetrameter which gives their speech an eerie songlike quality which is different from the other character who speak in iambic pentameter - compounds the duplicitiousness as even the speech transcends the earthly realm.
• "Turn hell-hound, turn"


  Repitition of "turn" emphasises Macbeth's upheaval of order through his tyrannical rule. ALT -Once Macbeth "turns" to face Macduff, Macduff knows he will be able to reinstate order within Scotland.

  The epiphet "hell-hound" creates a infernal image to emphasise Macduff's condemnation of Macbeth's diabolical ambitions and the ensuing turmoil.

  Macduff is an antithesis to Macbeth -Macduff places his country at the forefront of his concerns
• "Is thine, and my poor countries to command"


  Caesura would make the actors pause allowing the audience to fully absorb Malcom's honest dedication -embodiment of a true king.

  The possessive pronoun "my" before "poor countries" reveals not just ownership but a paternal tenderness.

  The word "poor" evokes sympathy for Scotland's suffering under Macbeth's dismantling rule.

  Malcolm portrays himself not as a distant ruler, but as a compassionate protector which is a foil to the tyrannical Macbeth.