Quotes

• Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 1, just before Macbeth murders Duncan.


  • ‘Is this a dagger which I see before me […] Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going‘. (Marshall’st = direct/guide). 
  • Themes: Fate / Fortune, Appearance vs Reality, Nature vs Supernatural, Ambition.
• Witch, Act 1 Scene 3


  • ‘All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter’.
  • This is the third greeting the witches give Macbeth
  • Themes: Fate / Fortune, Nature vs Supernatural, Ambition.
• Witch, Act 4 Scene 1


  • ‘Chill it with a baboon’s blood, then the charm is firm and good’.
  • Baboons in Shakespeare’s time were seen to be evil and lustful.
  • Most of Shakespeare’s audience, including King James I, believed in witchcraft.
  • Themes: Fate / Fortune, Nature & the Supernatural, Evil / darkness vs grace light.
• Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 7


  • ‘I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself’.
  • Meaning: There is no justification for killing Duncan (he is my king & my guest).
  • The only thing motivating me is ambition, which makes people rush ahead of themselves toward disaster.
  • Shakespeare uses horse metaphors here (‘spur’, ‘vaulting’) – this would have appealed to James I and to his court.
  • Themes: Free will, ambition.
• Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 5


  • ‘Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it’.
  • Serpent represents the devil both in Old Testament and New Testament.
  • Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Evil / Darkness vs Grace / Light.
• Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 4


  • ‘Stars hide your fires/let light not see my black and deep desires’ - personification.
  • He must ‘fall down’ (e.g. give up) or else ‘o’erleap’ Malcolm (e.g. find another way to overleap malcolm and become king).
  • Themes: ambition, evil / darkness vs grace / light.
• Witches, Act 1 Scene 1


  • ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’.
  • This is the first scene of the play – and it puts forward the key themes of contrasts.
  • Paradox = contradiction in terms (fair/foul).
  • Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Nature and the Supernatural, Evil / Darkness vs Grace / Light.
• Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 5


  • ‘Come you spirits […] unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topful of direst cruelty’.
  • Here Lady Macbeth, without consulting her husband, immediately decides that she will do whatever it takes to make Macbeth King – to propel him forward and nurture his success.
  • Themes: appearance vs reality, nature vs supernatural, evil / darkness vs grace / light, gender roles.
• Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 5


  • ‘Come to my woman’s breasts and take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers’. ('Gall' = bile, a bitter fluid; ‘murdering ministers’ = agents of evil).
  • Lady Macbeth is asking to have everything womanly taken away so that she can turn to the ‘blanket of dark’.
  • Themes: Nature and the supernatural, evil / darkness vs grace / light gender roles.
• Macbeth, Act 3 Scene 4


  • ‘Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me’ (‘Gory locks’ = bloody hair).
  • James I descended from Banquo (portrayed as heroic).
  • Banquo doubted witches’ prophesies
  • also loyal to King Duncan and prays to God.
  • Whereas Macbeth couldnt say‘Amen’ after murdering Duncan
  • Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Evil / darkness vs Grace / Light, Guilt & Madness.
• Macbeth, Act 2: Scene 2


  • ‘Methought I heard a voice cry Sleep no more; Macbeth does murder sleep’.
  • Macbeth murdered not only his king (anointed by God), but Duncan was also his guest.
  • He was also asleep, showing a lack of courage.
  • Macbeth feels vulnerable as he too could be killed in his sleep.
  • Themes: guilt and madness; evil / darkness vs grace / light
• Lady Macbeth, Act 5 Scene 1


  • ‘Out, damned spot! Out, I say! […] Hell is murky’.
  • Lady Macbeth is trying to wash (imaginary) blood off her hands.
  • A symbol of her guilt/madness.
  • Themes: Guilt & madness, evil / darkness vs grace / light, gender, appearance vs reality