Quotes 5

• Act Five Scene One: LADY MACBETH: "Out, damned spot!"


  Interpretation: Lady Macbeth has lost all of her composure and rational thought from earlier in the play - like Macbeth in Act Two, her mind has begun to hallucinate.

  
  

  Analysis: In Act Two, Lady Macbeth claims that, after killing King Duncan, "a little water clears us of this deed." Now she is hallucinating, and desperately pleads for the blood to be washed away. It is ironic that when Macbeth desperately needed to clean his hands Lady Macbeth mocked him, but guilt is now having the same effect upon her behaviour. The fact she describes the blood spot as "damned" has associations with hell - her guilt has caught her, and she fears she is being punished. The religious audience could see this as divine punishment from God.
• Act Five Scene Three: MACBETH: "The mind I sway by, and the heart I bear,/Shall never sag with doubt, nor shake with fear."


  Interpretation: Macbeth has come full circle, and has returned to his former warrior self - he is displaying typical characteristics of a powerful leader once more. Although he is now full of evil intentions, his spirit is as strong as ever.

  
  

  Analysis: In previous acts, Macbeth was riddled with "doubt" and "fear"- now the word "never" is positioned before it, showing he has finally regained control over his own behaviour. He is again in full control, as shown by the reference to both "mind", suggesting his thoughts, and "heart", emphasising his emotions. "Sag" and "shake" both suggest weak body movements, something Macbeth explicitly rejects.
• Act Five Scene Five: MACBETH: "Life's but a walking shadow."


  Interpretation: Macbeth has had an epiphany (a moment of realisation) and that life has no real substance to it- it is simply a "shadow." suggests

  
  

  Analysis: The use of the metaphor depicting life as a "shadow" suggests life is empty and has no meaning - it also has associations with 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 - walking is not the powerful, physical action seen in earlier acts, nor the dynamic action expected of 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.
• Act Five Scene Five: MACBETH: "A poor player/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage."


  Interpretation: Macbeth understands he is under the control of someone, or something, else. He is simply an actor ("player") 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. Here the alliteration adds to the pitiful nature of his character. The verbs "struts" and "frets" are both weak, indecisive actions - they suggest lack of control and power. The fact that we only have an "hour upon the stage" emphasises how fleeting and insignificant each person is, foreshadowing the death that is to come.
• Act Five Scene Eight: MACDUFF: "I have no words;/My voice is in my sword."


  Interpretation: Macduff realises that justice can only be achieved through fighting, not through words - he must meet Macbeth's violent deeds with violence of his own to avenge the death of his family.

  
  

  Analysis: into words the pain he feels at Macbeth's actions, and he Macduff cannot put acts in the way Lady Macbeth suggested men should earlier in the play - with actions, not words. His "sword" has become his "voice" - in killing Macbeth, he says everything he needs to so as to deliver justice and revenge. The idea of his voice being "in" his sword suggests the sword is more than just a physical weapon - it contains all of the anger and hatred of Macbeth's victims, adding to its strength.