Macbeth quotes

• ’art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it’ 


  Theme = ambition

  • said my Lady Macbeth
  • LM knows that Macbeth is capable of ambitious dreams, but she thinks he is unable to show the ruthless behaviour to achieve those dreams.
• ’stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires‘


  Theme = Ambition

  • said by Macbeth
  • Macbeth wants to keep these feelings secret, especially that he is willing to do anything to become King’
• ‘Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here’


  Theme = Ambition

  • said by Lady Macbeth
  • Lady Macbeth calls on evil spirits to fulfill her ambitions.
  • she feels more masculine than Macbeth as she is more violent.
  • She could do more if she was a man as they have more power and respect from society.
• ‘Plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out’


  Theme = gender

  • said by Lady Macbeth
  • Lady Macbeth would kill her child for power, which contrasts woman's caring nature
• ’Are you a man?’ 


  Theme = gender

  • said by Lady Macbeth
  • Lady Macbeth insults Macbeth by questioning his masculinity
  • This would have been very strange at the time because women were supposed to be obedient.
  • would have shocked Jacobean’s
• ‘Give me my daggers’


  Theme = gender

  • said by Lady Macbeth
  • Lady Macbeth has control and authority over Macbeth
  • She can command him to do what she wants which was very strange at the time
• ‘Out, damned spot! Out I say!‘


  Theme = Guilt

  • said by Lady Macbeth while she is sleepwalking
  • Lady Macbeth’s guilt is coming to the surface and she can‘t get rid of the feeling.
• ‘Is this a dagger which I see before me?’ 


  Theme = guilt

  • said by Macbeth
  • Macbeth hallucinates seeing a dagger in front of him on his way to kill Duncan.
  • Reflects the guilt he is already feeling before he even kills the king.
• ‘doubtful joy’ and ‘restless ecstasy’ 


  Theme = guilt

  • said by Lady Macbeth
  • oxymorons used to show Macbeth and Lady Macbeths mixed emotions, they got what they wanted but also feel guilty and uneasy about what they have done.
• ‘All hail Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter‘


  theme = power

  • said by the witches
  • The witches plant the idea of power in Macbeths mind, saying that he will be King in the future,
• ‘Unseamed from the nave to the chaps‘


  theme = violence

  • scene of Macbeth killing the Thane of Cawdor at the beginning of the play.
  • Macbeth’s heroic violence in contrast to his unjustified tyranny by the end.
  • At the beginning he was respected for his ability to fight well.
• ‘From whom this tyrant holds the due of birth‘


  theme = power

  • Malcom has had his birthright of the throne stolen from him by Macbeth.
• ‘Savagely slaughtered’ 


  Theme = violence

  • Macduffs whole family were brutally killed like animals
  • Macduffs family were killed to punish him and deter him from fighting against Macbeth.
• ‘I am in blood, stepp’d so far I should wade more’


  Theme = violence

  • said by Macbeth
  • Macbeth is drowning in the product of his violence and can’t go back and undo his wrongdoing. He can only go further and kill more people until he dies violently as well.
• ‘Bourne his faculties so meek’


  Theme = corruption

  • Duncan was a good, kind and dedicated leader, he was humble and free from, corruption
  • meek(adjective): quite, gentle and easily imposed on, submissive
  • bourne(noun): a limit or boundary
• ‘Sleek over your rugged looks’


  Theme = kingship

  • said by Lady Macbeth
  • to be king Macbeth must look the part
• ‘Valiant cousin‘ and ’worthy gentlemen‘


  Theme = kingship

  • said by Duncan
  • Duncan trusts Macbeth and shows him admiration
  • whereas Macbeth is paranoid and kills people he is threatened by
  • Duncan is killed by someone he trusted
• ‘Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble‘


  Theme = supernatural

  • said by witches
  • the witches are performing a spell
  • the rhyme could link to Macbeth as he rhymes throughout the play.
• ‘My wife and childrens ghosts will haunt me still‘


  theme = supernatural

  • said by Macduff
  • the supernatural encourage Macduff to take revenge against Macbeth
• ‘This supernatural soliciting cannot be I’ll, cannot be good’


  Theme = supernatural

  • said by Macbeth
  • Macbeth thinks that because the witches predictions are correct they cannot be evil, but since they are correct he becomes evil and greedy for the throne and more power.
• ‘when you durst do it’ and ‘Then you were a man’


  Theme = gender

  • said by Lady Macbeth
  • Lady Macbeth is calling Macbeth a coward
  • she is threatening his masculinity and questioning it by Using her power over him to manipulate him into killing Duncan.
• ‘Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hands? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine‘ 


  Theme = guilt

  • said by Macbeth
  • Macbeth doesn’t think that anything will ever be able to get the metaphorical blood off his hands.
• ‘unsex me here’ 


  Theme = gender

  • said by Lady Macbeth
  • Lady Macbeth wants the weakness associated with being female taken away.
• ‘Here‘s the smell of blood still. All perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand’


  Theme = guilt

  • said by Lady Macbeth
  • nothing will ever take away her guilt of killing Duncan
• ‘I pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise will the valour of my tongue’


  said by Lady Macbeth.

  • she is talking about manipulating Macbeth into doing what she want him to do.
• ‘Dagger of the mind a false creation’ 


  Said my Macbeth

  • Macbeth is questioning wether he is seeing the floating dagger
• ‘Had i power, I should pour the sweet milk of concord into Hell’


  Said by Malcolm

  • Malcolm is testing Macduff by seeing wether he would support another bloodthirsty king or be loyal to Scotland.
• ‘Dispute it like a man’ and ‘I must also feel it like a man’


  Theme = gender

  • Malcolm is encouraging Macduff to get revenge on Macbeth.
  • Macduff believes he should also grieve his loss
  • Could have been strange at this time to see a man grieve as men were supposed to be seen as touch and strong and women were the stereo typical emotional ones.
• ‘Fair Is foul and foul is fair’ 


  Theme = supernatural

  • said by the witches
  • Appearances can be deceiving, what seems good and trustworthy can be evil. This is reflected in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth who pretend to be loyal and virtuous but are actually ambitious and muderous.
• ‘When shall we three meet again, in thunder lightning or in rain’

  Theme = supernatural

  • said by the witches
  • Part of the spell to lure Macbeth
  • symbolised terror and darkness which is the setting in most of the play
  • stormy weather symbolises how their powers stir up trouble snd go against natural order.
• ‘By pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes‘


  Theme = supernatural

  • said by the witches
  • The witches recognise Macbeth as similiar to them. They can feel his devil before he arrives
• ‘For none of woman born shall harm Macbeth’

  Said by the Wicthes

  • The prophecy which leads to Macbeth‘s death as he was killed by Macduff who was born through a c-section
• ‘He is noble, wise, judicious‘ 


  Theme = kingship

  • said by Ross
  • Macduff is trusted
  • Judicious(adjective): showing reason and good judgment when making decisions.