Macbeth

• Macbeth - (A1S7)

  "I have no spur

  To prick the sides of my intent, but only

  Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself

  And falls on th'other"

  • The METAPHOR of horse-racing continues throughout the whole line of thought, mimicking the way people treat life as a race. The MOTIF evokes the sense of a rush to the finish, with everyone panicked for POWER and SUCCESS.
  • Macbeth sees himself as both jockey and horse. It could be implying that he is trying to control his ambition, but it may control him. As he is reduced from the jockey to the horse, he becomes more ANIMALISTIC
• Macbeth - (A1S7)

  "Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself

  And falls on th'other"

  • This phrase suggests ambition makes people think illogically, so that they overestimate their own abilities and get ahead of themselves. Additionally, it portray ambition as self-destructive. It o'erleaps ITSELF rather than having someone or something else make it o'erleap
• Macbeth - (A1S7)

  "I have no spur

  To prick the sides of my intent, but only

  Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself

  And falls on th'other"

  • Macbeth knows that the only argument for killing Duncan is to satisfy his AMBITION. He also know that blindly OBEYING his ambition will end in disaster.
  • This reflects the way that JACOBEANS believed the only things that separates humans from animals was reason or logic. If a man lost his reason and acted irrationally, he was a beast. Macbeth is aware that ambition can make him like this
• Macbeth - (A1S2)

  "For brave Macbeth - well he serves that name

  Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel,

  Which smoked with bloody execution"

  • Recount of the battle portrays Macbeth as the hero Scotland needs. He is "brave" and highly skilled - a hero Shakespeare shows violence/bloodshed are romanticised in war, with impressive imagery - "disdaining Fortune". Because he's fighting for country, he is honourable. When he behaves in the same ruthless way later in the play, he's viewed as TYRANNICAL. Shakespeare's criticising the culture of aggressive masculinity and warfare
• Macbeth - (A1S2)

  "Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel,

  Which smoked with bloody execution"

  • Metaphor implies violence is a destructive force, like fire. Shakespeare combines smoke and blood, two motifs that recur through the play and are linked to Macbeth's guilt. The imagery could be an allusion to the flaming swords featured in the bible.
  • Angels and other representatives of God were granted flaming swords (e.g. Guard garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were thrown out. This link portrays Macbeth as a soldier of God, something that changes as the play goes on.
• Macbeth - (A1S2)

  "Like Valour's minion carved out his passage"

  • Simile portrays him as the epitome of courage and chivalry. "Valour" refers to a demonstration of courage in battle, while minion suggests a loyal follower. This implies Macbeth can be trusted as he will always show courage in battle, and is dedicated to victory in the face of defeat. He is a saving grace for Scotland.
  • Minion connotes a slave or servant. This would mean Macbeth is the inferior servant of a greater power, in this case Valour. This implies he will blindly turn to conflict, and foreshadows his brutal ambition
• Macbeth - (A1S2)

  "disdaining Fortune" | "unseaming him from the nave to th'chaps

  And fixed his head upon our battlements"

  • Describing how Macbeth is disdaining Fortune alludes to his later hubris and defiance as he tries to dodge destiny.
  • Ruthless description of slaughter predicts his TYRANNICAL BEHAVIOUR as he chooses to murder anybody
  • Lastly, the traitor has his head fixed. The same fate meets Macbeth in the final scene . He's evil all along.
  • Alternatively, Shakespeare may be demonstrating how evil will be punished. The balance between good and evil is maintained - God keeps order
• Macbeth - (A1S4)

  "Stars, hide your fires;

  Let not light see my black and deep desires:

  The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,

  Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see"

  • Exemplifies the contradictory, fragmented nature of Macbeth's character. The duality between light and dark is a symbol for the conflict between his moral compass and ambition.
  • He finally admits to himself that he wants to become king no matter what but isn't prepared to face the reality
• Macbeth - (A1S4)

  "The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,

  Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see."

  • Metaphor "the eye wink at the hand" is a synecdoche. The "eye" represents his awareness/mind while the "hand" represents his actions and reality. He wants to turn a blind eye to his own murderous deed.
  • Despite it being what "the eye fears", he wants it to be "done". This paradox causes a lot of tension and tragedy for Macbeth. It's impossible to be unaware of your own actions, but he is torn apart in his attempts to do that
• Macbeth - (A1S4)

  "Stars, hide your fires"

  • Firstly, the "stars" might represent the gods or the heavens. In this case, Macbeth doesn't want them to see his sins, in the hopes he will still be blessed by them and have salvation. Equally, he fears their judgement and disappointment.
  • It was common in mythology for heros to be immortalised in constellations. Macbeth still wants his chance at being a hero to his country.
  • Alternatively, it shows he wants to operate secretly - in darkness. He can avoid detection from others, but more importantly, doesn't have to witness his own villainy
• Macbeth - (A5S5)

  "Out, out, brief candle!

  Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

  That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

  And then is heard no more. It is a tale

  Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

  Signifying nothing"

  • Macbeth knows his end is near at this point. The change in tone and the pathos (feeling of pity and sadness) this whole soliloquy evokes gives the impression that Macbeth has suddenly awakened from his stupor. His wife is dead, his kingdom is falling apart, and he is truly alone. All his ambition and sacrifice has been for nothing
• Macbeth - (A5S5)

  "Out, out, brief candle!

  Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

  That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

  And then is heard no more. It is a tale

  Told by an idiot"

  • Imagery/metaphors used emphasise how life is a FACADE, with no purpose or meaning to it. The nouns "candle", "shadow", "player" and "tale" all connote imitation and emptiness. Also how they are temporary. This suggests everyone is insignificant, a mere candle flame. The semantic field of facade could show how people focus on the wrong things in life, looking at "shadows"/"tale" rather than reality
• Macbeth - (A5S5)

  "It is a tale

  Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury

  Signifying nothing"

  • So fixated on his ambition and power that he has missed what really matters
  • A more nihilistic interpretation, he never realised that nothing really matters. His ambition can't live on past his death, and nor can his power. His crisis is caused by the undeniable truth of his own mortality, which nothing can contend with. For all his sound and fury (his violence and painful guilt) - he has accomplished nothing everlasting: it signifies "nothing"
• Macbeth - (A5S5)

  "a poor player

  That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

  And then is heard no more"

  • The extended metaphor of theatre is a META (self-aware) technique - almost breaking fourth wall. He suggests everything's playing a part rather than their authentic selves; appearances don't match reality. For Macbeth, he was a murderer. You could argue he was playing the part of the chosen king. Another implication of this MOTIF links to the INFLUENCE of FATE and FORTUNE. No one's in charge of their lives: like Macbeth, their lives are dictated by external forces