LM- quote explanations

• "dearest partner of greatness"

  • Macbeth sees her as his equal
  • rather than subservient role of women at the time
  • can trust and confide in her
  • superlative conveys admiration
  • significant as Macbeths later actions are carried out as a consequence of LM's commands and his belief / trust in her
  • foreshadows her betrayal
• "look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under't"

  • concept of duplicity
  • symbol of serpent alludes to bible
  • LM is giving into temptation and encourages M to commit regicide
  • telling her husband to appear well-meaning and gentle to hide his deceit
  • contrast to flower, closely linked to purity and beauty
  • juxtaposition
  • message is to not be deceived by appearances
• "dash the brains out"

  "had he not resembled my father as he slept"

  • brutal and heartless
  • she'd murder her own child (infanticide is the epitome of evil)
  • willing to sacrifice her maternal instinct shows ambition
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  • audiences perception of her changes
  • rare moment of compassion
  • killing a parent is too far for her
  • shows she isn't totally evil
• "a little water clears us of this deed"

  • blood symbolises responsibility and guilt
  • LM wishes to purify their guilty consciences
  • 'little' is insignificant and dismissive yet the 'deed' is regicide (euphemism downplays actions)
  • can't escape/ run from their crimes
  • LM is unusually calm considering the scale of the situation
• "are you a man?"

  • insults and berates her own husband
  • questions and attacks his masculinity in this simple question
  • heavily implies she is the man in their relationship
  • unsupportive, invalidating
• "my worthy lord, your noble friends do lack you"

  "you have displaced the mirth, broke the good meeting"

  • uses adjective 'worthy' to feed his ego
  • comparison to beginning of the play, perhaps trying to relax him by distracting him
  • acts civilised and put together in front of guests, facade
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  • reprimands him for spoiling banquet with his strange behaviour
  • concerned by their appearance to others
  • infantilises him by rebuking him in a maternal way, instead of acting like his wife
• "out damned spot"

  "all the perfumes of arabia will not sweeten this little hand"

  • symbolises guilt she is constantly carrying
  • her actions are rooted in darkness and evil
  • unable to purge herself of her guilt and sin
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  • her behaviour completely contradicts her previous behaviour
  • speaks in prose to emphasise how mentally disturbs she's become
  • conveys her inner turmoil
  • adjective 'little' conveys her vulnerability
• "more needs she the divine"

  • suggests she needs purging by a priest
  • her actions have affected her mind and can't be cured
  • perhaps the spirits she once called upon are feeding off of her thoughts and she can't cope with the mental intrusion
• "out, out brief candle"

  "fiend-like queen"

  • suggests LM was M's guiding light
  • now he's lost without her
  • shows he truly loves and relied on her
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  • presents her as an evil spirit/ demon
  • so fuelled with ambition for her husband (hamartia)
  • phrase conjures up an image of a cruel, wicked woman, perhaps like the witches were depicted