macbeth- quote explanations

• "unseamed him from the nave to the chops"

  • praised for his bloodthirsty behaviour
  • "unseamed" = reference to tailors craft, shows precision
  • easy yet brutal attack
  • violent and ruthless
  • "seam" is a homophone for "seem" as it seems as though Macbeth is loyal, when in reality he is the opposite
  • unsurpassed skill
• "Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?"

  • motif of clothing
  • temporary robes foreshadow his temporary time on throne
  • robes conveys eminence (importance)
  • title doesnt belong to him but acceps the offer anyways
• "stars hide your fires, let light not see my black and deep desires"

  • "deep" is indication of intensity over him
  • or suggests how hard he is trying to hide his thoughts
  • "black" is associated with evil
  • recurring motif of light and dark
  • associates light/ white with honesty, purity, virtue and integrity
  • Macbeths hamartia is his dark ambitions, proves fatal
  • considering evil
  • demonstrating his wish to create his own reign, which causes internal conflict
• "Macbeth shall sleep no more"

  • extreme pressure
  • in the grip of paranoia
  • if sleep brings peace, macbeth's lack of sleep is synonymous with his guilt
  • plagued by his emotional instability
• "Will all great neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hands"

  • his hands appear alien to him
  • knows he will never get rid of his guilt
  • macbeth will ruin/ stain everything he touches
  • unimaginable guilt
• "never shake thy gory locks at me"

  "horrible shadow"

  • extremely paranoid
  • thinks his guests have something to do with it
  • ghost is representative of macbeths conscience- trying to convince himself that hes innocent
  • -----------------------------------------
  • metaphor
  • cant fight something thats not physical
  • use of shadow/darkness demonstrates mysterious, something a character wants to conceal
• "we are yet but young in deed"

  • new to being evil
  • theyll improve the more they do
  • hes insinuating he will commit more murders
  • plans to mature from a murderer whos "young in deed" to a murderous, immoral monster
• "till from my bones my flesh be hacked"

  • unwilling to give up
  • leans on his tyrannical power to destroy those around him
  • strangely admirable
  • resilient and determined
• "out, out brief candle"

  • his journey alone seems unbearable
  • his future is full of emptiness and death
  • metaphor- deeply moving
  • sees for first time that life is short and everything is ultimately meaningless
  • lady macbeth was his guiding light
• "why should i play the roman fool and die on mine own sword"

  • refuses to kill himself
  • spiritual needs to be reflected in a physical destruction
  • alluding to roman warriors emphasising his nature as a fearless warrior