Macbeth

• “Brave Macbeth”


  • ‘brave’ shows he is respected, trusted, courageous, daring (foreshadows regicide)
  • Macbeth’s relationship with Duncan acts as a red herring to the audience
  • This makes the audience trust him and think he is heroic
• “Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more”


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• “So foul and fair a day I have not seen”


  • paradox (witches said at start)
  • Macbeth echoing their language without meeting them suggests he is already under their control (inextricably linked)
  • his ‘fair’ character will be corrupted and become ‘foul’
• “Stars, hide your fires / Let not light see my black and deep desires”


  • the religious symbolism ‘stars’ ‘light’ suggest Macbeth is aware of the consequences of regicide
  • imperative verb ‘hide’ to command the natural world and attempt to disrupt the Great Chain of being
• “Is this a dagger I see before me”?”


  • rhetorical question
  • common noun ‘dagger’ shows his mind is corrupt with violence
  • changes form ‘noble’ to disloyal quick showing his obsession with becoming king and killing king Duncan
  • signs of madness and hallucination
  • deterioration of his state of mid
  • questioning sanity
  • audience feel betrayed
• “Come let me clutch thee”

  • iambic pentameter
  • at the time it was believed witches could take over you mind and make you do unimaginable things
  • James 1 wrote a book to warn people of this (Daemonologie)
• “I have done the deed“


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