Macbeth Quote Analysis: Key Characters
Macbeth:
Essay points:
● (gender + violence) In Act 1 Scene 2, Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s character as a
loyal warrior, a hero who fights valiantly on the battlefield to defend his country against
invasion and treachery. Shakespeare may intend to portray him in this way in order to
set Macbeth up to become the tragic hero of the play. (Link to unseamed quote)
● (ambition) However, he then is rendered a victim to the pernicious and unrelenting force
of his own hamartia- unchecked ambition and becomes consumed by it in the violent
pursuit of tyrannical kingship. (link to stars quote)
● (guilt) However, after committing regicide Macbeth is rendered a carcass of guilt and
insanity as consciousness and morality fester in his mind. This serves to highlight the
sempiternal repercussions of committing regicide, the act of killing the king (link to
scorpions quote)
● (if needed) By the end of the extract, Macbeth has reached the through of his tragic
downfall and has been rendered a carcass of insanity and self-worthlessness. He
undergoes anagnorisis and has accepted the inevitable repercussions of his previous
heinous sins. (link to candle quote)
Macbeth (aside): “Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires.”
● Overall, this quote could be interpreted as Macbeth’s plea for darkness and secret to
conceal his violent intentions and ambitions. It reflects his desire to keep his murderous
thoughts hidden from the world, especially from moral influences, symbolised by the
light and stars. This quote comes as a pivotal moment in the play, as it marks the
beginning of Macbeth's descent into darkness and moral corruption.
● In particular, the Plural nouns, “stars” and “fires” could create a semantic field of light
possibly evoking an element of religious imagery- linking to the possible idea that
Macbeth wants to hide his ambition from God, as he understands its sinful nature.
● More deeply, the specific use of the noun, “fires,” could symbolise ideas of natural
destruction, which could possibly foreshadow the disruption to come brought on by
Macbeth's thirst for power, and how fate will overcome this ambition.
● In particular the use of the noun, “stars,” could symbolise ideas of dreams, thus
reflecting his continuous ambitious and wishful desires of pursuing divine power.
, However, as these ‘stars,’ are personified it highlights the extreme power of his
ambitious dreams in manipulating his actions. Therefore, Shakespeare highlights this
ambition as a manipulative force.
● Alternatively, the juxtaposition between the concept of light with the colour imagery of
“black,” could suggest how Macbeth is inwardly conflicted between the paths of
ambition and morality
● In addition, the use of the plosive ‘d” and ‘b’ accompanied by the alliteration of ‘deep
desires,’ emphasises how Macbeth has become corrupt by his overpowering
hamartia-unchecked ambition- as it controls his thoughts and, soon, his actions.
● To a Jacobean audience, this quote may highlight a sense of surprise and anguish, as
Macbeth’s ambition begins to cease control of his morality- personified through his
desire to conceal it from God, which would have been heavily disregarded at the time.
● However, to a modern day audience, this quote could create a similar sense of horror
and anguish as the idea to commit regicide began to play on his mind.
● Contextually, this quote could link to regicide, a topical theme for the Jacobean
audience- as the play was first performed soon after the Gunpowder plot of 1605. The
plot was a catholic conspiracy to blow up King James at the state opening of
parliament-and with him nearly every major political figure in the land- and it came
dangerously close to happening.
● Shakespeare may intend to satisfy the King, suggesting that ambitious rebels that
attempt to go against the divinely appointed king should accept gruesome punishment.
“Is this a dagger I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?”
● Shakespeare employs a rhetorical question here to demonstrate how Macbeth remained
conflicted right up until the murder of Duncan. Macbeth questions his sanity as he is
unsure whether the dagger is a hallucination or a supernatural sign prompting him to
commit regicide- thus highlighting his loss of conscience and mental deterioration.
● The Motif of death throughout, exemplified through the symbol of the dagger, signifies
not only the death of the King, but also the death of Macbeth’s previous valiant traits
and the beginning of his heinous and barbaric nature as he descends towards tyranny
● Alternatively, the hallucinatory appearance to the handles direction seduces Macbeth
into believing fate is leading him towards it and that he will get away with the murder,
and escape all consequence. This is a fatal mistake combining his hubris and hamartia.
● In particular, the noun, ‘dagger,’ holds great significance: perhaps offering a dual
symbolic interpretation as typically daggers are symbolically ambiguous.
● On the one hand, it could symbolise courage- highlighting how Lady Macbeth’s
manipulation has rubbed off on him and he now upholds this thirst for power and
violent ambition- which may have been awarded during the time.
, ● However, It may also symbolise deception and treachery, thus foreshadowing the
murder of king Duncan as well as his own inevitable fate.
● These two interpretations may be symbolic of his internal conflict and turmoil which is
further emphasised through the trochaic inversion in the middle of the line. This infers
that the ramifications of the deed he is about to undertake will turn out to be traumatic
for him as his inner conflict consumes his conscience.
● To a jacobean audience this may evoke a sense of confusion and anger at Macbeth's
conflicted desire to commit regicide. It may fulfil Shakespeare intention of cautioning his
audience about the physical and psychological consequences of such as deed
● Contextually, this quote could link to regicide, a topical theme for the Jacobean
audience- as the play was first performed soon after the Gunpowder plot of 1605.
● The plot was a catholic conspiracy to blow up King James at the state opening of
parliament-and with him nearly every major political figure in the land- and it came
dangerously close to happening.
● Shakespeare may intend to highlight Macbeth’s element of internal conflict in order to
suggest that ambitious rebels that attempt to go against the divinely appointed king
should accept gruesome punishment.
● His intention may be to appease King James I and stand with the natural order of being.
“O, full of Scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”
● Overall, this quote establishes the mental corruption and relentless torture which now
plagues Amcbeth’s mind as a result of him committing regicide. It explores the theme of
guilt by suggesting that he has almost been overcome by his own culpability and can
now all of his thoughts have been tainted by a sense of dillusionality.
● Alternatively, this quote hints at how his mind is vastly out of control and is instead
controlled by an outer-body creature- scorpions. This may even give the interpretation
that Macbeth's excessive ambition has stripped him of his humanity and conscious
thought, and he now exists as a zombie controlled by the demons of his own hamartia.
● Specifically, the metaphor of “Scorpions” connotes ideas of poison and toxicity, which is
perhaps emblematic of how Macbeth's ambition has poisoned his mind- he is
consequently plagued by guilt and remorse. The metaphor of a creature festering in his
mind shows that his tyrannical nature has been so omnipotent, he now resembles more
of a savage creature than a moral human.
● Alternatively, “scorpions” are also symbolic of ideas of death, so perhaps the “scorpions”
in his mind stand to represent how his mind is a metaphoric weapon which constantly
craves death and murder.
Macbeth:
Essay points:
● (gender + violence) In Act 1 Scene 2, Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s character as a
loyal warrior, a hero who fights valiantly on the battlefield to defend his country against
invasion and treachery. Shakespeare may intend to portray him in this way in order to
set Macbeth up to become the tragic hero of the play. (Link to unseamed quote)
● (ambition) However, he then is rendered a victim to the pernicious and unrelenting force
of his own hamartia- unchecked ambition and becomes consumed by it in the violent
pursuit of tyrannical kingship. (link to stars quote)
● (guilt) However, after committing regicide Macbeth is rendered a carcass of guilt and
insanity as consciousness and morality fester in his mind. This serves to highlight the
sempiternal repercussions of committing regicide, the act of killing the king (link to
scorpions quote)
● (if needed) By the end of the extract, Macbeth has reached the through of his tragic
downfall and has been rendered a carcass of insanity and self-worthlessness. He
undergoes anagnorisis and has accepted the inevitable repercussions of his previous
heinous sins. (link to candle quote)
Macbeth (aside): “Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires.”
● Overall, this quote could be interpreted as Macbeth’s plea for darkness and secret to
conceal his violent intentions and ambitions. It reflects his desire to keep his murderous
thoughts hidden from the world, especially from moral influences, symbolised by the
light and stars. This quote comes as a pivotal moment in the play, as it marks the
beginning of Macbeth's descent into darkness and moral corruption.
● In particular, the Plural nouns, “stars” and “fires” could create a semantic field of light
possibly evoking an element of religious imagery- linking to the possible idea that
Macbeth wants to hide his ambition from God, as he understands its sinful nature.
● More deeply, the specific use of the noun, “fires,” could symbolise ideas of natural
destruction, which could possibly foreshadow the disruption to come brought on by
Macbeth's thirst for power, and how fate will overcome this ambition.
● In particular the use of the noun, “stars,” could symbolise ideas of dreams, thus
reflecting his continuous ambitious and wishful desires of pursuing divine power.
, However, as these ‘stars,’ are personified it highlights the extreme power of his
ambitious dreams in manipulating his actions. Therefore, Shakespeare highlights this
ambition as a manipulative force.
● Alternatively, the juxtaposition between the concept of light with the colour imagery of
“black,” could suggest how Macbeth is inwardly conflicted between the paths of
ambition and morality
● In addition, the use of the plosive ‘d” and ‘b’ accompanied by the alliteration of ‘deep
desires,’ emphasises how Macbeth has become corrupt by his overpowering
hamartia-unchecked ambition- as it controls his thoughts and, soon, his actions.
● To a Jacobean audience, this quote may highlight a sense of surprise and anguish, as
Macbeth’s ambition begins to cease control of his morality- personified through his
desire to conceal it from God, which would have been heavily disregarded at the time.
● However, to a modern day audience, this quote could create a similar sense of horror
and anguish as the idea to commit regicide began to play on his mind.
● Contextually, this quote could link to regicide, a topical theme for the Jacobean
audience- as the play was first performed soon after the Gunpowder plot of 1605. The
plot was a catholic conspiracy to blow up King James at the state opening of
parliament-and with him nearly every major political figure in the land- and it came
dangerously close to happening.
● Shakespeare may intend to satisfy the King, suggesting that ambitious rebels that
attempt to go against the divinely appointed king should accept gruesome punishment.
“Is this a dagger I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?”
● Shakespeare employs a rhetorical question here to demonstrate how Macbeth remained
conflicted right up until the murder of Duncan. Macbeth questions his sanity as he is
unsure whether the dagger is a hallucination or a supernatural sign prompting him to
commit regicide- thus highlighting his loss of conscience and mental deterioration.
● The Motif of death throughout, exemplified through the symbol of the dagger, signifies
not only the death of the King, but also the death of Macbeth’s previous valiant traits
and the beginning of his heinous and barbaric nature as he descends towards tyranny
● Alternatively, the hallucinatory appearance to the handles direction seduces Macbeth
into believing fate is leading him towards it and that he will get away with the murder,
and escape all consequence. This is a fatal mistake combining his hubris and hamartia.
● In particular, the noun, ‘dagger,’ holds great significance: perhaps offering a dual
symbolic interpretation as typically daggers are symbolically ambiguous.
● On the one hand, it could symbolise courage- highlighting how Lady Macbeth’s
manipulation has rubbed off on him and he now upholds this thirst for power and
violent ambition- which may have been awarded during the time.
, ● However, It may also symbolise deception and treachery, thus foreshadowing the
murder of king Duncan as well as his own inevitable fate.
● These two interpretations may be symbolic of his internal conflict and turmoil which is
further emphasised through the trochaic inversion in the middle of the line. This infers
that the ramifications of the deed he is about to undertake will turn out to be traumatic
for him as his inner conflict consumes his conscience.
● To a jacobean audience this may evoke a sense of confusion and anger at Macbeth's
conflicted desire to commit regicide. It may fulfil Shakespeare intention of cautioning his
audience about the physical and psychological consequences of such as deed
● Contextually, this quote could link to regicide, a topical theme for the Jacobean
audience- as the play was first performed soon after the Gunpowder plot of 1605.
● The plot was a catholic conspiracy to blow up King James at the state opening of
parliament-and with him nearly every major political figure in the land- and it came
dangerously close to happening.
● Shakespeare may intend to highlight Macbeth’s element of internal conflict in order to
suggest that ambitious rebels that attempt to go against the divinely appointed king
should accept gruesome punishment.
● His intention may be to appease King James I and stand with the natural order of being.
“O, full of Scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”
● Overall, this quote establishes the mental corruption and relentless torture which now
plagues Amcbeth’s mind as a result of him committing regicide. It explores the theme of
guilt by suggesting that he has almost been overcome by his own culpability and can
now all of his thoughts have been tainted by a sense of dillusionality.
● Alternatively, this quote hints at how his mind is vastly out of control and is instead
controlled by an outer-body creature- scorpions. This may even give the interpretation
that Macbeth's excessive ambition has stripped him of his humanity and conscious
thought, and he now exists as a zombie controlled by the demons of his own hamartia.
● Specifically, the metaphor of “Scorpions” connotes ideas of poison and toxicity, which is
perhaps emblematic of how Macbeth's ambition has poisoned his mind- he is
consequently plagued by guilt and remorse. The metaphor of a creature festering in his
mind shows that his tyrannical nature has been so omnipotent, he now resembles more
of a savage creature than a moral human.
● Alternatively, “scorpions” are also symbolic of ideas of death, so perhaps the “scorpions”
in his mind stand to represent how his mind is a metaphoric weapon which constantly
craves death and murder.
