Macbeth Quotes and analysis

Macbeth - “A dagger of the mind, a false creation, / Proceeding from the heat- oppressed brain?” (II.i.38-39)

dagger - the noun could be a symbol for the violence that Macbeth hold within himself.
heat oppressed brain - the metaphorical and physical anger and fury within Macbeth
false creation - could imply that this ambition and the dagger which is a repres

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Macduff - “That way the noise is. Tyrant, show thy face! / If thou be'st slain and with no stroke of mine, /My wife and children's ghosts will haunt me still.”
(V .vii.14-16)

Noise - represent the fighting and competition and unsettlement of the monarchy and committing of regicide.

haunt - verb is slightly ironic because whilst it haunts Macduff it also haunts LM and M as committing murder against the wife and children is a t

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Lady Macbeth - “Here’s the smell of blood still” (V.i.41)

blood - is representative of the death and murder that she has committed but also blood is something difficult to remove showing that this action is permanent.
still - shows that LM cannot move past her actions and is still hung up on guilt

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Lady Macbeth – “Come, you spirit
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, /And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/Of direst cruelty!” (I.v.41-44)

spirts - suggests that Lm is already being taunted by the supernatural as she calls for spirits .
unsex me here - shows that she feels trapped in her female body and tries to break gender stereotypes
crown to toe-top - shows that she sees her self as des

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Lady Macbeth – “Give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead/Are but as pictures: 'tis the eye of childhood/That fears a painted devil.” (II.ii.51-53)

daggers - represent the ambition ( lady Macbeth has to take control of the ambition as she tells Macbeth to give her the daggers)
eye of childhood that fear the painted devil - is LM suggesting that Macbeth is weak and childlike
painted devil - perhaps

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Macbeth - “I have done the deed.” (II.ii.13)

This is the point at which the audience may realise that Macbeth can no longer go back on what he has done and is one of the first steps leading to his tragic harmatia .

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Macbeth - “I am thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion?
whose horrid image doth unfix my
hair and make my seated heart knock
at my ribs, against the use of nature?” (I.iii.135-139)

knock at my ribs - metaphorical imagery which suggest the anxious and nervousness of Macbeth
Here it is evident that Macbeth has sense of doubt about committing the regicide and the rest of his actions. Furthermore suggest that he is disruptive the Shake

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Lady Macbeth, Act I Scene V - Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it.

Lady Macbeth suggests that a lack of ambition is an illness and she doesn't want it to spread like a virus or germ
would be great - he needs ambition to succeed , it is LM temptation that lures Macbeth to his downfall

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The Witches, Act I Scene I - Fair is foul, and foul is fairHover through the fog and filthy air.The

This line sums up the tone of the whole play. Throughout Macbeth, nothing is what it seems. Things that seem good have terrible consequences, and people hide their real intentions

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“O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!” – Act 1:1 King Duncan

cousin - noun shows that he treats people like family with respect and dignity
worthy - respects and praises Macbeth
this is ironic as the character has no idea that Macbeth is going to betray him.

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Are ye fantastical, or that indeed which outwardly ye show?” – Act 1:3 – Banquo

Here Banquo is showing that he is not so accepting of the supernatural and has suspicions regarding the witches

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“which my duties are with a most indissoluble tie forever knit.” – Act 3:1 – Banquo

This is ironic and shows Banquo's loyalty to his friend Macbeth. He is unaware of Macbeths plot to kill him.

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“Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none” – Act 1:3 -Witches

Here the witches are telling and predicting that Banquo will not be king but he will produce kings. This is the reason that Macbeth murders him.

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“And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!” Act 5:5 – Macbeth

Lady Macbeth has just died here .
Light - representative of hope ; now that Lady Macbeth has gone Macbeth has little hope in his success.

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“all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”- Act 5:1 –

Lady Macbeth uses a metaphor in order to emphasise the extent of her guilt.
the use of the verb " sweeten " suggest that LM realises that her actions were bitter and cold and not even the sweet perfumes of Arabia will rid her of those actions.

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“We have scotch'd the snake, not kill'd it” Act 3:2 – Macbeth

Snake - represents the devil ( perhaps hinting g that Macbeth will have to commit more traitorous sins )
Macbeth has identified that he has not yet executed the plan fully and will have to kill Malcom as well as Banquo
Kill - shows the violence that ru

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"Is this a dagger which I see before me,
This handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee." - Act 2:1 - Macbeth

Macbeth is hallucinating
Dagger - a symbol for Macbeths ambition and violence
He is desperate to clutch his ambition and execute his plan

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"Bleed, bleed, poor country!
Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure,
For goodness dare not check thee".- Act 4:3 - Mcduff

Here Mcduff is worried that Macbeth's ruling of Scotland will lead to the death and the bleeding of the country. He worries that Macbeths reign is tyranny

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" I am in blood
Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o’er. " - Act 3:4- Macbeth

Macbeth realises that he is in blood ( a symbol of guilt )
He has made to many kills that he cannot return back
this is where we start to see regret from the character

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"By th’ clock ʼtis day,
And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp." Act 2:4 - Ross

skies appear to disagree with the natural order of things. The dark daytime skies are another symbol of disaster in human affairs and a violation of nature.

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Macbeth Quotes and analysis

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