“So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” (1.3)
Macbeth’s first line “So foul and fair a day I have not seen” echos the words of the witches “fair is four and foul is fair” which creates a parallel between Macbeth and the witches, therefore conveying that Macbeth has a supernatural link with them.
- This would have made the Jacobean audience wary of Macbeth as he was seen to be aligned with evil,
- moreover, this foreshadows his downfall in the play. This could also imply that the witches are already subconsciously influencing him and could foreshadow how much more their influence over Macbeth grows.
“Tell me more” Macbeth (1.3)
The use of the imperative “tell” implies how intrigued he his and this sheds light on Macbeth’s hidden desires -to become king. He becomes consumed by them and his curiosity takes over. Arguably the start of his downfall and his humanity deteriorating
“This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good” 1.3
- Already Macbeth is making lawyerly, circuitous arguments about what is just, and we can see the way he tries to justify what is clearly a bad idea, which shows how Macbeth’s lust for power is starting to take hold.
- Supernatural soliciting- the sibilance can symbolise that the witches are quite sly creatures that no-one can really trust. The alliteration of “supernatural soliciting” sounds incredibly seductive, and therefore highlights Macbeth’s lust and thirst for the crown.
- The paradox “cannot be ill, cannot be good” also links to “fair is foul and foul is fair” which evokes the unnatural but also demonstrates the moral ambiguity that Macbeth is facing.,
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature? 1.3
- verb “unfix my hair” shows how shocking the act of treason is and emphasises the horror that Macbeth has with himself and his thoughts.
- The personification “my seated heart knock at my ribs” once again depicts the increasing fear that Macbeth experiences as his heart is not “seated” with its connotations of calmness and steadiness but “knock(ing)” which is associated with alarming fear.
- “Against the use of nature” links to the Jacobean belief that the act of regicide was an act against natural order and therefore an act against God. This would have stirred up fear and anticipation in the audience as they wonder in excitement the decisions Macbeth is going to take
“Shakes so my single state of man that function /is smothered in surmise, and nothing is/ but what is not” Macbeth 1.3
Shakes my single state of man” again shows how fearful Macbeth is as well as reinforcing the idea of how terrible regicide is
• The alliteration “smothered in surmise” demonstrates how Macbeth’s vivid imagination causes him to struggle with fear and hesitate undergoing the action that is foreseen by him as a “horrid image.”
• The word ‘smother’d’, with it’s connotations of oppression, further amplifies the notion and even suggests that Macbeth’s imagination takes the place of his will.
• antithesis “and nothing is,/ But what is not” is deliberately broken up into two lines to demonstrate the ambiguity of Macbeth’s thoughts and the confusion which evidently contributes to his overall fear.
Macbeth 1.4 “This service and the loyalty I owe, In doing it pays itself”
- Here Shakespeare displays Macbeth’s duplicitous nature through the use of dramatic irony as the audience are highly cognisant of the murderous thoughts that Macbeth was having in the scene just before
- The fact that he knows how he should behave but deliberately transgresses makes his downfall more tragic as this is a man that could have been a hero.
“my dearest partner of greatness” 1.5
- Superlative “dearest” demonstrates how caring Macbeth is towards his wife and how their relationship in imbued with affection and love.
- Through the noun “greatness”, Shakespeare showcases how Macbeth upholds his wife to high standards which implies the respect that he has for her.
“ingredience of our poison’d chalice to our own lips” 1.7
- “ingredience” metaphor for their murderous schemes which forms the “poison” which is a metaphor for the evil that is caused as a result of his evil actions
- “chalice” could also be a metaphor for power and the crown which is corrupt and foreshadows the bloodthirsty reign that will lead to his death as shown through the metaphor “our own lips”
- This could serve as a warning to the Jacobean audience as to what would happen to them if they ever rebel against the king and stresses the importance of the divine right of kings
- Use of ecclesiastical imagery through “chalice” ( a vessel used for drinking blessed wine). Oxymoronic phrase “poison’d chalice” renders the audience aghast as they realize the magnitude of desecrating such a sacred object. This image effectively demonstrates the potentially cataclysmic contagion effect that such wanton, insatiable ambition can bring, foreshadowing the other brutal murders Macbeth organises in the scenes to follow.
“His virtues will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against the deep damnation of his taking-off;” 1.7
- The semantic field of heaven is employed to emphasize the holy nature of Duncan and his rightful place as king which is further highlighted through the fact that Macbeth prefigures the spirit of Duncan to be associated with heaven
- The simile “his virtues will plead like angels” depicts the innocent nature of King Duncan and draws attention to how he is aligned with righteousness accentuating his purity
- The alliteration “trumpet-tonged” conveys the volume of outcry that will happen as a result of Duncan’s death, therefore, stressing how wrong his death is
- The alliteration of “deep damnation” highlights how evil the action that is about to take place is. the fact that Macbeth is condemning Duncan to “damnation” aligns him with the devil illustrating how far away he is from God
“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent/ but only Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself” 1.7
- Shakespeare use of the metaphorical “vaulting ambition” epitomizes the inherent and unstoppable desire for power within Macbeth
- This is an image of a horseman attempting to mount his horse, but it is too eager and falls regardless
- The verb “o’erleaps itself” strongly foreshadows the tragic hero’s own demise in the play. He fails to take heed of his won warning, instead becoming hubristic and complacent. This also creates comedic imagery which foreshadows Macbeth’s laughable ignorance in Act 5 which leads to his death.
“Prithee, peace: I dare do all that may become a man” 1.7
- Displays one of his fatal flaw - his weakness in face of his own wife which ironic as he was so brave in face of the enemy on the battlefield.
- ‘Prithee’ gives the sense of him pleading with her – creating an image of helpless Macbeth, begging to his superior, Lady Macbeth. By this emphasises the dominance that Lady Macbeth has over Macbeth which would shock the Jacobean audience as (due to living in a patriarchal society) they strongly believe in the idea of men being more powerful than women. The reversal of roles strongly mirrors “fair is foul” which aligns Lady Macbeth’s subversion of the stereotype of women as evil and unnatural
- ‘I dare do all…’ - accentuates his desperation to prove his masculinity and his foolishness as he has trapped himself by saying this as he now has to commit murder to prove it, showing how he is easily manipulated by his wife which is further shown through the fact that this comes only a few lines after he categorically told her ‘We will proceed no further in this business’ displaying how he is powerless against Lady Macbeth’s taunts
“False face must hide what the false heart doth know” 1.7
- Repetition of the adjectives “false” emphasizes the dishonest nature of the plot and also displays Macbeth’s descent into evil starting here at the end of Act 1
- Echo of Lady Macbeth flower quote symbolizing how she is in his head and also shows how she has successfully “pour my spirits in thine ear”
- Intertextual link to fair is four and the flower quote
- The rhyming couplet used in Macbeth’s last line before the scene ends mirrors that of the Witches. Illustrates how Macbeth is influenced by the witches prophecy but also by Lady Macbeth’s manipulation.
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain 2,1
- Illustrates Macbeth’s intensely heightened emotional state which suggests that due to the state of extreme desire, he may not be thinking straight and therefore his mind (guilt) is deluding him.
- The adjective “heat” reflects the “heat” of his ambition - the ferocity of his ambition causes him to question whether he is starting to see things.
Thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood” 2.1
• the use of gothic imagery represents confirmation from the supernatural to kill the king which makes Macbeth feel that his act of regicide is sealed in his fate and that there is no escaping.
“for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell.” 2.1
- The use of rhyming couplets shows his subconscious connection to the witches who also use this structure while speaking. This also indicates that within Macbeth evil is taking control of him and the meaning of this declarative statement demonstrates how he is now certain that he will kill the king - he has made up his mind.
- This also shows his further disintegration as he sees everything now as a symbol to murder the king - even a bell, which could be interpreted as a warning but he sees it as a sign to kill the king which depicts his further downward spiral (caused by his ambition) from a hero a tragic hero.
- The use of euphemism however, heightens his denial of what he is doing is wrong and shows how he thinks he is destined to kill the king.
Amen stuck in my throat. 2.2
- Shows Macbeth immediate guilt and regret
- Cutting himself from god
- “Amen” is an affirmation at the end of prayer , the fact that he cannot say this could imply that he is cut off from god and since he has committed the worst sin (regicide) he has now aligned himself fully with evil. This could also imply that he is now cursed which serves as a warning to the Jacobean audience.
- The verb “stuck” creates an image of choking which demonstrates the eternal suffering that Macbeth will have to face as a result of his sin
- AO3 – strong belief in Heaven and Hell in Jacobean era – also regicide was the worst crime imaginable as the monarch was seen as God’s representative on Earth, so it was a crime directly against God.
contrasts to act 1 scene 7 when he was able to talk of “angels” and “cherubins”
“Sleep no more!” “Macbeth shall sleep no more” 2.2
- Emphasizes the extent of guilt that he feels whilst also foreshadowing his descent into insanity further on in the play. Suggests how his mind is constantly at conflict with itself which highlights his suffering
- this is where his paranoia begins which is conveyed through the anaphora of ‘sleep no more’ as well as the use of the exclamatory which also shows his hysteria
- Given that James I was a patron of the King’s Men theatre company, it can be argued that Shakespeare tailored his material to pander to his paymaster: as previously stated regicide was a great fear of King James, and Shakespeare helps to ally that fear hereby warning the audience of the paranoia and guilt through Macbeth.
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand” 2.2
• The hyperbolic imagery of “Neptune’s oceans” emphasises the sheer quantity of blood but also is symbolic of Macbeth drowning within his guilt.
• The fact that this is also a rhetorical question reflects his current tortuous state of mind
• Seeing that he is now calling onto “neptune” shows how estranged he feels from God
since committing regicide and foreshadows later scenes where Lady Macbeth is also struggling to wash the guilt from her hands.
• Jacobean audience would again see this as a warning if they don’t comply with the rules of Christianity.
• Reference to “perfumes in Arabia” quote in Act 5 scene 1
“The multitudinous sea incarnadine, Making the green one red”
- The adjective “Multitudinous” demonstrates the vastness of the ocean and the fact that Macbeth’s hands is able to turn this from “green” to “red” emphasises the profound nature of Macbeth’s guilt
- Green is usually seen as a colour of envy whereas red is seen as the colour of blood reflecting murder and blood-shed which mirrors how Macbeth has changed from being a jealous ambitious Thane to a murder.
“His silver skin laced with his golden blood” 2.3
- Through the use of the adjectives “silver” and “golden”, Duncan is portrayed as precious and cherished which reflects how adored he was by the people as he was the rightful king which starkly contrast with the reign of Macbeth as shown through Act 5 scene 9 when he is referred to as a “dead butcher” which shows how the country will suffer under the hands of a usurper
- imagery which shows the contrast between the dark blood and his light skin, makes the death even more horrendous to visualize
To be thus is nothing but to be safely thus - Macbeth fears Banquo’s “royalty of nature” 3.1
The repetition of “to be thus” and it’s inversion reflects his determination and desperation to keep the crown and shows how his ambition has grown into paranoia – thinking that everyone is after the throne.
• This also emphasises how evil Macbeth has become - he has become immensely evil that he fears Banquo’s noble nature, something that he himself was known greatly for. Macbeth has changed after gaining power and this is the beginning of when he falls to his destruction. This also mirrors the first appearance of the witches when they said “fair is foul and foul is fair” - the fact that Macbeth fears Banquo’s good nature echoes this which further associates him with the supernatural
Our fears in Banquo stick deep” 3.1
The fact that the adjective “fear” is repeated throughout Macbeth’s speech about Banquo encapsulates the whole soliloquy - Banquo is a threat that Macbeth fears . The repetition also points to Macbeth’s unstable state of mind and his rising paranoia
“dauntless temper of his mind… wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety” 3.1
All the positive attributes of Banquo’s character are spoken about negatively in this quote which shows Macbeth’s rising insecurity
Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, And put a barren sceptre in my gripe, 3.1
- The metaphor “fruitless crown” is a direct reference to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth not having heir to the throne
- The semantic field of their childless state is heighten by the reference to “fruitless” and “barren spectre” which highlights Macbeth’s bitterness towards the possibility to passing his crown to Banquo’s sons.
- The possessive pronoun “my” demonstrates how Macbeth is becoming more authoritative and also highlights how his ambition is now leading him to plot murders by himself compared to the previous acts where Lady Macbeth planted the deed in his head. This foreshadows his tyrant-like behavior that grows as the play progresses. The use of singular first person conforms to the patriarchal idea that everything belongs to men - including children.
