Macbeth

Question 1

“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent”

Answer 1

• talks about the theme of ambition
• his spurs refer to his ambition, therefore he does not have the cruelty to fulfil his goals
• alternatively shows how he is not in control and that Lady macbeth is the rider

Question 1

What is hamartia

Answer 1

a fatal flaw leading to a tragic downfall of a hero

Question 2

“Fair is foul and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air”

Answer 2

• theme of appearance and reality through the paradoxical riddle (what seems foul is actually fair)
• links to Macbeth’s betrayal of Duncan
• theme of the supernatural through hints towards their power
• links to the idea of fate, and therefore the tragedy of Macbeth

Question 3

trochaic tetrameter

Answer 3

a metrical pattern that involves using four trochees in regular pattern (e.g. fair is foul and foul is fair)

Question 4

“out, dammed spot! Out, I say!”

Answer 4

• Lady macbeth realises she is going to hell and she wants to get rid of it
• the spot represents her guilt

Question 5

“Hell is murky”

Answer 5

• links back to “filthy air”
• this is why she carries a light with her as it is a symbol of Christianity

Question 6

what is Lady Macbeth’s tragedy?

Answer 6

she did not think of the consequences of her actions which has led to her excessive grief

Question 7

“come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty”

Answer 7

• refers to the theme of masculinity and how you must be a man to succeed in society
• suggesting the traits of being a man should be cruelty
• Shakespeare does not want king James to kill people for the gunpowder plot

Question 8

“lesser than macbeth, and greater”

Answer 8

• shows flattery of king james through the belief that he was descended from Banquo
• hints to the theme of the divine right of kings through the powers of evil killing off macbeth and appointing fleance as king
• shows how the king is a representative of God through fate that has decided who should be king

Question 9

What is antithesis?

Answer 9

someone who is a direct opposite of someone else (banquo and macbeth)

Question 10

“Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums and dash’d the brains out”

Answer 10

• shows how she has abandoned all femininity
• consonance of ‘b’s and ‘d’s show her aggression
• reflects the aggression she wants Macbeth to use against Duncan

Question 11

“look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it”

Answer 11

• biblical allusion
• mysoginistic interpretation, as it implies lady macbeth as eve being easily manipulated by evil
• flattering king james through his beliefs

Question 12

“stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires”

Answer 12

• themes of ambition
• he wants to hide his thoughts from God
• juxta positioning, ‘stars’, ‘deep’, shows his internal conflict