Macbeth

Question 1

what are the main themes in Macbeth?

Answer 1

Ambition and power
The supernatural
Appearance vs. Reality,
Guilt
Masculinity & Gender

Question 2

name all the main Macbeth Quotes

Answer 2

“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only, Vaulting ambition that overleaps itself And falls on the other”
“fair is foul and foul is fair, hover through the fog and the filthy air”
“there’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face”

Question 3

“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only, Vaulting ambition that overleaps itself And falls on the other”

Answer 3

-soliloquy
-semantic field of “spur” “vaulting” “overleaps” associates with horses connoting a wild hardship
-him portraying himself as an animal, (near bottom of great chain of being) is an internal warning, to not submit to sin and ambition because he will become animalistic.
-Lady Macbeth fuels and enters this imagery “what beast was it then”
developing into Macbeths mind “full of scorpions”.

-hyperbole and extended metaphor “vaulting ambition”
-symbolising Macbeth is not in control of his ambitions as it is too vigorous (powerful) for him
-instead its Lady Macbeth controlling him with the “spurs” of his intent
-also foreshadows her “fall” as she’s unable to handle the power she strives for, leading her being driven insane
-biblical imagery of “fall” when Adam and Eve betrayed God in Eden, referred to as ‘The Fall’ in Christian tradition.
-Significant to Christian audience, done by Shakespeare to show ambition is evil just like the original sin of Adam and Eve when they went against God

-“vaulting ambition” rooted from the witches
-the witches make him consider killing Duncan but its not enough indicating his ambition is not his hamartia (fatal flaw) but rather his love for Lady Macbeth is

Question 4

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

Answer 4

-pathetic fallacy

-paradoxical language- can’t trust universe/world linking to Duncan’s idea that “there’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face” (cant trust appearances) as he keeps appointing traitors (1st thane of condor then Macbeth)
-Which links to fate suggesting Duncan’s murder is inevitable.
-Alternatively, there is evidence that may contradict this because traditionally, in Greek tragedy the hero is desperate to avoid their fate but it unable to, in Macbeth the opposite happens, Macbeth rushes into his fate and embraces it which is his hamartia

-fricatives (repeating of f )- baring teeth which is evolutionary as a sign of aggression and threat- suggesting witches are secretly sinister
-or trochaic tetrameter makes it seem like a childish fantasy with out ability to control Macbeth
-proven when they plant the seed of “vaulting ambition” but that isn’t enough for killing of Duncan suggesting Macbeth is the only one responsible for his crimes

Question 5

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

Answer 5

• act 1
  -simile + metaphor acting as an oxymoron
  -personification “innocent flower”
  -specifying “innocent” although most flowers are harmless, emphasises importance of looking guilt free and exposes precise, calculated nature of actions suggesting her morals are truly corrupt and not instinctive
  -two imperative clauses- a request and then command establishes lady macbeths imperious authority and leaves macbeth with no choice but to commit the heinous crimes
  -biblical language “serpent” symbolises devil/evil

Question 6

“out dammed spot! Out i say!”

Answer 6

-act 5 scene 1
-trochaic meter reflects lady macbeths fragmented mental state
-the hallucination symbolises her intense guilt and Gods punishment for violating divine right if kings
- repetition of “out” in explanatory sentences showcases her frantic realisation of her crimes/morals
-gives an cathartic ending and illustrates the impact of relying on the supernatural