Act1 Sc1 : “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
The Witches: Rhyming like a spell, its a paradox. This quote shows that their morals are different from the rest of society.
Act1 Sc2 : “Brave Macbeth… with his brandished steel which smoked bloody execution”
Captain: Said by the Captain to praise Macbeth and present him as a strong warrior as that is how he is seen by everyone. It foreshadows exactly how Macbeth will die.
Act1 Sc3: “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more”
Macbeth: To the witched after hearing the prophecies. He is compelled to hear more even though the witches are strange and untrustworthy.
Act1 Sc3: “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!”
Witch: To Macbeth , predicting what will happen later on in the play. Dramatic Irony because the audience know Macbeth will become king but it is wrong.
Act1 Sc3: “The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / win us with honest trifles to betray’s”
Banquo: To Macbeth, warning him after the first prediction of Macbeth becoming thane of cawdor came true. Banquo recognises the witches evil intentions and tries to warn Macbeth.
Act1 Sc3: “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me / Without my stir.”
Macbeth(to himself): He is contemplating the prophecy of the witches where he becomes king, hoping fate will make him king without needing violent acts like murder. Wether he should “stir” - take action or “chance”- wait for destiny.
Act1 Sc4: “Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires”
Macbeth: Macbeth sees Malcolm Prince of Cumberland (King Duncan’s son) as an obstacle and doesn’t want to reveal his growing ambition and thoughts of murder.
Act1 Sc5: “Fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty!”
Lady Macbeth: She speaks these lines in a soliloquy after reading a letter from her husband. She is asking for her femininity to be removed so she can kill Duncan.
Act1 Sc5: “my dearest partner of greatness”
Macbeth: To Lady Macbeth in his letter to her. This line shows their closeness and equal partnership at the start of the play.
Act1 Sc5: “Come, thick night, / And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell.”
Lady Macbeth: She says this in a soliloquy calling on darkness and evil spirits to hide her murderous actions after learning that King Duncan would be staying at their castle. Links to the motif of the supernatural.
Act1 Sc5: “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it”
Lady Macbeth: Says this to her husband advising him to have an innocent facade to deceive everyone from his murderous intentions.
Act1 Sc5: “you shall put/ This night’s great business into my dispatch;”
Lady Macbeth: Says this to her husband , telling him to let her handle the planning and murder of King Duncan.
Act1 Sc7: “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition”
Macbeth: In a soliloquy contemplating the murder of King Duncan right after having a banquet with him. He admits he has no reason to ‘spur’ (kill) King Duncan but he also has ‘Vaulting ambition’.
Act1 Sc7: “Duncan… hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels”
Macbeth: In a soliloquy contemplating reasons to not kill King Duncan, arguing that Duncan is so virtuous it would make him monstrous and divine judgement inevitable. This line reflects his deep, moral hesitation.
Act1 Sc7: “We will proceed no further in this business.”
Macbeth: Says this to Lady Macbeth. It is the first time he talks back to his wife. It shows his hesitation and internal conflict to murdering Duncan.
Act1 Sc7: “When you durst do it, then you were a man”
Lady Macbeth: Says this to Macbeth to manipulate him into committing the murder by questioning his courage as a man.
Act1 Sc7: “False face must hide what the false heart doth know”
Macbeth: says this to L.M as the last line in this scene, following through with the plan to murder King Duncan.
Act2 Sc1: “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.”
Macbeth: says this to himself in a soliloquy , hallucinating daggers right before killing Duncan.
Act2 Sc2: “I have done the deed”
Macbeth: says this to L.M right after murdering the king. He says “deed” as he feels immense guilt for his immorality and can’t face reality that he’s committed murder.
Act2 Sc2: “Macbeth does murder sleep”
Macbeth: To L.M after murdering Duncan. Macbeth has murdered sleep as he has gone against the natural order. Sleep represents peace and rest which Macbeth has just destroyed.
Act2 Sc2: “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?”
Macbeth: This line represents Macbeth being overwhelmed with guilt and that no amount of water will cleanse him of his sins.
Act2 Sc2: “A little water clears us of this deed”
Lady Macbeth: To Macbeth showing she doesn’t see the murder as a major sin. She is showing no remorse for what has happened.
Act3 Sc3: “I fear, Thou play’dst most foully for’t”
Banquo: In a soliloquy, voices his suspicions on how Macbeth obtained the crown.
Act2 Sc3: “There’s daggers in men’s smiles”
Donalbain: Says this to his brother Malcolm, deciding to flee to Scotland or Ireland, realizing that someone in the castle are hiding their true, deadly intentions.
