Searchable quotes with analysis for Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Christmas Carol, Jekyll and Hyde, and An Inspector Calls. Each quote includes detailed analysis, language techniques, and exam tips to help you achieve top grades.
Select a text to explore quotes organised by character, theme, and key moments.
William Shakespeare
Key quotes from Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, the Witches, Banquo, and more.
William Shakespeare
Essential quotes from Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, the Nurse, and Friar Lawrence.
Charles Dickens
Scrooge quotes, Ghost quotes, Tiny Tim quotes, and more with analysis.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Dr Jekyll quotes, Mr Hyde quotes, Utterson quotes on duality and repression.
J.B. Priestley
Inspector Goole, Mr Birling, Sheila, Eric, and the Birling family quotes.
See the depth of analysis available for every quote in our bank.
“Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here”
Lady Macbeth invokes dark spirits to strip her of feminine qualities she sees as weaknesses. The verb "unsex" reveals her belief that femininity is incompatible with the ruthlessness needed for murder...
“Come to my woman's breasts, and take my milk for gall”
Lady Macbeth asks spirits to replace her nurturing breast milk with bitter gall (poison). This perverts the natural maternal role, suggesting she would sacrifice motherhood for power. The imagery link...
“I have given suck, and know how tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me”
This disturbing speech manipulates Macbeth by questioning his manhood. The tender imagery of breastfeeding contrasts shockingly with the violence that follows. It reveals Lady Macbeth will sacrifice a...
“We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.”
Priestley uses the Inspector as his mouthpiece for socialist ideology. The biblical allusion to "one body" (1 Corinthians 12) gives the message religious authority. The simple sentences and repetition...
“If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish”
The prophecy references both World Wars (the play is set in 1912 but written in 1945). The listing creates a sense of inevitable, escalating horror. "Fire and blood and anguish" evokes biblical apocal...
“Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges”
The Inspector directly challenges upper-class entitlement. The balance of "responsibilities" and "privileges" suggests they should be equal. "Public men" implies those with power are accountable to so...
“Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here”
Context: Lady Macbeth calls upon evil spirits after reading Macbeth's letter about the witches' prophecy.
“Come to my woman's breasts, and take my milk for gall”
Context: Continuation of Lady Macbeth's invocation to the spirits.
“I have given suck, and know how tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me”
Context: Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth's masculinity when he hesitates about the murder.
“I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out”
Context: Lady Macbeth describes what she would do to prove her commitment.
“A little water clears us of this deed”
Context: Lady Macbeth dismisses Macbeth's guilt immediately after Duncan's murder.
“Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers”
Context: Lady Macbeth takes control when Macbeth cannot return the daggers.
“Nought's had, all's spent, where our desire is got without content”
Context: Lady Macbeth reflects alone on their hollow victory.
“Look like th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under't”
Context: Lady Macbeth instructs Macbeth on how to deceive King Duncan.
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”
Context: Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, obsessively trying to wash imaginary blood from her hands.
“All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”
Context: Lady Macbeth continues sleepwalking, believing her hands still smell of blood.
“Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?”
Context: Macbeth hallucinates a dagger before murdering Duncan.
“Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”
Context: Immediately after murdering Duncan, Macbeth is consumed by guilt.
“I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er”
Context: After Banquo's murder, Macbeth reflects on his violent path.
“Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage”
Context: Macbeth responds to news of Lady Macbeth's death.
“Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires”
Context: Macbeth's aside after Malcolm is named heir to the throne.
“O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”
Context: Macbeth expresses his mental torment to Lady Macbeth before Banquo's murder.
“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition”
Context: Macbeth debates whether to kill Duncan.
“I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none”
Context: Macbeth initially resists Lady Macbeth's pressure to commit murder.
“I am settled, and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat”
Context: Macbeth finally commits to murdering Duncan.
“Methought I heard a voice cry, "Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep"”
Context: Macbeth returns from murdering Duncan, hearing voices.
“Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!”
Context: Macbeth hears knocking at the gate immediately after the murder.
“To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus”
Context: Macbeth reflects on his insecurity as king, fearing Banquo's descendants.
“Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown and put a barren sceptre in my grip”
Context: Macbeth laments that his children will not inherit the throne.
“Come, seeling night, scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day”
Context: Macbeth invokes darkness before Banquo's murder.
“I have almost forgot the taste of fears”
Context: Macbeth responds to news of his wife's death with numbness.
“She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word”
Context: Macbeth receives news of Lady Macbeth's death.
“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day”
Context: Macbeth's nihilistic soliloquy after Lady Macbeth's death.
“It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”
Context: Conclusion of Macbeth's nihilistic soliloquy.
“I 'gin to be aweary of the sun, and wish the estate o' the world were now undone”
Context: Macbeth expresses his despair as his enemies approach.
“They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly, but bear-like I must fight the course”
Context: Macbeth faces his final battle.
“I will not yield, to kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet”
Context: Macbeth refuses to surrender to Macduff.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
Context: The witches' chant in the opening scene of the play.
“All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”
Context: The third witch prophesies Macbeth's kingship.
“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble”
Context: The witches prepare their cauldron before Macbeth arrives.
“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes”
Context: A witch senses Macbeth approaching.
“None of woman born shall harm Macbeth”
Context: The second apparition gives Macbeth false confidence.
“Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, as the weird women promised, and I fear thou played'st most foully for't”
Context: Banquo's soliloquy reveals his suspicions about Macbeth.
“If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then to me”
Context: Banquo asks the witches about his own future.
“But 'tis strange: And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths”
Context: Banquo warns Macbeth about trusting the witches.
“Merciful powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature gives way to in repose”
Context: Banquo prays for protection from dark thoughts before Duncan's murder.
“There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face”
Context: Duncan reflects on the treachery of the original Thane of Cawdor.
“There's daggers in men's smiles”
Context: After Duncan's murder is discovered, Donalbain warns Malcolm.
“He has no children”
Context: Macduff learns that Macbeth has murdered his entire family.
“O Scotland, Scotland!”
Context: Macduff laments Scotland's suffering under Macbeth's tyranny.
“I must also feel it as a man”
Context: Malcolm tells Macduff to "dispute it like a man" after hearing of his family's murder.
“Front to front bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself”
Context: Macduff vows to kill Macbeth in revenge for his family.
“Macduff was from his mother's womb untimely ripped”
Context: Macduff reveals he was born by Caesarean section.
“This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues, was once thought honest”
Context: Malcolm reflects on how Macbeth has changed.
“I am yet unknown to woman”
Context: Malcolm tests Macduff by claiming various vices, then reveals his true virtue.
“Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell”
Context: Malcolm justifies his suspicion of Macduff.
“Here's a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of Hell Gate, he should have old turning the key”
Context: The Porter responds to knocking after Duncan's murder.
“He loves us not; He wants the natural touch”
Context: Lady Macduff criticises her husband for fleeing Scotland.
“I am in this earthly world; where to do harm is often laudable, to do good sometime accounted dangerous folly”
Context: Lady Macduff reflects on Scotland's moral chaos.
Use short, punchy quotes embedded in your sentences. Long quotes waste time and show less skill. “unsex me here” is better than quoting the whole speech.
Always analyse HOW the writer creates meaning. Identify techniques (metaphor, imagery, repetition) and explain their effects on the reader.
Connect quotes to historical, social, or literary context. For Macbeth, consider James I and witchcraft. For An Inspector Calls, link to 1912 vs 1945.
Learn quotes that can apply to multiple themes and characters. This gives you flexibility in the exam and reduces the number you need to memorise.
Everything you need to know about using our quote bank
Key Macbeth quotes to memorise include Lady Macbeth's 'unsex me here' and 'Out, damned spot!', Macbeth's 'Is this a dagger' soliloquy, the witches' 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair', and 'Life's but a walking shadow'. Focus on quotes that cover multiple themes like ambition, guilt, and the supernatural.
The most important Lady Macbeth quotes are: 'unsex me here' (showing her rejection of femininity), 'Look like th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under't' (appearance vs reality), 'Out, damned spot!' (guilt and madness), and 'All the perfumes of Arabia' (permanent guilt). These track her psychological journey.
Key responsibility quotes include the Inspector's 'We don't live alone. We are members of one body' and 'We are responsible for each other', contrasted with Mr Birling's 'A man has to mind his own business'. Sheila's 'But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people' shows her awakening to social responsibility.
Aim to learn 10-15 key quotes per text, focusing on quotes that can apply to multiple themes and characters. Quality matters more than quantity - understand your quotes deeply rather than memorising many superficially. Each quote should be linked to themes, techniques, and context.
Use the WHAT-HOW-WHY method: WHAT does the quote mean literally? HOW does the writer achieve effects (language techniques, imagery, structure)? WHY is it significant (themes, character development, context)? Always link quotes back to the essay question and consider the writer's intentions.
Essential A Christmas Carol quotes include Scrooge's 'Bah! Humbug!' and 'Are there no prisons?', the narrator's 'Marley was dead: to begin with', descriptions like 'tight-fisted hand at the grindstone', and Tiny Tim's 'God bless us, every one!' Focus on quotes showing Scrooge's transformation.
Key duality quotes include 'man is not truly one, but truly two', Hyde described as 'pale and dwarfish', Jekyll's 'I was slowly losing hold of my original and better self', and the imagery of 'troglodytic' and 'ape-like'. These explore the novel's central theme of split identity.
Must-learn Romeo and Juliet quotes include the Prologue's 'star-crossed lovers', Juliet's 'What's in a name?', Romeo's 'But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?', and Mercutio's 'A plague o' both your houses!' Focus on quotes about love, fate, and family conflict.
Revision Genie is your AI-powered tutor that helps you master English Literature. Practice essays, test your knowledge, and get instant feedback.
Write practice essays and get instant AI feedback on structure, analysis, and technique.
Test yourself on quotes, themes, and characters with adaptive quizzes that match your level.
Get step-by-step explanations of complex themes, context, and analysis techniques.
Free to start • No credit card required • Sign up with Google or Microsoft