GCSE English Literature

Macbeth Quotes53 key quotes with analysis for GCSE success.

Essential quotes from Shakespeare's Macbeth organised by character. Each quote includes context, themes, language analysis, and exam tips.

Lady MacbethMacbethThe WitchesBanquoMacduff

Key Themes in Macbeth

AmbitionGuiltSupernaturalAppearance vs RealityPowerMasculinityFate vs Free WillViolenceKingshipLoyalty and Betrayal

Lady Macbeth Quotes

View all Lady Macbeth quotes
“Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 5
GenderAmbitionSupernaturalPower

Context: Lady Macbeth calls upon evil spirits after reading Macbeth's letter about the witches' prophecy.

Analysis

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. This subverts Jacobean gender expectations and establishes her as the driving force behind the regicide.

Language Techniques:

Imperative verbsInvocationSubversion of gender roles

Exam Tip

Link to context: James I's views on gender and witchcraft. Compare to later scenes where her femininity returns through guilt.

“Come to my woman's breasts, and take my milk for gall”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 5
GenderSupernaturalMotherhoodEvil

Context: Continuation of Lady Macbeth's invocation to the spirits.

Analysis

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 links femininity with nurturing, which she sees as weakness. Shakespeare shows how ambition corrupts natural bonds.

Language Techniques:

ImageryInversionSemantic field of the body

Exam Tip

Link to the later reference to dashing out a baby's brains. Question whether Lady Macbeth has children.

“I have given suck, and know how tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 7
GenderMasculinityViolenceMotherhood

Context: Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth's masculinity when he hesitates about the murder.

Analysis

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 anything—even her child—for ambition. The speech is deliberately extreme to shame Macbeth into action.

Language Techniques:

JuxtapositionShock tacticsManipulation

Exam Tip

Raises the "Lady Macbeth's children" question debated by scholars. Shows her psychological manipulation of Macbeth.

“I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 7
ViolenceMotherhoodAmbitionGender

Context: Lady Macbeth describes what she would do to prove her commitment.

Analysis

The most violent image in the play, contrasting maternal tenderness ("smiling") with brutal infanticide. "Boneless gums" emphasises the baby's vulnerability. Lady Macbeth claims she would commit the ultimate unnatural act rather than break a promise. This shames Macbeth into agreeing to murder.

Language Techniques:

Violent imageryJuxtapositionHyperbole

Exam Tip

Ultimate subversion of motherhood. Compare to Lady Macduff and her children - natural motherhood destroyed by Macbeth.

“A little water clears us of this deed”
Lady MacbethAct 2, Scene 2
GuiltNaivetyAppearance vs Reality

Context: Lady Macbeth dismisses Macbeth's guilt immediately after Duncan's murder.

Analysis

Lady Macbeth's confident dismissal of guilt is devastatingly ironic given her later mental breakdown over the same "spot." The understatement of "little water" shows her initial inability to understand guilt's power. This quote perfectly sets up her tragic reversal.

Language Techniques:

Dramatic ironyUnderstatementForeshadowing

Exam Tip

Essential for tracking Lady Macbeth's arc. Compare directly to "All the perfumes of Arabia" - complete reversal.

“Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers”
Lady MacbethAct 2, Scene 2
GenderPowerMasculinity

Context: Lady Macbeth takes control when Macbeth cannot return the daggers.

Analysis

Lady Macbeth seizes control from her "infirm" husband, inverting traditional gender roles. The exclamatory sentence shows her contempt for his weakness. She takes on the masculine role of action while he freezes with guilt. This is the height of her power before her decline.

Language Techniques:

ImperativeExclamationGender role reversal

Exam Tip

High point of Lady Macbeth's dominance. After this, she gradually loses control while Macbeth hardens.

“Nought's had, all's spent, where our desire is got without content”
Lady MacbethAct 3, Scene 2
Consequences of EvilAmbitionEmptiness

Context: Lady Macbeth reflects alone on their hollow victory.

Analysis

This rhyming couplet reveals Lady Macbeth's private despair. The paradox "all's spent" for achieving "desire" shows the crown brings no happiness. "Content" (happiness) is impossible when "desire" is achieved through evil. She realises too late that ambition's rewards are hollow.

Language Techniques:

Rhyming coupletParadoxSoliloquy

Exam Tip

Shows her psychological decline beginning. She hides this despair from Macbeth, showing their growing distance.

“Look like th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under't”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 5
Appearance vs RealityDeceptionEvil

Context: Lady Macbeth instructs Macbeth on how to deceive King Duncan.

Analysis

The biblical imagery of the serpent alludes to Satan in the Garden of Eden, casting Lady Macbeth as a tempter figure. The juxtaposition of "flower" and "serpent" encapsulates the play's central theme of deceptive appearances. Shakespeare suggests that evil often hides behind beauty.

Language Techniques:

Biblical allusionJuxtapositionImperative verbsImagery

Exam Tip

Connect to the motif of false faces throughout the play. Link to Macbeth's "False face must hide what the false heart doth know."

“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”
Lady MacbethAct 5, Scene 1
GuiltMadnessConsequences of Evil

Context: Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, obsessively trying to wash imaginary blood from her hands.

Analysis

The repetition and exclamatory sentences reveal Lady Macbeth's psychological deterioration. The "spot" symbolizes her guilt that cannot be cleansed. This dramatically contrasts her earlier dismissal: "A little water clears us of this deed." Her confident persona has completely collapsed.

Language Techniques:

RepetitionExclamatory sentencesSymbolismDramatic irony

Exam Tip

Compare to her earlier confidence. Discuss the reversal of gender roles as Macbeth becomes hardened while she breaks down.

“All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”
Lady MacbethAct 5, Scene 1
GuiltMadnessConsequences of Evil

Context: Lady Macbeth continues sleepwalking, believing her hands still smell of blood.

Analysis

The hyperbole emphasizes the permanence of her guilt. "Little hand" diminishes her once-powerful self, showing complete loss of the dominance she displayed earlier. The sensory imagery of smell suggests guilt pervades every sense. Arabia, known for perfumes, represents the exotic and extreme - even this cannot help her.

Language Techniques:

HyperboleSensory imageryDiminutive language

Exam Tip

Link to "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" - guilt affects both Macbeths but manifests differently.

Macbeth Quotes

“Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?”
MacbethAct 2, Scene 1
SupernaturalGuiltAmbitionMadness

Context: Macbeth hallucinates a dagger before murdering Duncan.

Analysis

The rhetorical question reveals Macbeth's uncertainty - he cannot distinguish reality from imagination. The dagger pointing towards his hand suggests fate or the supernatural guiding him, yet also implies his own responsibility. This soliloquy marks his psychological descent into guilt and paranoia.

Language Techniques:

Rhetorical questionSymbolismSoliloquyVisual imagery

Exam Tip

Debate whether the dagger is supernatural or psychological. Link to the witches and question of free will vs fate.

“Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”
MacbethAct 2, Scene 2
GuiltConsequences of EvilNature

Context: Immediately after murdering Duncan, Macbeth is consumed by guilt.

Analysis

The classical allusion to Neptune elevates Macbeth's guilt to cosmic proportions. The rhetorical question implies the answer is "no" - his guilt is permanent. The blood symbolizes both literal murder and spiritual stain. The hyperbole of an entire ocean emphasizes the magnitude of his crime.

Language Techniques:

Classical allusionRhetorical questionHyperboleSymbolism

Exam Tip

Compare to Lady Macbeth's "A little water clears us of this deed" - shows different initial responses to guilt.

“I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er”
MacbethAct 3, Scene 4
GuiltConsequences of EvilTyranny

Context: After Banquo's murder, Macbeth reflects on his violent path.

Analysis

The metaphor of wading through blood creates a visceral image of Macbeth's moral decline. "Tedious" is chillingly casual - murder has become routine. The point of no return suggests his humanity is lost. Shakespeare shows how evil becomes self-perpetuating once begun.

Language Techniques:

Extended metaphorImageryEuphemism

Exam Tip

Shows escalation of violence - link to the tragic hero's downfall. Contrast with his earlier hesitation.

“Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage”
MacbethAct 5, Scene 5
MortalityMeaninglessnessFate

Context: Macbeth responds to news of Lady Macbeth's death.

Analysis

The theatrical metaphor reduces life to a brief, meaningless performance. "Walking shadow" suggests life lacks substance or purpose. "Struts and frets" implies human actions are ultimately futile posturing. This nihilistic worldview shows Macbeth's complete spiritual emptiness at the play's end.

Language Techniques:

Extended metaphorTheatre imageryNihilism

Exam Tip

Link to the theme of appearance vs reality. Shows the emptiness ambition has brought him.

“Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires”
MacbethAct 1, Scene 4
AmbitionAppearance vs RealityEvil

Context: Macbeth's aside after Malcolm is named heir to the throne.

Analysis

The imperative "hide" shows Macbeth's awareness that his desires are shameful. The personification of light as a moral judge creates heaven/hell imagery. "Black and deep" suggests his ambition is both evil and hidden in his subconscious. This is his first acknowledgment of murderous thoughts.

Language Techniques:

ApostrophePersonificationLight/dark imageryAside

Exam Tip

First sign of Macbeth's "vaulting ambition." Link to the motif of hiding throughout the play.

“O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”
MacbethAct 3, Scene 2
GuiltMadnessParanoia

Context: Macbeth expresses his mental torment to Lady Macbeth before Banquo's murder.

Analysis

The scorpion imagery conveys both the pain and poison of guilt. Multiple stinging creatures suggest relentless, tormenting thoughts. "Full" emphasizes there is no escape from his mental anguish. "Dear wife" shows their relationship still has intimacy, though it will soon deteriorate.

Language Techniques:

MetaphorImageryExclamation

Exam Tip

Shows psychological consequences of murder. Link to the gradual breakdown of the Macbeths' relationship.

“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition”
MacbethAct 1, Scene 7
AmbitionConscienceSelf-awareness

Context: Macbeth debates whether to kill Duncan.

Analysis

Macbeth acknowledges he has no legitimate reason for murder except ambition. The horse-riding metaphor of "spur" and "vaulting" suggests ambition that overreaches. His self-awareness makes his choice more tragic - he knows his only motive is ambition but proceeds anyway.

Language Techniques:

Extended metaphorSelf-awarenessEquestrian imagery

Exam Tip

Shows Macbeth understands his own fatal flaw. His tragedy is choosing evil with full awareness.

“I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none”
MacbethAct 1, Scene 7
MasculinityMoralityCourage

Context: Macbeth initially resists Lady Macbeth's pressure to commit murder.

Analysis

Macbeth briefly defines manhood as having moral limits. He argues that exceeding human boundaries makes one inhuman. This philosophy is immediately abandoned when Lady Macbeth questions his manhood. The line shows Macbeth understood right from wrong before choosing evil.

Language Techniques:

DefinitionParadoxMoral reasoning

Exam Tip

Compare to Lady Macbeth's version of masculinity. Macbeth had the right idea but abandoned it.

“I am settled, and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat”
MacbethAct 1, Scene 7
ResolutionViolenceCommitment to Evil

Context: Macbeth finally commits to murdering Duncan.

Analysis

"Settled" contrasts with his earlier indecision. "Corporal agent" (bodily faculties) being "bent up" like a drawn bow shows total physical commitment. "Terrible feat" acknowledges the horror of what he's about to do. Macbeth commits fully, mind and body, to evil.

Language Techniques:

Military imageryPhysical metaphorResolution

Exam Tip

Turning point - Macbeth moves from doubt to determination. His body becomes an instrument of evil.

“Methought I heard a voice cry, "Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep"”
MacbethAct 2, Scene 2
GuiltConscienceSleepMadness

Context: Macbeth returns from murdering Duncan, hearing voices.

Analysis

Sleep symbolises innocence and peace of mind - both destroyed by murder. The personification of sleep being "murdered" shows Macbeth has killed his own ability to rest. The voice may be supernatural or psychological. Either way, guilt will deny him peace forever.

Language Techniques:

PersonificationAuditory hallucinationSymbolism

Exam Tip

Sleep motif runs through the play. Compare to Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking - both lose peaceful sleep.

“Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!”
MacbethAct 2, Scene 2
GuiltRegretIrreversibility

Context: Macbeth hears knocking at the gate immediately after the murder.

Analysis

The exclamatory wish reveals immediate regret - Macbeth already wants to undo the murder. The knocking represents reality and judgement intruding on his crime. His desperate, futile wish emphasises that murder cannot be reversed. Guilt begins instantly.

Language Techniques:

ExclamationImpossible wishDramatic irony

Exam Tip

Shows Macbeth's immediate regret. The knocking motif represents conscience and judgement.

“To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus”
MacbethAct 3, Scene 1
ParanoiaInsecurityAmbition

Context: Macbeth reflects on his insecurity as king, fearing Banquo's descendants.

Analysis

Achieving kingship ("thus") brings no satisfaction without security. The prophecy that Banquo's descendants will be kings torments Macbeth. He has gained a "fruitless crown" and "barren sceptre." This insecurity drives him to murder Banquo, showing how one crime leads to more.

Language Techniques:

AntithesisParadoxSoliloquy

Exam Tip

Shows the crown brings no peace. Macbeth's ambition is never satisfied - achieving it only creates new fears.

“Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown and put a barren sceptre in my grip”
MacbethAct 3, Scene 1
LegacyChildlessnessMeaninglessness

Context: Macbeth laments that his children will not inherit the throne.

Analysis

"Fruitless" and "barren" imagery emphasises sterility - his dynasty dies with him. The passive "they placed" suggests Macbeth is powerless despite being king. All his crimes were for nothing - Banquo's line will rule. The symbols of power (crown, sceptre) are rendered meaningless.

Language Techniques:

Fertility imageryPassive voiceSymbolism

Exam Tip

Ironic that Macbeth kills for legacy but destroys his own line. Compare to Banquo who "gets" kings.

“Come, seeling night, scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day”
MacbethAct 3, Scene 2
DarknessEvilConcealment

Context: Macbeth invokes darkness before Banquo's murder.

Analysis

Macbeth now invokes darkness just as Lady Macbeth did earlier, showing his moral descent. "Seeling" (sewing shut a hawk's eyelids) creates violent imagery. Light represents morality which must be blinded. He has adopted Lady Macbeth's methods and philosophy.

Language Techniques:

InvocationLight/dark imageryFalconry imagery

Exam Tip

Echoes Lady Macbeth's earlier invocation. Shows role reversal - Macbeth is now the instigator.

“I have almost forgot the taste of fears”
MacbethAct 5, Scene 5
Emotional DeadeningDespairNihilism

Context: Macbeth responds to news of his wife's death with numbness.

Analysis

Macbeth has become so hardened that he can no longer feel fear or grief. "Taste" suggests emotion was once visceral but is now numbed. His humanity has been destroyed by his crimes. This emotional death precedes his physical death.

Language Techniques:

Sensory imageryUnderstatementCharacter development

Exam Tip

Shows complete psychological deterioration. Contrast with his earlier guilt and fear after Duncan's murder.

“She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word”
MacbethAct 5, Scene 5
DeathTimeEmotional Numbness

Context: Macbeth receives news of Lady Macbeth's death.

Analysis

Macbeth's cold response to his wife's death shows his emotional death. "Hereafter" echoes the witches' prophecy, linking her death to his crimes. "Such a word" reduces her death to mere news. The man who once wrote passionately to her is now incapable of grief.

Language Techniques:

UnderstatementVerbal echoEmotional flatness

Exam Tip

Compare to his earlier love ("dearest partner of greatness"). Shows the destruction of their relationship.

“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day”
MacbethAct 5, Scene 5
MeaninglessnessTimeDespair

Context: Macbeth's nihilistic soliloquy after Lady Macbeth's death.

Analysis

The repetition of "tomorrow" creates a sense of endless, meaningless time. "Petty pace" and "creeps" suggest life drags rather than races. Macbeth has achieved everything and found it worthless. This nihilistic worldview represents his complete spiritual emptiness.

Language Techniques:

RepetitionAlliterationPersonification

Exam Tip

One of literature's great expressions of nihilism. Links to "signifying nothing" - his life has become meaningless.

“It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”
MacbethAct 5, Scene 5
MeaninglessnessNihilismDespair

Context: Conclusion of Macbeth's nihilistic soliloquy.

Analysis

Life is reduced to a meaningless story told by a fool. "Sound and fury" suggests passionate action that ultimately signifies nothing. This is Macbeth's devastating conclusion - all his ambition, violence, and suffering amount to nothing. Yet ironically, the play itself gives meaning to his fall.

Language Techniques:

MetaphorAlliterationNihilism

Exam Tip

Famous quote for nihilism. Note the irony - Macbeth's story does signify something as a moral lesson.

“I 'gin to be aweary of the sun, and wish the estate o' the world were now undone”
MacbethAct 5, Scene 5
DespairDeath WishDestruction

Context: Macbeth expresses his despair as his enemies approach.

Analysis

Macbeth wishes for universal destruction - if he must die, let the world end. Weariness of the sun (life-giving) shows complete rejection of existence. His evil has expanded from personal ambition to cosmic destructiveness. Yet he will fight on, showing grim determination.

Language Techniques:

Cosmic imageryDeath wishHyperbole

Exam Tip

Shows Macbeth has moved beyond personal interest to nihilistic destructiveness.

“They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly, but bear-like I must fight the course”
MacbethAct 5, Scene 7
DefianceEntrapmentCourage

Context: Macbeth faces his final battle.

Analysis

The bear-baiting metaphor shows Macbeth trapped like a baited bear, surrounded by enemies. "Cannot fly" acknowledges escape is impossible. Yet he will fight to the death with animal ferocity. This preserves some tragic dignity - he faces death with courage despite his crimes.

Language Techniques:

SimileAnimal imageryDefiance

Exam Tip

Shows remnants of the warrior Macbeth. He dies fighting, not surrendering - preserving some dignity.

“I will not yield, to kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet”
MacbethAct 5, Scene 8
PrideDefianceHonour

Context: Macbeth refuses to surrender to Macduff.

Analysis

Even facing certain death, Macbeth refuses to submit. "Kiss the ground" suggests humiliating subjugation he will not accept. His pride remains unbroken even when his cause is lost. This defiance shows the warped remnants of his former nobility.

Language Techniques:

DefianceImagery of submissionPride

Exam Tip

Macbeth's final words preserve some tragic nobility. He dies as a warrior, not a coward.

Witches Quotes

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
WitchesAct 1, Scene 1
Appearance vs RealitySupernaturalEvilChaos

Context: The witches' chant in the opening scene of the play.

Analysis

This paradox establishes the play's moral confusion from the very first scene. The chiasmus creates a sense of inversion and disorder. It suggests the natural order is disrupted and nothing is as it seems. The trochaic tetrameter differs from the play's usual iambic pentameter, marking the witches as unnatural.

Language Techniques:

ParadoxChiasmusTrochaic tetrameter

Exam Tip

Link to James I's Daemonologie and fears about witchcraft. This motto echoes throughout the play.

“All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”
WitchesAct 1, Scene 3
ProphecyFateAmbitionSupernatural

Context: The third witch prophesies Macbeth's kingship.

Analysis

This prophecy ignites Macbeth's ambition. "Hereafter" is deliberately vague - it doesn't say how or when. The witches don't command murder, merely predict kingship. Macbeth chooses the path of violence. The prophecy tests whether he will wait for fate or force it.

Language Techniques:

ProphecyAmbiguityTriadic structure

Exam Tip

Debate: do witches cause Macbeth's actions or merely predict them? Key for fate vs free will essays.

“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble”
WitchesAct 4, Scene 1
SupernaturalEvilChaos

Context: The witches prepare their cauldron before Macbeth arrives.

Analysis

The trochaic rhythm differs from the play's iambic pentameter, marking the witches as unnatural. The rhyming couplets and repetition create an incantatory, spell-like effect. "Double" suggests duplicity and multiplication of evil. The brew symbolises Scotland's corruption under Macbeth.

Language Techniques:

Trochaic tetrameterRhymeIncantationRepetition

Exam Tip

The witches' distinctive rhythm sets them apart from human characters. Link to James I's interest in witchcraft.

Banquo Quotes

“Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, as the weird women promised, and I fear thou played'st most foully for't”
BanquoAct 3, Scene 1
BetrayalAmbitionCorruption

Context: Banquo's soliloquy reveals his suspicions about Macbeth.

Analysis

The listing emphasizes how completely the prophecy has been fulfilled. "Fear" shows Banquo suspects but hasn't acted. "Foully" creates wordplay with "fair is foul," linking Macbeth to the witches' moral corruption. His inaction despite suspicion makes him complicit.

Language Techniques:

ListingWordplaySoliloquy

Exam Tip

Banquo serves as a moral contrast to Macbeth - he resists temptation. Yet his silence makes him partly culpable.

“If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then to me”
BanquoAct 1, Scene 3
FateTimeProphecy

Context: Banquo asks the witches about his own future.

Analysis

The agricultural metaphor of "seeds of time" suggests the future is planted but not yet grown. Banquo is curious about fate but, unlike Macbeth, won't force events. His request is conditional ("if you can"), showing rational scepticism. He wants knowledge but won't act on it corruptly.

Language Techniques:

Extended metaphorNatural imageryConditional language

Exam Tip

Banquo's response to prophecy contrasts with Macbeth's. He is tempted but doesn't act on temptation.

“But 'tis strange: And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths”
BanquoAct 1, Scene 3
DeceptionEvilSupernatural

Context: Banquo warns Macbeth about trusting the witches.

Analysis

Banquo wisely recognises that evil can use truth as a trap. The witches' truths are bait to lead Macbeth to destruction. "Instruments of darkness" identifies them as evil's tools. This warning shows Banquo's wisdom - wisdom Macbeth ignores to his doom.

Language Techniques:

WarningPersonificationInsight

Exam Tip

Banquo sees through the witches' tactics. His wisdom makes his silence about Duncan's murder more culpable.

“Merciful powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature gives way to in repose”
BanquoAct 2, Scene 1
TemptationConscienceSupernatural

Context: Banquo prays for protection from dark thoughts before Duncan's murder.

Analysis

Banquo admits he is tempted by the prophecy ("cursed thoughts") but prays for strength to resist. Unlike Macbeth, he appeals to good powers against evil impulses. "Repose" (sleep) suggests these thoughts come unbidden. Banquo represents human resistance to temptation.

Language Techniques:

PrayerSelf-awarenessContrast

Exam Tip

Shows Banquo is also tempted but chooses to resist. Key difference from Macbeth's response to prophecy.

King Duncan Quotes

“There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face”
King DuncanAct 1, Scene 4
Appearance vs RealityBetrayalTrust

Context: Duncan reflects on the treachery of the original Thane of Cawdor.

Analysis

Duncan acknowledges the impossibility of reading true intentions. The dramatic irony is powerful - he says this just before trusting Macbeth, who will also betray him. "Art" suggests that even skill or learning cannot reveal deception. This establishes Duncan as naive, contributing to his downfall.

Language Techniques:

Dramatic ironyAphorism

Exam Tip

Shows the theme of false appearances. Duncan's trust makes him vulnerable - link to the Divine Right of Kings.

Macduff Quotes

“He has no children”
MacduffAct 4, Scene 3
GriefRevengeLoss

Context: Macduff learns that Macbeth has murdered his entire family.

Analysis

This devastatingly short line can be interpreted multiple ways: Malcolm cannot understand fatherly grief, or Macbeth has no children to lose in revenge. The brevity conveys shock beyond words. Shakespeare shows the personal cost of Macbeth's tyranny through this raw emotional moment.

Language Techniques:

BrevityAmbiguityPathos

Exam Tip

Link to masculinity - Macduff shows emotional vulnerability, contrasting with Macbeth's hardened cruelty.

“O Scotland, Scotland!”
MacduffAct 4, Scene 3
PatriotismTyrannyKingship

Context: Macduff laments Scotland's suffering under Macbeth's tyranny.

Analysis

The repetition of "Scotland" emphasises Macduff's patriotic grief. He mourns not just for himself but for his entire nation. This establishes him as the true patriot, contrasting with Macbeth who destroys Scotland for personal gain. The exclamatory tone conveys despair.

Language Techniques:

RepetitionApostropheExclamation

Exam Tip

Macduff represents loyalty to Scotland over personal ambition - the opposite of Macbeth.

“I must also feel it as a man”
MacduffAct 4, Scene 3
MasculinityGriefEmotion

Context: Malcolm tells Macduff to "dispute it like a man" after hearing of his family's murder.

Analysis

Macduff redefines masculinity to include emotional vulnerability. While the play often associates manhood with violence, Macduff shows true strength includes feeling grief. This directly challenges Lady Macbeth's "unsex me" philosophy and Macbeth's violent concept of manhood.

Language Techniques:

RedefinitionModal verb "must"

Exam Tip

Key quote for masculinity theme. Macduff offers an alternative model of manhood - feeling emotion is strength, not weakness.

“Front to front bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself”
MacduffAct 4, Scene 3
RevengeGood vs EvilJustice

Context: Macduff vows to kill Macbeth in revenge for his family.

Analysis

"Fiend" associates Macbeth with devils, contrasting with Macduff as righteous avenger. The alliteration of "front to front" and "fiend" emphasises his determination. Unlike Macbeth's hidden murders, Macduff will face his enemy openly. He channels grief into righteous action.

Language Techniques:

AlliterationDemonizationDirect challenge

Exam Tip

Macduff seeks open combat, not treacherous murder - he is Macbeth's moral opposite.

“Macduff was from his mother's womb untimely ripped”
MacduffAct 5, Scene 8
FateProphecySupernatural

Context: Macduff reveals he was born by Caesarean section.

Analysis

This revelation fulfils the witches' prophecy while subverting Macbeth's interpretation. "Untimely ripped" suggests violent, unnatural birth, yet this makes Macduff the destined killer. The prophecies were technically true but deliberately misleading. Macbeth's overconfidence in his invincibility proves fatal.

Language Techniques:

Dramatic ironyPassive voiceAmbiguity

Exam Tip

Shows how the witches' prophecies are equivocal - technically true but misleading. Fate cannot be escaped.

Donalbain Quotes

“There's daggers in men's smiles”
DonalbainAct 2, Scene 3
Appearance vs RealityDeceptionBetrayal

Context: After Duncan's murder is discovered, Donalbain warns Malcolm.

Analysis

The metaphor encapsulates the play's atmosphere of distrust and hidden violence. The juxtaposition of "daggers" with "smiles" shows how betrayal comes from unexpected sources. This explains why Malcolm and Donalbain flee, despite appearing guilty.

Language Techniques:

MetaphorJuxtapositionDramatic irony

Exam Tip

Link to the recurring motif of false appearances. Connects to Lady Macbeth's serpent/flower imagery.

Malcolm Quotes

“This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues, was once thought honest”
MalcolmAct 4, Scene 3
TyrannyDeceptionCorruption

Context: Malcolm reflects on how Macbeth has changed.

Analysis

The visceral image of "blisters" shows how Macbeth's name has become poisonous. "Sole name" suggests even speaking of him causes pain. "Once thought honest" reminds us of Macbeth's tragic fall from noble warrior to tyrant. Malcolm shows awareness of how power corrupts.

Language Techniques:

ImageryContrastReflective tone

Exam Tip

Malcolm's awareness of deception makes him a wiser future king than Duncan.

“I am yet unknown to woman”
MalcolmAct 4, Scene 3
VirtueKingshipTesting

Context: Malcolm tests Macduff by claiming various vices, then reveals his true virtue.

Analysis

Malcolm claims virginity to prove his purity, contrasting with the "king-becoming graces" he lists. His test of Macduff shows political wisdom - he will not trust easily like his naive father Duncan. This moment establishes Malcolm as a careful, virtuous future king.

Language Techniques:

Self-characterizationTesting motif

Exam Tip

Malcolm has learned from Duncan's trusting nature. He will be a more cautious king.

“Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell”
MalcolmAct 4, Scene 3
Appearance vs RealityGood vs EvilTrust

Context: Malcolm justifies his suspicion of Macduff.

Analysis

This allusion to Satan (the "brightest" angel who fell) explains Malcolm's caution. If the finest beings can become evil, anyone might be a traitor. The aphorism shows Malcolm's wisdom - he won't repeat Duncan's fatal trust. It also foreshadows that goodness (angels) will ultimately prevail.

Language Techniques:

Biblical allusionAphorismAntithesis

Exam Tip

Shows Malcolm as politically astute. Also links to the play's religious imagery and divine right of kings.

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