Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7

Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7

1. In Macbeth's Soliloquy, the length of the sentences, the many changes of direction of thought

   • suggests that he does not really want to carry through with the murder
     • thinking about all the reasons he shouldn't kill Duncan
     • recognises he shouldn't kill Duncan because he is his host
       • Greek Tragedy - Importance of Hosting
         • Harming a guest was much more sinful than even killing your own family

2. Macbeth: "And pity, like a naked new-born babe"

   • Grieving a new-born child
     • Motive for his sudden bloodlust - revenge against destiny/god
       • Macbeth: "heaven's cherubim"
         • Macbeth blames God, Heaven's babies are alive and his is not
         • Macbeth: "upon the sightless couriers of air"
           • "sightless" - blames God
           • Pagan Gods didn't care for mortals - he blames God for being just as brutal as pagan gods - wants revenge
       • King is appointed by God
         • Macbeth attacks God by attacking his appointed King, Duncan
           • Harmatia of REVENGE

3. Macbeth: "I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition"

   • harmatia of ambition
   • Macbeth is the horse
     • he needs rider to prick him to jump
       • "And falls on the other"
         • when he jumps, he falls
           • he knows when he kills Duncan it will lead to a metaphorical fall
       • Lady Macbeth is the rider
         • He needs Lady Macbeth's influence to go through with the killing
           • He may be saying he won't do it, but he knows it is inevitable that she will make him go ahead with it
             • harmatia of ambition
               • Shakespeare attacks the Patriarchal society
                 • Macbeth imasculates himself - characterises L.Macbeth with the "prick" - making her the man
                   • "prick" has sexual connotations in Shakespeares time
                   • Society only awards masculine behaviour - L.Macbeth must become masculine
           • harmatia of Lady Macbeth

4. L.Macbeth then addresses Macbeth with "thou" and "thine" and "thy"

   • Addressing macbeth lovingly, but also addressing him as lower, reducing his status
     • continues this semantic field of her being suprerior

5. L.Macbeth: "art thou afeard"..."valour"

   • picks on his emotions as a warrior
   • accuses him of being a bad warrior
     • reminds him that in a martial society, you must show bravery

6. L.Macbeth: "What beast was't then

   • refers to the great chain of being
     • beast is the base of the chain of being
       • strips away his status - if he fufil his promise to her, he has reduced himself to something less than human
   • L.Macbeth switches from "thou" to "you"
     • "you" reminds him of the status that he should have
       • Contrast of accusing him of being like a beast, but also reminding him of great status

7. L.Macbeth: "had I so sworn as you Have done to this"

   • had she have promised Macbeth to kill her child, she would have gone through with it
     • Reminding him that promises should be taken seriously - he should kill Duncan
     • Macbeth is overwhelmed by grief in this Death, so is L.Macbeth
       • violent image of "dashing the brains out"
         • bloodthirsty image - taps into Macbeth's bloodlust

8. ·

   • The letter logically seems like it is to buy time for Macbeth to change out of his blood-stained clothes
     • When Duncan arrives, he asks to be conducted to his host, Macbeth is absent because he is changing
       • this means Macbeth arrives covered in blood when he first arrives and meets Lady
         • visual representation of his bloodlust
           • allows Lady to realise that she must tap into his bloodlust
           • Harmatia of Bloodlust

9. Macbeth: "If we should fail"

   • L.Macbeth: "We Fail!"
     • echoes ambition - "over leaps itself and falls on the other side"
     • Its worth attempting to get the prize, even if they fail
       • removes Macbeth's fear of failure
     • pronoun "we" emphasises to macbeth that they are in this together, it is not just him that is taking a risk
       • emphasises to the audience that they are equals
         • "my dearest partner in greatness"
     • The last three lines complete the pentameter, despite being said by them alternating
       • shows they are totally united - share the failure
       • pentameter emphasises "fail" - foreshadows their eventual failure

10. L.Macbeth: "What cannot you and I perform upon The unguarded Duncan

    • verb "perform" - seems like a performance
      • they can't just assasinate him, this must be a frenzied attack
        • satisifies Macbeth's bloodlust
    • "you and I" emphasises the togetherness and partnership
      • there are two daggers - implies they have one each
      • she imagines them doing it together
        • part of her seduction is emphasising that is a partnership between husband and wife, they take shared responsibility

11. Macbeth: "Bring forth men-children only"

    • Brutal mother only gives birth to boys
      • called men as he invisiges them being warriors in martial society
        • Shakespeare reminds us that the real problem is the martial society that has formed him and rewarded him - celebrates killing
          • political message to king james not to reinvent this society