Macbeth quotes

Macbeth quotes

1. "Is that a dagger which I see before me"

   • The unspoken conflict is between free will and predestination; the subtle part of this study is the contrast of Macbeth and Banquo. Macbeth finds himself driven by external forces that seemingly conspire to abet his darker ambition. Banquo, on the other hand, resists temptation through his own choice, and yet passively fulfills his destiny even as Macbeth actively fulfills his own. Macbeth at first tries to distance himself from the dishonorable implications and is reticent to commit the greatest treason. Macbeth tempted or not, becomes a man betrayed by his basic nature. What makes it tragic is Macbeth's knowing complicity in his own damnation. The focus of the soliloquy, the invisible dagger, is our first glimpse of Macbeth's powerful imagination - imagination that is largely responsible for his mental torment throughout the drama. Macbeth's hallucination is a psychological manifestation of his guilt.

2. "Fair is foul and foul is fair"

   • A phrase that pervades through the play, reminding the audience they need to look deeper into thoughts and understandings of the characters. The motif means that appearances are often deceptive and things are different to how they may appear.Therefore the line points towards the play's concern with the discrepancy between appearance and reality: the difference between how someone seems and how someone is. This idea fits well with the medium of the theatre, which relies on actors seeming to be something they are not. Furthermore, the phrase is used as a way of bringing the play full loop

3. "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?"

   • Shakespeare uses personification in reference to Neptune (the ancient God of the sea); his hands are literally covered in blood. Furthermore, the word 'Neptune' suggests even God's greatest power cannot clear Macbeth of his ghastly deed. The use of hyperbole in "all of great Neptune's ocean" shows thethe extreme nature of the statement - that would be a lot of water. The imagery of blood used represents Macbeth's psychological torment - he is unable to wash the guilt from his hands - Macbeth is stained with the guilt of committing murder.