English Literature: Macbeth

English Literature: Macbeth

1. Macbeth

   • Brave
     • Duncan calls him "noble Macbeth" because he is so tough
   • Tempted by Ambition
     • He talks about his "black and deep desires" (to be king)
   • Considers killing Duncan
     • He thinks about "that suggestion" (of killing Duncan)
   • Led by LM
     • She tells him to "Leave all the rest to me."
   • Hallucinates
     • "Is this a dagger which I see before me"
       • Poor Mental Health
   • Has a Conscience
     • He cannot say "Amen" after the murder
       • Regret/Guilt
   • Regrets killing Duncan
     • He says he would "wake Duncan" if only he could
   • Becomes Rude
     • He calls a servant "whey-face"
   • Not Afraid
     • "I'll fight till from my bones my flesh be hack'd"

2. Lady Macbeth

   • Ambitious
     • She talks about "The future in the instant"
   • Controls Macbeth
     • She says "screw your courage to the sticking place"
     • "Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under't"
   • Shows no remorse
     • She says "Give me the daggers"
   • Sees Macbeth as a coward
     • She says "My hands are of your color, but I shame To wear a heart so white."
   • Powerful
     • She tells the lords to "speak not" and "go at once"
   • Deranged
     • She says "All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."

3. The Witches

   • Supernatural
     • Round about the cauldron go; / In, the poisoned entrails throw. / Toad, that under cold stone / Days and nights hast thirty-one / Sweltered venom sleeping got, / Boil thou first i'th'charmèd pot. / Double, double, toil and trouble; / Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. (Act 4 Scene 1)
   • Ambiguous
     • THIRD APPARITION: Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care / Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. / Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill / Shall come against him. MACBETH: That will never be. (Act 4 Scene 1)