macbeth

macbeth

1. fair is foul and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air

   • rhyming/ confusing language gives the impression of a spell
     • witches controlling macbeth?
       • tony childs shows this by including the witches on stage in almost every scene
   • ' hover' suggests supernatural

2. thou shalt get kings, though thou be none

   • macbeths killing of banquo is unneccesary but is fueled by the confusing language of the witches.
     • linking to te witches controlling macbeth

3. un sex me here

   • lady macbeth is userping the male role, by asking for her feminity to be taken away.
     • by asking for masculinity that she defines as 'cruel' shakespear is using lady m as a tool to show the cruelty of the male gender at the time.
   • come to my womans breast
     • references to female form would have been needed at the time because a male would be playing the character

4. is this a dagger which i see before me

   • madness or the witches
     • it may suggest the first signs of macbeth decent into madness as he is halucinating
     • the witches may be controlling macbeth and therfor using their magic to make a dagger appear before him
       • this effect may become clearer in certain interpreations of the witches are on stage with macbeth at this time

5. i am in blood stepped in so far that should i wade no more

   • imagery of the blood like a sea 'wade'
     • the madness of macbeth is becoming apparent

6. for none of woman born shall harm macbeth

   • the witches are speaking in riddles ( rhyming/confusing language)
     • macbeth interpretes this as he is unable to die showing arrogance and lack of understanding
       • dramatic irony is then created when we discover macduff was 'untimely ripped' from his mothers whom

7. will these hands ne'er be clean

   • lady macbeth is showing signs of madness by seeing blood on her hands
     • this is spoken when sleep walking which shows the true lady m as she is saying it subconsciously