Overview
This lecture reviews key quotes from Shakespeare's "Macbeth" and explains their significance in the development of characters and themes throughout the play.
Prophecies and Ambition
- "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter." – The witches predict Macbeth's rise to power, sparking his ambition.
- "Is this a dagger, which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?" – Macbeth hallucinates, torn about killing Duncan to fulfill the prophecy.
- "Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires" – Macbeth wishes to conceal his dark intentions about rising to power.
Guilt and Consequences
- "I'll go no more: I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on't again I dare not." – Macbeth regrets the murder of Duncan and cannot face his guilt.
- "Let the earth hide thee! Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; thou hast no speculation in those eyes, which thou dost glare with." – Macbeth is haunted by Banquo's ghost, manifesting his guilt.
- "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" – Lady Macbeth, consumed by guilt, hallucinates blood on her hands after Duncan's murder.
- "Was your hands, put on your night gown; I look not so pale" – Lady Macbeth attempts to comfort herself as she is overcome by guilt.
Power, Fate, and Legacy
- "Upon my head they plac'd a fruitless crown, and put a barren scepter in my gripe, thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand, no son of mine succeeding." – Macbeth laments that he will have no heir, troubled by the idea of his legacy.
- "We will proceed no further in this business: he hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people" – Macbeth initially decides not to pursue killing Duncan, doubting the plan.
Influence and Manipulation
- "The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under battlements. Come, you spirits, that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here" – Lady Macbeth asks to be stripped of femininity to commit cruel deeds.
- "screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not fail." – Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth to be brave and commit to their plan.
- "These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us go mad." – Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to suppress his guilt and move forward.
Resistance and Downfall
- "Why should I play the Roman fool, and die on mine own sword?" – Macbeth refuses to take his own life, choosing to fight until the end.
- "And then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" – Macbeth reflects on the meaningless of life at the end.
Other Characters and Themes
- "I should pour the sweet milk of concord into Hell, uproar the universal peace, confound all unity on earth." – Malcolm talks of overthrowing Macbeth by disturbing peace.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Prophecy — A prediction of future events, central to the plot and characters’ motivations.
- Guilt — The emotional consequence of committing a crime, especially evident in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
- Ambition — Strong desire for power or success, driving Macbeth's actions.
- Hallucination — Seeing or hearing things that are not present, often a result of guilt.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review these quotes and their explanations for memorization.
- Practice connecting each quote to themes and character development for essay responses.