Macbeth- Quote Bank
*Below is a small selection of quotes that may be relevant to you in discussing
power in Macbeth
Quote
“All hail Macbeth, Thane of Glamis.|
All hail Macbeth, Thane of Cawdor.|
All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king
hereafter.” (1.3.46-48)
Macbeth: “Glamis, and Thane of
Cawdor: | The greatest is behind.
(1.3.115-116)
Macbeth: “If good, why do I yield to
the suggestion, |Whose horrid image
doth unfix my hair| And make my
seated heart knock at my ribs| Against
the use of nature?” (1.3.133-136)
Banquo: “Look how our partner’s
rapt.” (1.3.141)
Banquo: “And oftentimes, to win us to
our harm, the instruments of darkness
tell us truths;|Win us in honest trifles,
to betray’s| In deepest consequence.”
Exit (Attendant)
Lady Macbeth: “The raven himself is
hoarse| That croaks the fatal entrance
of Duncan| Under my battlements”
(1.5.36-38)
Lady Macbeth: “When you durst do it,
then you were a man.” (1.7.49)
Technique Analysis
Repetition - The witches use their supernatural powers to
prophesy Macbeth’s future and manipulate his
ambition.
- The witches’ abuse of their power drives the action
of the play, planting the scene for Macbeth’s violent
reign.
Aside - Ross and Angus’ message that Duncan has granted
Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor gives credibility
to the witches’ prophecies.
- Shakespeare uses an aside to communicate
Macbeth’s thoughts as he begins to consider that he
may become King and reveal his ambitious character
to the audience, whilst veiling it from Banquo.
Soliloquy/ aside - Shakespeare uses a soliloquy (once again in the form
of an aside) to allow the audience to learn of
Macbeth’s dark and treacherous thoughts, while
hiding them from the other characters on stage.
- It is clear that Macbeth’s ambitious nature has been
quickly awoken by the witches’ prophecies. They have
abused their power to great effect, with Macbeth
already considering murdering his King.
Characterisation/ - Banquo’s comment serves to emphasise that
dialogue Macbeth is deep in thought after hearing the
prophecies. He is so lost in thought that Banquo
notices his distraction.
Juxtaposition/ - Directly in contrast to Macbeth, Banquo is not so
characterisation easily taken in. He is cautious of the supernatural
beings, and warns that they often operate in ways
that seduce men into devious actions, and lead them
to their downfall.
- Serves to emphasise that Macbeth and Banquo do
have the power of choice over their actions in the face
of the witches’ prophecies/ ambition and temptation
Stage direction, - The stage direction indicates that Lady Macbeth’s
soliloquy attendant exits the stage, leaving her alone
- The soliloquy allows the audience to hear Lady
Macbeth’s thoughts, revealing her to be even more
ambitious than her husband. She is willing to kill her
king in order to attain greater power without a second
thought.
Dialogue, - Lady Macbeth taunts her husband after he refuses to
characterisation go ahead with the plan to murder Duncan. She
manipulates him by suggesting that he is cowardly and
has betrayed her- he is not a man.

Exit Servant
Macbeth: “To be thus is nothing| But
to be safely thus. Our fears in
Banquo| Stick deep” (3.1.49-51)
Exits and entrances of Banquo’s ghost
(Act 3 scene 4)
Macbeth: “Thou canst not say I did it;
never shake| Thy gory locks at me!”
(3.4.50-51)
Malcolm: “This tyrant, whose sole
name blisters our tongues,| Was once
thought to be honest” (4.3.12-13)
Macduff: “Not in the legions| Of
horrid hell can come a devil more
damned| In evils to top Macbeth.”
(4.3.55-57)
Lady Macbeth: “Here’s the smell of
blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia
will not sweeten this little hand!”
(5.1.42-43)
- Lady Macbeth abuses her power as Macbeth’s wife
Stage directions, - The stage directions indicate that Macbeth’s servant
soliloquy exits, leaving Macbeth alone to think
- The soliloquy allows us to hear Macbeth as he thinks
aloud. Although he is King, and has attained the
highest position of power, he is now fearful that it will
be taken away. The impact of such power on Macbeth
is that it has made him paranoid, and turned him into
a tyrant who would murder his friend in order to
secure his position.
Staging, dialogue - The appearance of Banquo’s ghost emphasises that
Macbeth’s violent murder of his friend, committed in
order to maintain and secure power, has caused guilt
and paranoia in the King. Macbeth’s descent into
violence and madness is a consequence / impact of his
rise to power.
- In death, Banquo wields more power than in life.
Macbeth’s behaviour at the banquet arouses
suspicions about his role in Duncan’s murder in his
Thanes and can be seen as the beginning of his
downfall.
Characterisation - Malcolm highlights that while Macbeth is now a
brutal tyrant, maintaining his power through violence,
he used to be a trusted Thane to Duncan. Ambition
and power have corrupted a once good man.
Diction, - Macduff is saying that Macbeth is more evil than
Characterisation, even the devil. He has gone from being the worthy
Biblical allusions and noble Thane supporting his rightful King to
murdering God’s representative on Earth.
Monologue - Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking: she is literally trying
to wash her hands of the blood of Macbeth’s victims.
- Her guilt over her role in the murder of Duncan and
her husband’s descent into violent tyranny has sent
Lady Macbeth mad. Gaining and maintaining power/
abusing power has come at the cost of her sanity. She
later commits suicide, unable to deal with her guilt.