Mohan Nakka

Ms Harb

Period 6

Macbeth Themes and Symbols

Appearance vs. Reality

1. “I am settled and bend up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with

fairest show. False face must hide what the false heart doth know”

a. In this Quote, Macbeth is talking to himself about how he is going to have to kill Duncan.

When he says “False face must hide what the false heart doth know”, it means that he

needs to look like he is faithful, and hide what he knows about having to kill the

king/cousin

2. “ Bear welcome in your eye, Your hand, your tongue. Look like th’ innocent flower, But be the

serpent under ’t.”

a. In this Quote, Lady Macbeth is explaining to Macbeth the plan on how to trick Duncan. It

references that they will act nice like an innocent flower to gain their trust, and then be

like the snake under the flower and kill them.

3. “Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent

sleep, Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care, The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath,

Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, Chief nourisher in life’s feast.”

a. In this quote, Macbeth is talking to Lady Macbeth after he killed Duncan. Macbeth is

feeling guilt, because he had murdered innocent people in their most innocent form,
 sleeping. He says that he is hearing voices, which i think represent his guilt, inside his

head that arent happening.

Betrayal vs. Loyalty

1. “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who

should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself”

a. In this Quote, Macbeth is talking to himself about how he has to kill Duncan, He is

saying that the host should be the one to protect the guest, not to be the killer themselves.

He is feeling very guilty about what he has to do. This shows betrayal because Macbeth

has to kill the His cousin and best friend, the king

2. “To Ireland I. Our separated fortune Shall keep us both the safer. Where we are, There’s daggers

in men’s smiles. The near in blood, The nearer bloody.”

a. In this quote, Donalbain is talking to Malcolm about where they will go because their

father, the king, died. Donalbain says that they should stay separate because it would

keep them safe. He says that there are people that can’t be trusted when he says “There’s

daggers in men’s smiles.” This shows betrayal because someone had betrayed them and

killed their father

3. “The service and the loyalty I owe In doing it pays itself. Your Highness’ part Is to receive our

duties, and our duties Are to your throne and state children and servants, Which do but what they

should by doing everything Safe toward your love and honor”

a. In this quote, Macbeth is responding to Duncan who was thanking Macbeth for what he

did to help them in the war. Duncan says that he is in debt to Macbeth, but Macbeth says

that the loyalty in serving for the king pays for it himself. This shows loyalty, by showing

how Macbeth is very loyal to the kingdom.

Greed and Ambition

1. “. Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to

the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood. Stop up th’ access and passage to

remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace

between Th’ effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring

ministers, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick

night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,

Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry “Hold, hold!”

a. In this quote, Lady Macbeth is monologing about how she wants the “spirits” to get rid of

all her mortal feelings like kindness, and sympathy so that she can accomplish what she

wants. This shows greed because she is willing to sacrifice her emotions that make her

human, for power.

2. “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature; It is

too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, Art not

without ambition, but without The illness should attend it.”

a. In this quote, Lady Macbeth reveals her ambitions to make macbeth become the King of

their Kingdom, Cawdor, earlier. Whe is talking about how Macbeth lacks the greed for

power which she says is necessary for any ruler.

3. “I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself

And falls on th’ other— “

a. In this quote, macbeth is doing a monologue about how he feels guilty that he has to kill

Duncan, and that he doesnt want to. He says that he has no motivation left to do this,

except for his ambition to be the king.

Birds in General
 1. “Duncan: Dismayed not this our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?

Captain: Yes, as sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.”

a. In this Quote, Duncan adn the captain are talking about the future of the nations. Duncan

asks if Macbeth and Banquo are Scared of the new threat of norwegian attack. The

captain responds by comparing Macbeth and Banquo being scared of the attack to Eagles

being scared of sparrows.

2. “. The raven himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements.”

a. In this quote, Lady Macbeth is doing a monologue about her plan on killing Duncan. The

raven in this sentence symbolizes death, and it is showing the raven croaking hoarsely as

Duncan’s death comes nearer.

3. “Hark!—Peace. It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman, Which gives the stern’st

good-night.”

a. In this quote, Lady Macbeth hears an owl shriek and is scared. She realizes that it was an

owl and said that it was a good omen. An owl symbolizes imminent death, and the fact

that this was happening on the day that Lady Macbeth was planning on killing Duncan is

a good sign for her.

Blood

1. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? “

a. In this quote, Macbeth is talking to himself and feeling guilty after he killed Duncan. He

is saying that water may physically clean his hands of blood, but no amount of water can

clear his mind from the guilt

2. “Make thick my blood. Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious

visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between Th’ effect and it.”
 a. In this section, Lady Macbeth is asking the spirits to take emotion from her so that she

does not feel remorse or guilt from killing duncan. She is telling them to make her blood

thick so it will not be able to make her feel remorse

3. “Why did you bring these daggers from the place? They must lie there. Go, carry them and smear

The sleepy grooms with blood.”

a. In this quote, Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth to smear the blood from the daggers onto

the sleeping guards. The blood in this symbolises suspicion, and by putting it on someone

else, you are immediately cleared

Animals

1. “Your hand, your tongue. Look like th’ innocent flower, But be the serpent under ’t. ”

a. In this quote, Lady Macbeth is explaining how they are going to trick Duncan. Then she

compares them to a snake under a flower, acting nice to draw them in and then killing

them.

2. ““Duncan: Dismayed not this our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?

Captain: Yes, as sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.”

a. In this Quote, Duncan and the captain are talking about the future of the nations. Duncan

asks if Macbeth and Banquo are Scared of the new threat of norwegian attack. The

captain responds by comparing Macbeth and Banquo being scared of the attack to a lion

being scared of a hare.

3. “The raven himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements.”

a. In this quote, Lady Macbeth is doing a monologue about her plan on killing Duncan. The

raven in this sentence symbolizes death, and it is showing the raven croaking hoarsely as

Duncan’s death comes nearer.

Light vs. Darkness

1. “Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the

wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry “Hold, hold!” ”

a. In this Quote, Lady macbeth is asking the spirits for a dark night to come so that she wont

have to see what she does. This shows how darkness is being used by Lady Macbeth.

2. “.Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires. The eye wink at the hand, yet

let that be Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. “

a. In this case, Macbeth is having an internal conflict with his conscience and his desires.

His conscience is represented as stars that show light, and his desires to kill Duncan is

shown as black and dark.

3. “ By th’ clock ’tis day, And yet dark night strangles the traveling lamp. Is ’t night’s predominance

or the day’s shame That darkness does the face of earth entomb When living light should kiss it? “

a. In this quote it is talking about how after duncan’s death, things have been happening that

are unnatural and strange. He explains it as though the night or dark has taken over.

Sleep

1. “Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent

sleep, Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care, The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath,

Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, Chief nourisher in life’s feast.”

a. In this quote macbeth is talking about the voice he heard after killing the sleeping king

and guards. The voices are saying that sleep symbolises the most innocent form of man

and that Macbeth is killing them.

2. “Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more.”

 a. In this quote, Macbeth is saying that the voices said that macbeth shall sleep no more.

Sleep symbolises innocence, so the voice is saying that macbeth may not be innocent

anymore after what he did, and that he will feel guilt.

3. “. The sleeping and the dead Are but as pictures. ’Tis the eye of childhood That fears a painted

devil. If he do bleed, I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal, For it must seem their guilt”

a. In this quote, Lady Macbeth is explaining to Macbeth that sleeping and dead people cant

hurt him, because Macbeth did not want to see the people he killed. She is saying that it is

childish to be afraid like he is