Clothing Imagery

Quotations (include citation): Significance:

“Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?”
Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 1
“Lest our old robes sit easier than our new.”
Macduff, Act 2 Scene 4
“Thy crown does sear my eyeballs”
Macbeth Act 4 Scene 1
“puts her nightgown upon her.”
Gentlewoman Act 5 Scene 1
“His title hangs loose about him, like a giant’s
robe upon a dwarfish thief.”
Macbeth has the title of Thane of Cawdor, but he
doesn’t realize it. He asks why he is addressed by
someone else’s title, not realizing that it is his
own.
Macduff is saying that Scotland was better off
with the old king (Duncan) than it will be with the
new king (Macbeth). This is foreshadowing
Macbeth’s tyranny.
Macbeth says this line when looking at a vision of
Banquo’s descendants. They wear a crown that
hurts Macbeth’s eyes, indicating that they are
true kings, and he is a false king, unworthy of the
crown.
The gentle woman says this when describing Lady
Macbeth’s sleepwalking ritual. The nightgown is
“upon” her like it weighs her down. This could
represent how her guilt is weighing her down.
Macbeth is not worthy of the “giant title of king.
He is described as a “thief” or phony.

Symbolism, final theme, and analysis:

Clothing represents duty. Not everyone is fit for every duty. When clothing is described as not fitting
or not comfortable, the speaker is indicating that someone is ill-suited for their duty. For example,
Angus describes Macbeth as a dwarf in a “giant’s robe,” implying that Macbeth is unfit for the duty of
king. The crown that Banquo’s descendants wear burns Macbeth’s eyes; again, showing that he is
unfit for the duty of king.

Darkness
Quotations (include citation): Significance:
“There’s husbandry in heaven; their candles are
all out.”
Banquo Act 2 Scene 1
“Approach the chamber, and destroy your sight Gorgon probably reffering to the ones back then
with a new Gorgon; do not bid me speak; see, where they were really ugly and scary, hes saying
and speak yourselves.” duncans body can destroy someones sight
Macduff Act 2 Scene 3
“Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black Hes saying his “deep desires” are so bad the stars
and deep desires.” shouldnt shine on them
Macbeth Act 1 Scene 4
“Fleance his son, that keeps him company, whose
absence is no less material to me than is his
father’s, must embrace the fate of that dark
hour.”
Macbeth Act 3 Scene 1
“By th’ clock ‘tis day, and yet dark night strangles
the travelling lamp.”
Ross Act 2 Scene 4
Symbolism, final theme, and analysis:
Darkness shines crime, and murder brings darkness in people

Sleep
Quotations (include citation): Significance:
“Rise form her bed, throw her night-gown upon The killing of banquo really scarred Lady Macbeth
her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, so now she freaks out all the time and she is
write upon’t, read it, afterwards seal it, and again sleep walking, and shes not able to sleep.
return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast
sleep.”
Gentlewoman Act 5 Scene 1
“A great perturbation in nature, to receive at Shes sleeping but is awake, having episodes and
once the benefit of sleep, and do the effects of reliving moments.
watching!”
Doctor Scene 5 Act 1
“Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep,” the innocent sleep,
sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care, the
death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath, balm
of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, chief
nourisher in life’s feast.”
Macbeth Act 2 Scene 2
“Shake off this downy sleep, death’s counterfeit, Death is not the same as sleep in anyway, sleep is
and look on death itself!” downy.
Macduff Act 2 Scene 3
“There’s one did laugh in’s sleep, and one cried Macbeth thought that even in their sleep, the
‘Murder!’” med could see his bloody, murderous hands that
killed King Duncan.
Symbolism, final theme, and analysis: After the murders Macbeth gets very paranoid and uses sleep
to feel better but lady macbeth cant sleep.

Blood
Quotations (include citation): Significance:
“I see thee still, and on thy blade and dudgeon Hes picturing his blood on his blade before he
gouts of blood, which was not so before.” even kills him
Macbeth Act 2 Scene 1
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the
green one red.”
Macbeth Scene 2 Act 2
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!—One: two: why,
then, ‘tis time to do’t,--Hell is murky!—Fie, my
lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we
fear who knows it, when none can call our power
to account?—Yet who would have thought the
old man to have had so much blood in him?”
Lady Macbeth Act 5 Scene 1
Macbeth is so shaken up by what he has done
that he doesn’t know what to do. He stares at his
bloody hands and says that no amount of water
in the world can clean his hands. He will simply
make the water turn red.
Lady Macbeth walks into the room rubbing her
hands together as if she is washing the blood off.
She then abruptly stops when she remembers
the time she rang a bell to summon Macbeth to
murder the King. She then says, “who would have
thought the old man to have had so much blood
in him?” because she can still see the blood that
is still on her hands, reminding her of the guilt
she had.

Symbolism, final theme, and analysis:

Blood shows guilt or anxiety. Killing leads to everyone freaking out cuz they are super guilty and feel
it.

Manhood
Quotations (include citation):
“Accursed be that tongue that tells me so, for it
hath cow’d my better part of man!”
Macbeth Act 5 Scene 8
“Let’s briefly put on manly readiness, and meet i’
the hall together”
Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3
“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!”
Lady Macbeth Act 1 Scene 5
Significance:
Earlier in the play, Macduff tells Macbeth that he
was not “of woman born.” To this, Macbeth
replies with that quote. Macbeth things that
being the “better part of man” is being
courageous.
He thinks his fashion sense is showing he is more
manly in a way
When saying “unsex”, she means to strip her of
all of her qualities that make her more woman
than man. And that she will be more manly

“there is Siward’s son, and many unrough youths Youth trying to prove their “Manhood” or that
that even now protest their first of manhood” they are men
Lennox Act 5 Scene 2
Final theme and analysis:
Being Manly and original. Lady macbeth thinks she is not lady like anymore because she killed
someone. Then Macbeth thinks hes manly in other outfits more than other.
 Paradox and Equivocation
Paradox Definition:
A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or
explained may prove to be well founded or true.
Equivocation Definition:
The use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; prevarication.
Quotations (include citation): Significance:
“the equivocation of the fiend that lies like truth. Someone tells Macbeth that he saw the Birnam
‘Fear not, till Birnam wood do come to woods move. This makes Macbeth worried
Dunsinane,’ and now a wood comes toward because if a tree goes up the hill then he will be
Dunsinane” defeated.
Macbeth Act 5 Scene 5
“armed Head” They are warning Macbeth to be aware of
The witches Act 4 Scene 1 Macduff. The armed head is Macduff in armor.
The armed head also refers to when Macduff cuts
off Macbeth’s head.
“Why, one that swears and lied.”
Lady Macduff Act 4 Scene 2

Final theme and analysis: