Struggling to remember Macbeth? Level up with these 18 easy to remember quotes.
1. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair:”
Act I, Scene i, Line 12
Readers are immediately introduced to a central theme of Macbeth, the idea that the world is in a state of disorder and unfairness. Shakespeare uses an oxymoron to show that good moral actions will be met with disaster, and evil actions will be rewarded.
2. “…thy nature;
It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way.” I, v, 16
Lady Macbeth suggests her husband is simply too nice of a person to achieve his high goals and ambitions in the quickest and easiest way: murder. The metaphor of ‘milk’ suggests his baby-like innocence, and could also indicate that he emotionally relies on his wife like a baby. She appears to be the more powerful of the two in the relationship.
3. “unsex me here…take my milk for gall…” I, v, 38
Lady Macbeth desires to be stripped of what she believes is her feminine weakness. She calls upon pagan spirits, which were believed to be devils and demons, to achieve this. In Macbeth, gender is important, and being masculine is linked to violence and power. That Lady Macbeth is shown to to abandon Christian beliefs for pagan ones tells us how desperate she is to achieve power. Macbeth, a man and a soldier, is more hesitant, showing his internal struggle. By resisting temptation, Macbeth is torn between Christian chivalry and pagan heresy. It is important to note that Lady Macbeth is unable to provide Macbeth with his much desired sons, potentially indicating that her femininity has been taken away, in for form of being unable to bear children. Hence, in a Faustian bargain, although she gained the Kingship for her family through her relentless ambition, she traded away her ability to produce an heir.
4. “Look like the innocent flower,
But be the serpent under ‘t.” I, v, 66
The serpent has long been a metaphor for betrayal and evil. This is linked to the story of Adam and Eve from the Bible, and shows clear parallels to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
5. “Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself
And falls on the other.” I, vii, 16
Macbeth worries that his only reason to commit regicide, the killing of a King, is his personal ambition. The metaphor of a person, or horse and rider, jumping over a hurdle too quickly and falling shows that Macbeth believes his ambition is dangerous and will lead to his downfall.
6. “…the babe that milks me:
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this.” I, vii, 54
Lady Macbeth attempts to convince her husband to stick to his promise to kill King Duncan by using an example of killing her own child. Lady Macbeth’s use of extremely violent imagery shows just how strongly she seeks to convince Macbeth to commit murder. While Macbeth is internally torn, she insults Macbeth’s masculinity and psychological state with emotionally charged arguments.
7. “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” I, vii, 81
Macbeth makes up his mind: he will kill King Duncan. The repetition of “false” strengthens the act of ultimate betrayal. Killing the King was seen as an act against God and divine order. Additionally, it creates an illusion, Macbeth is lying to others about his loyalty.
8. “Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee…”
II, i, 33
Macbeth’s mental state begins to slip. As he has decided to lie and betray others, his own vision and mind begin to betray him. He is tortured by the idea of a dagger, a symbol of betrayal, which he cannot fully grasp. This could suggest that part of him still does not want to commit this evil act. However, he desires to clutch the dagger and eventually uses it to kill Duncan, showing he himself chose evil even though it was out of his grasp.
9. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand?” II, ii, 61
Evoking the Roman god of Neptune, the lord of the sea, again may symbolise Macbeth’s disconnect from the Christian God, especially after he describes how he could not say “Amen”. Furthermore, the idea that all the water in the ocean cannot clean him from sin shows that at this point he does still feel guilt. The idea that his actions have made him, and Lady Macbeth unclean, is repeated in the play.
10. “…what’s done is done.” III, ii, 11
Macbeth’s attitude and behaviour has shifted at this point, he is more isolated, moody and willing to commit unjust violence. Lady Macbeth, seeing his deep changes, now seeks to reassure Macbeth that he cannot change the past, and to stop worrying. She believes Macbeth is worried about the past, when he is more worried about the future, showing that they are drifting apart. However, she herself has worries that their new found position of power is in danger, therefore her statement may be seen as her attempting to reassure herself. Macbeth is now the more powerful actor in their relationship.
11. “Thou canst not say I did it: never shake
Thy gory locks at me.” III, iv, 50
After ordering the death of his best friend Banquo and hearing of the failed assassination of Banquo’s son, Fleance, Macbeth’s guilt sends him into a descent into madness. He sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in his seat, the seat of the King, and believes it is the real body of Banquo. Macbeth is clearly stunned and scared of the bloody, bleeding ghost of Banquo, who he attempts to command, as a King would, but fails to be obeyed. That Macbeth attempts to deny any involvement in Banquo’s death again shows his guilt, but also a degree of cowardliness, as he cannot own up to his own actions. Perhaps Macbeth feels a degree of self-hatred already at this point. Again, the distinction between illusion and reality is seen, and it is unstated whether this is the true ghost of Banquo or simply a manifestation of Macbeth’s guilt.
12. “blood will have blood:… “
III, iv, 122
Macbeth decides that he must continue the killings and murders throughout Scotland in order to keep hold of power. He has become a full tyrant, and a villain. The fall from his earlier status of heroic nobility is clear. He reasons that he has committed so much evil as King, that is is easier to continue his killing-spree than it is to stop and repent. Macduff is next on his list.
13. “…laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth.” IV, i, 79
The weird sisters’ second apparition prophesies that Macbeth cannot be killed by anyone born of a woman. Macbeth believes this, although he remains afraid of Macduff as the earlier prophesy warned him to beware Macduff. Macbeth uses selective reasoning here, to simultaneously believe he is nearly immortal, but also that he needs to kill Macduff and his entire family. Shakespeare shows us here that Macbeth is not simply a victim of the weird sisters and their visions, but that he actively chooses to engage in wanton murder out of a combination of hubris and paranoia. This line does however foreshadows Macbeth’s eventual demise, showing the role of fate in Macbeth.
14. “Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell”. IV, iii, 22
Malcolm tests Macduff as he also fears betrayal. Malcolm puts himself and Macduff on the side of good and justice, the light side, as opposed to Macbeth, the dark side. His language is steeped in Christian mythology, and he makes the point that Lucifer, another name for the devil in Christianity, was the brightest and thus most good, angel before becoming evil. This can be linked to Macbeth’s behaviour, as he was also King Duncan’s most favoured subject and a hero before turning into a traitor. Furthermore Shakespeare uses Christian imagery to depict Malcolm as being the restoration of the correct order of society, opposed to Macbeth who is tied to paganism and witchcraft.
15. “Out, damned spot! out, I say!” V, i, 38
Lady Macbeth’s guilt over her role in the murder and increased isolation from her husband has driven her into sleepwalking. She is not able to peacefully rest, as the crimes she and her husband are complicit in haunt her. This shows that it is not only Macbeth who is cursed by an inability to sleep, but Lady Macbeth also. Another parallel is that no perfume can cover the scent of blood on her hands, just as no water can wash Macbeth’s of his crimes. Her attempts to put the past behind her and reassure herself have failed, as did her request of the evil spirits to take away any feelings of remorse she may have. Her disturbed mental state foreshadows her impending suicide. It is notable that Macbeth refuses to commit suicide later, as he believes it is an act that is beneath him.
16. “Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow…”
V, v, 17
Here we see Macbeth’s passion for life is all but extinguished. He longs for the end of his life, and of life in general, which he has reasoned is short and meaningless. He reaches this point after learning of the death of his wife, Lady Macbeth, which does little but further plunge him into a state of apathy. Macbeth’s increasing introspectiveness here emphasises his withdrawal from the world, and disassociation of the effect of his choices on the circumstances he finds himself in. The death he seeks however, appears to be a heroic one, in battle. This could be linked to the running theme of his desire to display masculinity.
17. “I bear a charmed life.” V, vii, 41
Macbeth’s hubris here is shown in his persistent belief in the weird sisters’ prophesy, that he is nearly immortal. His strong belief in it causes him to almost defeat Macduff. It is up to interpretation whether the prophesy is true or not, however, his words show the strength of his belief in the supernatural, and the effect on his fighting power. It also sets Macbeth up for his grand defeat.
18. “Macduff was from his mother’s womb
Untimely ripp’d.” V, vii, 44
The twist of fate for Macbeth is that Macduff was born via a caesarian section. Therefore, he is capable of harming Macbeth due to his unnatural birth. Macbeth’s belief in the prophesies is shattered, and he briefly refuses to fight, before being taunted into taking up arms again by Macduff, who is able to kill him. Shakespeare sets up this final twist of fate in order to finally complete Macbeth’s tragic downfall, ending in his death. The imagery used here evokes Macduff’s entire existence as being unique, a man with a special purpose. He is chosen by fate to defeat the evil of Macbeth and restore Scotland’s, and by extension England’s, throne to it’s rightful owner. Fate again plays a key part in Macbeth.
If you are studying Shakespeare and need a book of great quotations, Bartlett’s Shakespeare Quotations is a fantastic small book of memorable key quotes for all of Shakespeare’s plays.
Additionally, CliffsComplete Macbeth is the complete text, with plenty of information and activities that will help you understand Macbeth with ease.
Citations:
Bartlett, J., (2014). Bartlett’s Shakespeare Quotations. United States: Little, Brown and Company.
Morrow, C. (2000). CliffsComplete Macbeth. John Wiley & Sons.
