Scene 1:
- ‘Out, damned spot! Out I say!...Hell is murky!’ – Lady Macbeth is ridden with guilt and has shown to have driven her to insanity. ‘Hell is murky’ could portray that she knows where she is going after being responsible for so much blood-shed.
- This is unexpected, as before Lady Macbeth was shown to be masculine and showed little compassion for anyone. Possibly showing she was not as strong as she first was presented.
- Her words are ironic after previously telling Macbeth that ‘a little water clears us of this deed.’ This links to the first murder, could she be replaying Duncan’s death again?
Scene 2:
- ‘Some say he’s mad. Others, that lesser hate him, Do cal it valiant fury; but for certain He cannot buckle his distempered cause Within the belt of rule.’ Cathness depicts Macbeth as the opposite of how he was described when we first met him.
Scene 3:
- ‘Cream-faced loon!’ – Anger, or is Macbeth trying to hide his fear for what he knows is about to happen?
- This adds to the role reversal between him and Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth was firstly the strong one, but she is no longer fearless; Macbeth showed trepidation at first, now he is showing courage. This fluctuation possibly could show that they are two sides of one character, almost similar to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
- Macbeth talks of purging – ‘find her disease and purge it to a sound and pristine health.’ He knows he is going to die, so is he trying to cleanse his soul to stop himself going to hell?
Scene 4:
- ‘The time approaches that will with due decision make us know What we shall say we have, and what we owe.’ Seyward shows bravery and courage – imitating what all the other soldiers are feeling. Show determination to kill Macbeth – they know what he has done and they will stop at nothing to see him punished; dead.
Scene 5:
- ‘I have almost forgot the taste of fears.’ Macbeth also shows determination. He is not doing down without a fight.
- ‘Life’s but a walking shadow’ – after hearing Lady Macbeth is dead, Macbeth almost shows that she is still in his presence – part of the 2 people in 1 body argument that has continued throughout the play. Implies how heavily he relies on her. Or, an alternative view is that nothing matters to him anymore, life is not important without his wife. Could be argued this is his epiphany – the murders leading up to something, but realised he is the same situation.
- ‘Brief candle’ – as quickly as life begins, it ends, just like when you light and blow out a candle. To Macbeth, life is momentary and he wants to ‘go out with a bang.’
- ‘Signifying nothing.’ Macbeth is very nihilistic, as he realises he means nothing to anyone, and no one means anything to him. This relates to the riddles of the play – Shakespeare now tells us that they meant nothing either.
- ‘Ring the alarum bell!’ Macbeth knows he will die, relates to the porter scene – his words have come true.
- ‘Not flying hence, not tarrying here. I ‘gin to be aweary of the sun’. Possible reference to Greek mythology – Icarus. Showing Macbeth’s downfall from playing with fire. This is a true Gothic element of conservatism – do not want people breaking rules. Macbeth did and he has finally realised that the witches did not influence him as much as he first believed. He cannot blame them anymore as he now knows he is the one with blood on his hands.
- Shows obvious Christian elements – temptation and the fall of man.
- We see a different side to Macbeth, and is this because Lady Macbeth, and her power of persuasion, are not present? He shows courage when he says ‘we’ll die with harness on our back’, however, would he have done the same if she was alive with him. Would she have persuaded him to take a cowards way out and not let him face the consequences of their actions?
Scene 6:
- ‘Abhorred tyrant’, ‘dead butcher and his fiend-like queen’. Descriptions of Macbeth and his wife not just by the speaker, but agreed by everyone, including the audience. Young Seyward and Malcolm are voicing many view points; it is not just them who think it. Shows how alone Macbeth and his wife were. Does this create sympathy, or were their crimes to treacherous to ever forgive?
Scene 1:
- ‘Round about the cauldron go; In the poisoned entrails throw’ ‘Double, double, toil and trouble.’ – is this Shakespeare trying to reiterate to the audience that the witches are still ever present, and powerful? They are casting a spell of some kind – is this presented towards Macbeth again?
- ‘Beware Macduff’. This is the only ‘clue’ the witches give to Macbeth, but immediately he will ‘make assurance double sure, And take a bond of fate.’ – he vows to kill Macduff. The witches do not give Macbeth a reason, but he jumps straight to conclusions which shows either how much he trusts the witches, or how much of a hold they have over him; or a mixture of both.
- An obvious difference with this scene between the plans to kill Duncan is that Lady Macbeth is not present. She played an extreme role in persuading Macbeth to kill Duncan after hearing the witches’ prophecy, however, now, Macbeth has taken it upon himself. This shows he is more self-assured than originally thought. However, it could be argued it is due to the deterioration of his mind.
- This is further developed through the speed of the scene. The speed of carrying out and deciding to carry out the deeds is significantly faster than making the decision to kill Duncan. This is also portraying Macbeth’s downfall and his sanity declining.
Scene 2:
- The killing of Lady Macduff and her children can be portrayed in some interpretation as very shocking and horrifying to watch – perhaps to reiterate the horror of Macbeth’s deeds.
- ‘I have done no harm’ – Lady Macduff shows innocence, which adds to the shock and emotion of the scene.
Scene 3:
- ‘Tis called the Evil – A most miraculous work in this good king…he solicits heaven…pitiful to the eye…sundry blessings.’ – Malcolm compares King of England to Macbeth – he is every Macbeth is not.
- Ross first says that Macduff’s wife and children are ‘why, well’. He avoids telling Macduff straight away perhaps because it is a terrible message to bring. Shakespeare shows evidence of human nature here. Ross then pulls himself together and tells him.
- ‘Sinful Macduff’ – Macduff blames himself for the murders. It is important that the audience see Macduff’s reaction as it makes the revenge more prominent. It is the first time we see the consequences of a murder, which is heart-hitting. Enforces moral stance by the audience. Macduff now has personal reasons to overthrow the King.
- We are caused to question whether Macduff’s reaction or the murder is more important. Obviously this depends on interpretation, but Macduff’s reaction puts a human element into the play and detracts it from just mindless murder. His guilt adds another dimension. However, the killing of an innocent woman and her children takes Macbeth’s murders to a new level – he had no reason himself to kill him and only went on the words of ‘Beware Macduff’. This is a chilling outcome to another of the witches’ prophecies.
Scene 1:
- ‘Thou playedst most foully for’t’ … ‘But hush! No more!’ Banquo shows he is suspicious of the King, but knows to be quiet.
- ‘Our fears in Banquo stick deep’, ‘My genius is rebuked.’ – Macbeth shows he fears Banquo knows of his deeds and is possible contemplating how to ‘solve this’; to kill him.
- This is emphasised as the witches’ prophesised that Banquo’s children will become King – Macbeth now fears that someone will kill him.
- ‘Come fate into the list…’ Macbeth calls on the witches to change Banquo’s prophecy. Is this because he dreads having to kill again?
- ‘Barren scepter’ could also connotate a fruitless crown. Is this a reference that Macbeth cannot have children. Lady Macbeth has possible mentioned she once had children as she has ‘given suck’. A scepter is also a phallic object which relates to Macbeth’s masculinity – is he trying to prove something to anyone, or just to himself? This adds to his dear of losing his crown, and therefore his status.
- Macbeth speaks to the murderers as he cannot, or will not kill Banquo himself. Is this cowardly? Also this could make Macbeth an even worse character as he cannot do it himself and pays two citizens to do the deed. Talking to the murderers also convinces him, as if he is trying to justify it.
Scene 2:
- Lady Macbeth speaks in rhyming couplets – just like the witches, which is poetic and charming.
- ‘Destroy ‘destruction dwell’ ‘doubtful’ – alliteration, which emphasises Lady Macbeth’s power of speech.
- ‘O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!’ – Macbeth shows evidence and imagery of a tortured mind as he seems to speak of being in pain. Normally this would cause the audience to sympathise, but because of Macbeth’s deeds, we cannot.
Scene 3:
- We see Banquo’s murder on stage, unlike Duncan’s, which shows the haste and lack of planning it had compared to the first murder. This portrays the mess and drastic measures Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have to go to now, and it will not stop here.
- ‘Tis he.’ ‘Stand to’t’. The scene is very fast and this is shown through the short dialogue between the two murderers. Creates panic and tension – what Macbeth and his wife are feeling?
Scene 4:
- Just like Macbeth’s dagger soliloquy, this scene relies heavily on interpretation with regard to if the audience see Banquo’s ghost or not. It could be decided that the dagger cannot be seen, yet Banquo’s ghost can be seen, subtly showing the downfall of Macbeth’s state of mind.
- ‘My Lord is often thus, and hath been from his youth’ – Lady Macbeth shows herself again as a convincing actor. She also shows her incredible power of persuasion, not only with Macbeth, but with others too.
- ‘Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold.’ Macbeth is showing how he is reddened with guilt. Questionable whether he is talking about Banquo’s dead body, or himself, as he is shown to be so heartless, he could be described as ‘cold-blooded’.
Scene 5:
- Evidence of the supernatural, again in ‘thunder and lightning’.
- The three witches are told off by Hecat for ‘trade[ing] and traffic[ing] with Macbeth and being ‘spiteful and wrathful’. Shows to the audience that their meddling with Macbeth was just a game. Shocking as Macbeth took their words so seriously, therefore making all the murders in the play almost worthless as Macbeth was purely a chess piece in their fun.
