Macbeth Quotes that I Used:
'to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths'
Banquo was the ancestor of King James - Shakespeare gives Banquo moral certainty to
assure King James of his rightful kingship
Shakespeare is also convincing nobles of King James' rightfulness and gloriousness
Banquo is the moral antithesis of Macbeth - Shakespeare is demonstrating how one should
react to evil, even if seductive, as Banquo acts with scepticism
Audience perceptions: many of the Jacobean audience would react similarly to Banquo, but
perhaps some react like Macbeth - believing James was not rightful, and therefore the
palace should seek a replacement to assume the throne
'instruments' - maybe supernatural forces in Macbeth are controlled by a larger power
'Macduff was…untimely ripped'
‘Ripped’ - harsh and abrupt plosive sounds when spoken aloud, mirroring the visceral
manner in which Macduff is forcibly removed. It cuts through the rhythm of the line, jolting
the audience in a mirroring way that the revelation shocks Macbeth
The monosyllabic verb collapses the rhythm of the iambic pentameter, reflecting the chaos
of the unnatural birth and aligning with the play's theme of disorder
The passive construction distances Macbeth from agency in his birth, reinforcing the idea
that he is an instrument of fate or divine will to bring about Macbeth’s downfall
This moment acts as a climactic fulcrum, fulfilling the prophecy in a subversive manner and
restoring cosmic order
It undercuts the witches’ equivocation and reintroduces the theme of unnaturalness - similar
to Macbeth’s unnatural rise, so too is the method of Macduff’s birth, yet his is restorative
rather than destructive
'secret, black and midnight hags'
Women want to manipulate men in the play
'broke ope, the lord's anointed temple'
Macduff reacts to Duncan’s death with long, hyperbolical speech, drawing upon religious
language
Reference to Duncan’s body as a ‘temple’
Duncan’s reign was holy and divinely ordained by God; his murder is a crime and an
unforgivable sin against God
‘Temple’ suggests that it was once a place of holiness and reverence
Juxtaposition of sacred imagery with a violent verb ‘broke ope’ shows Macbeth defiling the
sacred
'to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths'
Banquo was the ancestor of King James - Shakespeare gives Banquo moral certainty to
assure King James of his rightful kingship
Shakespeare is also convincing nobles of King James' rightfulness and gloriousness
Banquo is the moral antithesis of Macbeth - Shakespeare is demonstrating how one should
react to evil, even if seductive, as Banquo acts with scepticism
Audience perceptions: many of the Jacobean audience would react similarly to Banquo, but
perhaps some react like Macbeth - believing James was not rightful, and therefore the
palace should seek a replacement to assume the throne
'instruments' - maybe supernatural forces in Macbeth are controlled by a larger power
'Macduff was…untimely ripped'
‘Ripped’ - harsh and abrupt plosive sounds when spoken aloud, mirroring the visceral
manner in which Macduff is forcibly removed. It cuts through the rhythm of the line, jolting
the audience in a mirroring way that the revelation shocks Macbeth
The monosyllabic verb collapses the rhythm of the iambic pentameter, reflecting the chaos
of the unnatural birth and aligning with the play's theme of disorder
The passive construction distances Macbeth from agency in his birth, reinforcing the idea
that he is an instrument of fate or divine will to bring about Macbeth’s downfall
This moment acts as a climactic fulcrum, fulfilling the prophecy in a subversive manner and
restoring cosmic order
It undercuts the witches’ equivocation and reintroduces the theme of unnaturalness - similar
to Macbeth’s unnatural rise, so too is the method of Macduff’s birth, yet his is restorative
rather than destructive
'secret, black and midnight hags'
Women want to manipulate men in the play
'broke ope, the lord's anointed temple'
Macduff reacts to Duncan’s death with long, hyperbolical speech, drawing upon religious
language
Reference to Duncan’s body as a ‘temple’
Duncan’s reign was holy and divinely ordained by God; his murder is a crime and an
unforgivable sin against God
‘Temple’ suggests that it was once a place of holiness and reverence
Juxtaposition of sacred imagery with a violent verb ‘broke ope’ shows Macbeth defiling the
sacred
