Macbeth – Key Quotes and Analysis
Act 1, scene 1
“Fair is foul and foul is fair
Hover through the fog and filthy air” (3 witches)
This demonstrates the effect the witches will have on Macbeth’s actions
throughout the play. Example – they tell him he will be king, but don’t
tell him he will kill to achieve this. (He thinks the news is “fair” (good)
but it has a “foul” (evil) effect on him). They tell him no man born of
woman can kill him, but also tell him to “Beware Macduff”. The effect of
this warning is to lead him to kill Macduff’s family, which gives Macduff
a motive to kill Macbeth. Filthy conveys their corrupting influence; fog
that they hide the truth from Macbeth. They hover illustrating that their
influence permeates the actions of both Macbeth and his wife even when
they are not present.
Act 1, scene 2
“For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)
Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution.” (Captain in Duncan’s army)
The adjective “brave”, underlined by the parenthesis, emphasising to
what extent Macbeth’s actions illustrate this quality, conveys the extent
of Macbeth’s physical courage while fighting for Duncan. At the start he
is loyal and respected by fellow soldiers as well as king. He throws this
away later and becomes a traitor due to his fatal flaw of ambition, fuelled
by the witches’ prophecies. The extent of his almost superhuman physical
strength is made clear by the image of the sword “smoking” with the hot
blood of its many victims, enemies of the king, and blood at this point is
symbolic of bravery, not guilt as it will become later.
Act 1, Scene 3
“All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor” (second witch)
“All hail, Macbeth – that shalt be king hereafter!” (third witch)
Macbeth is firstly told he will be Thane of Cawdor and then that he will
be king. When he is given the title thane of Cawdor shortly afterwards
this convinces him that he will be declared king. The previous Thane of
Cawdor was a traitor and was executed for his treason – this foreshadows
Macbeth’s own fate.
, “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion,
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair,
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs
Against the use of nature?” (Macbeth speaking his thoughts after
witches predictions)
The “If” indicates the internal conflict within Macbeth. His words show
that he is already imagining killing Duncan to become king even before
his wife persuades him to do so. Macbeth surrenders (yields) to the image
of murdering Duncan despite knowing it is evil (“against the use of
nature”). This shows his conscience will eventually be overcome by his
ambition. From the moment of the witches’ prophecies he has been
corrupted by his ambition.
Act 1, Scene 4
“The prince of Cumberland! – That is a step
On which I must fall down or else o’er leap,
For in my way it lies.” (Macbeth after finding out Duncan has declared
Malcolm to be next king)
Shakespeare employs a metaphor in which Macbeth views Malcolm as an
obstacle to be overcome (o’erleap). He already sees himself as on a
journey towards becoming king and he is becoming increasingly ruthless
in overcoming anyone who stands in his way. This leads to his eventual
acceptance of his wife’s plan to kill Duncan, blame the guards and frame
Malcolm to remove him as a potential future king.
Act 1, scene 5
“My dearest partner of greatness” (Macbeth in letter to his wife telling
of witches predictions)
This shows the closeness of couple at start of the play. He sees her as an
equal (partner), loves her (my dearest), wants her to share his ambitions
(greatness). This is important as she will use his trust in her to manipulate
him into overcoming his conscience to kill Duncan; ironically this will
destroy their relationship.
“It (his nature) is too full o’ the milk of human kindness to catch the
nearest way.” (Lady Macbeth about her husband)
She sees “the milk of human kindness” as a fault, not a strength. She sees
what is “fair” (kindness) as “foul”. She vows to make him overcome his
kindness and kill Duncan to become king quickly – “the nearest way”.
Act 1, scene 1
“Fair is foul and foul is fair
Hover through the fog and filthy air” (3 witches)
This demonstrates the effect the witches will have on Macbeth’s actions
throughout the play. Example – they tell him he will be king, but don’t
tell him he will kill to achieve this. (He thinks the news is “fair” (good)
but it has a “foul” (evil) effect on him). They tell him no man born of
woman can kill him, but also tell him to “Beware Macduff”. The effect of
this warning is to lead him to kill Macduff’s family, which gives Macduff
a motive to kill Macbeth. Filthy conveys their corrupting influence; fog
that they hide the truth from Macbeth. They hover illustrating that their
influence permeates the actions of both Macbeth and his wife even when
they are not present.
Act 1, scene 2
“For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)
Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution.” (Captain in Duncan’s army)
The adjective “brave”, underlined by the parenthesis, emphasising to
what extent Macbeth’s actions illustrate this quality, conveys the extent
of Macbeth’s physical courage while fighting for Duncan. At the start he
is loyal and respected by fellow soldiers as well as king. He throws this
away later and becomes a traitor due to his fatal flaw of ambition, fuelled
by the witches’ prophecies. The extent of his almost superhuman physical
strength is made clear by the image of the sword “smoking” with the hot
blood of its many victims, enemies of the king, and blood at this point is
symbolic of bravery, not guilt as it will become later.
Act 1, Scene 3
“All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor” (second witch)
“All hail, Macbeth – that shalt be king hereafter!” (third witch)
Macbeth is firstly told he will be Thane of Cawdor and then that he will
be king. When he is given the title thane of Cawdor shortly afterwards
this convinces him that he will be declared king. The previous Thane of
Cawdor was a traitor and was executed for his treason – this foreshadows
Macbeth’s own fate.
, “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion,
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair,
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs
Against the use of nature?” (Macbeth speaking his thoughts after
witches predictions)
The “If” indicates the internal conflict within Macbeth. His words show
that he is already imagining killing Duncan to become king even before
his wife persuades him to do so. Macbeth surrenders (yields) to the image
of murdering Duncan despite knowing it is evil (“against the use of
nature”). This shows his conscience will eventually be overcome by his
ambition. From the moment of the witches’ prophecies he has been
corrupted by his ambition.
Act 1, Scene 4
“The prince of Cumberland! – That is a step
On which I must fall down or else o’er leap,
For in my way it lies.” (Macbeth after finding out Duncan has declared
Malcolm to be next king)
Shakespeare employs a metaphor in which Macbeth views Malcolm as an
obstacle to be overcome (o’erleap). He already sees himself as on a
journey towards becoming king and he is becoming increasingly ruthless
in overcoming anyone who stands in his way. This leads to his eventual
acceptance of his wife’s plan to kill Duncan, blame the guards and frame
Malcolm to remove him as a potential future king.
Act 1, scene 5
“My dearest partner of greatness” (Macbeth in letter to his wife telling
of witches predictions)
This shows the closeness of couple at start of the play. He sees her as an
equal (partner), loves her (my dearest), wants her to share his ambitions
(greatness). This is important as she will use his trust in her to manipulate
him into overcoming his conscience to kill Duncan; ironically this will
destroy their relationship.
“It (his nature) is too full o’ the milk of human kindness to catch the
nearest way.” (Lady Macbeth about her husband)
She sees “the milk of human kindness” as a fault, not a strength. She sees
what is “fair” (kindness) as “foul”. She vows to make him overcome his
kindness and kill Duncan to become king quickly – “the nearest way”.
