Macbeth – Important Quotes

SPEAKER QUOTE EXPLANATION/ WHY QUOTE IMPORTANT

Act I
Scene i
Witches: ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair’ Witches are calling on evil to reverse the concept of good and bad – shows inability to
distinguish between right and wrong, introduces theme of moral confusion

Scene ii
Sergeant: ‘For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name’ Implies everyone admires Macbeth

'Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel/ Implies excessive eagerness for killing
which smok’d with bloody execution’

Sergeant: ‘he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps/,

And fix’d his head upon our battlements’ Shows us that Macbeth is capable of great violence, excessive violence

Duncan: ‘O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman! Tells us that Duncan is related to Macbeth and also shows us that D thinks Macbeth is brave
and worthy gentleman
Scene iii
Witch: ‘Though his bark cannot be lost,
Yet it shall be tempest-tost’ His ship cannot be lost it could be tossed around in a storm. This shows us that witches’
powers are limited, they cannot kill the sailor but can only torture him. They need an instrument
of death to help them wreak havoc, which is where Macbeth fits in.

Macbeth: ‘So foul and fair a day I have not seen’ First appearance of Macbeth, weather is bad but day has been good because the battle had
been won, Echoes the words of the witches and points to Macbeth’s identification with the evil
world of the witches.

Banquo: ‘Live you? Or are you aught/That man may question? Aware witches are unnatural

Witches: ‘All hail, Macbeth!hail to thee, Thane of Glamis’ Past - He is already Thane of Glamis
‘All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor’ Present-We know he is about to become Thane of Cawdor but Macbeth does not know
‘All, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter’ Future – they are saying he will be King – plants the seed of expectation in Macbeth

Banquo: ‘Why do you start, and seem to fear ,

Things that o sound so fair’ Banquo asks Macbeth why he is so afraid of the prophecies? Perhaps M immediately realizes
that for this to happen he will have to harm Duncan, he does not presume that Duncan will die
of natural causes
Witches: ‘Lesser than Macbeth, and greater’,
Not so happy, yet much happier’,
Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none
Macbeth: ‘why do you dress me in borrow’d robes?
Banquo: ‘But ‘tis strange:
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm.
The instruments of Darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s
In deepest consequence’
Macbeth: ‘Why do I yield to that suggestion
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair’
And make my seated hearth knock at my ribs
Against the use of nature?’ (I, iii)
Macbeth: ‘If chance will have me king, why chance may crown
Me, without a stir’
Scene iv
Malcom: Nothing in his life/Became him like the leaving it
Duncan: There’s no art/to find the mind’s construction in
the face:/
Duncan: ‘O worthiest cousin!....More is thy due that more
Than all can pay’
Duncan: I have begun to plant thee, and will labour/
To make thee full of growing. Noble Banquo
Witches prophesy to Banquo – means that you won’t be as important as M, won’t be a king you
will be greater than him because you will be a better person
You won’t be happy because you haven’t become king but you will be happier because it
suggests that when Macbeth becomes king it won’t bring him happiness
Your children or your children’s children will be kings but you won’t
Important quote because it introduces the idea of clothing imagery
Banquo warns M not to trust the witches, he believes they tell you things,
maybe true things to win you over to dark side, as soon as you have been told
these things they will betray you. They have told M he will be Thane of Cawdor but
they are trying to win him over to dark side with a promise he will be king
Macbeth imagines murdering Duncan, even the idea of killing Duncan makes
him feel horrific, makes his hair stand on end, makes his heart beat so fast it
hits off his ribs, killing Duncan would be committing the ultimate deed against nature.
(remember Duncan is God’s representative on earth, so if you harm him you are committing a
crime not just against Duncan and Kingdom but also a crime against God
Macbeth decides not to act, not to harm Duncan, he is going to wait and see if it is possible for
him to become king without doing anything. Maybe I can become king without having to
commit a crime
Scene starts with Malcolm (Duncan’s son) coming in to tell him that the old Thane of Cawdor
has been executed for high treason – betraying the king. Malcolm is full of admiration for way
in which old Thane of Cawdor remains dignified & restrained when facing death
Duncan doesn’t think you can judge man’s character simply by looking at this face, it is
possible be act like an honourable man but not be one in life
Way Duncan speaks to Macbeth, D feels he can never possibly repay everything
M has done for him i.e. by winning the battle against the rebel forces
Duncan then turns to address Banquo as Noble Banquo and he is impliying to
Banquo that he will also be rewarded for his troubles
Duncan: We will establish our estate upon our eldest, Malcolm
Macbeth: ‘This is a step/On which I must fall down, or else
O’er-leap,/For in my way it lies
Duncan: ‘Peerless kinsman’
Scene v
Macbeth; ‘My dearest partner of greatness’
L Macbeth: ‘ Yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full o’ the milk
Of human kindness’/To cath the nearest way, thou
Wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but
Without the illness should attend it’
Scene vi Notable for the dramatic irony, Duncan so trusting of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
Scene vii
Scene begins with Macbeth’s 3rd Soliloquy, he is contemplating killing Duncan & he starts to think about the consequences of his actions
Macbeth ‘this blow Might be the be-all and the end-all here…
…We’d jump the life to come’
Macbeth: ‘He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman
And his subject, strong both against the deed, then
As his host, who should against his murderer shut
The door, not bear the knife himself
Macbeth: ‘Besides, this Duncan hath borne his faculties so
Meek, hath been so clear in his great office, that
His virtues will plead like angels trumpet-tongu’d
Against the deep damnation of his taking-off’
Macbeth: ‘I have no spur to price the sides of my intent, but
Duncan announces who will be next king, this is highly significant because in shakespearean
times the king was free to name anybody he wanted, he could have offered throne to Macbeth
Macbeth’s response to the news that Malcolm will be next king. Malcolm is now an
obstacle, he must act in some way to become king or it is not going to happen for him.
Duncan describes Macbeth after he has left, there is nobody as loyal, good and brave as
Macbeth in Duncan’s mind
quote shows that she is dear to him, fact that the 1st thing M does is sit down and write a letter
to his wife after meeting witches shows he trusts & confides in her & that they are very close.
Also important he calls her partner, they seem to be equals in this relationship, usual in
shakespearean times. Third thing is he refers to her as ‘greatness’ shows she aspires to
greatness, both ambitious people
She is afraid that his natural state of being is that of kindness and that he is too full of
kindness to be ruthless. He wants to be great, he has ambition but he doesn’t have the
determination and willingness to commit evil deeds necessary
He is willing to risk not going to heaven (‘life to come’) if he can just do this deed
and get away with in the here and now but he knows there is strong element of justice on earth
as well as afterlife. He fears that ‘bloody instructions…. Return to plague the inventor’ he fears
if he does a dirty deed that deed will follow him & he will not escape consequences
M considers why it is wrong to harm Duncan, first I am related to him (his kinsman), 2nd I his
subject – he is my king I should obey him, 3rd I’m his host, I invited him to my home I
should shut the door against anyone who will harm him & not be the one to harm him
either. Macbeth has no problem distinguishing between right and wrong and he knows it is
wrong to kill Duncan
Macbeth offers a tribute to Duncan as a king, He says that D has used his powers both
his intelligence and influence as king, in a meek and gentle way, never abused his
position as king. ‘clear in his….office – honest. He imagines angels will play trumpets
against the terrible crime of killing this innocent man. Need to be aware of the divine rights of
kings i.e. the king is god’s rep on earth so if you commit crime against king you are commiting
crime against god
Macbeth admits his only motivation in committing this crime is his own selfish desire
 Only vaulting ambition’ to be king. Almost as if he knows his ambition will be his downfall

Macbeth: ‘we will proceed no further in this business’ He does not want to kill D, he has got lots of praise for his role in the battle against the rebels
and he wants to wear them in their ‘newest gloss not cast aside so soon’. This relates to
clothing imagery mentioned earlier in play (Why do you dress me in borrowed robes)

L Macbeth ‘From this time/Such I account thy love’ Her response, he accuses M of not really loving her, he has changed his mind about murdering
D, has he changed his mind about loving her?

L Macbeth ‘and live a coward in thine own esteem’ Then she says that for the rest of his life he will be filled with self loathing and disgust because
he wanted something and he didn’t have the courage to go and get it

Macbeth ‘I dare do all that may become a man/Who dares Macbeth replies by saying he does everything that any man would do in good
Do more is none’ conscience but if I do something evil then I stop being a real man.
L Macbeth ‘When you durst do it then you were a man She replies saying that when he dared to do this deed then he was behaving like a man
L Macbeth ‘I have given suck……dash’d the brains out, had Next thing she says is deeply shocking, she gives us image of mother breastfeed her
I sworn as you have done to this’ baby and dashing their brains out if she had promised to do it. Saying I would never break a
promise to you even if it meant doing something as unnatural as murdering my own child
Macbeth ‘If we should fail…’ Key moment at end of Act 1, because of the pressure put upon him by his wife and his own
desire to be king, his ambition and because of witches prophesy, All of these factors combined
plus the opportunity presenting itself (i.e. D arriving at his door) all of these factors cause him to
change his mind
Macbeth: ‘Bring forth man-children only;/ for thy undaunted M starts to admire the determination his wife has revealed, he knows it is unnatural for
Mettle should compose/ Nothing but males a woman. There is nothing vaguely female about the way you are behaving. From now on the
world only needs male children.
Macbeth: ‘False face must hide what the false heart doth know’ Final quote in this scene captures the theme of appearance v reality. Saw it early when L
Macbeth told her husband to look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it. Now her
husband admits that sometimes you have to act a certain way even though you are feeling
something else inside.
Here you can see two different attitudes towards murder, Lady M appears to be amoral, no
problem with it, just wants to achieve her ambition of becoming queen while he is very troubled.
He describes his heart as false, he is very self critical

ACT 2
Scene i
Short scene but lot of important quotes. Banquo appears with his son Fleance and he is very jumpy

Banquo: ‘There is husbandry in heaven/

their candles are all out Stars are not shinning
 ‘A heavy summons lies like lead upon me/
And yet I would not sleep
‘Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature/
Gives way to in repose
Macbeth: ‘If ou shall cleave to my consent, when ‘tis
It shall make honour for you’
Banquo: ‘So I lose none/In seeking to augment it’
He cannot sleep peacefully and yet he feels weird
Bad dreams are haunting him, we are not sure what he has been thinking about,
Presume it is witches prophesy which has been on his mind
M attempts to get B on side, he says if you stick with me then you will receive reward
I will only stick with you if I lose no honour. B is determined to ‘keep his bosom franchised and
his allegiance clear’ – means that he is determined to have clear conscience & remain loyal to
Duncan. It seems that B suspects M
Macbeth: ‘Is this a dagger which I see before me,/ He hallucinates a dagger, might be a sign of madness or sign of guilty conscience but
(Soliloquy 4) The handle toward my hand?... …/ he does admit he was heading that way anyway i.e. going to do this crime whether
Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going dagger appeared or not

‘Whilst I threat he lives:/Words to the heat of Macbeth realizes that actions speak louder than words, there is no point standing
Deeds too cold breath gives’ talking about the crime, he needs to go and do it. Your deeds need to be performed in the heat
of the moment, if you keep talking about them you will end up getting cold feet.

Scene ii
Lady Macbeth is in the castle and she has drugged the chamberlains who are supposed to be guarding Duncan in his sleep

L Macbeth: ‘that which hath made them drunk hath made me
L Macbeth: ‘It was the owl that shriek’d’
L Macbeth: ‘I am afraid they have awak’d/And ‘tis not done;
the attempt and not the deed/Confounds us. Hark!
I laid their daggers ready;/He could not miss them.
Had he not resembled my father as he slept I had
Done’t. My husband!
She has fed them full of drink and that made them drunk and they have passed
out, but it has made her more eager to carry out this crime
Nature imagery, also order in the great chain of being has been changed
She is afraid chamberlains have woken up,
She is terrified that they will be ruined if they have attempted to kill Duncan and failed
She has it all planned out but Macbeth is the one who has to carry out the deed
he didn’t have the courage to go through with the crime herself because Duncan
Sleeping reminded her of her own father. This is where we realize that L Macbeth
does all the talking but not able to carry out the crime

Macbeth: ‘I have done the deed’

Macbeth: ‘This is a sorry sight’ Macbeth’s regret is immediate, he didn’t want to do it now that its done he is
immediately sorry
Macbeth: ‘I could not say ’Amen’ When he heard men praying he couldn’t say Amen because he hadn’t clear conscience
L Macbeth: ‘These deeds must not be thought/ She is trying to console Macbeth
After these ways; so, it will make us mad’
Macbeth: ‘Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more!/ almost of if having committed this crime he feels he will never again be able
Macbeth does murder sleep’ to sleep soundly in his bed
L Macbeth: ‘Why did you bring these daggers from the place?’ L Macbeth realizes that M didn’t leave the murder weapon at the crime scene and she
…..smear the sleepy grooms with blood. tells him to go in and smear the sleeping chamberlains with blood

Macbeth: ‘I’ll go no more’ He refuses,

Macbeth has lost his ability to pray, he fears he will no longer be able to sleep and now his wife is fearing they will lose their sanity but when he refuses to go back and plant
the daggers on the chamberlains she insults him
L Macbeth: ‘Infirm of purpose!
Macbeth; ‘Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ He imagines if he had all the ocean would he be able to wash his hands clean from the
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather blood. He says no, rather there is so much blood on my hands that if I dipped them in
The multitudinous seas incarnadine…’ the ocean the entire ocean would be stained red. Sad admission that his conscience
will never again be clear
L Macbeth: ‘A little water clears us of this deed’ She disagrees, totally underestimates guilty conscience, convinced they will get away
with it, forget about it.
Macbeth: ‘To know my deed ‘twere best not know myself’ Now that I know what crime I have committed I would rather I did not know myself

Scene iii
Murder of Duncan is Discovered,

Porter: ‘If a man were porter of hell-gate he should

have old turning the key Scene begins with a knocking on the door, porter compares door of Macbeth’s castle to door of
hell

MAcduff: ‘Is the King stirring, worthy thane?’ Macduff & Lennox then enter and ask Macbeth where Duncan is? Heavy irony in that quote,
other irony is that they refer to Macbeth as ‘worthy’. May have felt he was worthy at beginning
of play but not so now.

Macbeth: ‘Twas a rough night’ Lennox goes on to describe the disorder in the natural world- the idea when something terrible
happens in the natural order of things, nature will respond, reflect disorder in the kingdom.
Macbeth’s response is ironic
Macbeth: ‘most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope the
Lord’s anointed temple’ Crime against God and broken the natural order of things

Macduff: ‘O gentle lady! ‘Tis not for you to hear what I can
speak’ Heavy dramatic irony thinking of her as gentle lady, he thinks if he tells her what has happened
she won’t be able to take it. We know she has been instrumental in the murder of Duncan so
ironic that someone afraid to tell her what has happened.
L Macbeth: ‘What! in our house? Her 1st reaction is that it’s a shame he died in our house as though the important thing is where
he died when actually its important that he is dead

Macbeth; ‘Had I but died an hour before this chance/ If I could rewind time, he is saying that up until the moment Duncan died the world was
I had liv’d a blessed time’ wonderful place. Double meaning we know that he is saying that he will never be free of the
guilt of the crime he has committed

Banquo ‘Let us meet and question this most bloody piece

of work/ To know it further Banquo not willing to accept the idea that groomsmen killed the king

Malcolm: ‘To show an unfelt sorrow is an office/ Malcolm knows there is something going on which is not being said
Which the false man does easy Easy to seem sad but actually could be delighted. He is suspicious of people. This quote
significant for theme of appearance v reality

Donalbain: ‘There’s daggers in men’s smiles: the near in

 Blood/ the nearer bloody the nearer you are as a blood relation to the king the more likely you are to have blood on your
hands. 2 implications, first M & D probably suspect Macbeth & 2nd they are closest to Duncan
and most likely to be suspected of the murder so for this reason they decide to leave. Their
behaviour suits Macbeth because Malcolm is heir to the throne, by leaving it will seem as if he
is guilty of the murder. Macbeth now free to claim throne for himself as he is next closest blood
relative
Scene IV

Discussion between Ross and an old man about all of the signs in nature that things are not as they should be

Ross: ‘by the clock ‘tis day/And yet dark night strangles
The travelling lamp’ It is unnaturally dark

Ross: ‘On Tuesday last, A falcon, towering in her pride

Of place/was by a mousing owl hawk’d at and kill’d very unusual for a falcon to be killed by an owl

Duncan’s hourses……turn’d wild in nature…

Tis said they eat each other’ They have turned into cannibals – very strange

Ross: Is’t known who did this more than bloody deed?
MAcduff: ‘Those that Macbeth hath slain’ Insinuating Macbeth had something to do with it.
Macduff: ‘They were suborn’d’ Macduff also suggests that they were bribed
Macduff; ‘No cousin, I’ll to Fife’ He is not going to coronation of the king, big insult to Macbeth. IT also suggests that Macduff
suspects Macbeth
MAcduff: ‘Adieu! Lest our old robes sit easier than our new’ He thinks the old ways suit them better, having Duncan as King, he is using clothing imagery to
express his unease