This section explains the key quotes in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare's Macbeth is a tragedy centred on ambition, power, guilt, and fate. Below are the key quotes from the play, along with explanations of their significance. These quotations are essential for understanding the play's themes, characters, and dramatic structure.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Act 1, Scene 1)
Speaker: The Witches
Context: The Witches chant this as they gather at the start of the play.
Significance: This paradox sets the tone for the entire play, suggesting that appearances can be deceiving and that the natural order will be subverted. It introduces the theme of moral confusion, where good becomes evil and vice versa.
“If you can look into the seeds of time, / And say which grain will grow and which will not” (Act 1, Scene 3)
Speaker: Banquo
Context: Banquo challenges the Witches to reveal his future after they have told Macbeth his prophecy.
Significance: Banquo is sceptical of the Witches, highlighting his more cautious nature compared to Macbeth’s immediate obsession with their predictions. It reflects the theme of fate versus free will.
“Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires” (Act 1, Scene 4)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: Macbeth, after hearing that Malcolm will be the next king, realises that he must act on his ambition to seize the crown.
Significance: This quote reveals Macbeth’s inner conflict as he acknowledges the evil nature of his desires. It marks the beginning of his descent into moral corruption.
“Look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t” (Act 1, Scene 5)
Speaker: Lady Macbeth
Context: Lady Macbeth advises Macbeth to appear kind and harmless to conceal his murderous intentions.
Significance: This line demonstrates Lady Macbeth’s manipulative nature and her role in encouraging Macbeth to commit regicide. It also underscores the theme of appearance versus reality.
“Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here” (Act 1, Scene 5)
Speaker: Lady Macbeth
Context: Lady Macbeth calls upon evil spirits to strip her of femininity and make her ruthless enough to carry out her plans.
Significance: This soliloquy reveals Lady Macbeth’s rejection of traditional gender roles, as she seeks to gain the strength to pursue power. It highlights the theme of ambition and the unnatural.
“Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?” (Act 2, Scene 1)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: Macbeth hallucinates a dagger leading him to Duncan’s chamber before he commits the murder.
Significance: This famous soliloquy symbolises Macbeth’s growing madness and moral turmoil. The dagger represents both temptation and fate, driving him towards the inevitable murder.
“I go, and it is done; the bell invites me” (Act 2, Scene 1)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: As Macbeth goes to murder King Duncan, the bell tolls, signalling the moment has come.
Significance: The bell symbolises both fate and death. Macbeth’s decision is final, and he surrenders to his dark ambition. It reflects his transition from hesitation to action.
“Methought I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! / Macbeth does murder sleep’” (Act 2, Scene 2)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: After killing Duncan, Macbeth hears an imaginary voice condemning him to sleeplessness.
Significance: This quote symbolises Macbeth’s guilt, which will haunt him for the rest of the play. Sleep, representing innocence and peace, is now forever lost to him, highlighting the psychological consequences of his crime.
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” (Act 2, Scene 2)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: After the murder, Macbeth is horrified by the blood on his hands, realising that nothing can cleanse him of the guilt.
Significance: Blood becomes a recurring symbol of guilt throughout the play. This line emphasises the permanence of Macbeth’s crime and the overwhelming sense of remorse.
“A little water clears us of this deed” (Act 2, Scene 2)
Speaker: Lady Macbeth
Context: After Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth reassures Macbeth that washing their hands will absolve them of guilt.
Significance: This contrasts with Macbeth’s view of guilt (see previous quote), showing Lady Macbeth’s initial coldness and practicality. However, this calm attitude will later break down as her own guilt consumes her.
“There’s daggers in men’s smiles” (Act 2, Scene 3)
Speaker: Donalbain
Context: After Duncan’s murder, Donalbain warns his brother Malcolm that they cannot trust anyone.
Significance: This line reflects the theme of deceit and betrayal, where those who seem friendly may harbour deadly intentions. It also foreshadows the ongoing treachery and danger in the play.
“Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown” (Act 3, Scene 1)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: Macbeth realises that even though he has become king, the Witches prophesied that Banquo’s descendants will inherit the throne, not his.
Significance: This line shows Macbeth’s frustration and growing paranoia. The image of a “fruitless crown” symbolises the futility of his efforts and his fear of losing power, leading him to plot further murders.
“O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!” (Act 3, Scene 2)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: Macbeth expresses his torment to Lady Macbeth, revealing that thoughts of Banquo and Fleance plague his mind.
Significance: This metaphor illustrates Macbeth’s inner turmoil and growing paranoia. His mental state deteriorates as he becomes consumed by fear and guilt.
“Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck” (Act 3, Scene 2)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth not to worry about his plans to kill Banquo and Fleance.
Significance: This marks a shift in their relationship. While earlier Lady Macbeth was the dominant planner, Macbeth now takes control, isolating himself from her and becoming more ruthless.
“Thou canst not say I did it: never shake / Thy gory locks at me” (Act 3, Scene 4)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: Macbeth speaks to Banquo’s ghost at the banquet, visibly disturbed by the vision.
Significance: This moment shows Macbeth’s increasing descent into madness. The ghost symbolises Macbeth’s guilt over Banquo’s murder, and his inability to escape the consequences of his actions.
“I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (Act 3, Scene 4)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: After Banquo’s ghost disappears, Macbeth acknowledges that he is too deeply involved in murder to turn back.
Significance: This metaphor of being “stepped in blood” reflects Macbeth’s awareness of his moral decline. He recognises that he is trapped in a cycle of violence and cannot escape.
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” (Act 5, Scene 1)
Speaker: Lady Macbeth
Context: Lady Macbeth, now sleepwalking, tries to wash imaginary bloodstains from her hands.
Significance: This line marks Lady Macbeth’s breakdown, as her suppressed guilt finally overwhelms her. The blood represents her complicity in Duncan’s murder and the psychological consequences of her ambition.
“All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” (Act 5, Scene 1)
Speaker: Lady Macbeth
Context: In the same sleepwalking scene, Lady Macbeth realises that no amount of cleansing or covering can rid her of the guilt.
Significance: This echoes Macbeth’s earlier reflection on guilt and blood (see quote 9). Lady Macbeth’s earlier confidence collapses, and she is consumed by the same guilt she dismissed after the murder.
“Out, out, brief candle!” (Act 5, Scene 5)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: After learning of Lady Macbeth’s death, Macbeth reflects on the brevity of life.
Significance: This metaphor compares life to a candle that can easily be extinguished. It conveys Macbeth’s despair and nihilism, as he realises that life, ambition, and power are ultimately meaningless.
“Lay on, Macduff, / And damned be him that first cries, ‘Hold, enough!’” (Act 5, Scene 8)
Speaker: Macbeth
Context: As Macbeth faces Macduff in their final battle, he chooses to fight to the death.
Significance: Despite knowing his fate, Macbeth fights with defiance. This shows his stubborn pride, even in the face of inevitable defeat, and marks the play’s climactic confrontation.
These key quotes from Macbeth provide a deep insight into the play’s themes of ambition, guilt, fate, and moral decay. They highlight the development of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, their psychological turmoil, and their ultimate downfall. Understanding these quotes is essential, as they illustrate Shakespeare’s use of language to explore human emotions and the consequences of unchecked ambition.
