“what appears good may be bad.” | -witches-theme: appearances vs. reality |
Scene 1 & 2 motif | blood |
Malcolm | -almost captured by the enemy -inexperienced soldier-gives a competent report |
Macdonwald | killed by Macbeth |
Thane of Cawdor | captured by Macbeth |
Foreign War | -Macbeth captures Sweno of Norway-ransoms bodies for money |
Anachronism | something out of place in time-dollars & cannons |
Scene 3 motif | sleeplessness & repetition of “3” & clothing |
“So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” | -Macbeth-meaning: victory is fair, weather is foul-significance: Macbeth’s first words connect him w/ keynote |
Witches prophecies for Macbeth | -Thane of Glamis-Thane of Cawdor-King Hereafter |
Banquo’s prophecy | he shall be the father of Kings |
Banquo’s reaction to Witches | warns Macbeth; tell us good things to make us do bad thinhs |
Macbeth’s reaction to Witches | startled bc he’s already thought about becoming king, but hasn’t told anyone; wants to hear more |
“Function is smothered in surmise” | -speaker: Macbeth-meaning: unable to act on thoughts -significance: character weakness |
“nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it.” | -Malcolm-meaning: thane of C died a noble death, confessed and asked for forgiveness-significance: level headed, competent, and capable |
“There’s no art / to find the mind’s construction in the face.” | -Duncan -meaning: a persons face does not always reveal the truth of his thoughts -significance: character weakness; poor judge of character |
“He was a gentleman on whom I built / An absolute trust.” | -Duncan |
Scene 4 motif | darkness |
Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy | -reveals the characters thoughts-only the audience hears |
“Yet I do fear thy nature: / It is too full of the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way.” | -Lady Macbeth-meaning: thinks Macbeth is too kind & noble to kill for the crown -significance: knows her husband is ambitious but not cruel/evil |
-“Come you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts…”-“Look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under ‘t.”-“Leave all the rest to me.” | -Lady Macbeth -meaning: put on your disguise; hide your thoughts -significance: keynote |
Scene 6 | dramatic irony |
Macbeth’s soliloquy | -shows character weakness -hesitates to kill Duncan bc •kinsman and subject •host•people would demand revenge |
Macbeth’s “vaulting ambition” | -tragic flaw-will lead to his demise |
Plans to murder Duncan | -get guards drunk-stab Duncan with daggers-blame the guards |
“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” | -Macbeth -significance: keynote |
Macbeth Act 1
August 26, 2019