MacBeth Quotes? Exam Help?

[Johnny Five]

hi.

I am doing an english exam tommorow and I need to write two essays.

One on Dulce Et Decorum Est, and the other on MacBeth.

I won't have trouble with Dulce.

I need 7 or 8 important quotes from macbeth and what they mean.

Can anyone help me?

You will get rep for any help.

[Dinosawesome]

Ambition and Betrayal. Macbeth's tragic flaw is likely his own ambition, which leads him to betray King Duncan and, later, murder his friend Banquo. He becomes Thane of Cawdor only after the previous thane rebels against the king; Macbeth thus continues a tradition of betrayal among those in power. The play dwells on ambition's ability to be a morally corrupting agent. It has the same effect on Lady Macbeth, whose sins drive her to madness and suicide.
Visions. There are several hallucinations in the play. In Act 2 Scene 1, Macbeth sees a bloody dagger floating in the air, pointing to King Duncan’s resting chamber, perhaps encouraging his upcoming deed. In Act 5 Scene 1 Lady Macbeth hallucinates that her hands are covered in blood, despite her obsessive washing. Macbeth also sees the ghost of Banquo at the royal banquet. The precise meaning and origins of these visions is ambiguous. They could possibly be conjured by the three witches, who are actively involved in the play's events. Or they could be simple products of madness, reinforcing the play's thesis that betrayal is corrupting in the mind. (The ghost, at least, would not be unusual to see in a Shakespeare play that already involves the supernatural.)
Blood and bloodshed. Macbeth is one of the bloodiest of Shakespeare's plays (see also Titus Andronicus, another of Shakespeare's more bloody works.) As the play opens, Macbeth has just defeated Norwegian invaders in a gruesome battle. As a gravely-wounded captain arrives, Duncan remarks: “What bloody man is that? He can report, as seemeth by his plight” (1.2). In this and other examples, blood might signify the advent of a messenger, the admonitions of God, or a warning for the future. The witches' cauldron too is filled with blood. Macbeth of course serves a bloody term in office, ordering the murder of opponents and potential rivals. Lady Macbeth's hallucination of blood on her hands seems to represent her feeling of guilt. At the play's end, Macduff presents the new king (and the audience) with Macbeth's severed head, clearly a gruesome spectacle, illustrating the price of treason and murder. Shakespeare uses the word blood 42 times throughout the play.
Infants and children. Children are frequently referenced, though hardly seen, in the play. Their innocence is frequently contrasted with the guilty meditations of Macbeth and other characters. Lady Macbeth provides the most graphic example, making an analogy to her level of commitment: "I have given suck, and know / How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: / I would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, / And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you / Have done to this" (1.7).
Natural Order/Great Chain of Being. The 'unnatural' replacement of Duncan by Macbeth disturbs the natural order of the royal lineage. Those in Shakespeare's time valued the divinity of the king, i.e. the king's preordained selection by God. Thus, by unnatural replacement of the king, Macbeth has invoked the wrath of greater beings. Nature is disturbed and thrown into turmoil: horses cannibalise each other, and a small owl kills a regal falcon.
Insomnia. Sleep is referenced several times through out the play; Duncan is murdered in his sleep, while his guards sleep. Following the murder, Macbeth states, "Sleep no more!/Macbeth doth murder sleep, that innocent sleep,/Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care... (2.2). Indeed, following the crime, both Macbeth and his wife are cursed with insomnia and sleepwalking. These seem to be tangible expressions of each character's guilt. Fear of sleep might also represent Macbeth's fear of his inevitable death.
Masculinity, Femininity, and Gender Ambiguity. Shakespeare shows in the play a connection between masculinity and violence, as well as ambition. Lady Macbeth goads Macbeth on to treason by saying, "when you durst do it, then you are a man" (1.7.48). Even more explicit is her early soliloquy: "Come, you spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty!" The "here" plainly refers to her genitals, although few modern actresses can bring themselves to make that obvious. The women of the play manipulate Macbeth into doing their bidding. The witches awaken Macbeth's ambitions, and then Lady Macbeth drives Macbeth to kill Duncan.
Moral Ambiguity. The witches, servants of the devil, and their dark prophecy steer Macbeth through the play. Early on, they set an overall tone of moral uncertainty with their chanting. The evil in Macbeth grows throughout the play. In the beginning he is reluctant to commit murder, but it slowly becomes easier for him. At the turning point of the play Macbeth says, "Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er." (3.4.164-165) He has decided it would be just as easy to keep killing and murdering as it would to repent and turn back.
Conflict and Opposition. The play is full of contradictory statements, beginning with the witches' conversation in Act 1: "When the battle's lost and won," (1.1.4) and "Fair is foul, and foul is fair", (1.1.12)I. Macbeth's first line in the play is: "So foul and fair a day I have not seen." (1.3.38) Shakespeare's portrayal of Macbeth's world is a confusing and chaotic one. This mirrors the moral dilemma involved in the plot to kill the King, and Macbeth's own indecision.
Internal Struggle. In the first two acts of the play, Macbeth struggles with morality and ambition, trying desperately to reconcile the two. After Act 2, he struggles instead to reconcile with his regicidal 'new self,' finally failing in the task and falling into utter moral darkness and abandoning all optimistic perspective. His former greatness decays until his "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" speech, which shows he has given up on all hope of self-reconciliation.

Deception:
Deception is the heart of Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. Everything revolves around what seems to be; however, the truth does not emerge until the end when all deceptions are revealed. The witches and Macbeth use the tools of deception to cloud the issues and move the play along leaving the reader to ascertain what is real. The Weird sisters set up the theme of appearance vs. reality with their opening lines “fair is foul, and foul is fair, /hover through the fog and filthy air” (1.1.12-13). These lines hint to the reader that people and events in the play will not be as they appear! When the witches give Macbeth his three titles Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King hereafter (1.3.51-53) thoughts of suspicion arise. Will Macbeth try to achieve these titles or let things take their natural course? Banquo tries to be the voice of reason and portrays feelings of doubt in his lines: “That, trusted home, /Might yet enkindle you unto the crown, /Besides the Thane of Cawdor. 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”(1.3.32-38).
Your vessels and your spells provide, Your charms and everything beside. I am for th’ air. This night ill spend Unto a dismal and a fatal end. Great business must be wrought ere noon. Upon the corner of the moon There hangs a vap’rous drop profound. Ill catch it ere it come to the ground, And that distilled by magic sleights, Shall rise such artificial sprites As by the strength of their illusion, Shall draw him on to his confusion. He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear His hopes ‘bove wisdom, grace, and fear. (3.5.18-31) In these lines, Hecate reveals that she plans on showing Macbeth illusions that will lead him to destroy himself. Hecate believes Macbeth is doing everything for himself, and does not appreciate anything the witches have done for him. This fuels Hecate’s anger and knowing how greedy Macbeth is, she is aware that the illusions she shows him will eventually lead to his self destruction. Hecate is not the only person who is a leading Macbeth to his demise. Lady Macbeth also urges Macbeth to kill Duncan, thus helping to push him further down the path of self-destruction. When Duncan comes to stay at Macbeth’s castle, Lady Macbeth tells him: “Bear welcome in your eye, /Your hand, your tongue. Look like th’ innocent/ flower, /But be the serpent under ‘t” (1.6.75-78) All of the illusions set up by the witches come true in the end but, they come through in deceptive ways. The witches warned Macbeth to beware of Macduff, that no man born of women could harm him, and that he would not be destroyed until Birnam Wood traveled to Dunsinane Hill. What Macbeth doesn’t know is that Macduff was born through a C-section which he revealed to Macbeth in his lines: “Tell thee Macduff was from his mothers womb/Untimely ripped” (5.8.19-20). Macbeth is astounded to find out that the opposing army cut off branches from the trees in Birnam Wood and uses them to hide while traveling to Dunsinane Hill. Macbeth is defeated and although it was his own fault, he uses the witches as an excuse for everything he does. This goes to show that in Macbeth, things aren’t always as they appeared


There might be something in there.

[Liberi Fatali]

On one hand, I don't think you deserve to be helped.

On the other hand, you have Johnny 5 as your avatar.

Oh decision decisions.

[Dinosawesome]

sup danny?

[deadinholywood]

I did MacBeth in year 12 english and i remember nothing at all about it

Thanks for reminding me how useless school was :angry:

[Iskandar]

A drum, a drum, Dropper doth come.

(Into this thread.)

[(*The Noonward Race*)]

shakespeare: I thou play author thy.

[semi]

this is clearly and authentic quote.

[Johnny Five]

On one hand, I don't think you deserve to be helped.

On the other hand, you have Johnny 5 as your avatar.

Oh decision decisions.

I am johnny five.

I want input.

K thx.

[Surf]

If you write well enough you won't need too many quotes.

Two or three specific and useful quotes used in the correct manner will be much more effective. Off the top of my head: "vaulted ambition". I think its from Lady Macbeth and just describes Macbeth's hubris; easy to use, easy to remember.

As long as you don't have to give line references or cite your sources it should be easy.

More impressive would be to use quotes from literary critics to back up your point or to dispute.

[Dinosawesome]

If you write well enough you won't need too many quotes.

Two or three specific and useful quotes used in the correct manner will be much more effective. Off the top of my head: "vaulted ambition". I think its from Lady Macbeth and just describes Macbeth's hubris; easy to use, easy to remember.

As long as you don't have to give line references or cite your sources it should be easy.

More impressive would be to use quotes from literary critics to back up your point or to dispute.
One of my mates did this and failed miserably. Testers these days seem to want people to form their own opinions and ideas and back them up with direct material from the book. My final year english teacher told us it was suicide to enter an exam without atleast 6 well lengthed (2-3 lines) quotes to back up our ideas.

Of course it could be different for where you are so w/e

[Shell]

All I remember from Macbeth is "double, double, toil and trouble."

[Surf]

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

One of my mates did this and failed miserably. Testers these days seem to want people to form their own opinions and ideas and back them up with direct material from the book. My final year english teacher told us it was suicide to enter an exam without atleast 6 well lengthed (2-3 lines) quotes to back up our ideas.

Of course it could be different for where you are so w/e

That's true, I only know about the British system. Depends on the level as well.

But it reaches the extent where you just regurgitating extracts from the book rather than forming opinions based on them. Its then more of a test of memory rather than analytical skills.

I rarely use more than three quotes from a book when I'm writing an essay or in an exam. Some exams give you an extract as well, which can be helpful.

[Dinosawesome]

Yeah, we never get extracts or anything unless it's stimulus that you don't read until you're in the exam and then you have to write about it upon first read, haha.

I'm so glad High School is over!

[dannnnnnnnny]

I was Macbeth in my A level production. Can't remember lines though, sorry.
I'm no help.

Oh but you don't really need that many quotes. I've always managed to get high grades just by making it up as you go along. So long as you can back up your arguments (not necessarily with quotes, just knowledge of the text) you can try to argue just about anything you want.

[Mazeppa]

I wrote a coursework on Dulce Et Decorum Est, got a good mark for that. I've never studied Macbeth though :\

[sexymuffin]

Out, Out brief candle

etc

idk he's talking bout his wifey

[Danger Bird]

Dude, Macbeth is the most quotable text ever. Throw a dart and you'll hit something relevant.

[gregulus]

lady macbeth = psycho bitch, but total babe.

would you hit it?

[Mekkalayakay]

Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers.

[Ando!]

Out, Out brief candle

etc

idk he's talking bout his wifey

I thought he was talking about the nature of life in relation to his own situation

"lay on macduff, and damned be the first to cry, 'hold, enough'"

best line in the play

[Liberi Fatali]

I am johnny five.

I want input.

K thx.
:lol:

Now I wish I could have helped you.

[sexymuffin]

I thought he was talking about the nature of life in relation to his own situation

"lay on macduff, and damned be the first to cry, 'hold, enough'"

best line in the play

no, best line in the play is "false face doth hide what the false heart doth know."