Show:
RANDOS
MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE
THE BASICS
MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE
part deux
WHO'S THE LIAR?
100
Macbeth calls his crown this because he has no sons.
What is FRUITLESS
100
“the worm that’s fled / Hath nature that in time will venom breed”
Macbeth to murderer MEANING: The young snake that escaped will in time become poisonous and threatening. He is comparing Fleance to a worm. SIGNIFICANCE: The news of Fleance’s escape angers Macbeth—if only Fleance had died, he muses, his throne would have been secure. This shows us that he will continue to be paranoid.
100
To what two creatures does Macbeth compare Banquo and Fleance in scene 4?
Banquo is compared to a serpent and Fleance to a worm.
100
" I am in blood Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er."
MACBETH is speaking to Lady Macbeth MEANING: He is using a metaphor, comparing the evil deeds to a river. He says he has come too far, killed too many people - no going back now. SIGNIFICANCE: It's an example of foreshadowing - he is hinting that he will commit more murders.
100
"Sit, worthy friends. My lord is often thus, And hath been from his youth. Pray you keep seat. The fit is momentary." Who is speaking and what is going on?
LADY MACBETH lies to those in attendance at the banquet. She explains Macbeth's odd behavior at the sight of Banquo's ghost as a lingering illness from his childhood, which he occasionally still suffers .
200
Macbeth can't believe his wife can keep the ruby in her cheeks when his are this?
What is BLANCHED with fear?
200
Why does Lady Macbeth make all of the lords leave the banquet in scene 4?
One of the lords asks Macbeth what sights he is seeing, and she is afraid he will reveal too much so she tells them to leave immediately.
200
Naught’s had, all’s spent, Where our desire is got without content. 'Tis safer to be that which we destroy Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.
Lady Macbeth to herself MEANING: If you get what you want and you’re still not happy, you’ve spent everything and gained nothing. It’s better to be the person who gets murdered than to be the killer and be tormented with anxiety. SIGNIFICANCE: Lady Macbeth is expressing her despair about their situation. This highlights the fact that she, too, is starting to feel guilty about what they have done in order to become king and queen. She tries to be practical when Macbeth is around, but when she is on her own, we see that she is troubled.
200
"Things without all remedy Should be without regard. What's done is done." Who is speaking and what is going on?
LADY MACBETH lies to her husband. She had just been stating her regret, going as far as to say that they would be better off dead; however, as soon as Macbeth shows any remorse, she chides him thusly.
300
"This is the air-drawn dagger which you said Led you to Duncan."
METAPHOR: comparing the ghost of Banquo to the dagger Macbeth imagined. Both are just hallucinations and are harmless.
300
Why is Hecate angry with the three witches in Act III?
They acted independently without consulting her first.
300
"Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, Till thou applaud the deed."
MACBETH to LADY MACBETH MEANING: Don't worry about what I am planning, sugar pie. SIGNIFICANCE: This shows a drastic shift in power. Lady Macbeth had been pulling Macbeth's strings up until this point. Now he acts alone and won't even make his wife aware of the plans.
300
" Know That it was he, in the times past, which held you So under fortune, which you thought had been Our innocent self." Who is speaking and what is going on?
MACBETH IS LYING TO THE MURDERERS. He tells them that their sorry state in life is the fault of Banquo not himself.
400
Explain the metaphor in the following line: "O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!"
The evil thoughts and horrible nightmares are compared to poisonous scorpions in Macbeth's mind.
400
"To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus."
Macbeth to himself. MEANING: Being king is nothing if his position isn't secure. SIGNIFICANCE: This is the beginning of an important soliloquy where Macbeth discusses his fears regarding Banquo. He is scared that the prophecies may come true for Banquo and that he is not safe in his position as king.
400
"Who may I rather challenge for unkindness Than pity for mischance." Who is speaking and what is going on?
MACBETH IS LYING TO THE LORDS AT THE BANQUET. He says he hopes Banquo is absent due to rudeness rather than some unfortunate accident.
500
"Let your remembrance Apply to Banquo; present him eminence, Both with eye and tongue: unsafe the while that we Must lave our honors in these flattering streams, And make our faces vizards to our hearts, Disguising what they are."
MEANING: Give Banquo your special attention. Talk to him and look at him in a way that will make him feel important. We’re in a dangerous situation, where we have to flatter him and hide our true feelings. SIGNIFICANCE: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have switched roles. She told him earlier that he must “look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t” and now he is the one telling her to pretend. (Appearance VS reality)
500
Explain why Fleance's escape is important to the play.
This is the turning point - CLIMAX. Macbeth will not feel safe in his position as king with Fleance still alive, which means he will most likely continue on his downward spiral.
500
"He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear His hopes 'bove wisdom, grace, and fear; And you all know security Is mortal's chiefest enemy."
HECATE to THE WEIRD SISTERS MEANING: Macbeth will feel so confident that he cannot be conquered that he will become cocky and fearless. SIGNIFICANCE: Foreshadows the plan to bring Macbeth's downfall.
500
" Did he not straight, In pious rage, the two delinquents tear, That were the slaves of drink and thralls of sleep? Was not that nobly done? Ay, and wisely too! For 'twould have angered any heart alive To hear the men deny't." Who is speaking and what is going on?
LENNOX IS LYING Lennox sarcastically calls Macbeth pious and defends his murder of the two guards who supposedly killed Duncan.