Monday, April 4, 2011

Macbeth 1.1-1.6 Analysis

In class today we looked closely at Lady Macbeth's two speeches in 1.5. There were many significant elements to both of these speeches--her "unnatural" vocabulary, her strange relationship with being a woman, the fact that she delivers the first soliliquy of the play, the battle imagery, etc.--that make her lines powerful not just in WHAT she says but HOW she says it. Tonight, I would like each of you to locate another passage (at least one line, but no longer than one speech) in 1.1-1.6 that you feel is significant in HOW it is worded and structured. Begin your blog post by copying the line(s) into the comment box, and then write a well-developed paragraph in which you analyze the selection. Remember that we have all read this part of the play, so you don't need to summarize. ANALYZE. Try to help us see your selection in a deeper, more meaningful way than when we read it ourselves initially. Good luck!

28 comments:

  1. The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires. The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be which the eye fears, when it is done, to see

    In this passage MacBeth has just learned that Malcolm will inherit the thrown of Duncan. MacBeth had an earlier encounter with the three witches, in which they told him that he was going to become king. The step that MacBeth refers to in the passage is Malcolm and his family. Malcolm is in the way of MacBeth becoming king. His deep desires are killing Malcolm, Duncan, and Donalbain. Because MacBeth is not the type of man to betray his country and king, he feels ashamed about what he is thinking and what he wants to do. In the last line of the passage, MacBeth knows what he is thinking is wrong. He knows that if he kills Malcolm or Duncan he would feel an extreme amount of guilt. MacBeth is torn between loyalty and greed. He wants to be everything the witches said that he was going to be, but he is too loyal to his country and king. He is a want to be bad guy with a good guy’s heart and brain.

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  2. "This supernatural soliciting
    Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill,
    Why hath it given me earnest of success
    Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor.
    If good, why do I yield to that suggestion
    Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair
    And make my seated heart knock at my ribs
    Against the use of nature? Present fears
    Are less than horrible imaginings.
    My thought, whose murder is yet but fantastical,
    Shakes so my single state of man
    That function is smothered in surmise,
    And nothing is but what is not." (1.3.143-155)

    In this passage Macbeth’s mind is at war against itself. He cannot find the prediction of the Witches to be a good or a bad thing. Shakespeare also plays on the double meaning of ill. Aside from its given meaning of evil, it also alludes to the fact this prediction is literally making Macbeth ill both mentally and physically. Macbeth justifies that part of their prediction has already come true in his succession of the Thane of Cawdor. In anticipation of the rest of their prophesy being fulfilled, Macbeth determines killing Duncan is the only way to attain this destiny. However, the thought of murdering unsettles Macbeth to the point that his hair stands on end and his heart pounds against his ribs. The thoughts he is having are far worse than any current causes of fear. He questions his intentions and character because of this unsettling, murderous mindset. He finds it impossible to function in any manner for the future possibilities that cloud his judgment and ability of action. The only things that exist for Macbeth are the things that are nonexistent.

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  3. Norway himself, with terrible numbers,
    Assisted by that most disloyal traitor,
    The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict,
    Till that Bellona’s bridegroom, lapped in proof,
    Confronted him with self-comparisons,
    Point against point, rebellious arm 'gainst arm,
    Curbing his lavish spirit; and to conclude,
    The victory fell on us. Act 1, Scene 2

    Ross is telling King Duncan about how the battle went that day and Macbeth's role in it. He describes how the traitorous thane of Cawdor taunted and compared himself to Macbeth as they fought. Macbeth was an excellent swordsman and man and met his every blow (verbal and physical) with pride in his King and country. Macbeth was compared to Ares/Mars the god of war for his skill in battle.

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  4. "O, never
    Shall sun that morrow see!
    Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
    May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
    Look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye,
    Your hand, your tongue. Look like th' innocent
    Flower,
    But be the serpent under 't. He that's coming
    Must be provided for; and you shall put
    This night's great business into my dispatch,
    Which shall to all our nights and days to come
    Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom."


    In this passage, Lady Macbeth is talking to Macbeth about Duncan's arrival at Inverness. Before this, she asked Macbeth when Duncan would be leaving and he replied, "Tomorrow, as he purposes" (1.6.70). Lady Macbeth's first sentence is saying that he will not see tomorrow if her scheme goes as planned. Sun could take on a double meaning, proposing the idea that Duncan will never see his sons again whom he has chosen to inherit the throne and meaning he will not see tomorrow because he will be dead. She is also demonstrating her power over Macbeth as she tells him how to look and act. Readers see how capable Lady Macbeth is of committing this crime that she is determined to follow through with. A serpent is a representation of the devil and evil, both previous subjects Lady Macbeth has mentioned. It also alludes to the supernatural because the devil is someone that no one can necessarily see, but he can speak to people through different actions. The Garden of Eden in the Bible could also be used as an allusion in this passage as Adam and Even were in the garden with flowers and plants, just as Lady Macbeth told Macbeth to look like "th' innocent flower, when the devil came to them in the form of serpent to tempt them. In the line "This night's great business into my dispatch," great and dispatch can have two different meanings. Great normally means something good, but for Duncan this "great business" will not be great for him. It will ultimately lead to his death. However, for Lady Macbeth this business is great because as she says in the last line, it will "give solely sovereign sway and masterdom." Dispatch can mean management or "putting to death," meaning that Lady Macbeth is managing this plan which will ultimately lead to Duncan's death. This passage is overall stating that Duncan's death is being planned and Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth to act like everything is normal on the outside in order to deceive everyone around him, but underneath he needs to be evil so he will get the kingship at last.

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  5. "As happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme. I thank you, gentlemen. The supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated hear knock at my ribs against the use of nature? Present fears are less than horrible imaginings. My thought, who murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise and nothing i but what is not."

    In this passage it is learned that Macbeth believes the witches and he doesn't think that they are good nor bad. He probably doesn't have an opinion because he is used to living with a supernatural force at home. Macbeth finally accepts that he is the Thane of Cawdor but he begins to wonder about his new position. If it was bad then why is he promoted, but if it was good then why does he have to kill the king. He doesn't realize that the king doesn't have to be killed. Killing the king has nothing nothing to do with him being promoted to the Thane of Cawdor but he views it as he has to have more.

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  6. Act 1 Scene 6
    Lady Macbeth: O never shall sun that morrow see! Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters. To beguile the time, look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue. Look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent under ‘t. He that’s coming must be provided for; and you shall put this night’s great business into my dispatch, which shall to all out nights and days to come give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.

    This passage tells us more about how Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to act while King Duncan is at their house visiting for the night. Lady Macbeth also shows more of her less feminine side when she is happy when she says” O never shall sun the morrow see!” She also shows us her vicious but sweet side by telling Macbeth to “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under ‘t.” She also wants the king to believe that nothing is going to happen to him and that he will get everything he needs and wants while he is visiting.

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  7. that, trusted home, might yet enkindle you to the crown, besides the thane of caedor. But 'its strange. and often times to win is to harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence

    Banquo is telling Macbeth that sometimes winning comes with consequences. When he refers to "the instruments of darkness" I am thinking that he is talking abouts our thoughts or actions. Even though it seems like Macbeth wouldn't betray his "friends" he is thinking about it. When the Wierd Sisters told Macbeth that he would be king Macbeth is now thinking about betraying his country. If Macbeth does betray his country then it would reveal that Macbeth is actually evil.

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  8. “The service and the loyalty I owe
    In doing it pays itself. Your Highness’ part
    Is to receive our duties, and our duties
    Are to your throne and state children and servants,
    Which do but what they should by doing everything
    Safe toward your love and honor.”

    These lines are said by Macbeth to King Duncan in order for Macbeth to prove his loyalty to the king, even though he has already plotted his plan to kill him in finding that the Thane of Cawdor was executed. Duncan is planning on making his eldest son, Malcolm, ruler of the kingdom. The passage is ironic and used to trick Duncan into thinking he will always be loyal and owe everything to him. Macbeth does this because as Lady Macbeth states in the same scene, Macbeth will seem nervous when he invites Duncan to his house to carry out the plan. This could cause suspicions to rise in the king, but in Macbeth saying this, Macbeth seems to be loyal to him. It seems that Lady Macbeth has more masculine qualities, for Macbeth goes back and forth on whether to kill him, while Lady Macbeth will let nothing get in her way. When Macbeth is talking about “our duties,” he is talking about his duties as a subject, but also his duties to kill Duncan. Macbeth ironically says that he will be doing everything for the king to his love and honor, which seems like a compliment to Duncan, but Macbeth has the plot for killing him in mind and uses this dialogue to trick him.

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  10. O, never
    Shall sun that morrow see!
    Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
    May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
    Look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye,
    Your hand, your tongue. Look like th' innocent flower,
    But be the serpent under ’t. He that’s coming
    Must be provided for; and you shall put
    This night’s great business into my dispatch,
    Which shall to all our nights and days to come
    Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.
    Act 1 Scene 5

    Lady Macbeth says this to mainly Macbeth right after he tells her that Duncan is going to be visiting Inverness. Lady Macbeth also says this to herself in a way to clarify her plans for the "business" to be done that night. Like Sara said, the word sun could mean sun as in the next day or son as in either of his heirs, but it could also simply mean light. If Duncan is killed tonight, he would never see the light of day, there is no tomorrow for him, all his plans ruined and his great intentions for his son to be king. Lady Macbeth tells her husband that his face "is a book where men May read strange matters" (1.6.73-74). She basically says to him that he must act as if nothing is up, because if he is nervous or shaky, Duncan will sense that, for Macbeth's face says it all. Lady Macbeth says, "Look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye, Your hand, your tongue" (1.6.75-76). The time they are in at the moment is greatness hidden behind cruelty. She wants her husband to look friendly, welcoming, and hospitable but inside, be ready to kill. Lady Macbeth, although not given a first name throughout the novel, definitely "wears the pants in the relationship". Like Chandler said before, she shows her more masculine side in the passage. She is almost barbaric in the way she says be the evil snake under the innocent flower.

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  11. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." (Act I, Scene I)

    This paradox means that good or positive can turn in to bad or negative thing and bad or negative things can turn into good or positive things. In chanting this , the three witches/weird sisters are foreshadowing that Macbeth, a good and fair man, will eventually lead a foul life. Macbeth may have fair intension but he will have foul methods. "The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes." The light is becoming king and Macbeth's shadows are how he plans to become king.

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  12. "Two truths are told
    As happy prologues to the swelling act
    Of the imperial theme- I thank you, gentlemen.
    (Aside) This supernatural soliciting
    Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill,
    Why hath it given me earnest of success
    Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor.
    If good, why do I yield to that suggestion
    Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair
    And make my seated heart knock at my ribs
    Against the use of nature?" (1.3, 140-50)

    Throughout this passage, Macbeth compares his fate as something unrealistic and almost supernatural. By using words such as "prologue," "act," and "theme," he suggests that his becoming king is part of a play. Being part of a play would suggest that it is not his real life, but instead it is a part of something else. This something else is part of a world he does not fully understand- a supernatural world. He cannot tell whether it is a good or bad that the witches have come to him. He also says if "[unfixes] his hair" rather than annoys or another synonym. This alludes to the fact that Macbeth's hair will also be unfixed when the crown in placed on top of his head. This entire passage shows that Macbeth does not control that he will become king, it is controlled by supernatural powers.

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  14. "So well thy words become thee as thy wounds: They smack the honor of both." (Act 1, Scene 2)

    This line is saying that like wounds, your words also bring you honor. The things that you say can bring you just as much honor as battle wounds. The word "smack" was used instead "contain" or words of that sort. Smack shows a violent side, like the battle wounds, words can hurt also. By hurting other people, either with your words or during battle, you are winning, which brings honor upon you.

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  15. Act 1 Scene 3 Lines 114-115
    The Thane Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?

    Act 1 Scene 4 Lines 160-162
    New honors come upon him, Like our strange garments , cleave not to their mold but with the aid of use

    The robes/ garments are mentioned in these passages and have a deeper meaning. They could represent the two different sides of the characters. The first passage was said by Macbeth and since the robes are supplied by Duncan, with the robe on he is on Duncan's team. Once the robe is taken off Macbeth is against Duncan and goes on with his plot to murder him. The second passage reinforces this and this helps the reader refer clothing to personality and mood. It could also represent if the presence of Duncan is there or not.

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  16. How far is 't called to [Forres]- What are these, so withered, and so wild in their attire, that look not like th' inhabitants o' th' earth and yet are on 't?- Live you? Or are you aught that man may question? You seem to understand me. By each at once her choppy finger laying upon her skinny lips. You should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so.

    In this speech, Banquo is speaking to Macbeth about the Weird Sisters. He asks why they look old, wild, and not like humans. The Weird Sisters have been suggested to not be human many times so far in the play. They are also described as something other than human, or men, when Banquo talks about their beards. He is confused about why they have beards when they are supposed to be women. When Banquo questions Macbeth on whether or not he notices this about the witches, he is questioning what he is seeing. He asks Macbeth because he isn’t sure about himself and wants to hear what Macbeth has to say. This means that Banquo believes he is not as powerful as Macbeth. Banquo could become a follower of Macbeth throughout the play and Macbeth will be the leader.

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  17. Macbeth:
    "The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step
    On which I must fall down or else o'erleap,
    For in my way it lies. Stars, hide you fires;
    Let not light see my black and deep desires.
    The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be
    Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see."
    (Act I, Scene 4, Lines 55-60)

    This moment occurs once King Duncan announces that his son, Malcolm, is to be his heir. At this moment, he realizes that he must either take Malcolm down or step in front of him. By saying "Stars, hide your fires," he suggests that he wants the spotlight off of him in more than one way. He does not want others to know the deed that he will do, and he also does not want the stars to light up his actions to himself. Stars are bright enough to light up his conscience, and he is afraid to see his own conscience. He is shameful of and scared by the murder. He is so shaken up by the just the thought of murder, and he refuses to look at his hands. His hands symbolize his actions. For the moment that he kills Duncan, he wants to become blind to his actions. However, after that, he wants to see again. If Macbeth is not ruthless enough to take out what stands in the way of the crown, how can he be ruthless enough to be an effective king?

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  18. "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me Without my stir" (Act 1, Scene 4).

    In this passage, Macbeth trying to figure out why chance will have him be king without him taking actions. Macbeth has a lot going on in his mind right now. He is now thane of Cawdor and he is soaking that up within his mind. Also, the Weird Sisters have told him that he will be king. Macbeth knows that Duncan is the king right now so he is trying to figure out how he will become king since Duncan has heirs. Therefore, he is trying to figure out how chance is going to crown him king with him taking action and killing Duncan himself.

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  19. LADY MACBETH: All our service
    In every point twice done, and then done double,
    Were poor and single business to contend
    Against those honors deep and broad wherewith(20)
    Your Majesty loads our house. For those of old,
    And the late dignities heap'd up to them,
    We rest your hermits.

    In this selection from Act 1 Scene 6, Lady Macbeth is welcoming King Duncan of Scotland into her home with not only an insincere smile, but also a death sentence. The passage opens explaining that Lady Macbeth will provide a service for King Duncan. The service appears to be murder. The second line infers that she will not only strike once, but three times. Somehow she will twice kill Duncan. She will thereafter kill both of his sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, twice each. The third line uses connotation vs. denotation to give the line multiple meanings- one literal and one societal. The literal meaning is easily understood in the book, however, the societal requires a little more thought. The terms poor, meaning deficient or lacking in, and single, meaning trivial, shows that the Macbeths have a mystery and have an incomplete plan on how to put it into action. The plan is of course the murdering of the royal line, but Lady Macbeth has yet failed to tell the audience how she will execute this plan. When the text refers to going against deep and broad honors, the honors refers to the royal lineage. The lineage runs deep and broad because in the times of Shakespeare, one could not be merely elected king, but had to be born into the throne. The family roots had run deep and broad by the time Duncan was in the throne, but this will not stop Macbeth! The next line is almost foreboding because Lady Macbeth says that "Your Majesty loads the house" (37). This is saying that there are basically too many kings for one house. Like the old saying goes, "this house ain't big enough for the two of us" Lady Macbeth is somewhat warning King Duncan that he's not the only 'Majesty' around. In the next line, Lady Macbeth discusses the late dignities. Shakespeare has utilized the connotation vs. denotation in writing this piece of the welcoming speech. Late can be referred to as either recent or deceased. In the last line of Lady Macbeth's welcoming speech, she says "we rest your hermits" (37). 'We rest your hermits' can literally mean, 'we remain your bedside servants' or can mean 'our position as your bedside servants has passed on (deceased)'. The essence of her welcoming speech is not a sincerely genial one, it is rather foreboding, threatening, and evil. However, King Duncan is ignorant to all of the signs Lady Macbeth has given him. This being said, it can be assumed that not only is Lady Macbeth evil, but King Duncan is ignorant of his surroundings and a rather poor listener.

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  20. Act 1 Scene 4
    Malcom “…frankly he confessed his treasons, Implored your highness’ pardon, and set forth A deep repentance.” Duncan “wouldst thou hadst less deserved, That the proportion both of thanks and payment Might have been mine! Only i have left to say, more is thy due than more all can pay.”
    When I read the words “confess”, “highness”, “repentance”, and “payment” they were keywords that reminded me of a parable in the Bible. In Matthew there is a parable called the parable of the Unmerciful Servant. In a short summary there was a king who forgave a servant of a billion dollar debt, sent him back into the city to forgive his fellow servants and he threw a fellow servant who owed him lots of money in jail until he could repay. The kind heard of this and threw the servant he forgave of the billion dollar debt in jail and had him tortured. In this scene in the play Macbeth king Duncan and his son Malcolm are talking on the subject of the Thane of Cawdor. The Thane of Cawdor was a traitor in the war and I see him as the servant who was forgiven the huge debt by the king. The reason I say this is because the text says he “confessed his treason…and set forth a deep repentance.” In the parable similar wording was used to show the servant begging for forgiveness from the king. “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.” This time I put Macbeth in as the servant in the parable and find that it fits his destiny very well. In the end of the parable Matthew 18:32 says: “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said…” The word wicked, by dictionary.com, means morally bad in principle or practice. This is exactly what Macbeth will become once his conscience is demolished along with Lady Macbeth’s influence. Wicked could also refer to the weird sisters and how they act wickedly. I think Shakespeare may have made these situations seem similar to the Bible so the audience could relate the situations in the play to the situation in the parable, assuming a great number of the audience was upper class and could read and comprehend the Bible.

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  21. this is courtney's BEAUTIFUL work.

    “This guest of summer,
    The Temple-haunting [martlet,] does approve,
    By his loved [mansionry,] that the heaven’s breath
    Smells wooingly here. No jutty, frieze,
    Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird
    Hath made his pendant bed and procreant cradle.
    Where they [most] breed and haunt, I have
    Observed,
    The air is delicate.” (1.6, 5-12)

    Banquo’s words in this passage are very ironic because his descriptions of Macbeth’s home are sweet and delicate, while Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are planning a murder. Also, Banquo notes a nesting bird, in a delicate sense, while Lady Macbeth names Macbeth as a raven, the bird of death. This passage includes a reference to birthing children, using the term “pendant,” which could be used in the sense of “suspended,” as in a birth will not happening. The word “haunt” could have a double meaning for ghosts, or spirits, that could be lingering around Macbeth’s house. These descriptions reveal that while things may seem well on the outside, these delicate descriptions are filled with irony that even Banquo does not understand.

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  22. "New honors cam upon him,
    Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mold
    But with the aid of use."(Act 1 Scene 4, 160-162)

    In this statement made by Banquo, he is talking about the new titles Macbeth has received and been told about. One of these titles, that he will become king, is only just an idea. The two titles are laid upon Macbeth like "garments". He cant get used to the idea because it has never crossed his mind. Banquo says that if Macbeth can let these ideas run through his mind and plans can be made that he will get used to them. The longer you wear clothes the more familiar they become. "With the aid of use" they are worn down and broken in. Same with ideas. If Macbeth can work with these ideas, they will become more understandable.

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  23. “Your servants ever
    Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs in compt
    To make their audit at your Highness’ pleasure, Still to return your own.” (Act 1, Scene 6, 32-25)

    In this passage, Lady MacBeth is telling Duncan to make himself at home in their house. She is saying, “what is ours, is yours.” This scene is very ironic because MacBeth and Lady MacBeth are being so nice to King Duncan when just a couple pages before, they were planning on killing him. In a way, MacBeth and Lady MacBeth are two-faced. At the beginning of the play, the Captain speaks highly of MacBeth’s bravery and valor then in Scene 3, he considers killing the king. Also, when the witches tell MacBeth that he is going to be king, he becomes very power-hungry and we see his strong desire for power. In Scene 6, MacBeth leads Duncan on with his “service” and kindness. In the same way, Lady MacBeth calls on the evil supernatural spirits to make her cruel and supernatural, as well in Scene 5. Lady MacBeth even wants to kill Duncan more than MacBeth does; she says that he doesn’t have the confidence to do it. These actions and words show the two faces of MacBeth and Lady MacBeth in the first part of Act 1. Since this play is mainly about betrayal and violence, there will be more actions and words to show disloyalty throughout the novel.

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  24. Act 1 Scene 5, line 39
    "So please you, it is true. Our thane is coming. One of my fellows had the speed of him, Who, Almost dead for breath had scarcely more Than would make up this message."

    In this passage, a messenger is sent to warn Lady Macbeth that Macbeth will be returning with Duncan. What strikes me as important is ‘dead for breath’ which could be a foreshadowing or a warning of what Duncan’s fate is. Instead of saying out of breath, Shakespeare used the word death. Also he talks about one of his ‘fellows’ who had more information, which could be an allusion to a supernatural force because it knows more information.

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  25. “O, never
    Shall sun that morrow see!
    Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
    May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
    Look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye,
    Your hand, your tongue. Look like th' innocent
    Flower,
    But be the serpent under 't. He that's coming
    Must be provided for; and you shall put
    This night's great business into my dispatch,
    Which shall to all our nights and days to come
    Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.” (1.6, 71-82)
    In this paragraph, Lady Macbeth said this after asking her husband when the king would come and when he would leave. She was planning a plan to let Duncan couldn’t see the sun tomorrow, he would die. She wanted her husband to look like a“innocent flower” outside, but be the “serpent “inside, to be prepare to kill the king. This also reminded me of what the witches said “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (1.1, 12). The things that seem good are bad, just like them, kind outside but evil inside. Lady was ambitious, in my opinion, she helped Macbeth to get the crown not only because she loved Macbeth but also because she also wanted power. “Which shall to all our nights and days to come /Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom” (81-82). In this sentence, she said “our night and day” instead “you night and day” showed that. Lady Macbeth was also a clever woman, she knew to catch the chance, as soon as she knew the king would come, she recognized that would be a great chance to get the crown.

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  26. Duncan: "O worthiest cousin,
    The sin of my ingratitude even now
    Was heavy on me. Thou art so far before
    That swiftest wing of recompense is slow
    To overtake thee. Would thou hadst less deserved,
    That the proportion of both thanks and payment
    Might have been mine! Only I have left to say,
    More is thy due than more that all can pay."

    Duncan says this when he first sees Macbeth after the war. Duncan starts off by praising Macbeth and telling Macbeth that he is a trusted and worthy part of the family with the words "O worthiest cousin." After that Duncan starts talking about how he feels bad about forgetting to praise Macbeth for what Macbeth has done for him. Duncan phrases this in a way that makes his forgetfulness seem worse, he uses words such as sin, heavy, and ingratitude. Since these people are very into their religion the fact that Duncan calls it a sin is major. Duncan also states that because Macbeth is doing so many great things so quickly it is hard to compensate Macbeth. Finally when Duncan says that if Macbeth had not done as well in the battle Duncan would have given Macbeth more gratitude and money thanhe deserved, but since Macbeth did well, no one, not even Duncan, has enough money to repay Macbeth for his service. It is obvious to see that Duncan is surprised that Macbeth did better in the battle than Duncan could repay.

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  28. Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more:
    By Sinel's death I know I am Thane of Glamis;
    But how of Cawdor? the Thane of Cawdor lives,
    A prosperous gentleman; and to be king
    Stands not within the prospect of belief
    No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence
    You owe this strange intelligence? or why
    Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
    With such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you
    (Act 1 scene 3)

    Macbeth is addressing the Weird Sisters in a confused and forceful tone. He starts eager to learn about his own fate, which in return makes him vulnerable considering he is talking to potentially evil or false spirits. In the second line instead of saying that he killed Sinel he said his “death.” This is significant because Macbeth is avoiding all blame for this murder and refuses to associate himself with it other than the new title he has gained, Thane of Glamis. Macbeth then goes on to describe the Thane of Cawdor, and his tone is full of jealousy and lust for this power. He is sure to mention that he is going to be king, because that is Macbeth’s dream. At the end of the passage Macbeth then realizes that he has said too much and becomes defensive, but still possess that eagerness to learn more about his fate. Overall the attitude of Macbeth is self- centered and determined, but he contains a naive mind because he is blinded by his ambitions and will believe anything that will help make them a reality.

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