macbeth ambition essay with quotes

William Shakespeare

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Macbeth is a play about ambition run amok. The weird sisters ' prophecies spur both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to try to fulfill their ambitions, but the witches never make Macbeth or his wife do anything. Macbeth and his wife act on their own to fulfill their deepest desires. Macbeth, a good general and, by all accounts before the action of the play, a good man, allows his ambition to overwhelm him and becomes a murdering, paranoid maniac. Lady Macbeth, once she begins to put into actions the once-hidden thoughts of her mind, is crushed by guilt.

Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth want to be great and powerful, and sacrifice their morals to achieve that goal. By contrasting these two characters with others in the play, such as Banquo , Duncan , and Macduff , who also want to be great leaders but refuse to allow ambition to come before honor, Macbeth shows how naked ambition, freed from any sort of moral or social conscience, ultimately takes over every other characteristic of a person. Unchecked ambition, Macbeth suggests, can never be fulfilled, and therefore quickly grows into a monster that will destroy anyone who gives into it.

Ambition ThemeTracker

Ambition Quotes in Macbeth

Understanding Macbeth's Ambition

An Analysis of Ambition in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'

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Ambition is the driving force of William Shakespeare's tragedy " Macbeth ." More specifically, it is about ambition that goes unchecked by any concept of morality; this is why it becomes a dangerous quality. Macbeth’s ambition inspires most of his actions, and that results in the deaths of numerous characters and the ultimate downfall of both himself and Lady Macbeth.

The Sources of Ambition in 'Macbeth'

Macbeth’s ambition is driven by a number of factors. For one, he has a deep internal desire for power and advancement. However, that is not exactly why he turns to crime. It takes two outside forces to ignite this hunger and push him to take violent action to obtain power.

• Prophecies: Throughout the play, the Macbeth witches make a number of prophecies, including that Macbeth will become king. Macbeth believes them each time, and often uses the predictions to decide his next actions, such as killing Banquo. While the prophecies always turn out to be true, it is unclear whether they are preordained instances of fate or self-fulfilling via the manipulation of characters like Macbeth.
• Lady Macbeth : The witches may have planted the initial seed in Macbeth’s mind to act on his ambition, but his wife is the one who pushes him to murder. Lady Macbeth’s persistence encourages Macbeth to put aside his guilt and kill Duncan, telling him to focus on his ambition, not his conscience.

Controlling Ambition

Macbeth’s ambition soon spirals out of control and forces him to murder again and again to cover up his previous wrongdoings. His first victims of this are the chamberlains who are framed by Macbeth for the murder of King Duncan and killed as “punishment.”

Later in the play, Macbeth’s fear of Macduff incites him to pursue not only Macduff but also his family. The unnecessary murder of Lady Macduff and her children are the clearest example of Macbeth losing control over his ambition.

Balancing Ambition and Morality

We also see a more honorable take on ambition in "Macbeth." To test Macduff’s loyalty, Malcolm pretends to be greedy, lustful, and power-hungry. When Macduff responds by condemning him and crying out for the future of Scotland under such a king, he shows his allegiance to the country and refusal to submit to tyrants. This reaction from Macduff, along with Malcolm's choosing to test him in the first place, demonstrates that moral code in positions of power is more important than the ambition to get there, especially blind ambition.

Consequences

The consequences of ambition in “Macbeth” are dire—not only are a number of innocent people killed, but Macbeth’s life also ends with him being known as a tyrant, a significant downfall from the noble hero he begins as.

Most importantly, Shakespeare gives neither Macbeth nor Lady Macbeth the opportunity to enjoy what they have gained—perhaps suggesting that it is more satisfying to achieve your goals fairly than acquire them through corruption.

Does Violent Ambition End With Macbeth?

At the end of the play, Malcolm is the victorious king and Macbeth’s burning ambition has been extinguished. But is this really the end to over-reaching ambition in Scotland? The audience is left to wonder if Banquo’s heir will eventually become king as prophesied by the trio of witches. If so, will he act on his own ambition to make this happen, or will fate play a part in realizing the prophecy?

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Macbeth Ambition Quotes

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.

– William Shakespeare

Why do you dress me In borrowed robes?

Two truths are told, As happy prologues to the swelling act Of the imperial theme.

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 yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is But what is not.

Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings.

And nothing is But what is not.

If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir.

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.

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be What thou art promised.

Thou wouldst be great; Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it.

What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win.

Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crown’d withal.

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; make thick my blood, Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose.

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

Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry, “Hold, hold!”

Great Glamis! worthy Cawdor! Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter!

Besides, this Duncan Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been So clear in his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against The deep damnation of his taking-off; And pity, like a naked new-born babe, Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubim, horsed Upon the sightless couriers of the air, Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, That tears shall drown the wind.

I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself, And falls on the other.

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.

That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold, What hath quenched them hath given me fire.

Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious, Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man: The expedition my violent love Outrun the pauser, reason. Here lay Duncan, His silver skin laced with his golden blood; And his gash’d stabs look’d like a breach in nature For ruin’s wasteful entrance: there, the murderers, Steep’d in the colours of their trade, their daggers Unmannerly breech’d with gore: who could refrain, That had a heart to love, and in that heart Courage to make ‘s love known?

A falcon, towering in her pride of place, Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed.

Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up Thine own life’s means!

Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, As the weird women promised; and, I fear, Thou play’dst most foully for ‘t. Yet it was said It should not stand in thy posterity, But that myself should be the root and father Of many kings. If there come truth from them – As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine – Why, by the verities on thee made good, May they not be my oracles as well, And set me up in hope? But hush, no more.

To be thus is nothing; But to be safely thus.

They hail’d him father to a line of kings: Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, And put a barren sceptre in my gripe, Thence to be wrench’d with an unlineal hand, No son of mine succeeding.

For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murder’d; Put rancours in the vessel of my peace Only for them; and mine eternal jewel Given to the common enemy of man, To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!

Rather than so, come fate into the list. And champion me to the utterance!

Nought’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.

Macbeth – A* / L9 Full Mark Example Essay

This is an A* / L9 full mark example essay on Macbeth completed by a 15-year-old student in timed conditions (50 mins writing, 10 mins planning).

It contained a few minor spelling and grammatical errors – but the quality of analysis overall was very high so this didn’t affect the grade. It is extremely good on form and structure, and perhaps could do with more language analysis of poetic and grammatical devices; as the quality of thought and interpretation is so high this again did not impede the overall mark. 

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MACBETH EXAMPLE ESSAY:

Macbeth’s ambition for status and power grows throughout the play. Shakespeare uses Macbeth as an embodiment of greed and asks the audience to question their own actions through the use of his wrongful deeds.

In the extract, Macbeth is demonstrated to possess some ambition but with overriding morals, when writing to his wife about the prophecies, Lady Macbeth uses metaphors to describe his kind hearted nature: “yet I do fear thy nature, / It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness”. Here, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a more gentle natured being who is loyal to his king and country. However, the very act of writing the letter demonstrates his inklings of desire, and ambition to take the throne. Perhaps, Shakespeare is aiming to ask the audience about their own thoughts, and whether they would be willing to commit heinous deeds for power and control. 

Furthermore, the extract presents Macbeth’s indecisive tone when thinking of the murder – he doesn’t want to kill Duncan but knows it’s the only way to the throne. Lady Macbeth says she might need to interfere in order to persuade him; his ambition isn’t strong enough yet: “That I may pour my spirits in  thine ear / And chastise with the valour of my tongue”. Here, Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as a manipulative character, conveying she will seduce him in order to “sway “ his mind into killing Duncan. The very need for her persuasion insinuates Macbeth is still weighing up the consequences in his head, his ambition equal with his morality. It would be shocking for the audience to see a female character act in this authoritative way. Lady Macbeth not only holds control of her husband in a patriarchal society but the stage too, speaking in iambic pentameter to portray her status: “To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great”. It is interesting that Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth in this way; she has more ambition for power than her husband at this part of play. 

As the play progresses, in Act 3, Macbeth’s ambition has grown and now kills with ease. He sends three murders to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, as the witches predicted that he may have heirs to the throne which could end his reign. Macbeth is suspicious in this act, hiding his true intentions from his dearest companion and his wife: “I wish your horses swift and sure on foot” and “and make our faces vizards to our hearts”. There, we see, as an audience, Macbeth’s longing to remain King much stronger than his initial attitudes towards the throne He was toying with the idea of killing for the throne and now he is killing those that could interfere with his rule without a second thought. It is interesting that Shakespeare presents him this way, as though he is ignoring his morals or that they have been “numbed” by his ambition. Similarly to his wife in the first act, Macbeth also speaks in pentameter to illustrate his increase in power and dominance. 

In Act 4, his ambition and dependence on power has grown even more. When speaking with the witches about the three apparitions, he uses imperatives to portray his newly adopted controlling nature: “I conjure you” and “answer me”. Here, the use of his aggressive demanding demonstrates his reliance on the throne and his need for security. By the Witches showing him the apparitions and predicting his future, he gains a sense of superiority, believing he is safe and protected from everything. Shakespeare also lengthens Macbeth’s speech in front of the Witches in comparison to Act 1 to show his power and ambition has given him confidence, confidence to speak up to the “filthy nags” and expresses his desires. Although it would be easy to infer Macbeth’s greed and ambition has grown from his power-hungry nature, a more compassionate reading of Macbeth demonstrates the pressure he feels as a Jacobean man and soldier. Perhaps he feels he has to constantly strive for more to impress those around him or instead he may want to be king to feel more worthy and possibly less insecure. 

It would be unusual to see a Jacobean citizen approaching an “embodiment” of the supernatural as forming alliance with them was forbidden and frowned upon. Perhaps Shakespeare uses Macbeth to defy these stereotypical views to show that there is a supernatural, a more dark side in us all and it is up to our own decisions whereas we act on these impulses to do what is morally incorrect. 

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Mr Salles Teaches English

Grade 9 Essay: How does Shakespeare present the theme of ambition in the play?

What is the shortest essay which can get full marks.

I’m writing a guide to how to write essays at each grade for Macbeth. My Ultimate Guide to Macbeth shows you how to understand the whole play, scene by scene, to above grade 9. It also shows you how to write about each scene at grades 6, 7, 8, 9 and beyond grade 9.

I’ve written over 20 guides and it is the best guide I have ever written.

But, what if you are a student who just wants a grade 5, or just wants a grade 7, or you want a grade 9, but you want it as quickly as possible. You don’t want to read an Ultimate Guide to Macbeth - that’s going to have a lot of Mr Salles brilliance in it but, no offence Mr Salles, English isn’t even in my top 5 subjects.

I want the maximum marks, with the minimum effort.

So, that’s why I’m writing a series of new guides, showing you ‘just’ what you need for each grade, and no more.

How I wrote the essays in the essay writing guide (out in September)

I found all the essays I could which had been marked by a senior examiner.

I rewrote them, changing all the words, but keeping every idea and technique, and every quote.

Then I counted the features of each essay. Exam criteria are vague and open to interpretation. So I wondered, are there features of each essay I can count, which are not open to interpretation? And then, if we do count these features, will they predict the right mark?

Let’s find out.

This is an extract from the guide. Normally, my comments, and the examiner comments, follow the essay. Here, I have put the comments first so you can see what the examiner is looking for before you read the essay.

Response 24

Thesis Statement Yes Explanations 9 Quotes 5 Named Methods 5 Society/era/patriarchal/Jacobean/contemporary/ historical reference etc 3 Shakespeare 4 Exploratory Could, Might, May, Perhaps, Probably 0 Conclusion Yes Paragraphs 7

My Comments

Well, well, well. I was not expecting that mark. (It scored 25/30).

It doesn’t have anywhere near the number of references or quotations I was expecting for AO1.

It introduces the idea that ambition will affect ‘reason’, but never actually proves it –there are many easy examples and quotes revealing the mental state of Macbeth – is this a dagger, murdered sleep, never shake they gory locks, my mind is full of scorpions etc - and Lady Macbeth sleepwalking. The original essay included mistakes in identifying adverbs and nouns, which I’ve got rid of, because even naming them correctly adds no marks. There is very little context used to back up interpretations.

So, what has impressed the examiner?

There are both a thesis statement and a conclusion, so it becomes a well-constructed argument. The student has quoted from the end of the play right at the beginning, to show that they are dealing with the whole text. Although they don’t give many examples from the rest of the play, they do move through it chronologically, so it is a well-constructed argument. This, and very specific language to describe it, helps the student look at Macbeth’s character arc, his ‘journey’, showing how Macbeth changes. The answer looks at the structure of the play in two ways. First by viewing Macbeth’s life in two parts – a rise and fall. Secondly, by exploring Banquo as the antithesis to Macbeth in his ambition. These two ideas mark the answer out as thoughtful and different from most students’ essays.

Examiner Comments

The answer focuses on ambition right from the start and with every point. The thesis statement and next paragraph make it clear that the student is dealing with the whole text. The essay is thoughtful and developed. The student embeds quotations and references to illustrate their ideas. The student’s comments about Shakespeare’s intentions throughout the essay show that they realise his choices are deliberate. In order to get into level 6 the student should explore more of Shakespeare’s ideas.

Write down the other ideas you could put into this essay.

Find references or quotes to back these up.

Write another 350 words to add in to get 30/30.

Thank you for reading Mr Salles Teaches English. I want every student to be able to go up by several grades. Please share this post to help me reach that goal.

The 420 Word Essay!

Shakespeare reveals ambition as the dominant theme in the play, because it is Macbeth’s overpowering ambition which leads to his immoral murder of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth and the witches can only influence Macbeth in this because his ambition is already so great.

In this extract, Shakespeare explores how ambition influences even the most honourable. This is why he gives Lady Macbeth the perspective that Macbeth’s character is “ too full o’th’ milk of human kindness ”, which is her real perception because Shakespeare reveals it in SOLILOQUY. We associate “ milk ” with innocence and purity, which implies that Macbeth is too noble to act on his ambition. Yet, once he has reigned as king, he is viewed as a “ butcher ”, because he has become both cruel and indiscriminate in his killing.

This change from excessive kindness to tyranny is a surprising journey, which warns the audience of the danger of ambition. Moreover, Shakespeare portrays ambition as a force which will overcome morality and reason. He gives Lady Macbeth the view that Macbeth is “ not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it ”. The COMPARISON of ambition to “ illness ” implies that it is destructive, and also that this destruction can turn on the ambitious person themselves, attacking their sense of morality and ability to be kind.

Macbeth lists every reason not to murder Duncan, before focusing on his “ vaulting ambition ”. This METAPHOR implies that his ambition is more powerful than his conscience, so he will overcome his moral objections.

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The rest of the answer is below the line.

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Macbeth: Key Quotes

Lady macbeth in quotes, art not without ambition & too full o’ the milk of human kindness : this comes from lady macbeth's first speech when she appears on-stage. in it, she describes her husband as being "not without ambition" which is like saying he's not that ambitious; and she says he's just too kind. bearing in mind that this is a man who's just cut someone in half and been promoted to the highest position he can be, aside from being king, this seems pretty unfair really - to most people, he wouldn't seem very kind at all, and he's just won a big promotion. she's certainly not showing support for her husband. the reference to milk also has associations of femininity and childhood, which could have been seen as being quite insulting., my battlements when she hears that duncan is visiting her family home she refers to them as "my" battlements, showing just how she sees the power dynamic in their home., come you spirits here, lady macbeth is ordering the spirits to come to her help. does this confirm she's a witch perhaps not - though it's definitely being implied what we can take from this though is that the way she uses imperatives - come you spirits - shows just how demanding and powerful she sees herself., stop up the access and passage to remorse here, lady macbeth is asking the spirits to stop her from feeling any regret. is this a spell that lasts for most of the play but is cancelled by the end, when she finally kills herself, unsex me here important not e: she is not asking to be made more masculine, as masculine codes of loyalty would have stopped her from being able to kill duncan. here, she asks to be without gender, so she has all gender expectations removed entirely., witches: thou shalt be king hereafter / macbeth: king that shalt be / lady macbeth: greater than both by the all hail hereafter the witches say that macbeth will be king "hereafter" but macbeth gets the quote wrong when he writes to his wife. then, when she greets him, she quotes the witches correctly. does this suggest she's a witch quite possibly, though shakespeare doesn't really do much with it if she is one, so it's a bit of a misdirect., o, never / shall sun that morrow see macbeth says that duncan will be lea ving in the morning, lady macbeth says that he'll never see the morning this line is proof that macbeth had no intention of murdering duncan that night - and that it was lady macbeth's idea., look like th’ innocent flower / but be the serpent under it here, she's teaching her husband how to lie - which was considered to be a more feminine and less masculine act; men were supposed to be tied to their words while women were capable of manipulation. but this line also references the story of adam and eve which is a story with a number of key parallels to macbeth., what beast was't, then, / that made you break this enterprise to me t his is just a clear piece of gaslighting - macbeth didn't break this enterprise to her, she had the idea of killing duncan. she's putting words into his mouth as a way of applying pressure on him., these deeds must not be thought / after these ways; so, it will make us mad. really nice piece of foresight here from lady macbeth, though she didn't take into account the fact that some deeds are so horrific they will be thought of whether you like it or not., my hands are of your colour; but i shame / to wear a heart so white. one of many references to blood on hands here, though here lady macbeth is making it clear that although she has blood on her hands she won't pretend that he heart is white. this is basically her saying that she'll accept what they've done; her heart is no longer white and pure, and she will accept it., nought'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. the only four lines in play that come prior to her sleepwalking scene where she expresses any dissatisfaction at what they've done. here, however, she doesn't regret it so much as she's angry that they're not happy and doesn't feel safe., this is the very painting of your fear: / this is the air-drawn dagger which, you said, led you to duncan. / shame itself here she's angrily telling off macbeth for saying he sees banquo's ghost. she compares it to the dagger he says he saw before he killed duncan and claims they're all a part of macbeth's unstable mental state. she's basically telling him he should be ashamed to be so weak-minded., i pray you, speak not; he grows worse and worse; / stand not upon the order of your going, / but go at once. at the end of the banquet scene, where banquo's ghost visits macbeth, she tells all the other lords to go home. "go at once," she says, which confirms that she feels no discomfort ordering anyone around - so far she's ordered spirits around, macbeth around, and now the rest of the scottish nobility as well., out, damned spot out, i say however, d es pite being able to order everyone else around, lady macbeth discovers that she can't order away her own guilt - she can control the rest of the world, but not herself. her blood stained hands will remain regardless of how much she demands that they be clean., what, will these hands ne'er be clean / here's the smell of the blood still: all the / perfumes of arabia will not sweeten this little hand. these images con tinue the theme of blood-stained hands and highlight that lady macbeth cannot order away her own guilt. it is important to note, however, that the only scene in which we see lady macbeth feeling guilt comes while she is asleep. perhaps this is a reference to her subconscious dreamworld where she is forced to face that which her conscious self cannot., a cry of women within / seyton: the queen, my lord, is dead. a lot of people claim that the fact seyton sounds a lot like satan is a coincidence, but that seems a stretch for a writer as skilled as shakespeare. macbeth says his name three times before he comes on stage, and he's the only servant who gets given a name... and his name sounds a lot like satan it is also satan - sorry seyton - who discovers lady macbeth's body. though this isn't proof of anything, there would have been audience members who left wondering whether seyton himself was involved in lady mabeth's death., malcolm : ...(macbeth's) fiend-like queen, / who, as 'tis thought, by self and violent hands / took off her life the proof of lady macbeth's suicide is saved until the final speech in the play where malcolm mentions it in passing. the reference to the "violent hands" makes it pretty clear that she didn't throw herself off any castle battlements, however, and it's definitely the case that he wouldn't be launching an enquiry into how she really died. the truth is that shakespeare leaves the real cause of lady macbeth's death a little bit open - she could have killed herself, either as a result of finally feeling guilt or simply because she knew that macbeth would lose and she wasn't prepared to be captured by the english; or she could have been killed by seyton and his minions... either way, and her death wasn't very well covered in the play. she goes from ordering the other scottish nobility to go home at the end of act 3 to so anxious she's ready for suicide in act 5 with no character arc at all. why did shakespeare leave one of literature's biggest turnarounds to happen off-stage who knows..., a selection of quotes:, describing macbeth : brave macbeth / disdaining fortune / smoked with bloody execution in a1 s2, the captain calls macbeth “brave macbeth,” then claims that the adjective should be used as his “name.” he almost seems to be saying that macbeth should have brave as his title, as though he is so brave it is almost a first name. he also claims he was “disdaining fortune” during the battle. this is interesting as it is almost saying he is ignoring fortune, which could be seen as wealth, which he ignored as he stayed loyal to duncan rather than fighting for the rebels who would have paid him, but it also means fate or destiny, which is something he didn’t ignore in the rest of the play. the captain also says that macbeth’s sword “smoked with bloody execution.” the verb “smoked” suggests that his sword was moving fast enough to make it burn, while the reference to “execution” is important as, at this point in the play, macbeth’s sword is working for justice, and executing those who are trying to attack the king. here, macbeth is definitely a classic hero for jacobean men., lady macbeth: yet do i fear thy nature ; in a1 s5 lady macbeth says she “fears” macbeth’s “nature.” this is important for two reasons: firstly, it seems very extreme to argue that you “fear” something in a family member. it is not like she just worries for him, she “fears” for him. this verb reflects just how important ambition is for lady macbeth, who seems to feel that without it macbeth might be in danger – the only reason we would “fear” for someone. also, her use of nature has two meanings: firstly, his nature is his personality and she fears his personality is too weak to be able to kill the king. secondly, it seems that macbeth’s “nature” is to stick to what is natural – the king being the king, and macbeth being his servant. in truth, it is “nature” itself that lady macbeth fears: she fears the way things are as she doesn’t have everything she wants., lady macbeth: too full o’ the milk of human kindness in a1 s5 lady macbeth says macbeth is “too full o’ the milk of human kindness.” in this metaphor, milk connotes a number of important things. for example, it is white and white represents purity. it is also associated with women, who were seen as the weaker sex. it is also fed to children, so she could be making macbeth seem almost childlike. she also says he is “too” full of it, an adverb which immediately suggests that it is wrong., lady macbeth: unsex me here in a1 s5 lady macbeth asks the spirits to “unsex” her. often this is seen as a desire to become more of a man, however this is a clear misunderstanding. she doesn’t ask to be more of a man, she asks to be “unsexed.” the truth is that men had their own codes of conduct and if she was more of a man she wouldn’t have been able to kill duncan either – it would have been a betrayal which was forbidden for men. she asks to be unsexed because she wants to lose all gender codes – to become free to act as she sees fit, and be unbound from gender altogether. this makes her wishes against the natural order, and wrong., lady macbeth: look like the innocent flower , but be the serpent under’t in a1 s5 lady macbeth tells macbeth to look like the “innocent flower” but be the “serpent under’t.” this is one of the most famous lines in macbeth, and in it lady macbeth is telling her husband to make sure he hides his real desires. the first half of the image highlights just how perfect he should look: the adjective innocent is associated with purity and perfection; while flowers are symbols of happiness and joy. flowers are also natural which suggests she is reminding him to keep looking like the natural order will be retained. the serpent, however, is a clear reference to satan, who appeared as a serpent in genesis. while his position “under’t” reminds us of hell, where satan lives. lm is basically telling macbeth to look absolutely perfect, but continue to be perfectly evil. this line is also a reference to the adam and eve story, which is a story with a number of key connections to macbeth. read more about that here .. ., macbeth: i have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition , which o’er leaps itself and falls on th’other during his soliloquy in a1 s7, macbeth makes it very clear that he doesn’t want to kill duncan for a range of reasons. he says, he has no reason to kill him – no “spur to prick the sides of my intent” – but only “vaulting ambition / that does o’er leap itself and falls on the other.” shakespeare creates the image of macbeth leaping over an obstacle in order to be king. he recognises that his ambition requires him to jump, but, crucially, he also acknowledges that his ambition will see him jump too far – “o’er leap himself” – and fall down again. he knows it won’t work. the only reason he can think of for doing this thing, and he knows it won’t work. seems incredible to think he did it at all really, macbeth: we will proceed no further in this business : in a1 s7 macbeth tells his lm that he will “proceed no further in this business.” this is one of the few moments in the play where he stands up to his wife. here, he refers to the murder of duncan as a “business” a noun that suggests he sees it as a part of a job, something for which he is being paid. this euphamism shows both how much macbeth views killing as a job, rather than a horrific event, and also the fact that there really is no other reason to kill duncan other than the “business.”, lady macbeth: a little water clears us of this deed : here, lady macbeth argues that macbeth can clear his conscience when he washes his hands. the blood represents the guilt that he carries after killing duncan and she believes he can wash it off. however, she discovers later that guilt cannot be washed off that easily as she begins finding invisible blood on her own hands. this represents the extent to which she cannot clean herself of guilt., macbeth: o, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife in a3 s2 macbeth says his mind is “full of scorpions.” here, he uses a metaphor to say how painful even thinking has become – he is displaying signs of madness. scorpions are creatures that are both poisonous and have sharp claws, so they can attack with both ends – deadly. also, as they are ground dwelling killers, like snakes, they call to mind the way that satan appeared in the bible, which immediately references the witches’ and their evil desires. it is also interesting to compare this quote to lady macbeth’s desire to pour her “sprits” into his ear. you could easily argue that her spirits, became his scorpions., macbeth: life is a tale told by an idiot , full of sound and fury, signifying nothing . by a5 s5, macbeth is in deep despair: life has lost all meaning. he calls it a “tale told by an idiot.” this would have been an almost comical metaphor for shakespeare, since he was the one who told macbeth’s tale he says it is full of “sound and fury” – a clear reference to the violence that is inherent in so much of shakespeare and macbeth’s worlds of fighting, witch burning, reformations, and royal wars. finally, he says that life “signifies nothing.” more than any other quote this reveals macbeth’s final depression: life has no deeper meaning. everything macbeth did was, ultimately, for nothing. it is interesting to wonder whether it was the same lack of understanding that made macbeth such a ruthless killer in the start that also made him such a poor king when the time came..

Macbeth Quotes

Read our selection of the most memorable and significant Macbeth quotes. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is one of his most often quoted plays, with famous quotes aplenty.

As ever, Shakespeare brings his Mabeth characters to life with memorable dialogue and a number of intense monologues and soliloquies. We’ve pulled together all of the top Macbeth quotes below from primary and secondary characters – as well as a good selection from the eponymous hero and his wife – shown in order of the quote appearing in the play, listing the character speaking along with act and scene.

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”

Three Witches (Act 1 Scene 1)

“What bloody man is that?”

King Duncan (Act 1 Scene 2)

“If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which grain will grow and which will not.”

Banquo (Act 1 Scene 3)

“Or have we eaten on the insane root That takes the reason prisoner?”

“What! can the devil speak true?”

“Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings.”

King Duncan (Act 1 Scene 4)

“There’s daggers in men’s smiles”

Donalbain (Act 2 Scene 3)

“ Double, double toil and trouble : Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”

Witches (Act 4 Scene 1)

“By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes .”

Second Witch (Act 4 Scene 1)

“Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him.”

Third apparition (Act 4 Scene 1)

“A deed without a name.”

“When our actions do not, Our fears do make us traitors.”

Lady Macduff (Act 4 Scene 2)

“Now does he feel his title Hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe Upon a dwarfish thief.”

Angus (Act 5 Scene 2)

“Tongue nor heart Cannot conceive nor name thee!”

Macduff (Act 2 Scene 3)

“The patient Must minister to himself.”

Doctor (Act 5 Scene 3)

“Those clamorous harbingers of blood and death.”

Macduff (Act 5 Scene 6)

…and here are some Macbeth quotes from Macbeth himself:

“Nothing is But what is not.”

Macbeth (Act 1 Scene 3)

“Come what come may, Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.”

“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”

Macbeth (Act 1 Scene 7)

“I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none.”

“ If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly.”

“To prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other”

“ Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee: I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.”

Macbeth (Act 2 Scene 1)

“Thou sure and firm-set earth, Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear Thy very stones prate of my whereabout”

“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red.”

Macbeth (Act 2 Scene 2)

“Methought I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep:  the innocent sleep, Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care, The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath, Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, Chief nourisher in life’s feast.”

“Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.”

Macbeth (Act 3 Scene 2)

“Blood will have blood.”

Macbeth (Act 3 Scene 4)

“It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood.”

“How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags!”

Macbeth (Act 4 Scene 1)

“The devil damn thee black, thou cream-faced loon! Where gott’st thou that goose look?”

Macbeth (Act 5 Scene 3)

“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”

Macbeth (Act 5 Scene 5)

“I bear a charmed life.”

Macbeth (Act 5 Scene 8)

Macbeth quotes by Lady Macbeth:

The raven himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements”

Lady Macbeth ( Act 1, Scene 5 )

“Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.”

Lady Macbeth (Act 1, Scene 5)

“Come  you spirits , That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here.”

“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 provide 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.”

“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. Make thick my blood. Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between Th’ effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry “Hold, hold!””

“Would’st thou have that Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would,” Like the poor cat i’ th’ adage?”

Lady Macbeth (Act 1, Scene 7)

“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 plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this.”

“I laid their daggers ready; He could not miss ‘em. Had he not resembled My father as he slept, I had done’t.”

Lady Macbeth (Act 2, Scene 2)

“ Out! damned spot!  One, two, — why, then ‘tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? – Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.”

Lady Macbeth ( Act 5, Scene 1 )

“All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.”

Lady Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 1)

“What’s done cannot be undone.”

Are any of your favourite Macbeth quotes missing from this list? Please let us know in the comments below! We also have this list of LadyMacbeth quotes that might be of interest :)

Read Mabeth quotes in modern English :

• Is this a dagger which I see before me?
• If it were done when ’tis done
• The raven himself is hoarse
• Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
• More about the RSC’s take on Macbeth on screen

Shakespeare Quotes by Play

Hamlet Quotes | Henry V Quotes | Julius Caesar Quotes | King Lear Quotes | Macbeth Quotes | A Midsummer Night’s Dream Quotes | Much Ado About Nothing Quotes | Othello Quotes | Romeo and Juliet Quotes | The Tempest Quotes | Twelfth Night Quotes

See All Macbeth Resources

Macbeth | Macbeth summary | Macbeth characters : Banquo , Lady Macbeth , Macbeth , Macduff , Three Witches | Macbeth settings | Modern Macbeth translation  | Macbeth full text | Macbeth PDF  |  Modern Macbeth ebook | Macbeth for kids ebooks | Macbeth quotes | Macbeth ambition quotes |  Macbeth quote translations | Macbeth monologues | Macbeth soliloquies | Macbeth movies | Macbeth themes

haha we laughed about the egg quote for 20 minutes in class when we learnt macbeth

are you popping bottles, sparkles and champagne?

you forgot ‘look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t’.

nah its on there m8 but you jus never read the long quotes

They didn’t i saw it. Macbeth is such an amazing play with so many plot twists. Shakespeare is an amazing playwright

nah bro macbeth is mid but a fitty

I Love the egg quote it reminded me o f eggs

What about ” I am in blood stepts so far that to wade no more would be as tedious as to return over!

this book sucks so much i want to strangle shakespeare when he was a baby so i dont have to be here 700 years later reading on some pure WAFFLE!!

macbeth is a baby

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