Important+Quotations+Explained

=Important Quotations Explained=

"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." //Macbeth, Act I, Scene iv//

Macbeth sees that to become king, he must over come Malcolm, and Duncan, so that he is next in line. He is describing this as a step on a stoop that he can either be to intimidated to not even attempt, or have full confidence and leap over it. The part of "stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires" this shows that he is not proud of wanting to kill of people, so he is trying not to show them because he doesn't want people to see. Over the course of the play, we see this desire for power and willingness to murder become more present in Macbeth's character. Both characteristics become so great that Macbeth transforms into a tyrant. This passage is the first we see of these characteristics. However, this quote shows that Macbeth has always been hungry for power. One could say that the witches' prophesy did not cause Macbeth to kill Duncan. Instead, he always had the desire to kill the King within him, but the prophesy caused it to come to the forefront.
 * Explanation:**

"The raven himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements. 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, nor keep peace between The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murdering 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!'" //Lady Macbeth, Act I, Scene v//


 * Explanation:** Lady Macbeth is speaking of how she wishes she could take the role of perhaps killing Malcolm and Duncan, so that her husband, Macbeth, could take the crown and they both could have all of the fame and royalty. She is explaining how she wishes her femininity could be taken away from her so that she could be more like a man and take on more masculine traits. That way, she could get done what needs to get done in order to take over the crown. In modern times, the concept of wanting to be "unsexed" or to become a man in order to do something without emotion would be considered quite sexist. However, Shakespeare's depiction of Lady Macbeth as a strong woman was quite revolutionary for his time period. Women were percieved as overly emotional and less than men, but here we see a woman who is far fiercer and more strong-willed than her husband.

"If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well It were done quickly: if the assassination Could trammel up the consequence, and catch With his surcease success; that but this blow Might be the be-all and the end-all here, But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, We'd jump the life to come. But in these cases We still have judgment here; that we but teach Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice To our own lips. He's here in double trust; First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself. 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." //Macbeth, Act I, Scene vii//


 * Explanation:** In this soliloquy, Macbeth is contemplating the assassination of King Duncan. He knows he wants to be king, but is afraid of the consequences. When he says, "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well/ It were done quickly" he refers to the possible results of the king. He is afraid that if he kills the king, it will not be as easy as him just becoming king, but there may be a trail that follows him. He also questions killing Duncan because he loves Duncan and believes he is a great king. Until Lady Macbeth insults Macbeth's masculinity, Macbeth cannot round up the courage to kill Duncan.

"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. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable As this which now I draw. Thou marshal'st me the way that I was going, And such an instrument I was to use. Mine eyes are made the fools o' th' other senses Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still, And, on thy blade and dudgeon, gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There's no such thing. It is the bloody business which informs Thus to mine eyes. Now o'er the one-half world Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse the curtained sleep. Witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate's off'rings, and withered murder, Alarumed by his sentinel, the wolf, Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, With Tarquin's ravishing strides towards his design Moves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth, Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear Thy very stones prate of my whereabouts And take the present horror from the time, Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives. Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives. I go, and it is done. The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell That summons thee to heaven or to hell." //Macbeth, Act II, Scene i//


 * Explanation:** In this soliloquy, Macbeth is talking to himself about the upcoming murder of King Duncan that he is going to commit. He sees a dagger dripping with blood floating in front of him, but when he tries to grab it, he cannot. Macbeth is unsure if it really is a dagger or if he is just imagining it. He draws his own dagger and he also thinks the bloody dagger may be a reminder of what he is about to do. When the bell rings at the end of the soliloquy, Macbeth now knows that the men have been drugged and he can go ahead with his killing of the king.

"Whence is that knocking?— How is’t with me, when every noise appals me? What hands are here! Ha, they pluck out mine eyes. 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 II, Scene ii//


 * Explanation:** Macbeth says these lines right after killing King Duncan. He is feeling extremely guilty and all of a sudden he hears this knocking at his gate. He is afraid that whomever is at his door may be there because they know what Macbeth has done to the King. He is afraid to see who it is and why they are there. Macbeth is also saying that he is so full of guilt and his hand is so bloody from committing such a crime that even if he were to dip his hand in the ocean to try and clean off the blood, the ocean would just turn from green to red.

"To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be fear'd. 'Tis much he dares; And, to that dauntless temper of his mind, He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear: and, under him, My Genius is rebuked; as, it is said, Mark Antony's was by Caesar. He chid the sisters When first they put the name of king upon me, And bade them speak to him; then prophet-like 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,  son of mine succeeding. If 't be so, 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!" //Macbeth, Act III, Scene i//


 * Explanation:** When MacBeth once more examines the details of the moment, he realizes the great trouble his title is in. MacBeth feels the pangs of guilt in his chest and worries that the knowledge of the murder of King Duncan may spread to others, thus leaving his title in danger. MacBeth fears he will not be able to suppress the murder and let it disappear as his wife might have planned it to. He now knows that the title of king means nothing to him if it means that he must fear his own best friend, Banquo, and that keeping the title as king will result in the possible murder of several others. MacBeth's "barren sceptre" refers to his inability to have children, which, in the dynasties of kings, means that his successor will not be one of his own, and, remembering the prediction of the witches, the kingship will likely fall unto the children of Banquo. MacBeth then recognizes the necessity to make a decision that will alter the current conditions, knowing his own desire to keep the kingship and have the power remain in his the hands of his children. MacBeth greatly fears the possibility of MacBeth's family following him.

"Blood hath been shed ere now, i' th' olden time, Ere humane statute purged the gentle weal; Ay, and since too, murders have been perform'd Too terrible for the ear: the times have been, That, when the brains were out, the man would die, And there an end, but now they rise again, With twenty mortal murders on their crowns, And push us from our stools: this is more strange Than such a murder is. " //Macbeth, Act III, Scene iv//


 * Explanation:** After MacBeth murders Duncan and Banquo, he begins to see apparitions. At his celebratory banquet, Macbeth's hallucinations worsen. He begins to show signs of insanity at the dinner, detectable to the other guests. He was not able to beat his conscience because he knew what he did was wrong. Macbeth was seeing the ghosts as they were killed, with wounds and all. This was worse than killing someone.

"This is the very painting of your fear. This is the air-drawn dagger which you said Led you to Duncan. O, these flaws and starts, Imposters to true fear, would well become A woman's story at a winter's fire, Authorized by her grandam. Shame itself! Why do you make such faces? When all's done, You look but on a stool." //Macbeth, Act III, Scene iv//


 * Explanation:** Macbeth is afraid of what he had done and is hallucinating. Lady Macbeth tells him that it is not what he actually fears, but is a painting of what he fears, a figment of his imagination. He knew what he had done was wrong and had trouble shaking it off his conscience.

"It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood. Stones have been known to move, and trees to speak; Augurs and understood relations have By maggot pies and choughs and rooks brought forth The secret'st man of blood.--What is the night?" //Macbeth, Act III, Scene iv//


 * Explanation:** With every murder, starting with King Duncan's, Macbeth will have to kill more and more people until he is the only person left that can become King.

Thou art like the spirit of Banquo. Down! Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs. And thy hair, Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first. A third is like the former.-Filthy hags, Why do you show me this?-A fourth? Start, eyes! What, will the line stretch out to th' crack of doom? Another yet? A seventh? I'll see no more. And yet the eighth appears who bears a glass Which shows me many more, and some I see That twofold balls and treble scepters carry. Horrible sight! Now I see 'tis true, For the bold-boltered Banquo smiles upon me And points at them for his. //Macbeth, Act IV, Scene i//


 * Explanation**: When Macbeth goes to visit the three witches to ask about the future, the witches show him many 3 apparitions that come out of a boiling pot filled with a potion they were conjuring up. This quote explains the last apparition that is shown, which is a line of men including Banquo, then a mirror facing Macbeth, and a line of seven of Banquo's children. This means that after Macbeth dies, Fleance and his future family will become the ruler of Scotland.

"Bleed, bleed, poor country!" //Macduff, Act IV, Scene iii//


 * Explanation**: When Macduff is speaking to Malcolm in England, they are discussing the fate of Scotland in Macbeth's hands. Macduff says that Scotland is bleeding, alluding to the fact that it has been wounded in a figurative sense by the murders and treachery Macbeth has committed. He fears this might be the end of Scotland as they know it- that it may "bleed out" and die.

"Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell." //Malcolm, Act IV, Scene iii//


 * Explanation:** Malcolm says this when talking to Macduff when they are in England preparing for war with Macbeth. He refers to Macbeth as the "brightest angel that fell" because towards the beginning of the play, Macbeth was a "good" man, loyal to his king and proud of his country. He was one of the best warriors defending the nation and was seen by King Duncan as one of the most loyal people in Scotland. However, over time, Macbeth lost his sense of morality and became a danger to Scotland rather than an asset. He turned his back on the person who he was once loyal to because he became power-hungry and wanted to receive more praise for all that he had done. Throughout the play, Macbeth manipulates and murders people to assure that he will stay in power for as long as possible. This quote is also a biblical reference, specifically about Lucifer and how he was one of God's most loyal followers and then became too obsessed with power. This need for control got him banished to Hell. This relates to Macbeth's situation because at one point he would do anything for his king, then he //needed// to be king, and now people are losing faith in him and feel he needs to be eliminated.

"Out, damned spot; out, I say. 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 V, Scene i//


 * Explanation:** Lady Macbeth says this while sleepwalking during the beginning of Act V. This quote shows that Lady Macbeth is struggling with the guilt of murdering King Duncan, which has now caught up to her. Earlier in the play, she was far more aggressive than her husband and showed no regret for her actions; however, at this point in the play it seems that Lady Macbeth and her husband's roles have been switched. Lady Macbeth's guilt is now driving her insane, and she believes that there is nothing that can get the "spot" of King Duncan's blood off of her hands. Macbeth, however, believes he has gone too far to turn back at this point, and no longer feels remorse for his murders.

"Now does he feel his secret murders sticking on his hands. Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith-breach. Those he commands move only in command, Nothing in love. Now does he feel his title Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe Upon a dwarfish thief." //Angus, Act V, Scene ii//


 * Explanation:** Angus says this during a conversation with other Scottish rebels in England. The quote basically explains Macbeth's decline from power, and how all of his wrongdoings are catching up to him. "Those he commands move only in command, nothing in love" means that the people of Scotland just do what they are told because they're afraid of Macbeth rather than doing what he asks because they're pleased he's king. Mabeth's title, meaning his position in the Scottish government, is threatened and he is losing support from citizens.

If thou speak'st false, Upon the next tree shall thou hang alive Till famine cling thee. If thy speech be sooth, I care not if thou dost for me as much.- I pull in resolution and begin To doubt th' equivocation of the fiend, That lies like truth. "Fear not till Birnam Wood Do come to Dunsinane," and now a wood Comes towards Dunsinane._Arm, arm, and out!- If this which he avouches does appear , There is nor flying hence nor tarrying here. I 'gin to be aweary of the sun And wish th' estate o' th' world were now undone.- //Macbeth, Act V, Scene v//


 * Explanation:** In this section of the book, Macbeth is explaining how one of the predictions of the witches came true. This prediction was that the Birnam Woods would move to the castle, and it has happened because the rebellion moved behind branches towards the castle, giving an effect of the woods moving towards them. Now Macbeth is in fear because he knows that he is in a lot of trouble now and has no choice but to fight.

"She should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow 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 V, Scene v//

In this quote, Shakespeare uses the candle as a symbol for life. He states that life is an allusion and is similar to an actor on stage. The actor does his hour on stage and then leaves, never to be seen again. This is one of the most criticized lines written by Shakespeare because it states that life is a story that is meaningless. Our actions do not make a difference because our lives are not significant and do not have any main purpose.
 * Explanation:** Macbeth is talking about Lady Macbeth's death, but instead of being upset he says that every one dies at some point so that it doesn't really matter, that life means nothing and that her dying is not important at all. This proves that he has changed for the worse and no longer cares about his wife, but more about his life as being the king and staying the king. He also mentions, selfishly, that she should have waited until he wasn't so busy. Before he is being attacked was not the right time for her to die. During this scene, Macbeth is in his castle and is preparing for the battle with the English that is going to occur. He has so many things on his mind and doesn't have time to deal with anything, even if it is the death of his wife. He says that it is not the right time for his wife to die, and wonders why couldn't she have died another day.