SHAKESPEARE

Quotes from Macbeth

These quotes can be used across themes such as ambition, fate vs. free will, guilt, masculinity, the supernatural, and appearances vs. reality.

1. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”

  • Who says it: The Three Witches
  • To whom: To each other
  • Location: Act 1, Scene 1
  • Context: Introduced at the very beginning of the play, setting the tone of moral confusion.
  • Meaning & Analysis: This paradox highlights the theme of appearances vs. reality. It suggests that what seems good may in fact be bad, and vice versa. The Witches’ words foreshadow the deceptive nature of characters and events in the play, especially Macbeth’s descent into moral corruption.

2. “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, / Without my stir.”

  • Who says it: Macbeth
  • To whom: Aside (to himself)
  • Location: Act 1, Scene 3
  • Context: After hearing the witches’ prophecy that he will be king.
  • Meaning & Analysis: Macbeth reflects on the possibility that fate will crown him king without his intervention. This shows his initial hesitation to act immorally. However, it also introduces the theme of fate vs. free will, and foreshadows his later decision to take matters into his own hands.

3. “Look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t.”

  • Who says it: Lady Macbeth
  • To whom: Macbeth
  • Location: Act 1, Scene 5
  • Context: After learning that King Duncan will visit their castle.
  • Meaning & Analysis: Lady Macbeth advises Macbeth to appear innocent and welcoming while hiding his deadly intentions. This reflects the theme of duplicity and deception. It also illustrates Lady Macbeth’s manipulative nature and her role in spurring Macbeth to commit regicide.

4. “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?”

  • Who says it: Macbeth
  • To whom: Soliloquy (to himself)
  • Location: Act 2, Scene 1
  • Context: Just before murdering Duncan.
  • Meaning & Analysis: Macbeth hallucinates a dagger leading him toward Duncan’s chamber. This shows his inner turmoil and descent into madness. The vision blurs the line between the supernatural and psychological, emphasizing Macbeth’s conflicted state of mind and his growing instability.

5. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?”

  • Who says it: Macbeth
  • To whom: Himself
  • Location: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Context: Immediately after killing Duncan.
  • Meaning & Analysis: Macbeth expresses profound guilt. He believes that not even an ocean can cleanse him of his crime. This symbolizes the permanence of guilt and the impossibility of undoing his actions. Blood becomes a recurring symbol of guilt throughout the play.

6. “A little water clears us of this deed.”

  • Who says it: Lady Macbeth
  • To whom: Macbeth
  • Location: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Context: After Macbeth has killed Duncan.
  • Meaning & Analysis: In contrast to Macbeth’s guilt, Lady Macbeth is dismissive. She believes the physical act of washing will absolve them. This foreshadows her later breakdown, where she obsessively tries to wash imaginary blood from her hands.

7. “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”

  • Who says it: Macbeth
  • To whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Location: Act 3, Scene 2
  • Context: Macbeth fears Banquo’s prophecy and plots his murder.
  • Meaning & Analysis: Macbeth uses a metaphor to describe his mental torment. “Scorpions” suggest poisonous thoughts and inner chaos. It shows how fear and ambition are driving him toward more violence, shifting his character from hesitant to increasingly ruthless.

8. “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”

  • Who says it: Lady Macbeth
  • To whom: Herself (during sleepwalking)
  • Location: Act 5, Scene 1
  • Context: Lady Macbeth is consumed by guilt and mentally unravels.
  • Meaning & Analysis: She imagines blood on her hands, symbolizing her inescapable guilt. Her earlier confidence has collapsed, showing the psychological consequences of their crimes. This is a turning point in her character arc and a culmination of the theme of guilt.

9. “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow”

  • Who says it: Macbeth
  • To whom: Soliloquy (to himself)
  • Location: Act 5, Scene 5
  • Context: After learning of Lady Macbeth’s death.
  • Meaning & Analysis: Macbeth reflects on the futility of life. The repetition suggests monotony and despair. Life, to him, has become meaningless — “a tale told by an idiot.” This shows the emotional and moral emptiness that his ambition has left him with.

10. “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until / Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him.”

  • Who says it: Third Apparition (a crowned child)
  • To whom: Macbeth
  • Location: Act 4, Scene 1
  • Context: Macbeth visits the witches for reassurance.
  • Meaning & Analysis: This prophecy gives Macbeth false confidence, as he interprets it literally and believes he is invincible. However, it later comes true in an unexpected way, illustrating the witches’ use of equivocation and the theme of deceptive appearances.

11. “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Banquo
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 3
  • Meaning: The day is both victorious (fair) and bloody (foul).
  • Context: Macbeth says this just before meeting the witches.
  • Analysis: Echoes the witches’ paradoxical language (“Fair is foul…”), foreshadowing his entanglement in supernatural ambiguity.

12. “Nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it.”

  • Speaker: Malcolm
  • To Whom: Duncan
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
  • Meaning: The former Thane of Cawdor died more nobly than he lived.
  • Context: Malcolm reports Cawdor’s dignified execution.
  • Analysis: Ironically contrasts with Macbeth, who lives dishonorably and dies in disgrace.

13. “There’s no art / To find the mind’s construction in the face.”

  • Speaker: King Duncan
  • To Whom: Malcolm
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
  • Meaning: One cannot judge a person’s true nature by their appearance.
  • Context: Speaking of the traitorous Cawdor.
  • Analysis: Dramatic irony – Duncan fails to see Macbeth’s hidden ambition.

14. “Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Aside
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
  • Meaning: He wishes to hide his dark ambition from the heavens.
  • Context: Upon hearing Malcolm is heir to the throne.
  • Analysis: A moment of self-awareness; light vs dark imagery shows inner conflict.

15. “Look like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
  • Meaning: Appear harmless, but act with cunning and danger.
  • Context: Advising Macbeth how to deceive Duncan.
  • Analysis: Emphasizes manipulation, deception, and biblical allusion to the serpent in Eden.

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

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 7
  • Meaning: If the murder could be done cleanly and swiftly, he would do it.
  • Context: Debating whether to kill Duncan.
  • Analysis: Shows Macbeth’s initial hesitation and moral conflict.

17. “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition…”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 7
  • Meaning: His only motivation is ambition.
  • Context: Justifying why he should not kill Duncan.
  • Analysis: Recognizes ambition as dangerous, foreshadowing overreach and downfall.

18. “When you durst do it, then you were a man.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 7
  • Meaning: Questions his masculinity to provoke him.
  • Context: Persuading him to go through with the murder.
  • Analysis: Manipulative tactic; explores gender expectations.

19. “Is this a dagger which I see before me…”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Macbeth hallucinates a dagger leading him to kill Duncan.
  • Context: Right before committing the murder.
  • Analysis: Symbol of fate, guilt, and inner turmoil; blend of reality and illusion.

20. “Had he not resembled / My father as he slept, I had done’t.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Herself
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: She couldn’t kill Duncan because he looked like her father.
  • Context: After Macbeth kills Duncan.
  • Analysis: Reveals a rare moment of vulnerability in Lady Macbeth.

21. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: He feels his guilt is so great that not even the ocean can cleanse it.
  • Context: Immediately after killing Duncan.
  • Analysis: Powerful image of irreversible guilt and moral stain.

22. “A little water clears us of this deed.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: She believes washing the blood will cleanse their guilt.
  • Context: Calming Macbeth after Duncan’s murder.
  • Analysis: Contrast with Macbeth’s view; foreshadows her later breakdown.

23. “Where we are / There’s daggers in men’s smiles.”

  • Speaker: Donalbain
  • To Whom: Malcolm
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
  • Meaning: They suspect someone close is the murderer.
  • Context: After Duncan’s murder is discovered.
  • Analysis: Theme of appearance vs reality; foreshadows betrayal.

24. “Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all…”

  • Speaker: Banquo
  • To Whom: Himself
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Banquo suspects Macbeth achieved power through foul means.
  • Context: After Macbeth becomes king.
  • Analysis: Suspicion builds; Macbeth sees Banquo as a threat.

25. “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
  • Meaning: His thoughts are dangerous and poisonous.
  • Context: Planning Banquo and Fleance’s murder.
  • Analysis: Metaphor shows Macbeth’s anxiety and unraveling morality.

26. “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck…”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
  • Meaning: He keeps her in the dark about Banquo’s murder.
  • Context: Preparing for further violence.
  • Analysis: Role reversal – Macbeth is now the dominant, secretive partner.

27. “There the grown serpent lies; the worm that’s fled…”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: Banquo is dead, but Fleance (the “worm”) escaped.
  • Context: After receiving news from the murderers.
  • Analysis: Symbolic language shows Macbeth’s fear of legacy and prophecy.

28. “Thou canst not say I did it: never shake / Thy gory locks at me!”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Banquo’s Ghost
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: He tries to deny guilt before the ghost.
  • Context: At the banquet, hallucinating.
  • Analysis: Guilt manifests physically; public unraveling of Macbeth’s facade.

29. “I am in blood / Stepp’d in so far…”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: He’s committed so much evil he may as well continue.
  • Context: After Banquo’s ghost appears.
  • Analysis: Point of no return; Macbeth embraces a path of violence.

30. “Something wicked this way comes.”

  • Speaker: Second Witch
  • To Whom: Other witches
  • Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Refers to Macbeth.
  • Context: Witches sensing his approach.
  • Analysis: Ironic that the witches now see Macbeth as evil — he has transformed into the very wickedness they serve.

31. “What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.”

  • Speaker: Duncan
  • To Whom: Ross
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth is rewarded with the title of Cawdor.
  • Context: After Cawdor’s betrayal is revealed.
  • Analysis: Sets Macbeth’s rise in motion, ironic foreshadowing of future betrayal.

32. “But ’tis strange: / And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths…”

  • Speaker: Banquo
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 3
  • Meaning: Evil forces may tell partial truths to lead people astray.
  • Context: After the witches’ prophecy.
  • Analysis: Banquo shows caution and wisdom; contrasts Macbeth’s blind ambition.

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

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Banquo
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 3
  • Meaning: Whatever happens will happen; fate will take its course.
  • Context: Macbeth’s ambiguous response to the prophecy.
  • Analysis: Suggests early internal struggle between fate and free will.

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

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Herself (soliloquy)
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
  • Meaning: She fears Macbeth is too kind to seize the crown through murder.
  • Context: After reading Macbeth’s letter.
  • Analysis: Introduces Lady Macbeth’s ruthless ambition and dominant influence.

35. “The raven himself is hoarse / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan…”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Herself
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
  • Meaning: Duncan’s death is imminent.
  • Context: Preparing to welcome Duncan.
  • Analysis: Raven (a death omen) intensifies dark tone and Lady Macbeth’s murderous intent.

36. “You do unbend your noble strength to think / So brainsickly of things.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: She criticizes him for being mentally weak after Duncan’s murder.
  • Context: Macbeth is panicking about hearing voices.
  • Analysis: Reinforces her dominance and Macbeth’s fragile conscience.

37. “Wake Duncan with thy knocking: I would thou couldst.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: He regrets the murder and wishes Duncan were alive.
  • Context: After killing Duncan.
  • Analysis: Shows immediate guilt and remorse, though he continues down the dark path.

38. “Confusion now hath made his masterpiece.”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • To Whom: All present
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
  • Meaning: Duncan’s murder has created chaos.
  • Context: Upon discovering the body.
  • Analysis: Personifies confusion, reinforcing disorder in nature and politics.

39. “There’s husbandry in heaven; / Their candles are all out.”

  • Speaker: Banquo
  • To Whom: Fleance
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 1
  • Meaning: The night is unusually dark.
  • Context: Just before Duncan’s murder.
  • Analysis: Natural world reflects moral darkness; ominous atmosphere.

40. “Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man’s act…”

  • Speaker: Ross
  • To Whom: Old Man
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 4
  • Meaning: Nature reacts to Duncan’s murder.
  • Context: After the king’s death.
  • Analysis: Theme of disorder; divine displeasure with Macbeth’s crime.

41. “To be thus is nothing, / But to be safely thus…”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Being king is meaningless if his position isn’t secure.
  • Context: Growing paranoia about Banquo.
  • Analysis: Macbeth’s ambition now leads to fear and more violence.

42. “Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Evil deeds must be followed by more evil.
  • Context: Deciding to kill Banquo and Fleance.
  • Analysis: Shows Macbeth’s descent into tyranny and evil.

43. “We have scorched the snake, not killed it.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Their danger isn’t over; more threats remain.
  • Context: Discussing the threat Banquo poses.
  • Analysis: Imagery of snake alludes to treachery and insecurity.

44. “Thou art the best o’ the cut-throats.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: First Murderer
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: He congratulates the murderer for killing Banquo.
  • Context: At the banquet.
  • Analysis: Disturbing shift in Macbeth’s morals – he now praises killers.

45. “You make me strange / Even to the disposition that I owe.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Murderers
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
  • Meaning: You make me act against my true nature.
  • Context: Persuading them to kill Banquo.
  • Analysis: Shows his ability to manipulate, like Lady Macbeth did to him.

46. “Security is mortals’ chiefest enemy.”

  • Speaker: Hecate
  • To Whom: The witches
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 5
  • Meaning: Overconfidence leads to downfall.
  • Context: Hecate chastises the witches.
  • Analysis: Direct comment on Macbeth’s trajectory; hubris = destruction.

47. “What, all my pretty chickens and their dam / At one fell swoop?”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • To Whom: Malcolm
  • Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 3
  • Meaning: He mourns the murder of his entire family.
  • Context: Hearing of their death.
  • Analysis: “Fell swoop” conveys sudden brutality; raw grief shows Macbeth’s cruelty.

48. “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Herself (sleepwalking)
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
  • Meaning: She imagines blood on her hands she can’t wash away.
  • Context: Her guilt has driven her mad.
  • Analysis: The psychological cost of guilt; contrast to earlier boldness.

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

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Herself
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Nothing can erase her guilt.
  • Context: Still sleepwalking.
  • Analysis: Mirrors Macbeth’s “Neptune’s ocean” – both tormented by bloodshed.

50. “Those he commands move only in command, / Nothing in love.”

  • Speaker: Angus
  • To Whom: Menteth
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth’s men obey him out of duty, not loyalty.
  • Context: Discussing Macbeth’s weakening power.
  • Analysis: Highlights the isolation of tyrants; loss of legitimacy.

51. “There’s no art / To find the mind’s construction in the face.”

  • Speaker: Duncan
  • To Whom: Malcolm
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
  • Meaning: You can’t judge a person’s true intentions by their appearance.
  • Context: Speaking about the former Thane of Cawdor’s betrayal.
  • Analysis: Dramatic irony — Duncan misjudges Macbeth next. Appearance vs. reality theme.

52. “This castle hath a pleasant seat.”

  • Speaker: Duncan
  • To Whom: Banquo
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 6
  • Meaning: He finds Macbeth’s castle welcoming.
  • Context: Arriving at Inverness before his murder.
  • Analysis: Ironic — he is walking into his death. Highlights deceptive appearances.

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

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself (soliloquy)
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 7
  • Meaning: If murder ends everything cleanly, it’s best to do it quickly.
  • Context: Contemplating Duncan’s murder.
  • Analysis: Reveals Macbeth’s awareness of moral consequences and internal hesitation.

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

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 7
  • Meaning: They must pretend innocence to hide their guilt.
  • Context: Just after deciding to go through with the murder.
  • Analysis: Theme of deception; Macbeth is learning duplicity from his wife.

55. “These deeds must not be thought / After these ways; so, it will make us mad.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Don’t dwell on what we’ve done, or we’ll go insane.
  • Context: Immediately after Duncan’s murder.
  • Analysis: Ironic — she later loses her mind. Foreshadowing and denial of guilt.

56. “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself (soliloquy)
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Macbeth hallucinates a dagger leading him to kill Duncan.
  • Context: Just before the murder.
  • Analysis: Symbol of temptation and guilt. Shows the psychological toll of ambition.

57. “Thou sure and firm-set earth, / Hear not my steps.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 1
  • Meaning: He wishes the earth won’t betray his secret deed.
  • Context: As he prepares for the murder.
  • Analysis: Macbeth wants nature itself to hide his crime — unnatural act.

58. “O horror, horror, horror!”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • To Whom: Macbeth and Lennox
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
  • Meaning: He is shocked by Duncan’s murder.
  • Context: Discovering Duncan’s body.
  • Analysis: Genuine grief and horror — contrast with Macbeth’s false sorrow.

59. “Where we are / There’s daggers in men’s smiles.”

  • Speaker: Donalbain
  • To Whom: Malcolm
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
  • Meaning: People who pretend to be friends might be enemies.
  • Context: After Duncan’s murder.
  • Analysis: Highlights deception; explains their decision to flee.

60. “A little water clears us of this deed.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Washing the blood will remove their guilt.
  • Context: After Duncan’s murder.
  • Analysis: Naive belief; contrasted later when she says “all the perfumes of Arabia” cannot clean her hands.

61. “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake / Thy gory locks at me.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Banquo’s Ghost
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: Macbeth denies responsibility for Banquo’s murder.
  • Context: Banquet scene.
  • Analysis: His guilt is overwhelming; public unraveling begins.

62. “Blood will have blood.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: Violence breeds more violence.
  • Context: After seeing Banquo’s ghost.
  • Analysis: Macbeth is trapped in a cycle of bloodshed. Foreshadows his downfall.

63. “I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: He’s gone too far to turn back now.
  • Context: After Banquo’s ghost leaves.
  • Analysis: Compares his crimes to a river of blood. Point of no return.

64. “I have lived long enough.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
  • Meaning: He feels he’s reached the end of his life.
  • Context: As his enemies approach.
  • Analysis: Shows resignation, loss of purpose, and foreshadows defeat.

65. “Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased?”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Doctor
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
  • Meaning: Can’t you cure my wife’s mental illness?
  • Context: Seeing Lady Macbeth suffer.
  • Analysis: Macbeth realizes the psychological cost of their crimes.

66. “I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hacked.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Seyton
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
  • Meaning: He’ll keep fighting no matter what.
  • Context: As enemies prepare to attack.
  • Analysis: Reflects his defiance and tragic bravery.

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

  • Speaker: Angus
  • To Whom: Lennox and others
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth is unfit to be king.
  • Context: Nobles gather against Macbeth.
  • Analysis: Robe metaphor recalls earlier motif of borrowed robes — unearned power.

68. “I bear a charmed life.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Macduff
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 8
  • Meaning: He believes he can’t be killed.
  • Context: Final battle.
  • Analysis: Shows his false confidence in the witches’ prophecy.

69. “Macduff was from his mother’s womb / Untimely ripped.”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 8
  • Meaning: He was born by Caesarean, not “of woman” in the usual way.
  • Context: Revealing the loophole in the witches’ prophecy.
  • Analysis: Prophetic ambiguity — Macbeth is undone by his misinterpretation of fate.

70. “Hail, King! for so thou art.”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • To Whom: Malcolm
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 9
  • Meaning: He greets Malcolm as the rightful king.
  • Context: After Macbeth’s death.
  • Analysis: Restoration of order. End of tyranny, return to rightful leadership.

71. “Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy (himself)
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 4
  • Meaning: Macbeth wishes his dark ambitions remain hidden.
  • Context: After hearing he is named Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth contemplates killing Duncan.
  • Analysis:
    • Reveals Macbeth’s awareness of his evil thoughts.
    • Light vs. dark imagery symbolizes good vs. evil.
    • Introduces theme of secrecy and deception.

72. “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
  • Meaning: Appear harmless but be deadly underneath.
  • Context: Lady Macbeth advises Macbeth to deceive Duncan.
  • Analysis:
    • Biblical allusion to the serpent in Eden (temptation and evil).
    • Highlights theme of appearance vs. reality.
    • Reveals Lady Macbeth’s manipulative nature.

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

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy (herself)
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 5
  • Meaning: She calls on spirits to strip her of feminine weakness to commit murder.
  • Context: Preparing herself mentally to push Macbeth to kill Duncan.
  • Analysis:
    • “Unsex me” challenges traditional gender roles.
    • Shows her ruthless ambition and rejection of compassion.
    • Sets tone for her role as instigator.

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

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy (himself)
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 7
  • Meaning: If the murder could be finished without consequences, it should be done swiftly.
  • Context: Macbeth debates killing Duncan.
  • Analysis:
    • Reveals his hesitation and awareness of moral consequences.
    • Emphasizes internal conflict.
    • Use of repetition shows his agitation.

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

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 7
  • Meaning: They must pretend to be innocent while hiding their guilt.
  • Context: Before the murder of Duncan.
  • Analysis:
    • Further explores theme of deception and duplicity.
    • “False face” and “false heart” show hypocrisy.
    • Highlights the tension between appearance and reality.

76. “I am settled, and bend up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 7
  • Meaning: Macbeth commits fully to the murder and prepares his body and mind.
  • Context: Macbeth resolves to kill Duncan.
  • Analysis:
    • “Corporal agent” refers to his limbs, showing total physical and mental commitment.
    • Language is formal, indicating gravity.
    • Shows Macbeth’s resolve, yet underlying tension remains.

77. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth doubts if even an ocean could cleanse him of guilt.
  • Context: Just after murdering Duncan.
  • Analysis:
    • Blood imagery symbolizes guilt.
    • Hyperbole emphasizes overwhelming remorse.
    • Contrasts Lady Macbeth’s pragmatism.

78. “A little water clears us of this deed.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Washing hands will remove guilt.
  • Context: Lady Macbeth tries to calm Macbeth’s fears after Duncan’s murder.
  • Analysis:
    • Underestimates psychological effects of guilt.
    • Shows her practical and cold nature.
    • Dramatic irony as she later suffers guilt-induced madness.

79. “Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep’.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth imagines he hears a voice condemning him to never sleep peacefully again.
  • Context: After killing Duncan, Macbeth feels guilty and paranoid.
  • Analysis:
    • Sleep symbolizes innocence and peace.
    • The voice represents Macbeth’s guilty conscience.
    • Foreshadows insomnia and mental torment.

80. “What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy (himself)
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth is horrified by the bloody hands and wishes he could no longer see his crime.
  • Context: Right after Duncan’s murder.
  • Analysis:
    • Blood on hands symbolizes guilt.
    • Shows Macbeth’s immediate psychological breakdown.
    • Highlights horror and remorse.

81. “Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth wishes the knocking could wake Duncan from death.
  • Context: Macbeth feels horror and regret after the murder.
  • Analysis:
    • Expresses Macbeth’s despair and helplessness.
    • Foreshadows guilt and consequences.
    • Emotional intensity contrasts Lady Macbeth’s calm.

82. “There’s daggers in men’s smiles.”

  • Speaker: Donalbain
  • To Whom: Malcolm
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
  • Meaning: People may appear friendly but hide deadly intentions.
  • Context: After Duncan’s murder, the brothers fear for their lives.
  • Analysis:
    • Highlights theme of deception and mistrust.
    • Foreshadows betrayal and political danger.
    • Suggests unsafe atmosphere.

83. “The night has been unruly.”

  • Speaker: Lennox
  • To Whom: Macbeth and others
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 3
  • Meaning: The night was disturbed with strange events, reflecting the unnatural act of regicide.
  • Context: Morning after Duncan’s murder.
  • Analysis:
    • Weather and nature reflect moral disorder (pathetic fallacy).
    • Symbolizes chaos caused by Macbeth’s crime.
    • Contributes to ominous atmosphere.

84. “O, yet I do repent me of my fury, That I did kill them.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Banquo and Fleance (implied)
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Macbeth pretends regret over killing Duncan’s guards.
  • Context: Macbeth murders Duncan’s guards to cover his tracks.
  • Analysis:
    • Shows Macbeth’s growing ruthlessness.
    • Irony: he murders with little remorse later.
    • Portrays his political manipulation.

85. “It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul’s flight, if it find Heaven, must find it out tonight.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Murderers
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Macbeth orders Banquo’s murder that night.
  • Context: Macbeth plans to secure his throne by eliminating Banquo.
  • Analysis:
    • Reveals Macbeth’s descent into tyranny and paranoia.
    • “Soul’s flight” references eternal consequences.
    • Emphasizes theme of fate vs. free will.

86. “We hear our bloody cousins are bestowed In England and in Ireland.”

  • Speaker: Lennox
  • To Whom: Lord
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 6
  • Meaning: Lennox comments on Malcolm and Donalbain fleeing Scotland.
  • Context: Scottish nobles discuss political unrest.
  • Analysis:
    • Suggests suspicion about Macbeth’s role in Duncan’s death.
    • Highlights political instability.
    • Irony as Malcolm plans to overthrow Macbeth.

87. “Thou canst not say I did it: never shake Thy gory locks at me.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Banquo’s ghost
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: Macbeth denies responsibility but is haunted by Banquo’s ghost.
  • Context: At a banquet, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost.
  • Analysis:
    • Ghost symbolizes Macbeth’s guilt and fear.
    • Public exposure of Macbeth’s psychological unraveling.
    • Themes of guilt and the supernatural.

88. “It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: Violent acts will lead to further violence.
  • Context: After Banquo’s murder, Macbeth reflects on consequences.
  • Analysis:
    • Suggests inevitable cycle of revenge.
    • Reinforces theme of consequences.
    • Foreshadows Macbeth’s continued bloodshed.

89. “I am in blood Stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy (himself)
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: Macbeth feels he’s gone too deep in crime to turn back.
  • Context: Macbeth contemplates continuing his bloody path.
  • Analysis:
    • Blood imagery symbolizes guilt and violence.
    • Demonstrates Macbeth’s fatalism and entrapment.
    • Highlights theme of moral decay.

**90. “O, full

of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”**

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth’s mind is poisoned with dangerous thoughts.
  • Context: Macbeth shares his troubled thoughts after becoming king.
  • Analysis:
    • Scorpions symbolize pain and danger.
    • Reveals Macbeth’s increasing paranoia.
    • Contrasts with Lady Macbeth’s initial calm.

91. “Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Evil acts beget more evil acts to strengthen their hold.
  • Context: Macbeth feels the need to commit more murders to secure power.
  • Analysis:
    • Theme of the slippery slope of wrongdoing.
    • Macbeth’s acceptance of evil consequences.
    • Reinforces tragic inevitability.

92. “Better be with the dead, Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy (himself)
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
  • Meaning: It might be better to be dead than live in torment.
  • Context: Macbeth reflects on the toll of murder on his peace of mind.
  • Analysis:
    • Reflects Macbeth’s despair and guilt.
    • Foreshadows eventual downfall.
    • Shows tragic psychological burden.

93. “I will to-morrow, And betimes I will, to the weird sisters.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy (himself)
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: Macbeth plans to visit the witches again for more prophecies.
  • Context: After being haunted by Banquo’s ghost.
  • Analysis:
    • Shows Macbeth’s increasing reliance on supernatural guidance.
    • Highlights theme of fate and prophecy.
    • Reflects his growing desperation.

94. “Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Apparition of Banquo’s ghost (imagined)
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: Macbeth fears Banquo’s spirit and legacy.
  • Context: Macbeth is haunted by Banquo’s ghost at the banquet.
  • Analysis:
    • Reinforces Macbeth’s paranoia.
    • Symbolizes the threat Banquo poses.
    • Represents Macbeth’s guilt and fear of retribution.

95. “Security is mortals’ chiefest enemy.”

  • Speaker: Hecate
  • To Whom: The witches
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 5
  • Meaning: Overconfidence leads humans to destruction.
  • Context: Hecate reprimands witches for meddling without her.
  • Analysis:
    • Themes of hubris and downfall.
    • Hecate embodies fate and supernatural control.
    • Warns against complacency.

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

  • Speaker: Witches
  • To Whom: Each other
  • Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Incantation as witches brew their potion.
  • Context: Preparing spells to mislead Macbeth.
  • Analysis:
    • Repetition and rhyme create eerie rhythm.
    • Symbolizes chaos and evil.
    • Highlights supernatural theme.

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

  • Speaker: Second Witch
  • To Whom: Other witches
  • Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 1
  • Meaning: They sense Macbeth’s arrival, who is now ‘wicked.’
  • Context: Macbeth approaches witches for prophecy.
  • Analysis:
    • Shows Macbeth’s transformation into evil.
    • “Pricking of thumbs” suggests supernatural intuition.
    • Builds suspense.

98. “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff; Beware the Thane of Fife.”

  • Speaker: Apparition (First)
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Warning to fear Macduff.
  • Context: Witches deliver three prophecies to Macbeth.
  • Analysis:
    • Sets Macduff as a key antagonist.
    • Fuels Macbeth’s paranoia.
    • Prophecy’s ambiguity leads to Macbeth’s misjudgments.

99. “None of woman born Shall harm Macbeth.”

  • Speaker: Apparition (Second)
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 1
  • Meaning: No man born naturally from a woman can kill Macbeth.
  • Context: Second prophecy from witches.
  • Analysis:
    • Gives Macbeth false confidence.
    • Theme of equivocation (misleading prophecy).
    • Dramatic irony.

100. “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him.”

  • Speaker: Apparition (Third)
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Macbeth will be safe until the forest moves to his castle.
  • Context: Third prophecy from witches.
  • Analysis:
    • Further false sense of security for Macbeth.
    • Symbolizes inevitability of fate.
    • Builds dramatic tension.

101. “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition…”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy (himself)
  • Act & Scene: Act 1, Scene 7
  • Meaning: Macbeth admits he lacks a good reason to kill Duncan except his excessive ambition.
  • Context: Macbeth debates whether to murder Duncan; wrestling with conscience.
  • Analysis:
    • Reveals Macbeth’s tragic flaw: ambition unchecked by morality.
    • “Vaulting ambition” symbolizes dangerous overreach.
    • Foreshadows his downfall as ambition drives him beyond reason.

102. “But wherefore could not I pronounce ‘Amen’?”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth couldn’t say “Amen” after killing Duncan, showing spiritual disturbance.
  • Context: Macbeth feels guilty and disconnected from God immediately after the murder.
  • Analysis:
    • Symbolizes loss of divine favour and inner peace.
    • Highlights Macbeth’s moral and psychological unraveling.
    • Connects to themes of guilt and the supernatural.

103. “The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 2, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Lady Macbeth tries to calm Macbeth by trivializing death and sleep.
  • Context: Macbeth is panicking after murdering Duncan; Lady Macbeth urges composure.
  • Analysis:
    • Shows Lady Macbeth’s initial ruthlessness and control.
    • Irony: she later becomes tormented by guilt.
    • Reflects theme of appearance vs. reality.

104. “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Soliloquy (himself)
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Being king means nothing if his position is not secure.
  • Context: Macbeth worries about Banquo and his heirs threatening his throne.
  • Analysis:
    • Reveals Macbeth’s growing paranoia and insecurity.
    • Motivates his decision to kill Banquo and Fleance.
    • Highlights theme of power and its insecurity.

105. “We have scotch’d the snake, not kill’d it.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
  • Meaning: They’ve wounded the threat (Banquo) but haven’t eliminated it yet.
  • Context: Macbeth discusses the unfinished threat Banquo poses.
  • Analysis:
    • Snake imagery connotes danger, deceit, and evil.
    • Shows Macbeth’s increasing violent mindset.
    • Symbolizes ongoing cycle of murder and paranoia.

106. “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth’s mind is poisoned with dangerous, restless thoughts.
  • Context: Macbeth reveals his plan to murder Banquo and Fleance.
  • Analysis:
    • Scorpion imagery evokes venom, danger, and mental torment.
    • Demonstrates Macbeth’s psychological unraveling.
    • Highlights the theme of corruption of the mind.

107. “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth to stay unaware of his murder plans.
  • Context: Macbeth plots Banquo’s murder without telling her.
  • Analysis:
    • Role reversal: Macbeth takes full control, excluding Lady Macbeth.
    • Indicates growing isolation and mistrust.
    • Shows shift in their relationship and his increasing moral descent.

108. “Blood will have blood.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Lady Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 3, Scene 4
  • Meaning: One act of violence leads inevitably to more violence.
  • Context: Macbeth is haunted by Banquo’s ghost and fears consequences.
  • Analysis:
    • Suggests cyclical, inevitable nature of violence.
    • Foreshadows Macbeth’s continued killings.
    • Reinforces theme of guilt and retribution.

109. “I am in this earthly world; where to do harm is often laudable, to do good sometime accounted dangerous folly.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macduff
  • To Whom: Ross (and herself)
  • Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Evil is praised and good is punished in Macbeth’s Scotland.
  • Context: Lady Macduff laments the corrupt state of the kingdom before her murder.
  • Analysis:
    • Reflects the moral decay and tyranny under Macbeth.
    • Contrasts innocence and corruption.
    • Evokes sympathy and highlights consequences of Macbeth’s rule.

110. “Now does he feel his secret murders sticking on his hands.”

  • Speaker: Angus
  • To Whom: Lennox and other lords
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth is burdened and haunted by his crimes.
  • Context: Scottish nobles discuss Macbeth’s weakening position as rebellion grows.
  • Analysis:
    • Blood imagery symbolizes guilt and moral stain.
    • Suggests Macbeth’s conscience is not at peace.
    • Prepares audience for Macbeth’s downfall.

111. “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: Just before meeting the witches.
  • Meaning: The day is both victorious and ominous.
  • Analysis: Echoes the witches’ paradox; introduces theme of moral confusion.

112. “Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: After Duncan names Malcolm heir.
  • Meaning: Macbeth wants his evil ambition hidden.
  • Analysis: Light vs darkness imagery; inner corruption revealed.

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

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: After hearing the witches’ prophecy.
  • Meaning: He considers letting fate act without interference.
  • Analysis: Shows his initial hesitation and passive approach to destiny.

114. “Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • Context: Advising Macbeth before Duncan’s arrival.
  • Meaning: Hide evil intentions behind a kind face.
  • Analysis: Biblical imagery; theme of deceit.

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

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • Context: Soliloquy after reading Macbeth’s letter.
  • Meaning: She wants to be stripped of femininity to commit murder.
  • Analysis: Challenges gender norms; shows her ambition and ruthlessness.

116. “Was the hope drunk Wherein you dress’d yourself?”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • Context: Scolding Macbeth for hesitating.
  • Meaning: Mocks his earlier confidence as fleeting.
  • Analysis: Emotional manipulation; attacks his masculinity.

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

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: Responding to Lady Macbeth’s provocation.
  • Meaning: A true man acts with honor, not recklessness.
  • Analysis: Explores definitions of manhood; moral resistance.

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

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: Just before murdering Duncan.
  • Meaning: He must disguise his evil intentions.
  • Analysis: Theme of appearance vs reality.

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

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: Soliloquy debating the murder.
  • Meaning: Wishes murder could be clean and consequence-free.
  • Analysis: Reveals deep internal conflict and anxiety.

120. “I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: Same soliloquy as above.
  • Meaning: His only motivation is unchecked ambition.
  • Analysis: Ambition as tragic flaw; foreshadows downfall.

121. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: After murdering Duncan.
  • Meaning: Nothing can cleanse him of guilt.
  • Analysis: Blood as a symbol of guilt; shows deep remorse.

122. “Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep’.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: After Duncan’s murder.
  • Meaning: He feels he has destroyed innocence and peace.
  • Analysis: Sleep symbolizes peace; guilt leads to psychological torment.

123. “A little water clears us of this deed.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • Context: Post-murder reassurance to Macbeth.
  • Meaning: She thinks guilt is easily washed away.
  • Analysis: Ironic contrast to Macbeth’s deeper remorse.

124. “To know my deed, ’twere best not know myself.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: Immediately after the murder.
  • Meaning: He is ashamed to face himself.
  • Analysis: Identity crisis; self-loathing.

125. “Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: As the knocking begins.
  • Meaning: Macbeth already regrets the murder.
  • Analysis: Immediate guilt; wishes for reversal of action.

126. “There’s daggers in men’s smiles.”

  • Speaker: Donalbain
  • Context: After Duncan’s death.
  • Meaning: They cannot trust anyone.
  • Analysis: Appearance vs reality; suspicion and paranoia.

127. “The night has been unruly.”

  • Speaker: Lennox
  • Context: The morning after Duncan’s murder.
  • Meaning: Nature itself reacted violently.
  • Analysis: Nature disturbed by unnatural deeds; disorder in cosmos.

128. “O, yet I do repent me of my fury.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: After killing the guards.
  • Meaning: Claims rage made him kill them.
  • Analysis: False justification; manipulates others.

129. “Bleed, bleed, poor country!”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • Context: In England, lamenting Scotland’s suffering.
  • Meaning: Scotland is being destroyed under Macbeth.
  • Analysis: Personification of the nation; patriotic sorrow.

130. “Your castle is surprised; your wife and babes Savagely slaughter’d.”

  • Speaker: Ross
  • Context: Telling Macduff of his family’s murder.
  • Meaning: Macbeth’s cruelty has reached a peak.
  • Analysis: Catalyst for Macduff’s revenge; emotional turning point.

131. “I have no words; My voice is in my sword.”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • Context: Preparing to fight Macbeth.
  • Meaning: He will express his grief through action.
  • Analysis: Revenge and justice; physical embodiment of grief.

132. “I must also feel it as a man.”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • Context: After learning of his family’s death.
  • Meaning: Real men express sorrow, not just vengeance.
  • Analysis: Redefines masculinity; emotional strength.

133. “Out, damned spot! out, I say!”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • Context: Sleepwalking scene.
  • Meaning: Imagines trying to wash away blood.
  • Analysis: Manifestation of guilt and mental breakdown.

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

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • Context: Same sleepwalking scene.
  • Meaning: Her guilt is too great to be masked.
  • Analysis: Irony; earlier claimed water was enough.

135. “She should have died hereafter.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: On hearing of Lady Macbeth’s death.
  • Meaning: She would have died sooner or later.
  • Analysis: Emotional numbness; existential fatigue.

136. “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: Same soliloquy.
  • Meaning: Life is monotonous and meaningless.
  • Analysis: Nihilistic view; loss of hope and purpose.

137. “Life’s but a walking shadow.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: Same soliloquy.
  • Meaning: Life is an illusion, lacking substance.
  • Analysis: Dark metaphor; theme of futility.

138. “Out, out, brief candle!”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: Still reflecting on mortality.
  • Meaning: Life is fragile and fleeting.
  • Analysis: Candle as life symbol; death is abrupt and inevitable.

139. “Lay on, Macduff, And damn’d be him that first cries, ‘Hold, enough!’”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • Context: Final battle.
  • Meaning: Challenges Macduff to a fight to the death.
  • Analysis: Macbeth’s last show of bravery or desperation.

140. “Turn, hell-hound, turn!”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • Context: Just before fighting Macbeth.
  • Meaning: Calls Macbeth a demonic traitor.
  • Analysis: Intensifies tone of righteous vengeance.

141. “Despair thy charm, And let the angel whom thou still hast served Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb Untimely ripp’d.”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • Context: Final confrontation.
  • Meaning: He was born via C-section, not “of woman.”
  • Analysis: Macbeth’s false confidence destroyed; twist on prophecy.

142. “Hail, King! for so thou art.”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • Context: Presenting Macbeth’s head to Malcolm.
  • Meaning: Declares Malcolm rightful king.
  • Analysis: Order restored; end of tyranny.

143. “This dead butcher and his fiend-like queen.”

  • Speaker: Malcolm
  • Context: Final speech.
  • Meaning: Summary of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s legacy.
  • Analysis: Condemns their deeds; reinforces justice and order.

144. “He has no children.”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • To Whom: Malcolm
  • Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 3
  • Meaning: Macduff laments that Macbeth, who murdered his family, cannot understand the pain of loss because he has no children.
  • Context: After Macduff hears of the slaughter of his wife and children.
  • Analysis:
    • Expresses profound grief.
    • Implies Macbeth’s inhumanity and lack of empathy.
    • Possibly a suggestion that Macduff seeks revenge on Macbeth’s heirs — but finds none.

145. “Let grief / Convert to anger; blunt not the heart, enrage it.”

  • Speaker: Malcolm
  • To Whom: Macduff
  • Act & Scene: Act 4, Scene 3
  • Meaning: Encourages Macduff to channel his sorrow into action and vengeance.
  • Context: After Macduff learns of his family’s murder.
  • Analysis:
    • Calls for justice through retaliation.
    • Shows how grief leads to Macbeth’s downfall.
    • Explores the transformation of emotion into resolve.

146. “Out, damned spot! out, I say!”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Herself (while sleepwalking)
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
  • Meaning: She imagines blood on her hands and tries to wash it off.
  • Context: Consumed by guilt after Duncan’s murder.
  • Analysis:
    • Vivid symbol of guilt.
    • Irony: she once mocked Macbeth’s conscience.
    • Reveals her mental breakdown.

147. “Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Herself (sleepwalking)
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Haunted by Duncan’s murder, she remembers the blood.
  • Context: Recalling the night of the assassination.
  • Analysis:
    • Her repressed guilt resurfaces uncontrollably.
    • Reflects how one crime led to mental torment.
    • Imagery of blood = irreversible guilt.

148. “Here’s the smell of the blood still.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Herself (sleepwalking)
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
  • Meaning: She imagines she still smells blood on her hands.
  • Context: Sleepwalking scene, expressing guilt.
  • Analysis:
    • Sensory hallucination shows psychological trauma.
    • Connects with recurring theme of blood = guilt.
    • Contrasts earlier statement: “A little water clears us of this deed.”

149. “What’s done cannot be undone.”

  • Speaker: Lady Macbeth
  • To Whom: Herself (sleepwalking)
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Expresses regret that the murder cannot be reversed.
  • Context: While obsessing over Duncan’s murder.
  • Analysis:
    • Deep regret replaces ambition.
    • Ironic echo of earlier words: “What’s done is done.”
    • Trapped in irreversible consequences.

150. “Unnatural deeds / Do breed unnatural troubles.”

  • Speaker: Doctor
  • To Whom: Gentlewoman
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 1
  • Meaning: Evil actions cause psychological problems.
  • Context: Observing Lady Macbeth’s disturbed state.
  • Analysis:
    • Highlights the mental consequences of sin.
    • Reinforces the unnatural disruption of regicide.
    • A warning of divine and moral retribution.

151. “Those he commands move only in command, / Nothing in love.”

  • Speaker: Angus
  • To Whom: Menteth, Caithness, and Lennox
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth’s soldiers obey him out of fear, not loyalty.
  • Context: Discussing Macbeth’s loss of support.
  • Analysis:
    • Shows Macbeth’s isolation.
    • Reflects deterioration of leadership.
    • Emphasizes tyrannical rule vs true kingship.

152. “Now does he feel / His secret murders sticking on his hands.”

  • Speaker: Angus
  • To Whom: Fellow thanes
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 2
  • Meaning: Macbeth is burdened by guilt.
  • Context: Planning to join Malcolm’s army.
  • Analysis:
    • Reinforces the theme of visible vs invisible guilt.
    • His crimes have caught up with him.
    • Suggests inevitability of justice.

153. “I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hacked.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Seyton
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 3
  • Meaning: He’s determined to fight to the bitter end.
  • Context: Preparing for the final battle.
  • Analysis:
    • Shows desperate defiance.
    • Tragic hero clinging to courage.
    • Blurs bravery and fatalism.

154. “I have almost forgot the taste of fears.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 5
  • Meaning: He has grown numb to fear.
  • Context: After hearing a scream (Lady Macbeth’s death).
  • Analysis:
    • Indicates emotional detachment.
    • Shows psychological toll of tyranny.
    • A contrast to his earlier anxious self.

155. “She should have died hereafter.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Seyton
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 5
  • Meaning: He says her death was inevitable anyway.
  • Context: Just after hearing of Lady Macbeth’s death.
  • Analysis:
    • Cold, detached reaction.
    • Reflects nihilism and emptiness.
    • Loss of all personal connection.

156. “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 5
  • Meaning: Life drags on meaninglessly.
  • Context: After Lady Macbeth’s death.
  • Analysis:
    • One of Shakespeare’s most famous soliloquies.
    • Pessimistic view of life and time.
    • Expresses futility and despair.

157. “Life’s but a walking shadow.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 5
  • Meaning: Life is fleeting and meaningless.
  • Context: Continuation of the “tomorrow” soliloquy.
  • Analysis:
    • Suggests everything is an illusion.
    • Nihilism defines Macbeth’s worldview.
    • Poetic yet tragic conclusion.

158. “It is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 5
  • Meaning: Life is a loud, meaningless story.
  • Context: End of “tomorrow” speech.
  • Analysis:
    • Ultimate expression of despair.
    • Destroys earlier heroic image.
    • Emphasizes tragic futility.

159. “Blow wind! come wrack! / At least we’ll die with harness on our back.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Himself
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 5
  • Meaning: Macbeth resolves to die fighting.
  • Context: As Malcolm’s army advances.
  • Analysis:
    • Fatalistic bravery.
    • Final assertion of control.
    • Classical tragic hero ending.

160. “Turn, hell-hound, turn!”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 8
  • Meaning: Calls Macbeth a devil and challenges him.
  • Context: Right before their final battle.
  • Analysis:
    • Macbeth is identified with evil.
    • Sets up moral victory for Macduff.
    • Tension peaks in climax.

161. “Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests; I bear a charmed life.”

  • Speaker: Macbeth
  • To Whom: Macduff
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 8
  • Meaning: Macbeth believes no man can harm him.
  • Context: Fighting Macduff.
  • Analysis:
    • Shows false confidence in the prophecy.
    • Foreshadows dramatic irony and his defeat.
    • Illustrates his detachment from reality.

162. “Macduff was from his mother’s womb / Untimely ripp’d.”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 8
  • Meaning: Macduff was born via Caesarean section.
  • Context: Turning point in their duel.
  • Analysis:
    • Prophecy is fulfilled in unexpected way.
    • Macbeth’s downfall becomes inevitable.
    • Fate triumphs over ambition.

163. “Then yield thee, coward.”

  • Speaker: Macduff
  • To Whom: Macbeth
  • Act & Scene: Act 5, Scene 8
  • Meaning: Urges Macbeth to surrender.
  • Context: Macbeth refuses to back down.
  • Analysis:
    • Highlights contrast between justice and tyranny.
    • Macbeth still clings to pride.