Please analyze the following quotes from Macebeth; identify the speaker, provide context for the meaning, and interpret the meaning.
1.
Yet do I fear they nature;
It is too full o'th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend to it.
2.
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.
3.
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.
CARTER
ReplyDelete1) Lady Macbeth, I.v.16-20. Lady Macbeth has just read the letter from Macbeth about the prophesy of the witches. She is lamenting over the good nature of her husband, that he has the ambition for the kingship, but none of the drive, which she later shows, to do anything necessary to obtain it, even at the cost of blood.
2) Macbeth, I.iv.48-51. Macbeth has just heard King Duncan exclaim that his son Malcolm is next for the throne. Macbeth is saying that the witches' prophecy proclaim him to be the next king, not Malcolm. This is the first time Macbeth shows his dark side and his ambition for the kingship.
3) Lady Macbeth I.v.25-8. This quote is form the same monologue as before. She is hoping her husband returns quickly, so that she may persuade him to take the crown by any means. The "golden round" is the crown, and she wants the almighty power that it would give, a power she has and uses on her husband to do her bidding.
CARTER
ReplyDelete1) This shows how Lady Macbeth is ruthless and cunning. This eventually proves to be worthwhile as she is the one who comes up with the plan to rid of Duncan without suspicion, something Macbeth probably could not do.
2) When Macbeth says this, he shows how he has some of the drive of his wife. It also shows that he doesn't have all the want and ambition to follow through with these desires though.
3) This shows the cunning and inner evil of Lady Macbeth. She has a lot of ambition, and uses her husband as a tool of her desires.
1. Yet do I fear they nature;
ReplyDeleteIt is too full o'th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend to it.
Speaker: Lady Macbeth
When: right after reading the letter from Macbeth
What: I think she i saying that she does not think that Macbeth is ready for the crown. She thinks he is too kind "to catch" the chance. She says that he would be great and ambitious but does not have the "illness" needed.
2. 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.
Speaker: Macbeth
When: Macbeth talks to himself, or to the audience, after speaking with Banquo and Duncan about Malcolm taking Duncan's kingdom
What: Macbeth recognizes Malcolm as the prince, but still wants to become king. he says hes either going to have to quit or "o'erleap" him. Macbeth wants the stars to not let its light show what he desires. otherwise saying he wants to make sure that the bad thoughts he is thinking inside never gets out.
Lauren Steiner
CARTER
ReplyDelete1) Macbeth's "milk of human kindness" is beneficial to him at first. It allows him to be liked by many people, giving him the kingship. However, it eventually gets in the way of his tirade, and he must rid of it.
2) In this scene, it shows how Macbeth will go to any means to secure his fortune. This includes *spoiler* his best friend Banquo and his son, due to the witches prophecy about them, and Duncan's sons so that they may no longer lay claim.
3) Her "spirits", to be compared to alcohol, would have a high proof. They are very biting, and cause man to do what he would normally not. They cause him to question his manhood and prove/compensate for it.
ROY:
ReplyDelete1. Lady Macbeth-1.5.16-19.
This passage is taken directly after Lady Macbeth has read the letter from her husband. In this quote, lady Macbeth tells of her husband's good nature and how he will never be great without a little, "illness," or a little push into the right direction.
2. Macbeth-1.4.47-51.
He states that new soon-to-be-king Malcom is merely an obstacle in his (Macbeth's) way. He states that he must rid the Earth of this scum and this is the first scene in which conflict is apparent to the audience.
3. Lady Macbeth-1.5.25-28.
She states in this passage that she wants her husband to come back so that she may poison his mind with ideas of treachery and of ill-deeds in order for them to achieve glory.
To Carter:
ReplyDelete3) I don't think that Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to do her "bidding" so much as gain glory and power for the both of them. Lady Macbeth is the driving force behind Macbeth and symbolizes his ambition, of which is clearly lacking throughout the story.
ROY:
ReplyDeleteI would also like to add:
1. Lady Macbeth is trying to begin her plotting against Malcom, Duncan, and anyone else that steps between her & her husband and the throne. This is the very beginning to her tyranny and her mind control.
2. This is the first time in which Macbeth admits that he needs to get rid of King Duncan as well as his soon-to-be-king son Malcom. He begins to plot at this line.
3.
ReplyDeleteHie 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.
Speaker: Lady Macbeth
This is when she is alone reading the letter again and this is part of her response. Lady Macbeth is saying that she wants Macbeth to come home so she can talk to him and persuade him from all that is keeping him away from "the golden round", aka the crown.
Lauren Steiner
1. In Act 1 Scene 5, when Lady Macbeth finishes reading the letter she is reflecting and she thinks that Macbeth is "too full o'th' milk of human kindness" or too nice to really go for the crown when he gets his chance. She knows of course that he has plenty of ambition but she is redundant and says he does not have the darker side or "illness" to go for it.
ReplyDelete2. I really like Macbeth's last line: "Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires." While this is just him expressing his competitiveness with Prince of Cumberland, i think it shows his more respectful and kind side once again and lets us see into his character more.
3. This section has especially interesting diction: "pour my spirits in thine ear" or "chastise with the valour of my tongue". These parts bring the role of women in their society to my attention. Lady Macbeth's role in Macbeth's life must be to support him and make decisions for him.
Lauren Steiner
Amelia Grayson
ReplyDelete1) Lady Macbeth. She has just read the letter from Macbeth and is talking about how Macbeth is too kind to go after the kingship along with Thane of Glamis and Cawdor.
2) Macbeth. He is just now expressing that he would actually like the kingship, and he desires more power. He makes sure to hide his motives and desires.
3) Lady Macbeth. She wants Macbeth to come back home so she can persuade and trick Macbeth into trying to kill Duncan and take the crown for himself.
CARTER
ReplyDeleteTo Roy:
For 1), I don't think the "illness" is as much a push as the inherent evil of someone. And I also don't think Malcolm was expected to be king soon, as I think Duncan wasn't nearing old age.
To Amelia:
I may be wrong, but I think he expressed his want for the kingship earlier in Scene iii. Also, I don't think Lady Macbeth wants to trick him so much as persuade him.
To Lauren:
I don't think it shows his kinder side at all. I think it does the opposite, as it shows he does not want his true inner nature to be seen. Also, the woman's role in this time was not to make the decisions, just to give her thoughts to her husband.
To Carter:
ReplyDeleteOh, I know he already expressed his desire for power, but what I was trying to say is that all he was saying is he wants to take the kingship.
As for tricking, I mean with her womanly ways. She knows what she wants and she knows since she's not a man she has to get someone else, specifically Macbeth, to do what she wants for her. Its not a trick, but more like trickery. If that makes sense. Well it does to me, haha
The above one is Amelia's
ReplyDelete3) I like the phrasing of the "golden round". It brings to mind the idea of power and "what goes around comes around" Lady Macbeth takes power, and I believe it will eventually take her.
2) It intrigues how Macbeth seems humble and loyal, but yet he shows a darker side to the audience. It shows the duplicity of Macbeth and foreshadows further betrayal.