MACBETH’S LETTER – RELEVANT FEATURES
Line
l. 1
l.2
l.4
l.5
l.3
l.7
l.8
l.9
l.10
l.11
l.13
l.12
l.15-16
Expression
The day of success
The perfectest report, more than mortal knowledge
They made themselves air, into which they vanished
Rapt in the wonder of it
Burned in desire / to question
All-hailed
Weird sister
Coming on of the time
This have I thought good to deliver thee
My dearest partner of greatness
Greatness
Rejoicing
Glamis … promised
l.15
l.16
l.17
l.18
l.19-20
l.20
Glamis thou art, and Cawdor
Yet
Too full of human kindness
To catch the nearest way = to kill Duncan
Without the illness
Should
What thou wouldst highly
That wouldst you holily
l.20-21
l.21
l.22
l.22
l.22-23
l.25
l.26
Wouldst not play false
And yet wouldst wrongly win
Great Glamis
Cries
Thus thou must do, if thou have it
That which … that which
Spirits
Valour of my tongue
l.26
l.27
l.27-28
Chastise
Golden round
Fate and metaphysical aid
Meaning or underscoring
Macbeth’s pride and happiness
Macbeth’s belief in supernatural
Macbeth’s wonder at the witches.
Macbeth seems to unconsciously want to believe in the prophecy
Macbeth’s greed for power
Macbeth seems already absorbed in his dreams
Respect for the witches
Macbeth is convinced that he would become king
Deviation: it expresses the irrationality of Macbeth’s submission to his wife
Importance of Macbeth’s wife in his life
Repetition: the idea of greatness fills Macbeth’s mind completely
Macbeth imagines his life and happiness as king
Lady Macbeth expresses his decision in synthesizing all the condition of
Macbeth
Accent on Glamis and Cawdor
Change in topic
Metaphor: weakness of Macbeth’s nature
Lady Macbeth does not admit other ways to become king.
Run-on-line: it reinforces the lack of malevolence in Macbeth’s personality
For Lady Macbeth, ambition is naturally bound with malevolence
Chiasm: contradiction in Macbeth’s personality. Honesty and ambition can
hardly coexist.
Ironical tone
Importance of conviction
Macbeth is courageous only when there is somebody who tells him what to do.
Anaphor: it underlines the idea of lack
Reference to medieval science
Lady Macbeth is aware of her abilities. She is also determined to convince her
husband.
Reference to the behavior of the medieval fairies
Reference to the medieval kenning
Lady Macbeth justifies her actions