Macbeth: Famous Quotes
Shakespeare’s Macbeth contains some of the most haunting and memorable lines in the English language. Below is a curated list of the most essential quotes, presented with their modern verse translations and detailed analysis.
Fair is foul, and foul is fair
Act 1, Scene 1
Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.
Hover through the fog and filthy air.
What’s fair is foul; what’s foul is fair;.
Let’s fly through foggy, filthy air.
Let’s fly through foggy, filthy air.
Analysis
The Witches chant this paradox in the opening scene, establishing the play's core theme: deception and the inversion of moral order. In Macbeth's Scotland, appearances are entirely deceptive. What seems good (fair) is evil (foul), and vice versa, foreshadowing Macbeth's own descent from a noble hero to a tyrannical murderer.
Unsex me here
Act 1, Scene 5
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!
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty!
Come, evil spirits
That make me think of death, make me more manly,
And fill me from my head down to my toes
With awful cruelty!
That make me think of death, make me more manly,
And fill me from my head down to my toes
With awful cruelty!
Analysis
Lady Macbeth calls upon demonic spirits to strip away her femininity and the compassion associated with it. She believes her husband is too "full of the milk of human kindness" to murder King Duncan, so she must adopt the ruthless masculinity required to seize the crown.
Look like the innocent flower
Act 1, Scene 5
Look like the innocent flower,
But be the serpent under’t.
But be the serpent under’t.
Look like a flower,
But be the snake below.
But be the snake below.
Analysis
Lady Macbeth instructs her husband on the art of deception as they prepare to host King Duncan. She urges him to put on a welcoming, loyal facade to hide their treacherous, murderous intentions. It is a perfect encapsulation of the "fair is foul" motif.
Is this a dagger which I see before me
Act 2, Scene 1
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.
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Is this a dagger that I see before me,
The handle pointing at my hand? I'll hold it.
It isn't really there, yet I can see it.
The handle pointing at my hand? I'll hold it.
It isn't really there, yet I can see it.
Analysis
In this famous soliloquy, Macbeth hallucinates a floating dagger leading him toward King Duncan's chamber. The vision manifests his immense psychological stress and guilt before the murder is even committed. It blurs the line between the supernatural world and his own fevered imagination.
Full of scorpions is my mind
Act 3, Scene 2
O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!
My mind is full of scorpions, dear wife!
Analysis
Having secured the throne, Macbeth is still plagued by paranoia and insecurity, particularly regarding Banquo and his descendants. The striking metaphor of a mind "full of scorpions" vividly illustrates the stinging, venomous torment of his relentless ambition and guilt.
Out, damned spot!
Act 5, Scene 1
Out, damned spot! Out, I say!—One: two: why,
then, ’tis time to do’t.—Hell is murky!
then, ’tis time to do’t.—Hell is murky!
Get off, damned spot! Get off, I say! One, two: well then
it’s time to do it. Hell is a dark place!
it’s time to do it. Hell is a dark place!
Analysis
Sleepwalking and driven mad by guilt, Lady Macbeth obsessively washes her hands, desperately trying to cleanse them of King Duncan's blood. This scene violently contrasts with her earlier, callous claim that "a little water clears us of this deed", demonstrating the inescapable torment of a guilty conscience.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Act 5, Scene 5
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time...
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time...
Tomorrow or the next day or the next,
Each day creeps slowly by, from day to day
Until we reach the very end of time...
Each day creeps slowly by, from day to day
Until we reach the very end of time...
Analysis
Upon learning of his wife's death, Macbeth delivers a deeply nihilistic speech about the futility of life. Having sacrificed his soul, his peace, and his humanity for power, he ultimately finds that his existence is meaningless—a "brief candle" that is quickly extinguished.
Untimely ripped
Act 5, Scene 8
Despair thy charm;
And let the angel whom thou still hast served
Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb
Untimely ripped.
And let the angel whom thou still hast served
Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb
Untimely ripped.
Trash the spell,
And let those witches whom you’re serving still
Tell you, Macduff was, from his mother’s womb,
Ripped prematurely.
And let those witches whom you’re serving still
Tell you, Macduff was, from his mother’s womb,
Ripped prematurely.
Analysis
The Witches prophesied that "none of woman born shall harm Macbeth", giving him a false sense of invincibility. In the final battle, Macduff reveals he was born via a caesarean section, fulfilling the prophecy's loophole. It is the exact moment Macbeth realises he has been manipulated and destroyed by the forces of darkness.