William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is one of his most iconic tragedies, known for its profound exploration of ambition, guilt, and fate. Set in medieval Scotland, the play follows Macbeth, a noble warrior, who is driven by a prophecy and his own unchecked ambition to murder King Duncan and take the throne. This act sets off a spiral of madness, violence, and moral disintegration. Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare uses a variety of memorable quotes that reveal the psychological complexity of the characters and the themes that permeate the play. The following is a collection of 47 famous quotes from Macbeth, each of which sheds light on the characters’ internal struggles, their ambitions, and the dark forces that shape their fates.
47 Famous Macbeth Quotes That Define The Play
1. “When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?”
2. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
3. “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!”
4. “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!”
5. “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”
6. “If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which grain will grow and which will not, Speak then to me.”
7. “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.”
8. “Not so happy, yet much happier.”
9. “Thane of Cawdor lives: why do you dress me in borrowed robes?”
10. “This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good.”
11. “Come what come may, Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.”
12. “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.”
13. “The thane of Cawdor lives: why do you dress me in borrowed robes?”
14. “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’er-leaps itself and falls on the other.”
15. “What’s done is done.”
16. “Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage.”
17. “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.”
18. “If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well it were done quickly.”
19. “I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none.”
20. “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?”
21. “Macbeth does murder sleep, the innocent sleep, sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care.”
22. “A little water clears us of this deed.”
23. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”
24. “I am in blood Stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er.”
25. “To be thus is nothing; but to be safely thus.”
26. “We have scorched the snake, not killed it.”
27. “I will not be afraid of death and bane, Till Birnam Forest come to Dunsinane.”
28. “The night has been unruly.”
29. “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
30. “There are no stars in the sky and no light in the heavens.”
31. “Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth.”
32. “Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage.”
33. “What’s the matter, you desecrate our temple?”
34. “She should have died hereafter; there would have been a time for such a word.”
35. “I am not a man to be afraid of anything.”
36. “And yet I would not be a coward.”
37. “Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t.”
38. “Thou canst not say I did it: never shake Thy gory locks at me.”
39. “Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage.”
40. “Of this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen.”
41. “It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood.”
42. “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.”
43. “What you egg! Young fry of treachery!”
44. “The earth hath bubbles, as the water has, And these are of them.”
45. “I have no words. My voice is in my sword.”
46. “The castle of Macduff I will surprise.”
47. “Hail, King of Scotland!”
Conclusion
These 47 famous quotes from Macbeth represent some of the most memorable lines in the play, each echoing the themes of power, fate, guilt, and morality that have made it one of Shakespeare’s greatest works. From the witches’ foretelling prophecies to Macbeth’s own downward spiral into madness, these quotes capture the heart of the play’s exploration of human nature and the destructive effects of unchecked ambition. They continue to resonate with audiences today, serving as a timeless reflection on the consequences of making choices driven by personal desire and moral compromise. Whether uttered by Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, or the other key figures, each quote invites reflection on the cost of ambition and the profound impact of one’s actions.
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