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100+ Powerful Lady Macbeth Quotes: Unleashing Ambition and Guilt
Summary
In the world of literature, few characters stand out as strikingly as Lady Macbeth. Known for her ambition, complexity, and the moral quandaries she embodies, Lady Macbeth is a fascinating figure who has inspired numerous analyses and discussions over the centuries. This article explores Lady Macbeth through a series of nuanced quotes that delve into her motivations, emotions, and the moral implications of her actions. Each section highlights a different aspect of her character, offering a deep dive into the inner workings of one of Shakespeare's most enigmatic figures. From ambition and dreams to guilt and transformation, these quotes give us insight into Lady Macbeth's psyche and the timeless relevance of her story to human nature and societal dynamics.
Ambition and Power Quotes
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't."
"Screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not fail."
"Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be what thou art promised."
"Thou wouldst be great, art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it."
"When you durst do it, then you were a man."
"These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us mad."
"My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white."
"What's done cannot be undone."
"Out, damned spot! Out, I say!"
"The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements."
"We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not fail."
"I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn."
Dreams and Visions Quotes
"O, never shall sun that morrow see!"
"Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire?"
"Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear."
"Yet I do fear thy nature; It is too full o' the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way."
"What beast was't, then, that made you break this enterprise to me?"
"Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going."
"False face must hide what false heart doth know."
"I have given suck, and know how tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me."
"To alter favor ever is to fear."
"To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself."
"Methought I heard a voice cry, 'Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep.'
"I am afraid to think what I have done; look on’t again I dare not."
Guilt and Conscience Quotes
"Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?"
"The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures."
"A little water clears us of this deed."
"Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
"I tell you yet again, Banquo's buried; he cannot come out on ‘s grave."
"Wash your hands, put on your nightgown; look not so pale."
"What’s done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed!”
"She has light by her continually; ’tis her command."
"Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier and afeard?"
"You mar all with this starting."
"The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?"
"Consider it not so deeply."
Manipulation and Influence Quotes
"Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it."
"Leave all the rest to me."
"That shalt be what thou art promised."
"What cannot you and I perform upon the unguarded Duncan?"
"Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue."
"You wait on nature's mischief!"
"I fear thy nature; it is too full o' the milk of human kindness."
"Was hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself?"
"When you durst do it, then you were a man."
"Live a coward in thine own esteem."
"Seal with a righteous kiss a betrayal that will shake the foundations of kings."
"Shall sun that morrow see?"
Courage and Resolve Quotes
"But screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not fail."
"We will proceed no further in this business: he hath honored me of late."
"To beguile the time, look like the time."
"Be so much more the man."
"Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums."
"I would, while it was smiling in my face."
"Dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn."
"A deed of dreadful note."
"What's done is done."
"Out, out brief candle!"
"Life's but a walking shadow."
"Play the humble host."
Madness and Descent Quotes
"Out, out, damned spot!"
"The heart is sorely charged."
"All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."
"I tell you yet again, Banquo's buried; he cannot come out on's grave."
"What's done cannot be undone."
"She has light by her continually; ’tis her command."
"Wash your hands; put on your nightgown; look not so pale."
"To bed, to bed, to bed."
"Hell is murky."
"Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?"
"A soldier and afeard?"
"You mar all with this starting."
Transformation and Change Quotes
"Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?"
"Consider it not so deeply."
"Thy letters have transported me beyond this ignorant present, and I feel now the future in the instant."
"My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white."
"I am in blood stepped in so far."
"Be bloody, bold, and resolute."
"Look like the innocent flower."
"Could trammel up the consequence."
"Leave all the rest to me."
"Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more."
"Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going."
"A little water clears us of this deed."
Feminine and Masculine Dynamics Quotes
"Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty."
"Come to my woman's breasts, and take my milk for gall."
"Was hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself?"
"Be so much more the man."
"Bring forth men-children only; for thy undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males."
"When you durst do it, then you were a man."
"Leave all the rest to me."
"Too full o’ the milk of human kindness."
"Look like the innocent flower."
"A woman's story at a winter's fire, authorized by her grandam."
"Teach you to trade your humanity."
"Doubt the equivocation of the fiend that lies like truth."
Night and Darkness Quotes
"Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell."
"Good things of day begin to droop and drowse; whiles night's black agents to their preys do rouse."
"Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires."
"Night's yawning peal doth blow."
"There's husbandry in heaven; their candles are all out."
"Light thickens, and the crow makes wing to the rooky wood."
"This deed I’ll do before this purpose cool."
"Strange screams of death, and prophesying with accents terrible."
"The blanket of the dark."
"Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse."
"Pitchy darkness."
"When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out."
Mortality and Legacy Quotes
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player."
"Out, out brief candle!"
"A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
"Look after her; remove from her the means of all annoyance."
"All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!"
"The devil himself could not pronounce a title more hateful to mine ear."
"With an untitled tyrant bloody-sceptred."
"All is but toys."
"Our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death."
"Your face, my thane, is a book where men may read strange matters."
"A deed without a name."
"Fairest show."
Final words
Lady Macbeth remains one of Shakespeare's most intriguing and complex characters. Her journey through ambition, power, guilt, and eventual madness offers timeless insights into human nature and the consequences of unchecked desires. Through this collection of quotes, we observe her transformation and the multi-faceted aspects of her personality, confronting themes like gender roles and the dynamics of power and influence. Shakespeare's portrayal of Lady Macbeth is rich with psychological depth, and her famous lines continue to resonate deeply with audiences around the world. Her bold moves and tragic flaws are a testament to the enduring nature of Shakespearean drama and its reflective mirror on society and self. Her tale serves as both a caution and a reflection, encouraging us to ponder on ambition's cost and the essence of our moral choices. In essence, Lady Macbeth's story is one of profound legacy and serves as a reminder of the perennial struggle between ambition and virtue.
Explore 100+ iconic Lady Macbeth quotes that capture the essence of ambition, power, and guilt. Perfect for students, literature enthusiasts, and marketers seeking inspiration from Shakespeare's complex character.
