Macbeth: Dialogue and voice
16 lenses on dialogue and voice for Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
C1. Share of words in dialogue, whole book and per chapter. Count
84% dialogue. See the full lens on the book page.
C2. Each character's number of lines and share of speech. Both
Macbeth speaks most, with 34% of attributed speech.
| Character | Lines | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macbeth | 145 | 4604 | 34% |
| Lady Macbeth | 59 | 1573 | 12% |
| Malcolm | 39 | 1466 | 11% |
| Macduff | 58 | 1078 | 8% |
| Ross | 39 | 900 | 7% |
| Banquo | 33 | 716 | 5% |
| Lennox | 21 | 501 | 4% |
| Duncan | 18 | 407 | 3% |
| First Witch | 20 | 336 | 2% |
| Doctor | 20 | 326 | 2% |
| Lady Macduff | 19 | 292 | 2% |
| Siward | 10 | 183 | 1% |
Macbeth dominates with roughly 28% of all lines. Lady Macbeth has roughly 12%. Banquo, Macduff, and Malcolm each have 8 to 10%. Duncan, Ross, Lennox, and the witches have 4 to 6% each. Minor characters (Porter, murderers, servants) have under 2%.
C3. Speech fingerprint: line length, pet words, questions, exclamations. Count
Top speaker Macbeth (34%). See the full lens on the book page.
C4. Dialogue tags: "said" against other verbs, and adverbs on tags. Count
'Said' is 0% of dialogue tags. Adverbs on tags: 0 in all.
| Tag verb | Count |
|---|---|
| cried | 3 |
C5. Action beats used in place of tags. Both
85% of paragraphs with speech carry no tag verb at all. Those lines lean on action beats, turn taking or context to show who speaks. (rough estimate from word lists)
Action beats replace tags sparingly. Scene 8 uses 'Hear it not, Duncan' as action (quote 12). Scene 9 uses 'knocking at the gate' as action. Scene 15 uses 'Ghost appears' as action. Most scenes rely on dialogue tags and stage directions rather than action beats.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 8, Scene 9, Scene 15
I go, and it is done. The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell That summons thee to heaven or to hell. (Ch 8, para 24)
C6. Subtext: where people say one thing and mean another. AI
Scene 6: Duncan praises the castle's 'pleasant seat' (quote 8) while Lady Macbeth plots his murder. Scene 7: Macbeth says 'False face must hide what the false heart doth know' (quote 10), meaning he must hide his murderous intent. Scene 15: Macbeth tells guests the ghost is a 'familiar' affliction, hiding his guilt.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 6, Scene 7, Scene 15
This castle hath a pleasant seat. The air Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself Unto our gentle senses. (Ch 6, para 3)
I am settled, and bend up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show: False face must hide what the false heart doth know. (Ch 7, para 16)
C7. Dialect and class markers, and how they are spelt. Both
Very few spelt dialect forms in speech. (rough estimate from word lists)
Dialect is Elizabethan English with archaic forms: 'thee', 'thou', 'hath', 'doth', 'o'er'. Class markers are subtle: Duncan and nobles use formal verse; the Porter uses prose and bawdy humour. Witches use irregular metre and archaic speech. No strong regional dialect is marked.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 4, Scene 6, Scene 10, Scene 3
C8. How exposition is carried in talk. AI
Exposition is carried through reports: scene 2 reports the battle; scene 5 reports Duncan's visit; scene 11 reports Macbeth's coronation; scene 17 reports Macduff's flight to England; scene 20 reports Macduff's family's murder. Letters (scene 5) and messengers (scenes 5, 19, 23) deliver key information.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 5, Scene 11, Scene 17, Scene 20
C9. Longest speeches and what each one does. Both
The longest single speech runs to 124 words.
| Words | Where | Opens with |
|---|---|---|
| 124 | c5p2 | They met me in the day of success and I have learned by the ... |
Ch 5, para 2: LADY MACBETH. “They met me in the day of success; and I have learned by the perfect’st report they have more in them than mortal knowledge. When I …
Longest speeches: Macbeth's 'If it were done when 'tis done' (scene 7, quote 9) weighs the murder. Lady Macbeth's 'Come, you spirits' (scene 5, quote 7) calls for cruelty. Macbeth's 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow' (scene 25, quote 44) expresses despair. Each reveals the speaker's state of mind.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 7, Scene 5, Scene 25
If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly. If th’ assassination Could trammel up the consequence, and catch With his surcease success (Ch 7, para 2)
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! (Ch 5, para 11)
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! (Ch 25, para 11)
C10. Who wins each argument, and how power shifts in talk. AI
Scene 7: Lady Macbeth wins the argument by shaming Macbeth's manhood. Scene 10: Macbeth wins by claiming he killed the chamberlains in rage. Scene 12: Macbeth wins by hiring murderers. Scene 15: Macbeth loses control when the ghost appears. Scene 20: Macduff wins by vowing revenge.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 7, Scene 10, Scene 12, Scene 15, Scene 20
I am settled, and bend up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show: False face must hide what the false heart doth know. (Ch 7, para 16)
Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake Thy gory locks at me. (Ch 15, para 30)
O, I could play the woman with mine eyes, And braggart with my tongue!—But, gentle heavens, Cut short all intermission; front to front, Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself (Ch 20, para 68)
C11. Banter and humour patterns. AI
Humour is sparse and dark. The Porter's bawdy jokes in scene 10 provide comic relief. Macbeth's bitter remarks about his situation (scene 25, quote 44) are darkly ironic. Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking confession (scene 21) is tragic rather than comic. Overall tone is serious and tragic.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 10, Scene 25, Scene 21
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! (Ch 25, para 11)
C12. Blind test: can you tell who speaks without the tag? AI
Macbeth is identifiable by his focus on blood, fate, and ambition. Lady Macbeth is identifiable by her imperious tone and references to manhood and cruelty. Banquo is identifiable by his caution and moral clarity. Macduff is identifiable by his grief and resolve. Duncan is identifiable by his trust and courtesy.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 9, Scene 15, Scene 25, Scene 5, Scene 7, Scene 3
C13. Catchphrases and verbal tics. Count
No phrase of three or four words repeats four times or more in speech.
C14. Interruptions, silences and broken off lines. Count
0 spoken lines break off with a dash or dots: 0.0 per 1,000 paragraphs of speech.
C15. Voice in letters, diaries and documents. Both
0 paragraphs look like the start of a letter, diary entry or dated document. (rough estimate from word lists)
Scene 5: Macbeth's letter to Lady Macbeth reports the witches' prophecy and his ambition. The letter is not quoted directly but summarised. No other letters, diaries, or documents appear in the play.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 5
C16. Forms of address between characters and how they change. Both
Forms of address in speech by third of the book: 0, 0, 0.
Forms of address: 'Thane' for Macbeth and Macduff; 'King' for Duncan and later Macbeth; 'Prince' for Malcolm; 'Lady' for Lady Macbeth. Witches are addressed as 'weird sisters'. These forms remain consistent throughout, reflecting rank and status.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5, Scene 6, Scene 12
Ask Macbeth a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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