Macbeth: Theme and motif
12 lenses on theme and motif 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: J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8 J9 J10 J11 J12
J1. Where is the theme first stated, and by whom? AI
The theme of ambition's danger is first stated implicitly in Act One when Macbeth hears the witches' prophecy and immediately thinks of murder. Lady Macbeth makes it explicit in Act One Scene Five when she calls on spirits to unsex her and fill her with cruelty to achieve power.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 3, Scene 5
All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter! (Ch 3, para 21)
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)
J2. The theme question, and how each subplot answers it. AI
The central question is whether ambition can be controlled or whether it destroys the ambitious. Macbeth's arc shows ambition leading to paranoia and tyranny. Banquo's restraint contrasts this. Lady Macbeth's guilt and madness show the psychological cost. Malcolm's restoration suggests virtue can reclaim power.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 3, Scene 5, Scene 7, Scene 12, Scene 13, Scene 15
Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way. (Ch 5, para 3)
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)
Naught’s had, all’s spent, Where our desire is got without content: ’Tis safer to be that which we destroy, Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy. (Ch 13, para 7)
J3. Motif tracker: recurring images by chapter. Both
Blood and guilt, Prophecy and ambiguity, Appearance and reality. See the full lens on the book page.
J4. Symbols, and how their meaning shifts. AI
Blood symbolises both valour and guilt, shifting meaning as Macbeth moves from soldier to murderer. Sleep represents peace, lost after Duncan's murder. Darkness surrounds evil but also conceals it. The witches' prophecies shift from seeming truth to revealed deception. Clothing symbolises ill-fitting power.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 5, Scene 8, Scene 9, Scene 13, Scene 14
brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name), Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel, Which smok’d with bloody execution (Ch 2, para 4)
Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep,”—the innocent sleep; Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care (Ch 9, para 23)
Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red. (Ch 9, para 30)
J5. Theme words and their frequency over the book. Count
Theme words and how often they come in each tenth of the book.
| Word | Total | By tenth |
|---|---|---|
| murder | 62 | 2 1 11 12 27 0 7 1 1 0 |
| king | 52 | 19 3 3 8 1 2 4 8 0 4 |
| blood | 40 | 2 3 10 4 9 1 5 2 2 2 |
| sleep | 32 | 1 2 18 0 4 2 2 0 3 0 |
| fate | 6 | 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 |
| ambition | 3 | 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| darkness | 2 | 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| guilt | 2 | 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| prophecy | 1 | 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 |
| madness | 1 | 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 |
J6. The moral argument: who stands for which side? AI
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth stand for unchecked ambition and moral corruption. Duncan and Banquo represent loyalty and restraint. Macduff embodies justice and revenge. Malcolm represents legitimate rule and restoration. The witches are amoral forces that exploit human weakness rather than create it.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5, Scene 7, Scene 10
Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way. (Ch 5, para 3)
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)
To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be fear’d (Ch 12, para 24)
J7. The title: its meaning and echoes in the text. Both
How often the key words of the title appear in the text.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| Macbeth | 283 |
The title names the protagonist but also echoes throughout as titles are granted and lost. Macbeth is called Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King, each title marking his rise. The title's simplicity contrasts with the play's moral complexity; a name cannot capture the tragedy of ambition.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 11, Scene 27
No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest. Go pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth. (Ch 2, para 20)
All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter! (Ch 3, para 21)
The Prince of Cumberland!—That is a step On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, For in my way it lies. (Ch 4, para 13)
J8. Epigraphs, allusions and borrowed texts. Both
No well known books or writers are named outright. (rough estimate from word lists)
No epigraphs appear. The play alludes to Christian theology (heaven, hell, damnation) and classical witchcraft lore. Shakespeare borrows from Holinshed's Chronicles for historical facts. The play echoes Seneca's tragedies in its focus on guilt and psychological torment.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 3, Scene 16, Scene 18, Scene 21
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)
J9. Opening image against final image. AI
The opening shows Macbeth as a brave soldier praised for valour in battle. The final image shows him dead, his head held aloft, with Malcolm crowned king and order restored. The arc moves from martial honour to moral corruption to violent death and restoration of legitimate rule.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 2, Scene 27
brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name), Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel, Which smok’d with bloody execution (Ch 2, para 4)
Hail, King, for so thou art. Behold, where stands Th’ usurper’s cursed head: the time is free. (Ch 27, para 27)
J10. Pairs and contrasts, such as light and dark. Both
Counts of each side of the main contrasts.
| Pair | First word | Second word |
|---|---|---|
| appearance / reality | 0 | 0 |
| light / darkness | 9 | 2 |
| sleep / sleeplessness | 26 | 0 |
| manhood / cowardice | 2 | 0 |
Light and darkness pervade the play. Evil deeds occur in darkness; witches meet in fog. Macbeth's guilt is described as darkness of the soul. Good triumphs in daylight as Malcolm's army approaches. Sleep and wakefulness contrast; Macbeth murders sleep and loses rest. Appearance and reality diverge throughout.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 3, Scene 5, Scene 8, Scene 9, Scene 13, Scene 15
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)
Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep,”—the innocent sleep; Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care (Ch 9, para 23)
Out, damned spot! out, I say! One; two. Why, then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky! Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard? (Ch 21, para 18)
J11. Core values at stake: life, love, justice, truth. AI
Life is at stake as Macbeth murders to secure power, then loses his own life. Justice is central; Macduff seeks revenge for his slaughtered family. Truth is corrupted by the witches' ambiguous prophecies. Love is absent; ambition replaces it. Honour is lost when Macbeth becomes a tyrant.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 5, Scene 7, Scene 9, Scene 10, Scene 12, Scene 19
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)
Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red. (Ch 9, para 30)
The castle of Macduff I will surprise; Seize upon Fife; give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls That trace him in his line. (Ch 18, para 69)
J12. What the book leaves open on purpose. AI
The play leaves open whether the witches caused Macbeth's ambition or merely revealed it. Fleance's fate is uncertain; he escapes but his future is unclear. Lady Macbeth's death is reported but not shown. The extent of Macbeth's free will versus supernatural manipulation remains ambiguous.
Scenes (numbered through the play): Scene 3, Scene 14, Scene 25
This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill; cannot be good. If ill, Why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? (Ch 3, para 48)
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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