Macbeth Courage and Bravery Quotes

The merciless Macdonwald –
Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villanies of nature
Do swarm upon him…
For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name!
Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour’s minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave;
Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops,
And fix’d his head upon our battlements.

– William Shakespeare

Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 2. The Captain tells King Duncan how the brave Macbeth led the Scots to victory against the King of Norway and executed the traitorous rebel Macdonwald. We see how Macbeth had the ability to defy fate and fortune with his sword. The quote shows that he is loyal to the King. We also witness his ruthlessness and propensity for gruesome violence. The battle “hero” is introduced as a bloodthirsty killer, who slices his opponent open from naval to jaw. This foreshadows Macbeth being a killer during the rest of the play. The passage uses metaphorical language to emphasize Macbeth’s heroic and bloody role in the battle – his sword “smoked with bloody execution.” We see simile and personification when Macbeth is likened to “valour’s minion” – the servant of courage. Macbeth is initially presented as a patriot in the play.

Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear;
And chastise with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round,
Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
To have thee crown’d withal.

– William Shakespeare

Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 5. In her soliloquy Lady Macbeth bids her husband to hurry home so that she can set in motion her plan to spur him to usurp the crown. She uses the metaphor “pour my spirits in thine ear” to describe how she will whisper words of evil and transfer her spirit into Macbeth, as if to possess him. She will use the courage of her woman’s tongue to rid him of everything that holds him back from the crown. Here we are seeing Lady Macbeth aligned with the Witches as the Fourth Witch. In a nod to the weird sisters she says that Macbeth has already been crowned by “metaphysical aid” and “fate.” Now that she views herself as future queen, she will stop at nothing to achieve her goal.

That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold,
What hath quenched them hath given me fire.

– William Shakespeare

Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 2. Lady Macbeth has played an active part in the murder of King Duncan. She drugged Duncan’s guards’ drink, enabling her husband to kill him. The success of the criminal enterprise has given her confidence, a kind of Dutch courage, as she experiences a feeling of empowerment. It has metaphorically given the ambitious Lady Macbeth “fire,” or strength.

Our fears in Banquo
Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature
Reigns that which would be fear’d: ’tis much he dares;
And, to that dauntless temper of his mind,
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour
To act in safety. There is none but he
Whose being I do fear.

– William Shakespeare

Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 1. Macbeth reveals his deep-rooted fear of Banquo upsetting his ambition to remain the pre-eminent power in Scotland. He also discloses much about Banquo’s character. He acknowledges that he is noble, wise and brave – virtues he fears and resents in his former friend.

Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth.

– William Shakespeare

Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1. The second apparition summoned by the Witches is that of a bloody child, urging him to be violent (“bloody”), courageous and determined. The apparition prophesies that no man born naturally of woman will be able to hurt Macbeth. This provides him with a false sense of security regarding any threat from Macduff. However, we later learn that Macduff was born through a C-section – “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.” So this passage turns out to be ironic, since Macduff is fated to be Macbeth’s eventual nemesis. The passage shows the deceptiveness of the Witches. Macbeth’s death is foreshadowed here.

But I have none: the king-becoming graces,
As justice, verity, temperance, stableness,
Bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness,
Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude,
I have no relish of them, but abound
In the division of each several crime,
Acting it many ways. Nay, had I power, I should
Pour the sweet milk of concord into hell,
Uproar the universal peace, confound
All unity on earth.

– William Shakespeare

Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 3. Malcolm pretends that he has none of the virtues that a good king should have, including courage. Listing out all the characteristics of an upright monarch, including justice and mercy, he is clearly not describing Macbeth. But Malcolm declares that he doesn’t have these virtues either. Using a metaphor, he declares that if he were on the throne, he would “pour the sweet milk of concord into hell” and replace it with disorder. This echoes Lady Macbeth when she refers to the “milk of human kindness” in Act 1. In this passage Malcolm is continuing his test of Macduff’s loyalty.

Bring me no more reports; let them fly all:
Till Birnam wood remove to Dunsinane,
I cannot taint with fear. What’s the boy Malcolm?
Was he not born of woman? The spirits that know
All mortal consequences have pronounced me thus:
“Fear not, Macbeth; no man that’s born of woman
Shall e’er have power upon thee.” Then fly, false thanes,
And mingle with the English epicures:
The mind I sway by and the heart I bear
Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear.

– William Shakespeare

Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 3. A brazen Macbeth is dismissive of reports of an army of thousands led by the “boy Malcolm” about to attack him. Using a bird metaphor, he says of the disloyal Scottish thanes who have joined up with the self-indulgent English – “Let them all fly…fly, false thanes.”
Isolated, abandoned and alone though he may be, Macbeth is unafraid and self-assured and determined to hold onto power. He remains sure of his invincibility in battle because of the Witches’ prophecy, which he quotes. His delusional state has given him a false self of security, believing that supernatural powers and fate are on his side. Little does he know that he will meet his end at the hands of Macduff, who was born by Caesarean section. If not certifiably insane, Macbeth is certainly acting crazy as evidenced by his obsession with the Witches’ prophecies, his self-deception and belief in his own invincibility.
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