The most important quotes in Macbeth track the title character’s fall: the witches’ prophecy that plants his ambition, the dagger he hallucinates before the murder, his horror at the blood on his hands, and his final speech that life means “nothing.” Each quote below is given with its act, scene, and speaker so you can cite it correctly and see where it sits in the play.
The witches’ prophecy (Act 1, Scene 3)
“All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! … thane of Cawdor! … that shalt be king hereafter!” spoken by the three witches. This is the line that starts everything. The prophecy names three titles: one Macbeth already holds, one he is about to receive, and one that fuels his ambition to kill for the crown.
Lady Macbeth’s response when she reads of it belongs here too: “Yet do I fear thy nature; / It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness” (Act 1, Scene 5). She doubts Macbeth is ruthless enough, and sets herself to push him.
The dagger soliloquy (Act 2, Scene 1)
“Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?” spoken by Macbeth. Just before he kills King Duncan, Macbeth hallucinates a floating dagger pointing him toward the murder. He recognizes it may be “a dagger of the mind, a false creation,” which shows his guilt is already active before he has done anything.
Blood that cannot be washed away (Act 2, Scene 2)
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” spoken by Macbeth immediately after the murder. He fears no amount of water can clean him. Lady Macbeth dismisses him at this point with “A little water clears us of this deed” (Act 2, Scene 2), a confidence that reverses completely by the end of the play.
Lady Macbeth’s guilt (Act 5, Scene 1)
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” spoken by Lady Macbeth while sleepwalking. The woman who said water would clear them now cannot stop scrubbing imaginary blood from her hands. It is the mirror image of Macbeth’s earlier line and marks her collapse under the guilt she once brushed off.
Life’s meaninglessness (Act 5, Scene 5)
“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day … / It is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing.” spoken by Macbeth on learning his wife is dead. This speech contains more quoted phrases than any passage of its length in Shakespeare. It is Macbeth’s final verdict: ambition has led to emptiness.
How to quote Macbeth in an essay
Shakespeare is cited by act, scene, and line rather than page number, with periods between them: (Macbeth 2.1.33-35). For verse quotations of more than three lines, use a block quote and mark line breaks with a slash if you keep them inline. The full method is in how to quote Shakespeare, and for dialogue between characters see how to quote a play.
FAQ
What is the most famous quote in Macbeth?
“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” from Act 5, Scene 5, and “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” from Act 2, Scene 1 are the two most quoted. The witches’ “Double, double toil and trouble” (Act 4, Scene 1) is also widely known.
What does “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” mean?
Macbeth is saying that life is loud and dramatic but ultimately meaningless, like a story told by a fool. He reaches this despair after his ambition has cost him everything.
How do you cite a Macbeth quote?
By act, scene, and line, separated by periods: (Macbeth 1.3.48). Do not use page numbers for a verse play. Include the title if it is not already clear from your sentence.
Who says “out, damned spot”?
Lady Macbeth, in Act 5, Scene 1, while sleepwalking. She is trying to wash imaginary blood from her hands, undone by the guilt she earlier claimed a little water would remove.
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