Act 1 Scene 3 : “In the last paragraph from Macbeth he says “The prince of Cumberland that is step on which I must fall down or else o’erleap for in my way it lies. Stars hide your fires let not light see my black and deep desires the eye link at the hand yet let that be which the eye fears when it’s done to see.”
This is all said in an aside which means he’s talking to the audience so other people can’t hear him and he can keep his thoughts to himself. In this aside Macbeth goes on to say Stars hide your fires let not light see my black and deep desires the eye link at the hand yet let that be which the eye fears when it’s done to see. This is him saying he doesn’t want anyone including himself to know what he wants to do. Stars hide your fires is a metaphor. Stars means the heavens , he doesn’t want God to see him and his actions. Black and deep desires are his thoughts about killing the King. The eye and hand bit is him saying he doesn’t want to know what he’s about to do. This is also a paradox because he can’t consciously fulfill his desire by killing the King while not knowing what he’s doing.
October 19, 2016 at 11:20 pm
Your analysis is detailed and insightful. It’s a pleasure to read.