But now I am cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd, bound in to saucy doubts and fears.

To remember this quote use the following mnemonic.

But now I am in my wood cabin

and then I climb into the crib.

I drag a lid on and now I'm confined.

It's then bound.

Then someone pours sauce over it. 

Will I get out? I doubt it. I fear it will be permanent. 

"But now I am cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd, bound in to saucy doubts and fears." Is in act 3, scene 4, line 24. This is spoken by Macbeth after he hears that Banquo has been murdered - but Fleance has escaped. 

Meaning

• "cabin'd, cribb'd,confin'd" - Macbeth feels trapped and restricted. These three similar words emphasize how enclosed and powerless he feels. 

• "Bound in to saucy doubts and fears." - He is imprisoned by bold, disturbing thoughts and anxieties. "Saucy" here means intrusive or impertinent. 

• Overall interpretation - Macbeth thought killing Banquo would end his fears, but because Fleance escaped, he still feels unsafe. His paranoia is growing.

Exam advice

• Context - Macbeth has just committed another murder to ensure his power, but his plan is incomplete. 

• Language and structure - The triplet ("cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd") creates a feeling of claustrophobia and mental pressure. 

• Theme of fear and paranoia - Macbeth's power has not brought peace. Instead, he's increasingly paranoid and emotionally imprisoned. 

• Character development - Macbeth is no longer hesitating; he's actively committing violent acts - but fear still dominates him. 

• Symbolism - The language of imprisonment reflects how Macbeth is trapped by the consequences of his own ambition.