macbeth

• macbeth symbolises the perils of ambition and the consequences of hubris
• macbeth is the eponymous character of 'macbeth'
• macbeth is a tragic hero, meaning he starts out in a position of glory and success, but falls from grace due to an error in judgement of his own making
• every tragic hero has a fatal flaw, or hamartia. macbeth's is his unchecked ambition
• when he is introduced, macbeth is presented as the stereotypical hero and ideal warrior
• in the opening scenes, macbeth fulfils the expectations of masculinity and proves his manhood
• shakespeare uses macbeth's noble status to give him a place to fall from. all tragic heroes have to start at the top, so that they can fall.
• macbeth's journey from hero to villain, from brave warrior to coward, allows for an exploration of gender, power, and morality
• macbeth's tense, passionate relationship with his wife also allows shakespeare to examine the gender roles, marital relations and power in his own society.
• as macbeth allows himself to be overpowered by his wife, it can be said that he takes a more feminine role in their marriage.
• macbeth descends from a brave, masculine warrior to a passive feminine coward.
• the change in macbeth's gender expression can be linked to his villainy. shakespeare may be suggesting that breaking the norms and order of society makes you vulnerable to corruption and temptation.
• macbeth's personality is defined by both his ambition and his guilt. on the one hand, he is fixated on the future he desires. on the other, he is constantly looking over his shoulder, haunted by his crimes.
• a question shakespeare explores through macbeth is one of predestination.


  macbeth's life seems to be controlled by fate, but how much of his story was foretold, and how much was of his own making?
• shakespeare writes macbeth to be a symbol for toxic and repressive masculinity, ultimately associating manhood with violence.
• however, shakespeare also uses macbeth to explore femininity through his fear of being emasculated and the feminine traits he inherits at certain points in the play
• the gender performance associated with macbeth's character is ambiguous. he is not only used by shakespeare to explore masculinity.
• initially, it seems like macbeth has no reason to worry about his manhood, from the opening scenes. but it quickly becomes apparent that this isn't enough for him.
• for macbeth, the ideals of valour, power, and violence become synonymous with masculinity
• macbeth is convinced that if he doesn't pursue kingship as much as possible, he will be exposed as effeminate.
• macbeth treats lady macbeth as his equal, or even his superior, for most of the play. he allows himself to be manipulated by her, because she has the power to strip him of his masculinity.
• ambition is macbeth's fatal flaw, but his disputed masculinity is his weakness.


  any challenge to his manhood is enough to convince macbeth of any crime.
• it can be argued that what macbeth's ambition strives for, more than to be king, is to be indisputably 'manly'.
• macbeth mentions jumping 'the life to come', implying he is sacrificing an eternal life in heaven so he can enjoy power and status during his finite life on earth.
• macbeth rarely mentions god by name, but the idea of heaven and hell plays heavily on his mind.


  this suggests he is worried about the destination of his immortal soul.
• a significant part of macbeth's character is how he copes (or tries to cope) with turning his back on god.
• killing duncan is a landmark decision in macbeth’s moral path, as it is a conscious choice to put an end to his good ways and embrace corrupt temptation.
• some of the signs of macbeth's inability to cope with his actions are that he will 'sleep no more', and could not 'say amen'.
• after duncan's murder, macbeth knows that his life as he knows it is over. he will no longer live like the rest of humanity. he has strayed from god's path, and so had lost god's protection.
• shakespeare constructs scotland after the murder as a godless, hellish land to match its king. crops fail, strange cries fill the air, and the country lives in eternal darkness.


  macbeth's mental state mirrors the state of his kingdom. shakespeare suggests that living without god is the worst fate a man can have.
• part of macbeth's moral crisis comes from the ideal of male friendship. killing duncan and banquo goes against everything he has been taught to value and uphold.
• shakespeare uses the idea of the tragic hero to teach his audience the importance of morality, and of respecting god's will.
• having a tragic hero means the audience feels sympathy for them despite their failings.
• shakespeare ensures the audience roots for macbeth, wanting him to succeed and avoid detection, even though they know what he's doing is wrong.


  this creates a moral crisis for the audience, guaranteeing they will be more engaged with the topic and debate it.
• the audience's investment in macbeth also makes his turn toward pure villainy more painful to bear.
• unchecked ambition is macbeth's undoing in the play.
• macbeth ends the play in a much lower position than when he started. he loses grace, favour and respect, from his peers and from the audience.
• shakespeare argues that the issue isn't ambition itself but the way macbeth allows himself to be controlled by it.


  other characters, like banquo and malcolm, show ambition but know how to restrain themselves.
• the other ambitious characters can judge the situation, and recognise when it's best not to listen to their desires.

  macbeth, on the other hand, is oblivious to morality and natural order.
• shakespeare shows his audience that ambition is a sin when it goes against god's will for the way things are meant to be.