Macbeth Study Guide

• God was responsible for everything that happened in the Elizabethan Era.
• Angels were the messengers of God, made God's will a reality in the Elizabethan Era.
• Humans were subjects to their higher ups in the Elizabethan Era, with the King or queen being a god on Earth and able to do nothing wrong.
• Nobility in the Elizabethan Era were rich people who supported royalty, owned land, had an entourage, and could become king or queen.
• Knights were a part of the hierarchy in the Elizabethan Era.
• Gentlemen in the Elizabethan Era were Mr.'s, not allowed to marry, responsible for land, and if very good at job could be gifted to wife or child if old enough.
• Professions and trades such as doctors, teachers, lawyers, farmers, and blacksmiths were part of the hierarchy in the Elizabethan Era.
• Peasants were at the bottom of the hierarchy in the Elizabethan Era.
• Priests existed outside of the hierarchy in the Elizabethan Era, but could still be told what to do.
• People rarely moved up more than one in the hierarchy in the Elizabethan Era.
• Tax collector also existed outside the hierarchy in the Elizabethan Era, and would scam people if they refused to pay, then they'd die.
• Animals and inorganic matter were not part of the hierarchy in the Elizabethan Era.
• Chaos was not part of the hierarchy in the Elizabethan Era.
• The play Macbeth is set in Scotland, with King Duncan having two sons, Malcom and Donalbain.
• Macbeth is a good soldier, his King Duncan told him to go to war, on his way back after victory, the three witches tell him that one day he'll be king.
• Macbeth then kills the king and inherits the throne, attempting to get an heir, killing anyone who doubts his legitimacy as king.
• He then agrees to proceed with the murder.
• The opening of the play sets the tone for the rest of the play.
• Macbeth listens to the three witches.
• The play was preformed in front of king scared of witches.
• The play Macbeth is fiction, with witches and ghosts, but the core story is real.
• The Norwegian king has surrendered and has given $10,000.
• In real life, Macbeth was a good monarch and a noble man, but the records are incomplete.
• The original Thane of Cawdor is sentenced to death and his title is being given to Macbeth.
• Shakespeare took real stuff and added dramatic effects like ghosts and witches.
• Macbeth and Banquo first appear in the play.
• Macbeth has a friend named Banquo.
• Macbeth's first line in the play is "So foul and fair a day I have not seen".
• Duncan is a pushover/ gentle leader, not known to protect the kingdom.
• Banquo describes the witches as very ugly.
• Macbeth and Banquo overthrew Duncan.
• Tragedy is more philosophical than historical because history implies retells what has happened and tragedy dramatizes what may happen.
• Tragedy 'shows' a story and does not 'tell' a story.
• Lady Macbeth has to die to pay penance for her actions.
• Major Motifs in Macbeth include corrupting influence, unchecked power, relationship of cruelty and masculinity, kingship vs tyranny, and good vs evil.
• Tragedy is rooted in the fundamental order of the universe; a cause and effect chain that clearly reveals what may happen at any time.
• The end of the tragedy is a cleansing of the tragic emotions of pity and fear (catharsis).
• The protagonist (tragic hero) should be renowned and prosperous, so his change of fortune can be changed from good to bad.
• Macbeth is a 'tragic' character and needs to die to have a good ending, and he is prepared to kill anyone to achieve this.
• 'Recognition' (anagnorisis) occurs when there is a change from ignorance to knowledge.