Macbeth

• MACBETH is a soldier in the Scottish army and receives the title thane of Cawdor for his bravery in battle but becomes a tragic hero his hamartia is his ambition. he commits terrible acts of violence directly and indirectly. killed in battle by MacDuff
• LADY MACBETH is Macbeths wife is the polar opposite of Jacobean women. as ambitious husband as her husband but being female she relies on him to gain power but goes mad with guilt about killing king Duncan and kills herself in act 5
• THE WITCHES influenced Macbeth decisions but does not tell him what to do. they are scheming and callous and are the embodiment of evil and the people that trust the witches will be dammed. the witches represent the dangers of the supernatural
• KING DUCAN is king at the start of the play and is kind and gracious. he was murdered in Act 2 scene 2 and the father of Malcom and Donalbain
• MALCOM is Duncan son and the rightful heir to the Scottish throne but flees to England when Duncan is murdered. he embodies what it means to be a good king as shown in act 4 scene 3
• DONALBAIN is Duncan's son and flees to Ireland when his farther is murdered
• MACDUFF is the foil character to Macbeth and is loyal to Duncan and is suspicious of Macbeth early on and his children and wife are killed by Macbeths order and he eventually persuades Malcom to raise an army against Macbeth
• BANQUO is Macbeth close friend but killed by a murder hired by Macbeth but appears as a ghost in act 3 scene 4 Macbeths guilty conscience
• FLEANCE is Banquo's son and possible threat to Macbeth reign as Banquo sons will be kings but escapes the murders in act 3 scene 3
• TRAGEDY AND THE TRAGIC HERO : tragedy is a genre of theatre in which the protagonist experiences misfortune and disaster. the hero of a tragedy is elevated in status. in Macbeths case he a celebrated soldier. the tragic hero has a hamartia a fatal flaw and this combined with fate sets the characters off on a path of self destruction from which they cannot escape. they may have a moment of realisation in which they realise their mistake but it is too late to turn back. the play ends with their death and then natural order is restored
• THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY : Jacobean England was a society controlled by men. women were seen as weaker sex and were expected to answer to their farther or their husband. Shakespeare subverts this expectation in the relationship between Macbeth and lady Macbeth by making her the more powerful of the two. she a strong female character who manipulates her husband, women who behaved in this way were accused of witch craft
• JAMES 1 AND POLITICS : James became king of England in 1603 when Elizabeth 1 died without an heir. he was protestant king whom was not sympathetic to Catholics as Elizabeth had been before him. in 1605 he was intended to be the victim of guy Fawkes gunpowder plot and he was subsequently nervous of future attacks. James was a firm believer that kings had the divine right to rule. contemporary belief was that the monarch was chosen by god. in Macbeth Shakespeare shows the importance of using power responsibility. its likely that he was either trying to warn James or flatter him
• THE GREAT CHAIN OF BEING : a hierarchy of everything in the universe. god is at the top of the great chain and the king or queen is his representative on earth. Jacobeans believed that if humans interfered with this hierarchy then the natural order would be destroyed. when Macbeth kills Duncan in order to become king, there`s a violent storm. he disturbs the natural world by disrupting the great chain of being
• WITCHCRAFT : James 1 was obsessed with witchcraft and conducted several witch hunts while he was on the throne. in 1542 a law was passed which made witchcraft punishable by death. the inclusion of the three witches would have appealed to James. the ability to threaten the monarchy would have caused fear among a Jacobean audience
• AMBITION : Macbeths fatal flaw is his ambition to have power. despite being loyal to the king at the start of the play he quickly lets his ambitions take over once the witches suggest he will be king. lady Macbeth is also an ambitious character. being female she relies on Macbeth becoming king in order to have power of her own. Shakespeare seems to be warning of the dangers of ambition which is not kept under control
• MASCULINITY AND MANHOOD : although he is celebrated for his bravery and skill as a soldier, lady Macbeth undermines her husband masculinity in order to manipulate him into killing Duncan. this play is set in martial society which means by being brave strong and ruthless are crucial for Macbeth if he is going to be represented. lady Macbeth also recognises this and calls for the spirits to unsex me. she want her femineity taken away so that she can be cruel enough to kill Duncan
• ACT 1 : the witches meet to arrange when they will meet Macbeth who is returning from battle with the Norwegians. a sergeant reports the battle to king Duncan and tells him Macbeth fought bravely and valiantly and Macbeth is given the title thane of Cawdor. the witches meet Macbeth and Banquo and give them prophecies and Macbeth starts becoming ambitious. Macbeth plans to kill Duncan to become king. king duncan visits macbeths castle
• ACT 2 : Banquo tells Macbeth that he dreamt about the weird sisters . Banquo leaves and Macbeth delivers a soliloquy expressing his guilt Macbeth returns with the daggers and lady Macbeth is furious. the porter delivers some supernatural sayings and Macbeth has upset the great chain of being
• ACT 3 : Banquo reveals his suspicions about Macbeth and Macbeth is suspicious that Banquo knows something and arranges to have him and Fleance killed and Banquo dies. Macbeth holds a feast but he hallucinates and sees Banquo's ghost. Lennox and a lord speak about Macbeth and say he is a servant
• ACT 4 : Macbeth meets the witches again and they give three more prophecies. beware of MacDuff, no one of women born can harm him and that he is safe until Birnam woods move. Macbeth kills Macduff's wife and children. in the English court Malcom meets MacDuff to discuss how they can reclaim Scotland. Macduff learns of his wife and children and is grieving and promises to revenge on Macbeth
• ACT 5 : lady Macbeths guilt causes her sleep walk and she talks of Duncan's murderer. a section of the English army marches on Macbeth whist Macbeth prepares for battle . the act alternates between Macbeth and the approaching army. Macbeth learns that his wife is dead. Macbeth is killed by MacDuff and Malcom is killed and crowned king and declare peace in Scotland
• ' when the battle`s lost and won' - witches. the witches are trying to create chaos and have no affiliation to a side and they only care about enduring pain and suffering ACT 1 SCENE 1
• 'for brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name' - sergeant. Macbeth is respected, loyal and a hero, he is also dedicated to protecting his king ACT 1 SCENE 2
• 'brandish`d steel which smoked with bloody execution' - sergeant. metaphor that exaggerates his power, speed and accuracy. ACT 1 SCENE 2
• ' stay you imperfect speakers tell me more' - Macbeth. AMBITION. intrigued by predictions and his desire to know more shows his hamartia ACT 1 SCENE 3
• ' I fear thy nature is too full o the human milk of human kindness' - lady Macbeth, MASCULINITY. lady Macbeth questions Macbeth masculinity and thinks he too weak to carry out the plan of killing Duncan ACT 1 SCENE 5
• ' come you spirits unsex me here` -lady Macbeth, MASCULINTIY. lady Macbeth asks the spirits to make her more masculine so she can carry out the deed to kill Macbeth. ACT 1 SCENE 5
• ' I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition' Macbeth- ambition. SPUR is a metal tool that is placed on the back of riding boots urging the horse forward. Macbeth is becoming more ambitious leading to consequences and hamartia
• ' we will proceed no further in this business' Macbeth MASCULINTIY AND GUILT. Macbeth is having second thoughts ABOUT KILLING DUNCAN. ACT 1 SCENE 7
• ' is this a dagger which I see before me ' - Macbeth - guilt. Macbeth is hallucinating and re imagining killing duncan
• ' that which hath made them drunk hath made them bold' - lady Macbeth CONTROL. iambic pentameter 10 syllables it creates control and heart beat rhythm. lady Macbeth tells us about her clear role in murder by drugging the guards ACT 2 SCENE 2
• 'go get some water and wash this filthy witness from your hand' - guilt-lady Macbeth. LM tells Macbeth to wash the blood from his hand to look innocence. LM tells Macbeth to get water, reverse roles. water has connotations of cleansing and purity symbolises life ACT 2 SCENE 2
• 'his gash stabs look like a breach in nature' - Macbeth THE GREAT CHAIN OF BEING. Macbeth refers to Duncan being killed is unnatural and breaks the normal great chain of being of kings being above all. simile suggesting this shouldn`t of happened. ACT 2 SCENE 3
• ' king, Cawdor ,Glamis all as the weird women promised' -Banquo. Banquo suspects Macbeth murdered to fulfil the witches prophecies and and become king. soliloquy. ACT 3 SCENE 1
• ' we have scorched the snake not killed it' - Macbeth. animal imagery as Banquo or Fleance may usurp the thrown. Macbeth see Banquo as a threat as Macbeth released that until they are dead they are a threat ACT 3 SCENE 2
• ' o full of scorpions is my mind dear wife' - Macbeth. Macbeth is overcome by guilt and has been poisoned in the mind because of it, hence why the scorpions because they poison you. metaphor. ACT 3 SCENE 2
• ' Security is mortals chiefest enemy' - Hectate. the head witch has overconfidence and says Macbeth is becoming to content and should stay aware of usurpers and un loyal subjects and this is why he dies