Key Vocab

• tyranny

  • cruel and oppressive treatment by a leader
  • Macbeth becomes a tyrannical leader. He becomes barbaric and ruthless shown by his continual onslaught of lives in exchange for power
  • Lady Macbeth is the tyrannical force behind Macbeth. Her manipulation catalyses his tyranny
  • Macduff's extermination of tyranny - Macduff tries to restore order by killing Macbeth as he is aware that once the tyrannical force of Macbeth is diminished/extinguished, Scotland can be at peace again
• zealotry

  • an extreme obsession or devotion to something
  • Macbeth's zealotry is for his ambition, which consequently leads for him to abandon his conscience, leading to his eventual downfall
  • Lady Macbeth's zealotry to power causes her to force her husband to commit regicide and ultimately leads to her mental downfall
• avaricious

  • having a greed for extreme wealth and materialism
  • Macbeth is avaricious as he yearns for power and status and this accompanies the position of Macbeth being King - in order to get this power that he desires, he must become King
  • Macbeth's avaricious nature paired with his omnipotent ambition is what leads to his downfall
• hamartia

  • the fatal flaw that leads to a character's downfall