The ruthless seeking of power by Macbeth, urged on by his equally ambitious wife. It can be thought of as the tragic flaw that causes his downfall
Evil
The brooding presence of murderous intention, destroying whatever is good. Macbeth's conscience troubles him, but he commits evil, and finds others to carry out his malign orders
Order and disorder
The struggle to maintain or destroy social and natural bonds; the destruction of morality and mutual trust
Appearance and reality
Evil lurks behind fair looks. Deceit and hypocrisy mean that appearances cannot be trusted
Equivocation
Telling half-truths with the intention to mislead
Violence and tyranny
Warfare, destruction and oppression recur throughout the play
Malcolm: 'Pour the sweet milk of concord into hell'
Guilt and conscience
Macbeth knows what he does is wrong, but he does it nonetheless and suffers agonies of conscience as a result
Masculinity
The violent feudal society of hierarchical male power breeds bloody stereotypes of what it is to be a man
Macbeth: 'I dare do all that may become a man'
Macduff: 'But I must also feel it as a man'
Conscience
An inner sense of rightandwrong, a moralcompass that guides our actions and decisions
Guilt
A negative emotion that we feel when we've done something wrong or violated our own moral standards
