mr salles

• There are 8 main themes in Macbeth
• Ambition


  Macbeth's tragic fatal flaw
• Macbeth: 'I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent'
• Lady Macbeth


  The 'spur' that spurs on Macbeth's ambition
• Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are equally responsible for the tragedy that unfolds
• Banquo


  • He is also ambitious for himself and wants to find out what the future might hold
  • His ambition is his fatal flaw as it leads to his destruction
• Macbeth offers Banquo a bribe

  If Banquo helps Macbeth, Banquo will be rewarded with titles and power
• Witches' ambition


  They want to be loved and understood, but Macbeth only loves them for his own ends
• Shakespeare criticises the patriarchal society that forces women like Lady Macbeth to become more masculine and cruel in order to gain power
• Masculinity


  The patriarchal society celebrates a cruel form of masculinity
• Shakespeare's main audience for Macbeth was King James and the nobles at court
• Malcolm


  Learns what true masculinity and kingship should be - compassionate and full of fellow-feeling
• Shakespeare promotes the idea of the Divine Right of Kings to make it easier for people to accept King James as the rightful ruler
• Duncan


  Represents the virtuous king that Shakespeare wants King James to emulate
• Shakespeare warns potential rebels at court not to proceed against King James, as it would only teach 'bloody instructions'
• Banquo


  Presented in a positive light as the ancestor of King James, to flatter the king
• Shakespeare appeals to King James' ambition by suggesting his dynasty could last forever
• Shakespeare's main motives were to stop any rebellion against King James and to prevent King James from becoming a vicious ruler
• Shakespeare's writing takes playwriting to a new level by exploring the psychology and inner workings of the mind for the first time
• Shakespeare himself a Catholic did he have an alternative motive for stopping King James and becoming a tyrannical leader who would seek to expose torture and kill Catholics and was he acting in self-interest protecting himself and his family
• The Kings players who came before Shakespeare and did perform some plays about historical kings and queens of England but they won't basically political intrigues that just showed the facts of the battle them who won and who lost
• Shakespeare's writing takes playwriting to a completely new level and he kind of invents psychology
• Shakespeare is the first playwright to invent the soliloquy where characters speak their innermost thoughts to the audience
• Banquo's dream


  A sign of his ambition taking over his mind and starting to believe the impossible
• The vision of the dagger that Macbeth sees


  The first sign of Macbeth's mind fracturing
• Macbeth going against his better nature

  Will ultimately destroy his mind
• Lady Macbeth having to go against her better nature


  Society has forced her to do that, the only way she can become powerful is through the acts of men
• Macduff leaving his wife and children

  His own fractured mind will not forgive him
• Shakespeare explores the idea of whether our lives are controlled by fate or free will
• The prophecies in the play mock the idea of fate and suggest that free will is the most important element of being human
• Shakespeare didn't believe in fate at all, he believed that one's actions could lead to success or failure
• The theme of violence breeding violence is a plea to King James not to become a violent King
• Shakespeare is interested in how the illusion of plays actually leads to a greater truth
• Shakespeare is questioning his God, suggesting that even God was able to fool himself
• The idea of traitors being everywhere is uppermost in everyone's mind due to the political situation at the time
• Shakespeare is writing this play to convince King James that he has nothing to do with those who might plot against him and is wholly in favour of King James
• Shakespeare would have felt vulnerable to political intrigue and even losing his life due to the murder of Christopher Marlowe
• This play is a way for Shakespeare to celebrate King James, show his brilliant ancestry, advise him on what kind of King he should be, and show his loyalty