Macbeth (character )

• Macbeth

  The title character and tragic hero of the play
• Macbeth


  • Deeply complex
  • Not merely a villain
• Fatal flaw


  A characteristic that ultimately leads to the downfall of a Shakespearean tragic hero
• Macbeth's fatal flaw

  His overwhelming ambition and desire for power
• Macbeth's conscience

  Leads to a lot of inner conflict in the form of soliloquies
• Soliloquies allow the audience to feel sympathy for Macbeth as they are aware of the turmoil going on inside his head
• Macbeth commits terrible acts in his pursuit of power
• It is important to recognize and understand the journey Macbeth's character takes from celebrated war hero to murderous usurper
• Macbeth in Act 1 Scene 2


  • Brave
  • No stranger to war
  • Not squeamish about taking lives
  • Portrayed as a hero figure held in high esteem by King Duncan
• Macbeth stumbles upon the witches in Act 1 Scene 3


  Seeds of ambition are sown
• ''Brave Macbeth'' - act 1 sc2
• '' o valiant cousin worthy gentleman '' - Duncan - act 1 sc2
• ''If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth fix my hair''

  • act 1 sc3
  • Macbeth has had thought on becoming king and taking the throne but knows it bad due to the divine rights of kings. ''horrid''
  • '' yield '' - given into the pressure of ambition.
• Believes the witches words - '' gave the thane of cowdor to me ''

  • pronoun '' me '' - shows his ignorance to the witches. The audience at the times would believe he is ignorance as everyone new witches were evil and cause destruction.
  • titles - '' thane of cowdor'' - titles extremely important at the time it showed your worth and statues you were more respected high up. To Macbeth it a big deal
• Hide evil works from God

  • ''stars hides your fire'' - stars and fire are motifs for light - light is a symbol of God biblical allusion. God is the light in the darkness. He is trying to escape from God as he know his actions are against the religious beliefs of the time. Shown from the verb '' hides '' to keep or put out
• Hide evil work from God - Act 1 sc4

  • '' let not light see my black and deep desires ''
  • Adjective '' black + deep'' have conations of immoral doings. Macbeth is about to kill the king and yield onto his immoral thoughts.
  • motif of light - moral Macbeth knows it wrong that why he wants to be covered in darkness so God who is a symbol of light doesn't see him.
  • noun '' desires '' - ambition has taken over his thought it can be suggest that ambition is the devil work. Shakespeare suggesting ambition is not good
• '' I have no spur''

  • noun '' spur '' device to ride a horse
  • Macbeth is metaphorical suggesting that he is the rider on a horse.
  • ironically he is foreshadowing he downfall as if you over stimulate a horse they eventually fall down and lose the race the same way Macbeth has overstimulated his ambition by killing Banquo and Duncan that now he is the rider with a horse.
• '' vaulting ambition ''
• Ambition vs conscious

  • He kills Duncan due to his ambition but now he conscious plays with him as moral he knows what he did was wrong.
  • '' Macbeth murder sleep '' - noun '' sleep '' is to be peaceful and relaxing to '' murder'' sleep Macbeth has murder his own free will peace.
• '' I could not pronounce Amen ''

  • Biblical '' Amen'' means fixed or sure we say after a pray
  • Macbeth can no longer turn to the lord for forgiveness as he no what he has done can be no longer forgiven
• '' I heard a voice cry sleep no more''

  • we could suggest that the voice is God
  • What he has done can not be undone therefore God punishing him through his conscious.
  • Noun '' sleep '' suggest peace and God removed all of that as he has distributed the great chain of being.
• Macbeth is a warrior so he not scared of blood but moral his actions and guilt is playing on him.

  • '' I am afraid to think what I have done look on't again I dare not''
  • act 2 scs2
• Macbeth is now king and has become paranoid as he doesn't want Banquo children to become king.

  • ''For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered''
  • Adjective '' Gracious '' suggest how highly Macbeth think of Duncan and Banquo and knows he wont be as '' gracious'' as them
• Macbeth becomes comfortable with his dark side

  • come seeling night scary up the tender eye''
  • become just like lady Macbeth
  • slowly becoming a witch
• ghost of Banquo appears to Macbeth it could be a manifestation of his guilt
• Macbeth is now completely consumed by power and evil. He is willing to do anything to keep hold of the throne even if it means killing innocent people such as Macduffs family. His ambition has turned into madness and he is unable to see reason or logic anymore. The only thing that matters to him is maintaining his position as King.
• Macbeth is very superstitious and believes in fate and destiny. He thinks if he kills Banquo then he will never be able to kill Macduff. This shows how he is losing control over himself and his own life.
• Macbeth is a tragic figure because despite having many positive traits at the beginning of the play, he ultimately succumbs to his own flaws and downfalls. This leads to his eventual demise and serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked ambition and greed.
• Three prophecies

  • '' beware Macduff ''
  • '' none of women born shall harm Macbeth ''
  • '' Macbeth shall vanquish until great birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him''
• Find out lady Macbeths dead

  • '' I have almost forgotten the taste of fears''
  • Direness , Familiar to my slaughterous thoughts, cannot once starts me''
• Lady Macbeths dead

  • '' out , out brief candle''
  • '' life but a walking shadow.. a tale ''
  • '' told by an idiot, full of sound and furry''
  • '' signifying nothing''
• brave Macbeth towards the end

  • '' blow wind , come wrack , at least we'll die with harness on''
  • '' I will not yield to kiss the ground before young Malcolm feet ''
  • '' before my body I throw my warlike shield. lay on Macduff, and dammed be him that first cried, Hold, enough !
• Macbeth

  • manipulated by the witches and lady Macbeth
  • soldiers bravado
  • morally conscious
  • Fiercely ambitious