Year 9 English ‘Macbeth’ By William ShakespeareMacbeth Context Questions Investigate the story of Macbeth as related by Holinshed in his Chronicles. Draw a table to outline the story of the historic Macbeth with the plot of Shakespeare’s play * Why do you think Shakespeare changed the story? ‘© What role did King James play in the theatrical life of Shakespeare? ‘What is the playwright’s point of view on plots to overthrow the monarchy? Is Shakespeare being didactic, trying to persuade the audience of a particular viewpoint? * How were witches interpreted during Elizabethan times? ‘© What beliefs and superstitions did people hold?Teaching Macheth The Real Macbeth Macbeth mac Findlaech was bom in 1005. His mother was Doada, the second daughter of Malcolm Il. His father was murdered by his brothers’ sons when ‘Macbeth was fifteen. Macbeth, King of Moray, was elected King of Scotland in place of Duncan's son Malcolm, who was only a child, and for fourteen years Macbeth is believed to have ruled equably, imposing law and order and encouraging devout Christianity. Macbeth ruled in a transition period between the Dark Ages and High Middle ‘Ages when Scotland was home to five linguistically and culturally discrete people, only two of whom were indigenous ~ the Picts and the Britons. Viking marauders threatened Scotland in the 11 Century from their base in the outer islands. The ancient practice of choosing Scottish kings called tanistry meant that succession was not strictly hereditary. Noblemen chose kings from a group of potential leaders called tanists who had a claim to the throne through ancestry or marriage. This lead to assassinations and political unrest. ‘When Macbeth murdered King Duncan 1 in Elgin, near Glamis Castle in 1040, it was widely accepted as Duncan had not been a good leader. Scotland has not prospered and political unrest was rife. Shakespeare's portrayal of Duncan as a ‘wise and benevolent ruler was false. In contrast, Maobeth's seventeen year rule of Scotland -1040-1057 - was a time of peace and tranquility as he united North and South and introduced wise laws to Scotland. Duncan hed been wrongfully placed on the throne by his father instead of Macbeth who was older and wiser. ‘Macbeth was made king in 1040 at Moot Hill, Scone Perthshire on the Stone of Destiny, which is now housed in Edinburgh Castle. In 1050, Macbeth visited Rome in hope that the Romans would assist him in changing the fortunes of his restless country that had relied on the Celtic church in previous times of trouble. Macbeth’s wife was not in any way linked with the killing of Duncan. Lady Macbeth was a loyal and composed individual, From an earlier marriage Lady Macbeth had produced a son, Lulach, who was well protected by Macbeth and sueceeded him until he in turn was killed. "Lady Macbeth" was not her proper name, as Macbeth means "Son of Life", or “of the Elect". She was known as “Lady Gruoch" in the Gaelic language. Her name is also recorded in Fife, where she is said to have donated land to a group of Celtic monks. She was the daughter of a man named Biote (Beoedhe), who was in tum the son of King Kenneth III "the Grim" who Malcolm if had killed to become king. Macbeth did not actually die until he reached Birnam Wood, 12 miles Southeast of Dunsinane. Malcolm killed Macbeth, three years after the battle of Dunsinane on the same day 17 years later that Macbeth had killed his father.The Elizabethan Era - a Golden Age The ‘Elizabethan Era’ is named after Queen Elizabeth |. She was the queen of England from 1558 to 1603. This reign, of almost 45 years, has been called the ‘Golden Age’ of English history. Compared to the periods both before and after her rule, the Elizabethan Era was a stable and successful time. Unlike today’s royals, Elizabeth had a direct say in how England was governed. There was an English Parliament but a great deal of real political power still rested with the crown, Elizabeth was a highly visible monarch with a genuine concern for her subjects. She used her power to keep England generally peaceful and prosperous. In the early years of her time as queen she kept careful control of how the government spent its money, rescuing England from near-bankruptcy. Although later in her reign she wasted money on costly and failed military ventures, she built up the English navy, which became an important part of the country’s strength. England expanded its influence in the world. English explorers claimed territory and established colonies in strange and distant perts of the globe, England's economy grew stronger and the country grew wealthier. ‘The Church of England, England's own church, became established as the official national religion. English artistry and creativity in music, poetry, literature and theatre became increasingly important to the English identity. This surge of cultural activity reflected what had been occurring elsewhere in Europe since the fourteenth century ~ the Renaissance. Queen Elizabeth 1re Was renewed interest in the art and literature of ancient Greece and jent Rome. To understand these texts, Renaissance Europeans revived the study of the ancient Greek language and Latin, the language of ancient Rome. he Renaissance began in Italy but did not reach England until over 100 years later. England already had a culture of drama and poetry that was helped by the invention of the printing press. William Shakespeare's own education was strongly shaped by the Renaissance's fascination with Latin grammar, logic and rhetoric, As a schoolboy, he studied the work of ancient Roman poets like Virgil, Ovid and Seneca, as well as the drama of playwrights Terence and Plautus. These Roman dramatic and poetic traditions influenced Shakespeare's imagination and writing. Renaissance humanism Renaissance humanism was a cultural movement that tried to change education from being narrowly focused on training doctors, lawyers and priests with the professional knowledge and skills they required. Instead, it sought to broaden education to include studies in rhetoric, history, poetry and philosophy. This education included the study of ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Renaissance humanists approached the world with an open mind, thought freely and expressed themselves strongly. A Renaissance humanist was a well- rounded individual with a commitment to learning and a deep love for the world and humanity. Education ‘There was a rapid increase in the number of schools built in England in the sixteenth century. By 1600 there were enough schools to educate 10 per cent of English children, Boys and girls attended ‘petty’ school together from the ages of four to seven. Formal education was generally unavailable to girls after petty school. Boys could then go on to attend grammar school. Students learned Latin, studied texts from ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and received rhetoric the study of using persuasive speaking or writing to argue a point of viewreligious instruction in the basis of Christianity. Schools were the means by which values such as duty to God, the queen or the king, and the nobility were transferred to boys and young men. Education was a status symbol. The higher your level of education, the more important your position in society. The prestigious universities at Cambridge and Oxford also expanded and accepted more students during the English Renaissance. Education was no longer confined to priests and the very highest ranks of nobility. Minor aristocrats, members of Parliament and wealthy merchants became more influential because of the knowledge and skills they acquired through education. increased literacy made it easier to exchange ideas and find other people with similar values — and to identify potential opponents. Groups of people with shared social, religious and economic goals and interests began to form. We might think of these groups now as political parties. Education strengthened competing political and religious ideologies, which had benefits for the development of English dernocratic society in Elizabethan times, but would also lead to deep divisions and civil war in the seventeenth century. 1 - eople There are a couple of different ways we can look at Elizabethan society. The first is that Elizabethan England was on the rise. An energetic and resourceful people were confidently laying the foundations for what would become the greatest empire the world had ever seen. They were inspired and reassured by a fixed system of beliefs. Although strange to us, these complex beliefs helped English people understand human psychology and the natural world around them. The elements From ancient times people believed that everything in the universe was made up of four elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. The 12 signs of the zodiac were divided into four groups based on the elements: Earth signs: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn Air signs: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius * Fire signs: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius ‘* Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio and Piscesled the four humours: Yellow bile, Blood, Black bile and phlegm. he presence of these humours in different proportions in every son created four temperaments, or personalities: Yellow bile - Choleric © Blood Sanguine * Black bile - Melancholic * Phiegm - Phlegmatic ‘The four temperaments were characterised by four conditions: Hot, Dry, Cold and Moist. - In different combinations, these conditions produced the characteristics of the temperaments in people: * Hot and dry = Choleric (bad tempered, ambitious and bossy) * Hot and moist = Sanguine (happy, optimistic and friendly) * Cold and dry = Melancholic (analytical, quiet and sensitive) * Cold and moist = Phlegmatic (thoughtful, calm and relaxed) These temperaments were related to four planets (well, three Planets plus the Moon): * Mars Choleric * Jupiter - Sanguine * Saturn - Melancholic * The Moon - Phlegmatic abethan understanding of human psychology was based on the ancient ‘ories about the balance of four fluids present in the human body; what they ‘The four humours relate to the four temperaments, four elements, four conditions and the zodiac. The four seasons were also said to be influential over human behaviour and each one aligned with one of the four temperaments: © summer - Choleric © Autumn — Melancholic * Winter - Phlegmatic © Spring ~ Sanguine A contemporary of Shakespeare, the great poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe, wrote in his play Tamburlaine the Great: ‘Nature that framed us of four elements Warring within our breasts for regiment’~~ QUESTIONS 1.40 ~~~~~~~ ~~ EE This worldview that connects people's personalities to the planets, the ‘humours, the seasons and so on may seem strange now, but it held sway for a long time. Try to get inside the minds of sixteenth-century people and see if you can think tke they dia, 1. Choose a few main characters from a Shakespeare play you have read or seen performed or are studying at the moment. How would you describe their personalities in terms of the four humours, the seasons, etc.? Perhaps first list the characters’ main personality traits and then fill out a table like the one below. CharAcTER ELEMENT [HUMOUR TEMPERAMENT |coNDITION | PLANET SEASON Macbeth Banquo | Lady Macbeth | aoe Macdutt - 7 2. The way we think about ourselves and our connection to the universe varies across time and across cultures, and we may not be as different from the People in Shakespeare's time as we might think. Research a conternporary belief system that classifies people's personalities; for example, astrology or the Jungian personality types. How do they compare to the four humours? eesje Great Chain of Being is was a concept that everything in the universe had a place in a planned Ider ~ a hierarchy - devised by God. The hierarchy was perfect, so it would ver change. Every abject, living and inanimate, is made up of a combination spirit and matter. The more matter something contains, the less spirit it has Ind so its position in the chain is lower. The more spirit something possesses, ie higher up the order it belongs. Rocks, metals, stones and the elements ~ all these inanimate things occupy ‘the lowest ranks in the chain. Above them are plants, then animals, then humans, then angels, and finally God at the top of the chain. Within these classes of objects, there are gradations. Gold is ranked higher than lead because it contains more spirit. The rose is considered the most beautiful, and therefore it is the highest form of flower. Of all trees, the oak contains the most spirit. In The Tempest, Prospero reminds the air spirit Ariel that he rescued him from twelve years’ imprisonment in a pine tree. ‘It was mine art, When I arrived and heard thee, that made gape The pine, and let thee out.’ The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2, lines 201-293 Prospero threatens to trap Ariel in an oak tree, a stronger tree than the pine, ‘Téthou more mumur’st, I will rend an oak And peg thee in his knotty entrails till Thou hast howled away twelve winters.’ The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2, lines 204-296 Creatures like some shellfish share the characteristic of immobility with plants, SO their position in the chain is similar to trees. But simple organisms like worms are considered to have more spirit than plants You've probably heard of the lion described as ‘the king of the beasts’, The Great Chain of Being reflects this idea — the lion is the toomost animal in the chain. As Olivia says in Twelfth Night: ‘If one should be a prey, how much better To fall before the lion than the wolf!’ Twelfth Night, Act 3, Scene 1, lines 113-114 livia would rather be killed by a lion, the most noble of the animals, than the less spiritual wolf.But as impressive as the lion is, human beings are better. As Hamlet says: “What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!’ Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, lines 286-289 Humans can be subdivided into a hierarchy in the chain. Common people are the lowest form of human life, with nobles, princes and the bishops of the Church above them. So long as people accepted their place in the chain, they were assured of ascending to Heaven after death. Kings form the highest link for mortal humans in the chain. in England this includes superiority over the Church, since the monarch is also the head of the Church of England. A king is a king because God wills It. This belief is known as the Divine Right of Kings. king has the honour of being chosen by God. Kings and queens don’t have to justify themselves to any of their subjects. Monarchs are answerable only to God. The murder of a king or a queen Is a great sin against God and the worst kind of disruption to the Great Chain of Being a human could commit. The damage to the natural order is extreme, as, described in this conversation that takes place after the murder of King Duncan in Macbeth, ROSS Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man's act, ‘Threatens his bloody stage. By th’clock 'tis day And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp. Is't night's predominance, or the day’s shame, That darkness does the face of earth entomb When living light should kiss it? OLD MAN ‘Tis unnatural, Even like the deed that’s done. On Tuesday last, A falcon tow’ring in her pride of place ‘Was by a mousing ow! hawked at and killed. ROSS And Duncan's horses, a thing most strange and certain, Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, fung out, Contending ‘gainst obedience as they would Make war with mankind.OLD MAN ‘Tis said, that they ate each other. ROSS ‘They did so, to th'amazement of mine eyes That looked upon’t. Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 4, lines 6-23 ~~ QUESTIONS 1.2. ~~ 4, List the unnatural phenomena that occurred after Macbeth murdered Duncan that are described in this conversation. 2. Explain the significance of each of these phenomena. What is unnatural about them? 7 3. How effectively has Shakespeare conveyed the imagery of these unnatural events? eure @>@OD@DOEDRD™DOOOO9OOOOOwn@™OD';—E-! ‘The Divine Right of Kings suited monarchs because it helped ensure people would respect their authority. England became strengthened under a national monarchy and an effective system of government during the Renaissance. But despite the idealism of the Great Chain of Being, where everything and everyone in their proper places ensured a universe in harmony, the reality was that Elizabeth | and her successor James | faced conspiracies, assassination attempts, civil wars and uncertainties over who would succeed them. These were real concerns in Shakespeare's time, and he included these themes in his plays. His writing reflected political realities. He imagined what was possible beyond the limits of the Great Chain of Being. He explored ideas of how rulers ruled their people and what the experience of being ruled was like for the people.MACBETH WRITTEN: 1606 FIRST PERFORMED: 1606 PUBLISHED IN QUARTO: No THEATRE OR COURT: Court SETTING: Eleventh-century Scotland MAIN CHARACTERS: Duncan, King of Scotland (foil) Malcoim, his older son Macbeth, Thane of Glamis (protagonist and antagonist) Lady Macbeth, his wife Banquo, Macbeth’s friend (foil) Fleance, Banquo’s son Macduff, the Thane of Fife (foil) Three witches EVENTS: © king Duncan survives a rebellion, thanks to the bravery of Macbeth and Banquo. © After the battle, Macbeth and Banquo meet three witches who tell ‘them Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and then king, and Banquo's descendants will be kings. Duncan grants Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor. * Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth about the witches’ prophecies, and they decide to murder Duncan when he stays at their castle and take the throne for themselves. * While Duncan sleeps, Macbeth sees a hallucination of a dagger floating before his eyes, and he murders the king. Macduff arrives at the castle and discovers Duncan dead. Fearing for their lives, Duncan's sons flee the country. * Macbeth is crowned king. He decides to have Banquo and Fleance murdered to prevent the witches’ prophecy about future kings being fulfilled. * Macbeth’s henchmen kill Banquo but Fleance escapes. * Banguo's ghost appears to Macbeth at a banquet, terrorising him in front of the other Scottish thanes. at* Macduff suspects Macbeth and flees to England where Malcolm is preparing an army to invade Scotland. Macbeth visits the witches again, who tell him some more double-edged prophecies, including that he will be king so long as Birnam Wood does not come to Dunsinane, that he cannot be killed by any man ‘of woman born’, but that he should beware of Macduff. Macbeth sends murderers to kill Macduff's wife and family. On hearing the news that his wife and children are dead, Macduff swears vengeance and Malcolm decides the time to attack Macbeth has come. Lady Macbeth is driven mad by her guilt and dies, probably by suicide. Malcolm, Macduff and their army arrive at Macbeth's castle at Dunsinane, cutting branches from the trees of Birnam Wood to conceal their numbers, Macbeth confronts Macduff, who reveals that he was delivered by caesarean section, and so not ‘born’ in the conventional sense, Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm claims the Scottish throne. THEMES: Ambition, masculinity, evil, order and disorder, violence, tyranny, guilt, equivocation A painting of Birnam Woods, Scotland, where Macbeth first encounters the Three Witches ke aaintroduction Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606. His source was Raphael Holinshec’s 1574 book The Chronicles of England, Scotland and ireland, which is not an accurate historical account. The Chronicles includes references to witches and their prophecies, elements that are important to Shakespeare's play. Eleventh-century Scotland was a barbaric and violent place. War and ruthless slaughter were facts of life. Survival depended on having a strong and capable local ruler or chieftain. Such rulers were depended upon to protect life and property. They were expected to provide strong leadership, guarding family, community and land from all enemies. When the leaders became too old or weak to lead effectively, they could expect to be replaced, and replaced violently. Shakespeare imposes the value of ‘divine right of kings’ on this brutal culture. The elevation of King Duncan to almost holy status, and the great upheaval in the natural world that occurs after his murder, are examples of Shakespeare superimposing values and beliefs from his time and place onto a story from a very different time and place. There is a historical basis for the character and the play. There was a Scottish king, whose full name was Macbethad (a name of Irish origin, meaning ‘son of life’), who ruled for 17 years from 1040 AD. He had a legitimate claim to the throne ~ he wasn’t a usurper, as Shakespeare depicts him. Macbethad defeated and killed King Duncan | at Bothgowanan. Records suggest that Macbethad was a Capable king and that Scotland was relatively prosperous and stable under his rule. It is even possible that he went on a religious pilgrimage to Rome in 1050, In 1054 Duncan's son, Maicoim, challenged Macbethad for the throne of Scotland. in 1057, Macbethad was defeated and killed at the Battle of Lumphanan. Malcolm became king a few months later. Macbeth was thought to have been written to be performed in honour of a visit to King James | of England by the King af Denmark in 1606. King James | England had been King James VI of Scotland, succeeding to the English throne in 1608 after Queen Elizabeth | died. DID You KNOW? Ree enone em CNM Cts Ce NCL Lae when he was still James VI of Scotland, he wrote a book about witchcraft CCU nae MUN ea eons nara a aol Pe aia Tol tee |9) bolt) ieee esa creme ten aunt Miter een ona etu ech ns ae nd Meese eer ee Cocca em icy Eran ae net Bemus 3The play begins and ends with battles. The first is fought between Macbeth’s army, loyal to King Duncan, and Macdonald, a rebelling Scottish lord wio has sided with an invading Norwegian army. The battle at the play's end promises to be an epic confrontation, but focuses down to a game of cat and mouse between Macbeth, fighting alone, and an army that intends to destroy hin, Although these violent conflicts frame the play, the treacherous murders committed by Macbeth or in his name are the most shocking events in the work. itis a very dark play, Some believe it to be Shakespeare's darkest. It is preoccupied with violence and evil. The character Macbeth commits some of the lowest acts possible for a man — treachery, regicide, tuming to witchcraft, murder of friends and allies, murder of women and children, choosing to be @ tyrannical ruler instead of a fair and just one. His love for his wife grows cold and dies within him as the weight of his atrocities smothers his humanity, The major tragedies in this Dlay are the killing of Duncan and the loss of Macbeth's honour, All the other terrible events stem from these calamities. Macbeth begins the play as a hero, a loyal subject to King Duncan and a brave warrior who saves the kingdom. He ends the play as a despised, disgraced tyrant, mocked in death by his enemies. Macbeth’s death at the end is justifiable and reestablishes the law and order that he destroyed “That look not like th’ inhabitants o' th’ Earth’. The witches in Macbeth set the tone for Shakespeare's darkest Play. Johann Heinrich Fuissl, The Weird Sisters or The Three Witches, 1783) (eeeDrama Glossary hito://hichered.megraw-hill. com/sites/0072405228/student_viewOldrama_clossary. him! htto://literainod.tripod.com/elements.htm! http://method.vtheatre.net/dict.htm! Allegory: A symbolic narrative in which the surface details imply a secondary meaning. Allegory often takes the form of a story in which the characters represent moral qualities. Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words. Example: “Richmond River students perform to rave reviews,” Antagonist: A character or force against which another character struggles. Aside: Words spoken by an actor directly to the audience, which are not "heard" by the other characters on stage during a play. Assonance: The repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sentence or a line of poetry or prose, as in "| rose and told him of my woe." Blocking: The placement and movement of actors in a dramatic presentation: where they stand in a play to deliver the lines, where they move to when they are done, where they enter from on the set, etc. Catharsis: The purging of the feelings of pity and fear that, according to Aristotle, occur in the audience of tragic drama, The audience experiences catharsis at the end of the play, following the catastrophe. Climax: The turning point of the action in the plot of a play. The climax represents the point of greatest tension in the work. Comedy: A type of drama in which the characters experience reversals of fortune, usually for the better. In comedy, things work out happily in the end, such as in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Comic relief: The use of a comic scene to interrupt a succession of intensely tragic dramatic moments. The comedy of scenes offering comic relief typically parallels the tragic action that the scenes interrupt. Complication: An intensification of the conflict in a story or play. Complication builds up, accumulates, and develops the primary or central conflict in a literary work. Conflict: Essential to drama it is a struggle between opposing forces in a story or play, usually resolved by the end of the work, The conflict may occur within a character as well as between characters. Convention: A customary feature of a literary work, such as the use of a chorus in Greek tragedy, the inclusion of an explicit moral in a fable. 5Denouement: The resolution of the plot of a literary work. Dialogue: The conversation of characters ina literary work, Directing: Assuming overall responsibility for the artistic interpretation and presentation of a dramatic work. Dramatic Irony: A character speaks in ignorance of a situation or event known to the audience or to the other characters. Dramatic monologue: The speaker addresses a silent listener. Exposition: The first stage of a fictional or dramatic plot, in which necessary background information is provided. Foil: A character that contrasts and parallels the main character in a play. Foot: A metrical unit composed of stressed and unstressed syllables. For example, an iamb or iambic foot is represented by “, that is, an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one. Frost's line "Whose woods these are | think I know” contains four iambs, and is thus an iambic foot. Foreshadowing: Hints of what is to come in the action of a play. Gesture: The physical movement of a character during a play. Gesture is used to reveal character, and may include facial expressions as well as movements of other parts of an actor's body. Mise-en-scene: What is deliberately placed on the stage and put in a play such as: the setting, scenery, direction, and acting (blocking) Onomatopoeia: The use of words to imitate the sounds they describe. Words such as buzz and crack ate onomatopostic. Pathos: A quality of a play's action that stimulates the audience to feel pity for a character. Pathos is always an aspect of tragedy, and may be present in comedy as well Props: Articles or objects that appear on stage during a play. Protagonist: The main character of a literary work. Resolution: The sorting out or unravelling of a plot at the end of a play. Rising action: A set of conflicts and crises that constitute the part of a play's or story's plot leading up to the climax. Setting: The time and place of a literary work that establish its context. “16Simile: A figure of speech involving a comparison between unlike things using /ike, as, or as though. An example: "My love is like a red, red rose." Soliloquy: A speech in a play that is meant to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on the stage. If there are no other characters present, the soliloquy represents the character thinking aloud. Stage direction: A playwright’s descriptive or interpretive comments that provide readers (and actors) with information about the dialogue, setting, and action of a play. Staging: The spectacle a play presents in performance, including the position of actors on stage, the scenic background, the props and costumes, and the lighting and sound effects. Symbol: An object or action in a literary work that means more than itself, that stands for something beyond itself. Tableau: A siill mage, a frozen moment or "a photograph." It is created by posing sli bodies and communicates a living representation of an event, an idea or a feeling. Tension: The "pressure for response", which can take the form of a challenge, a surprise, a time restraint or the suspense of not knowing. Tension is what works in a drama to impel actors to respond and take action and what works in a play to make the audience want to know what happens next. Theatrical space: Set design is the arrangement of theatrical space; the set, or setting, is the visual environment in which a play is performed. Its purpose is to suggest time and place and to create the proper mood or atmosphere. Settings can generally be classified: - * Realistic: A realistic setting tries to re-create a specific location. Even in the most realistically detailed setting, the designer still controls much of the setting’s effect through choice of colours, arrangement of props and set pieces and placement of entrances. « Abstract: Abstract settings place more emphasis on the language and the performer and stimulate the spectator's imagination. Costuming thus becomes more significant, and lighting takes on great importance. * Suggestive: A suggestive setting is very sparse. Universality and imagination are encouraged through the lack of detail. + Functional: Functional settings are derived from the requirements of the particular theatrical form or venue, such as a circus or an amphitheatre. Tragedy: A type of drama in which the characters experience reversals of fortuna, usually for the worse. Understatement: A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker says less than what he or she means; the opposite of exaggeration arThe aspects of drama ‘The different aspects of drama include the play's setting, characterisation, language, the structure of the play, the theme/s and the performance. Use the following sections to increase your understanding of each of these different aspects of the play. Setting ‘Shakespeare's Macbeth is meant to be set in various historical locations in the years 1040-1057 in ‘Scotland and England. Scotland was politically independent from England then, although, at the time ‘Shakespeare wrote the play, the two had recently been united under one monarch. It is more than likely that Shakespeare chose a Scottish history for his play because King James VI of Scotland, who had recently become King James | of England, was his patron. ‘The play's intended settings have some symbolic and historical importance. For example, Scone is located near Dunsinane, close to Birnam Wood and Glamis, Scone was the place where the Kings of Scotland were crowned. Forres, is near Cawdor and Inverness in the north. Macbeth is buried at lona or Colmkill, the traditional burial place of Kings of Scotland. ‘The action of the play shifts from a deserted heath, to Duncan's palace at Forres, to Macbeth's castle at Inverness, to Macduft's castle, to England and back to Invemess, ‘More important than the physical setting is the atmospheric setting of the play. Examine each of the play's settings and try to work out why the setting is important. Ina staged performance of a play some of the features of these locations are incorporated into set designs to inform the audience that a change of location or atmosphere has occurred. A film version of Macbeth may give the director more visual scope but simulated sets can have even ‘more impact because they can draw upon symbolic references from the play to add greater dramatic or ironic impact to the performance. Setting also refers to the time and the society in which the play Is set. The stage setting establishes ‘the mood for the drama which is about to happen. What is more important, the actual setting or the atmospheric setting of the play? Roman Polansk's film version of the play provides a good example of this mood altering effect created by using language more appropriate to the status of the character, “eVerse Except for a few scenes, Macbeth is written mainly in blank verse, which more than any other verse form, resembles the natural rhythm of spoken verse. The play’s unrhyming lines have a five beat. rhythm called ‘iambic pentameter:’ Each line has five iambs (feet) each witha stressed (/) and unstressed (x) syllable: For exam! seen ee am/ a fraid/ to think/ what If have done {Act Il scene 2) Experiment with reciting the lines in iambic pentameter individually, or as a chorus. ‘Why does this rhythm suit the play? Prose ‘There are five examples of prose sequences in the play: + Macbeth’s letter to his wife the porter scene + Macbeth’s conversation with the murderers * part of Lady Macduff’s conversation with her son = Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking. List the similarities and difference between these different uses of prose. Discuss how and why prose is more suitable than blank verse. What dramatic function does the change of writing style serve? Shakespeare used prose to define the role of lower status characters, such as servants, of for comic speeches. The porter scene is an example of the use of comedy. Prose is used to allow the audience to experience the drama from a different perspective. How effective do you think this technique is in holding the interest of the audience? 19.Rhymed couplets Arhymed couplet was used to mark out something as important, The Elizabethan theatre was ‘without curtains, so the rhymed couplet was used to inform the audience of the end of the scene. Here is an example: “Make ell our trumpets speak; give them all breath, those clamorous harbingers of blood and death.” ‘As you read note other examples. Soliloquies A soliloquy is a form of monologue (single voice) spoken by one character while alone on the stage (or who is under the impression they are). A soliloquy communicates the inner thoughts of the character to the audience. It represents thinking-aloud, but can also involve the audience. A ‘monologue is not a soliloquy if the speaker isnot alone, Macbeth contains several very important soliloquies. Find some examples and take note of why Shakespeare has used them. What function do they serve? Dramatic irony Shakespeare uses both irony and dramatic irony in Macbeth. Verbal irony involves an inconsistency between what is said and what is meant. An exemple occurs during the banquet scene, when Macbeth expresses the insincere wish that Banquo should be present. The irony becomes apparent when Banguo's ghost appears and terrifies Macbeth, ‘More important in the play is'dramatic' irony. This happens when the audience knows something the characters don't. A good example is when Duncan arrives at Macbeth's castle and expresses his, delight over the pleasant setting, The audience knows what he doesn't: that his murder was planned here and that his gracious host and hostess will be his killers. The play contains many examples of both irony and dramatic irony, -20-Trochaic Tetrameter Trochaic tetrameter is a rapid meter of poetry consisting of four feet of trochees., A trochee is made up of one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable (the opposite of an iamb). Most of Shakespeare's enchanted verse is written in trochaic tetrameter. The passages spoken by the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Witches’ chants in Macbeth are mostly written in a form of trochaic tetrameter: EXAMPLE: Liver of blaspheming Jew, Gall of goat, and slips of yew Silver'd in the moon's eclipse, Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips, Finger of birth-strangled babe. (Macbeth, 4.1.27), Third Witch The Witches Chant All Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Second Witch Fillet of a fenny snake, In the cauldron boil and bake; Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and howlet's wing For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. All Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble. (Macbeth, Act IV, scene 1) ACTIVITY In pairs write your own version of the witches’ chant and perform it for the class. You must write the chant in trochaic tetrameter. NOTE: Count how many syllables are in each line and take notice of where the stress is each line. “aOther literary devices Symbols “The idea of ‘air’ omens becoming foul isa symbol that Shakespeare uses to advance the plot, and to support the theme of appearances being deceptive, Other symbols relate to birds, blood, the weather, clothing and sleep. {An important symbol of the play is the image of an ‘innocent flower with a serpent under iv. During, the reign of King James 1.2 coin was minted that had a flower with a serpent underneath it. The audience would therefore recognise a powerful symbolic reference in Lady Macbeth's advice to Macbeth to “look like the innocent flower but be a serpent under it”. Foreshadowing This literary device is used with great dramatic effect, which relates powerfully to the playwright’s purpose. A good example is the use of the witches in the opening scene, in Act |. The witches, and the eerie atmosphere that accompanies them, establish the mood of the play. They foreshadow the ‘meeting with Macbeth upon the heath. Their chant that ‘fair will be fou!’ also foreshadows the topsy-turvy events that wil flow from this meeting, The audience has been warned in advance that nothing is what it appears to be. Here then, is an example of theme and purpose being connected by the use of the literary device of foreshadowing events, Key words Shakespeare used key words to create significant meanings and atmosphere. Key words recur to emphasise a dramatic effect. Identify the key words in Macbeth using the word cruncher exercise mentioned above. Christy Desmet’s word-cruncher exercise for Macbeth draws attention to the biblical references in the play, for example, heaven, hell, angel, devil, fiend, good, and evil. 1. Whyare there more references to evil and to hell in the play? 2. Whyis the word “sleep” referred to at least 32 times? 3. Dowords like “sleep” act like a metaphor to extend the meaning of the play's emotional or spiritual references and themes? How? The witches ‘The witches have a style of speaking that is all their own. They almost always speak in 2 four beat rhythm, for example, “fair is foul, and foul is fair” Focus activities -22-Character List Macbeth - Macbeth is a Scottish general and the thane of Glamis who is led to wicked thoughts by the prophecies of the three witches, especially after their prophecy that he will be made thane of Cawdor comes true. Macbeth is a brave soldier and a powerful man, but he is not a virtuous one. He is easily tempted into murder to fulfil his ambitions to the throne, and once he commits his first crime and is crowned King of Scotland, he embarks on further atrocities with increasing ease. Ultimately, Macbeth proves himself better suited to the battlefield than to political intrigue, because he lacks the skills necessary to rule without being a tyrant. His response to every problem is violence and murder. Unlike Shakespeare's great villains, such as lago inOthello and Richard III in Richard Ill, Macbeth is never comfortable in his role as a criminal. He is unable to bear the psychological consequences of his atrocities. Lady Macbeth- Macbeth's wife, a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power and position. Early in the play she seems to be the stronger and more ruthless of the two, as she urges her husband to kill Duncan and seize the crown. After the bloodshed begins, however, Lady Macbeth falls victim to guilt and madness to an even greater degree than her husband. Her conscience affects her to such an extent that she eventually commits suicide. Interestingly, she and Macbeth are presented as being deeply in love, and many of Lady Macbeth’s speeches imply that her influence over her husband is primarily sexual. Their joint alienation from the world, occasioned by their partnership in crime, seems to strengthen the attachment that they feel to each another. 23The Three Witches - Three “black and midnight hags” who plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies. Their predictions prompt him to murder Duncan, to order the deaths of Banquo and his son, and to blindly believe in his own immortality, The play leaves the witches’ true identity unclear—aside from the fact that they are servants of Hecate, we know little about their place in the cosmos. In some ways they resemble the mythological Fates, who impersonally weave the threads of human destiny. They clearly take a perverse delight in using their knowledge of the future to toy with and destroy human beings. Banquo - The brave, noble general whose children, according to the witches’ prophecy, will inherit the Scottish throne. Like Macbeth, Banquo thinks ambitious thoughts, but he does not translate those thoughts into action. In a sense, Banquo’s character stands as a rebuke to Macbeth, since he represents the path Macbeth chose not to take: a path in which ambition need not lead to betrayal and murder. Appropriately, then, it is Banquo’s ghost— and not Duncan’s—that haunts Macbeth. In addition to embodying Macbeth's guilt for killing Banquo, the ghost also reminds Macbeth that he did not emulate Banquo’s reaction to the witches’ prophecy. King Duncan - The good King of Scotland whom Macbeth, in his ambition for the crown, murders. Duncan is the model of a virtuous, benevolent, and farsighted ruler. His death symbolizes the destruction of an order in Scotland that can be restored only when Duncan's line, in the person of Malcolm, once more occupies the throne. Macduff - A Scottish nobleman hostile to Macbeth’s kingship from the start. He eventually becomes a leader of the crusade to unseat Macbeth. The crusade’s mission is to place the rightful king, Malcolm, on the throne, but Macduff also desires vengeance for Macbeth’s murder of Macduff's wife and young son. eeMalcolm - The son of Duncan, whose restoration to the throne signals Scotland's return to order following Macbeth's reign of terror. Malcolm becomes a serious challenge to Macbeth with Macduff’s aid (and the support of England). Prior to this, he appears weak and uncertain of his own power, as when he and Donalbain flee Scotland after their father's murder, Hecate - The goddess of witchcraft, who helps the three witches work their mischief on Macbeth. Fleance - Banquo’s son, who survives Macbeth's attempt to murder him. At the end of the play, Fleance’s whereabouts are unknown. Presumably, he may come to rule Scotland, fulfilling the witches’ prophecy that Banquo's sons will sit on the Scottish throne. Lennox - A Scottish nobleman. Ross - A Scottish nobleman. The Murderers - A group of ruffians conscripted by Macbeth to murder Banquo, Fleance (whom they fail to kill), and Macduff’s wife and children. Porter - The drunken doorman of Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macduff - Macduf's wife. The scene in her castle provides our only glimpse of a domestic realm other than that of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. She and her home serve as contrasts to Lady Macbeth and the hellish world of Inverness. Donalbain - Duncan's son and Malcolm's younger brother. -25-Macbeth: Plot Summary (Acts 1 and 2) Act 4, Scene 1 ‘Amidst thunder and lightring, three witches meet fo plan thelr encounter with Macbeth, a Scottish general and the Thene of Glamis. They agree to gather again at twilght upon a healh that Macbeth will cross on his way home from batts, Act 4, Scene 2 King Dunean of the Scots awaits news of the battle between his men and the rebels led by the Thane of Cavior. The King and his sors, Malcolm and Donalbain, meet e soldior who is weak and bleeding. He reports that Macbeth and Banquo have performed valiantly in the fight. His admiration of the noble yet brutal Macbeth is deep indeed: For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-- Diedalning fortune, with his brandish’d steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valours minion carved cut his passage... Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps, ‘And fied his head upon our battlements. (1.2.16-20) King Duncan is delighted at his captains’ bravery, and, when Angus and Ross arrive to tel him that the Thane of Cawdor has sutrendered, Duncan gladly hands over the Thane's tite and all his tand to Macbeth. Act 1, Scene 3 ‘The Witches meet on the dark and lonely heath to awalt Macbeth. To pass the time they exchange boasts about thelr evi deeds, Macbeth and Banguo come across the Weird Sisters and we sae immeciately that Macbeth has a strange ‘conneafion to the Witches, mimicking thelr famous words spoken eatler in the drama: "So foul and falra day {ave not Seen"(1.3.38) . The Wiches address Macbeth as Glamis, Cawdor, and King of the Scots, Macbeth is startled by what ne Sees clearly as a prophecy that he will be Scolland’s nex ruler. He is too stunned to speak and thus Banquo asks the ‘Witches i there is any more to thelr premonition, They do have something to add, not about Macbeth, but about Banquo, ‘They takin riddles, teliing him he wil be "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater’ and "Not se happy, yet much happier’ (1.9.85: 9), They also fell Banquo that even though he will never himself be king, he wil beget future kings of Scotland. Then the Witches disappear into the darkness, despite the pleadings of Macbeth, whose shock has turned tothe lust for more informetion, Once alone, Macbeth and Banquo pretend not lo believe anything the Weird Sisters have said, but in secret they cannot help thinking that thera is a litle truth to the Hags' words. Ross and Angus ave and inform Macbeth that Duncan hes appointed him Thane of Cavider, Macbeth and Banquo are stunned by the tur of events, realizing that the Witches are ight about one fecat of the prophecy, and Macbeth cannot help but focus on their other, greater preciction that he wil be king. ‘Act 1, Scene 4 Macbeth end Banquo reach King Duncan's castle and Duncan praises Macbeth for his loyally and valor. He also embraces Banquo and thanks him fer his courage during the rebellion. He announces that he has decided to visit Macbeth's castle at Ivemess, and that he has chosen his son, Malcolm, to be the Prince of Cumberland and, therefore, the next king of ‘Seolland. Macbeth proposes that he leave early for his castle to make sure everything 's perfect for the King’s arrival, and Duncan hepplly approves. But Macbeth is really only concemed with the King's choice of successor. With ambitious thoughts racing through his min, tacbeth again finds himself listing after the crown: "Stars, hide your fres/Let not ight ‘see my black and deep desires” (1.4.50-1). Act 4, Scene 5 ‘Seone V opens in a room in Macbeth’ castle at iverness. Lady Macbeth is reading a letter sent by her husband, reporting ‘i of the strange events he has witnessed. She learns ofthe prophecy of the Witches and that one prediction has already ‘come t1ue, Lady Macbeth is ecstatic and she foes her mind on obtaining the throne for Macbeth by eny means necessary. But Lady Macbeth knows that her husband has a weakness that will prevent him from taking the steps required to secure the crown. She is sure that because Macbeth is an ambitious man, he has entertained the thought of Kiling Duncan, no doubt several times. But she fears that he is without the ‘wickedness that should attend those murderous thoughts. Although the: Unusually vicious slaying of his enemies on the battlefield have us questioning his propensity for evil, Lady Macbeth feels that he is simply "too full the milk ‘of human kindness to kill King Duncan. She, however, thinks herself not as ‘compassionate as her husband, and when a messenger arrives with word that Bunean plans to visit Inverness, she is overjoyed that the opportunity to murder the King has presented itself so soon, She summons ail the evil spits to ensure that no pleadings of any man will come between her and her monstrous deed: Come you spirits “That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, ‘And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full -26-‘Of crest cruelty! (1.5.40-4) Macbeth arrives atthe castle and Lady Macbeth is ready to tempt him to join her in murder. She subtly hints ater intentions: "Your hand, your tongue: look tke the innocent flover/But be the serpent under it He that's coming/Must be provided for.." (1.5.85-7). Macbeth dodges the matter at hand and sheepishly tolls her that they will speak further on the subject, Lady Macbeth confidently assures him, "Leave all the rest to me” (1.5.74). Act 4, Scone 6 Duncan arrives at the castle with his sons, anc! Banquo, Lennox, Macduff, and others in his party. Ironically, Duncan and Banquo discuss the beauty of the caste while inside it reeks of moral decay. Banquo goes so far as to say that the “temple haunting martet does approve ofthe oat and ite sweet smoling fresh air. Unbeknowmet to Banquo, this is a particularly inappropriate reference to the mart, a bird known for building its nest near holy places. Lady Macbeth isthe fist to greet Duncan and his court. She welcomes them graceful to her humble abode. As isthe custom of the land, she telis the King ‘at she has prepared an account ofall that she owns so that Ouncen may perform an inventory of his subjects’ belongings. But Duncan dos not want to cue such mais, He aan expats ove for Macbeth an hey move behing he caste wall. ‘Act 4, Scene 7 ‘Macbeth is alone In a dining room in the castle. His conscience is acting up, and he is particularly worried about the ‘punishment ne will receive in the afterlife. "if were done, when is done, then twere wallt were dane quick’y."Ifthere were no consequences to be suffered for kiling Duncan, then Macbeth would not be so reluctant, But he concludes thet ‘even if heaven were not going to judge him, he cannot bing himself to kil Duncan, whom he believes is a good ran and an ‘excellent monarch. Lady Macbeth walks in on her husband and sees the indec’sion on his face. Macbeth tells her that he has changed his mina: ‘We will proceed no further in this business" (1.7.31). Lady Macbeth, who is ruthless beyond comprehension, refuses to accept Macbeth’s decision. Instead, Lady Macbeth plays upon his emofions, calling him a Coward and accusing him of not ioving her. Her cunning words work weil on Macbeth, and che turns his mind back to thoughts of murder, However, he is sil afraid and he asks her "if we should fal (vi.53), With conviction and confidence tenough for both of them, Lady Macbelh responds to her husband's doubts: "We fill But screw your courage to the sticking place/And well not fait (7.7.54-56). Macbeth is once and forall convinced ~ they will proceed with the murder ofthe King. Act 2, Scene 1 “The right fas over the castle at Iverness. Banquo comments to his son, Fieance, that itis as black a night as he has seen. Banquo is having trouble sleeping, ‘or the prophecy of the Wilches is foremost on his mind. He hints that he too has been {thinking ambitious thoughts and he begs the heavens forthe wil fo suppress them: "Merciful powersiRestrain in me the coureed thoughts that nalure/Gives way to In repose” (2.1.7-9). Banquo meets Macbeth inthe courtyard and he tries to bring tp the subject of the Witches but Macbeth refuses to discuss them or their predictions. He bluntly replies “t think not of them’, and bids Banquo goodnight, Macbeth goes to an emply room and wails for his wife toring the bell, signaling that Duncan's guerds are in a drunken slumber, Macbeth’s mind is racing with thoughts of the evil he is about to perfor and he begins to hallucinate, seeing a bloody dagger appear in he alr. He solloquizes on the wickedness in the world before ‘concluding that talking about the murder will only make the deed that much harder to complete. Suddenly. a bell rings out. ‘Macbeth braces himself and utters these final words: | go, and its done; the bell Invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for itis a knet ‘That summons thee to heaven, of o hell. (2.1.62-4) ‘Act 2, Scene 2 Lady Macbeth has drugged Duncan's guards and she waits in her chamber for Macbeth to commit the murder. She hears ‘moans of torture coming from Duncan's quarters and she loses some of her composure. She fears that they have awoken, the guards and she confesses that she would have killed the King hereof rhe did not resemble her own father. Macbeth relums @ mutderer; his hands dripping in blood of his vitime, The two whisper about the deed and Macbeth nervously recounts the cries each man made before he stabbed them, Lady Macbeth tells him to "consider it not so deeply” (2.2.30), ‘but Macbeth can focus only on thelr screams and the fightening realization that, when one cried "God bless us!” he tried to say "Amen* in response, but the word stuck in Ris throat. Lady Macbeth pleads with her husband to put the act ott of his ‘mid but Macbeth only thinks harder upon what he has done, He hears a voice cry “Giamis hath murtherd sleep: and therefore Cawdor/Shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleop no more!" (2.2.41-2). Lady Macbeth insists that he go wash his face and hands and place the daggers that he has so carelessly brought back with him in the hands of the guards. Macbeth refuses to return to the soane ofthe crime and so Lady Macbeth goes instead. Alone, Macbeth stares at his blood-sozked hands: ‘What hands are here? Hal they pluck out mine eyes! ‘Wil all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No; this my hand wit rather “The multtudinous seas incamadine, ‘Making the green one red. (2.2.59-63) Ledy Macbeth comes back, now with hands equally bloody. They hear a knock athe castle doors and Lady Macbeth again demands that Macbeth wash up and go to bed, for they must pretend thet they have been sound asleep the entire night ‘Macbeth's words of regret bring the scene to a close: "To know my deed, were best not know myselfMVake Duncan with thy knocking! | would thou couldst"(I.,73-6).. -27-Act 2, Scene 3 “The knocking at the south entrance grows louder and more frequent. A porter waiks slowly to open the doors, ponder ‘what it would be ke to be the door-keeper of hell, Maccluff and Lennox are at the doors, arving to visit King Duncan. Macbeth comes cown to greet the two noblemen, Overnight he has fuly regained his composure and pretends that their ‘early morning knocking has awakened him, Macduff proceeds to the King's chambers while Lennox tels Macbeth about the fieree storm they encountered on their journey to Inverness. In the howiing wind they heard ‘strange screams of death’ (2.3.46), and there were reports ofthe earth shaking, Macbeth's response is ironic and cruelly comical: "Twas a rough right" (2.2.47). Macduff re-enters, screaming that the King has been slain. He tells Lennox that itis a horrible end bloody sight, comparing ilo Medusa herself. He rings the alaurm bell while Macbeth runs to King Duncan's quarters, Macbeth reaches the guards who have been awakened by the bell, Before they can proclaim their innocence, Macbeth kils tham and reports to Macduff that he has murdered Duncan's assassins in aft of fury. Lady Macbeth pretends to collapse in a shock ‘and, while the rest of the men tend fo her, Malcolm whispers to his brother, Denalbain. The brothers are not as easily ‘deceived as the others and they know their ves are in grave danger: "There's daggers in men's eyes" Donalbain adds, and they agree to flee Scotland. Malcolm will go to England and, to be extra cautious, Denalbain will goto ireland. ‘Act 2, Scene 4 In this brief transition scene, an old man reports to Ross the strange omens that have coincided with Duncan's murder. ‘Macduff enters and tes Ross that, since the King’s two eons have fied Scotland, they are presumed to be the masterminds. behind thei father’s murder. As a result oftheir treachery, their claim tothe throne is forfeit, and Macbeth will be named the. new King of the Scots. ‘Act 3, Seeno 1 ‘Rat lil opens at the royal castle on the day of a great feast to celebrate Macbetl's coronation. Banquo isthe fist to enter the ‘reat dining hal, The prophecy of the Witchas races through his mind, and he begins to befeve that Macbeth himself was, responsible for the fulfilment of the Hage! prediction. He thinks upon bis own destiny as foretold by the Witches. f Macbeth {s now king, Banquo is sure to father future kings. A trumpet sounds and King Macbeth and his Queen enter the hal with Lennox, Ross, and 2 long parade of servants. Macbeth is vety concerned with Banquo’s activites forthe day, and asks him ‘where he plans to go before dinner begins. Sanquo tes hi that he and his son, Fleance, are going to ride on the vast ‘castle grounds in the afternoon, but he assures Macbeth he will not miss the feast, Macbeth orders everyone to take the tfternaon for himself and be the master of his fme' until seven thet evening, when the banquet wil commence. Everyone fushes off, except Macbeth and a servant, He asks the servant fo bring in two men that have been waiting at tre palace (gate. Alone for a brief moment, Macbeth reveals his plan to have Banquo and Fleance murdered while they are out riding. Kiling now comes easier to Macbeth and he will gladly slay his tiend and his child It means securing the throne for his ‘own lineage. The servant retums with the men whom Macbeln has commissioned to kill Banquo and Fleanca. Macbeth ‘ives them some final instructions and sends them on the'r way. As the scane comes to a close, we see Macbeth's ftansformation ito a evil vilain now complete: "tis concluded: Banquo, thy sout's fight it find heaven, must find it out to- right." (8.1.140-141). ‘Act 8, Scene 2 In another room in the castle, Lady Macbeth orders a servant to find her husband. Lady Macbeth is not as heppy as she thought she would be as Queen of Scotland, and, although she hides it better than Macbeth, the murder s all that she can think about. Despite the fact that they now have exactly what they desired, Lady Macbeth confesses thet they have gained nothing and lost everything by killng Ouncan: ‘Nought's had, all's spent (3.2.4). Macbeth enters and he too admis © ‘consuming feelings of quit and fear, He tamonts ‘inthe aficion of these terribie dreams/That shake us nighly: better be with the dead’ (@.2.16-9) Lady Macbeth wants to think of other, more pleasant things, and she tells her husbend to be happy and enjoy his feast, Macbeth informs her that he has decided to kil Banquo and Fleance. She aske for details but, to ‘save her ftom further gull, Macbeth will not tell her any more: 'Be innocent ofthe knowledge, dearest chuck’ (3.2.44-5) Act 3, Scene 3 ‘The two murderers set out to find Banquo and Fleance, riding on the palace grounds. A third murderer joins them, sent by Macbeth to ensure the kiling is carried out according to plan. They hear horses approach. Its Banquo and his son, walking toward the stables, taking about the fun of the day. Night has fallen early and they carry a lit torch. The First Murderer altacks Benquo but befere he dies he cries out to Fleance to run away as fast as he can. In the scuttle the torch goes out ‘and Fleance successfully escapes into the derk countryside. The murderers know that they have left incomplete the more important task of kiting Banquo's son, but they nonetheless head to the castle to report Banquo’s death to Macbeth, Act, Scone 4 ‘The banquet is underway in the great hall ofthe royal palace. Amidst the revellers, Macbeth sees the First Murderer and, as, inconeplouously as possible, he walke over to speak with him, The First Murderer tes him that the blood Macbeth sees Upon his face is Banquo’s and that Fleance hes escoped. Macbeth is unhappy withthe news that Fleance remins alive, but he focuses on the good news of Banquo's death and decides to take his place at the dinner table, But Macbeth’s seat is already occupied. tis Banquo's ghost, and Macbeth is horrified. Bafore his stunned quests he begins to speak to what they bolfeve ¢ an emply chair. "Prtheo, soe there! behold! look! lol how say you?Mvhy, vat care I? if thou canst ned, speak too" (2 4.08-70), Lady Macbeth tells the gueets that Macbeth is suffering from stress, 2nd, when the ghost disappears,Macbeth regains his composure. He says that he has a "strange infty” and quickly calls for more wine and toasts the "general joy ofthe whole table", Unfortunately, Macbeth decides to mention Banquo specifically in the toast, which prompts the re-appearance of Banque’s ghost. Macbeth again reacts tothe spit, much to the bewikderment of his guests. Lady Macbeth, afraid her husband is losing his mind and will reveal their crimes, bids the quests an abrupt goodnight and shuffles them out of the hall, When they are alone, Lady Macbeth, who Is baffled by Macbeth’s behaviour, tells him that his leek of sleep is causing him to hallucinate. Macbeth insists that he must consul the three Weird Sisters to find out what dangers le in wail, Macbeth and his Lady rate to bed and the scene ends with Macbeth’s final thought that, Because he is few to such heinous crime, his conscience is overactive, but he will improve wih time. As he tells Lady Macbeth: "We are yet but young in deed” (6.4.146). Act 3, Scene § ‘Thunder erashes overtop a lonely heath where the Witches are gathered. Hecate, the goddess of witcharaft, scolds the Hage for not including her in their mestings with Macbeth. Hecete tells them that they must reassure Macbeth when he ‘comes to visit, for she knows that security “ls mortals’ chiefest enemy’ (3.5.24. ‘Act 3, Scene 6 Ine room in the palace, Lennox and another lord discuss the deaths of Duncan and Banquo. Lennox now suspects Macbeth has commilted the murders and subtly reveals his thoughts n an exceptional speech, noled for its sustained irony. “The lord also suspects Macheth, and he tells Lennox that Malootm has the support of Edward, King of England, and that ‘Macduff has since sided with Malcolm and is gathering an ermy as they speak. They hope Malcolm anc his troops return as ‘soon as possible o help the Scottish rebels overthrow Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 4 ‘hat 4 opens in @ dark cave. Inthe centre of the cave a cauldron boils, and around it the Witches gather. They cast spels in ‘nicipation of Macbeth's arrival. Macbeth enters and the Witches agree to show him what the future has in store. Amidst rashes of thunder, three apparitions appear. The fists an armed head, summoned to wam Macbeth that Macdulf is ‘coming back to Scotland to ruin him, The second apparition isa bloody child and it tells Macbeth that no man born of Woman can do him harm, This gives Macbeth great confidence: "Then live Macduff. what need | fear of thee?" (4.1.78-60). ‘The third apparition is that ofa child wearing a crown and holding a tree. it tels Macbeth thal: “Macbeth shall never -vanquish'd be untliGreat Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hillShall come against him” (4.1.67-90). Macbeth is secure that ‘the third appartion’s prophecy will never be, for ‘who can impress the forest?" or ‘bid the tree unix his earth-bound roots?” (4.1.91-3), Macbeth's confidence [s restored, but one question remains: what of Banquo's prophecy? He asks the Witches if Banquo's descendants wil stil rale Scotland, and in response they surmmon a vision of eight kings. The kings ness over the ‘stage in order; the last holding a glass. Banquo's ghost follows behind them, and Macbeth fies into a rage at the Witches: ‘who have revealed his worst feer. They dance and cackle and vanish into the darkness, Lennox enters the cave and Macbeth is worried that he has seen the Witches. But Lennox has seen nothing, He tells Macbeth that there are horsemen uside, come to report that Macduff has sided with Malcolm who is gathering en army of English soldiers, Macbeth decides ‘hat he must kill Macduff and his whole family as punishment for his betrayal. Act 4, Scene 2 ‘The scene turns to Maccuffs castle where Lady Macduff is iid because her husband has feft her and their son to go to England. Ross tells her to remain calm, reminding her that Macduff is wise and noble, and would not leave lest was of ‘utmost importance. Ross leaves and, i her anger, Lady Macduff tel's her son that Macduff is dead. But her son is sharp {ike his father and he challenges her, prompting humorous banter between the two. A knock atthe door interrupts their ‘conversation. It is a messenger who has somehow learned of Macbeth’s plan to have Lady Macduff and her son murcered, He begs her to flee at once and he runs from the castle in terror. Lady Macduf, sure she has done nothing wrong, hesitates to leave, This delay is costly indeed, forthe murderers arive and burst through the heavy wooden doers. They teli her that her husband isa traitor and one of the murderers grabs her son and stabs him, kiling him instantly. Lady Macduff runs ‘screaming from the castle, but the murderers chase her down and sioy her. ‘Act 4, Scene 3 Macduff has arved ating Edwards palace in England. Malcolm, however. is distusting of Macbeth because he fe's that Macbeth, who was himself once noble and trusivierthy, has corupied everyone aroun him, Malcolm tests Macdiufs loyalty {o him and Scotland by pretending fo be o greedy and base prince wino wil'cut off the noble’ from thek land’ when he {gains the Satish cron, When Macduff morrs openly for his country that has one evil ruler and another in wat, Malcolm Confesses that his words were ony to tes! Macduffs commitment io him and Scotland. Ross comes trom Scotand wih tho frrble news that Macbeth nas murdered Macdutfs family. Maoduf,uely destroyed by the foulness ofthe deed, cannct belleve it end must esk repeated if his wife and child are realy dead. Malcolm implores Macduf to turn his anguish ito anger: "be this the whetstone of your sword: let gfe/Convert to anger; blunt not the heart, enrage i" (4.3.217-13). Mecdutt ‘Vows revenge and they leave to gather thelr roops and head for Sealand. ‘Act §, Scene 4 ‘With Macbeth busy assembling his men to fight Malcolm, Lady Macbeth i left alone in the castle at Dunsinane, When the two were together they could feed off each others strength and prevent one anather from dwelling on thei crimes, But Macbeth is gone and Lady Macbeth Is left to brood over the atrocities Macbeth has committed at her command, Her gui ‘and fear follow her even in dreams, and she begins to walk in her sleep. Her Gentlewoman has seen her several times rise from her bed. The Gentlewornan calls for a doctor who watches for tao nights but does not see Lady Macbeth come out of her chamber, But, onthe third night, he observes Lady Macbeth walk down the hall with 8 lantern, rubbing her hands violently. She revea's the events of that gruesome night and utters one of the most famous line in all of literature: "Out, damned spot! out | say!" (6.1.37). The murder of Macdufts family and Banquo also weigh heavy on her mind: “The thane of -29-Fife had a wife; where Is she now? What, wit these hands neler be clean?” (5.1 44-5). The Doctor is horrified to know the truth end he refuses to report o anyone what he has just seen and heard for fear that his own life wil be in jeopardy. He leaves the castle, knowing that ne docter ean cure what als Lady Macbeth: "More needs she the divine than the physician” G70), Act 5, Scene 2 ‘The action moves to the countryside near Ounsaine where the rebels, led by Lennox and Angus, await the English army that will soon arrive. They make plans to mest at Sirnam Wood and Cathiness, one of the solsiers, tells the others that Macbeth is hold up in the royal castle preparing for the attack. ‘Act 5, Scene 3 ‘Macbeth is in his war room awaiting Malcolm and his troops. Because ofthe three apparitions, Macbeth is confident that he «willbe victorious, and he refuses to hear the reports from his generals. The Doctor comes in and Macbeth asks arviously ‘about his wife. The Doctor tells him that ahe seems troubled and cannot rest. Macbeth orders the Doctor to cure her: "Canst thou not minister to @ mind diseased/Pluck from the memory a reated sorrow (6.3.40-1). Quite courageously, the Doctor replies, "Therein the patient/Must minister to himsaf” (6,3.45-6). Macbeth rejects his useless answer and angry calls for his ‘armour. Although we can see Macbeth starting o cumble under the mounting pressure, he convinces himsetf that he is stil rot afraid of defest "Til Bimam forest come to Dunsinane” (5.3 69-80), Act 5, Scene 4 ‘Malcom orders his men to each cut a branch from a tree from Bimam forest fo provide camouflage as they attack the caste. Malcolm's command to carry the boughs signals the true end of Macbeth, for Bimam Wood is moving toward Dunsinane. Act §, Scene 5 (On the caste walls Macbeth waits, sure that Macduff and Malcolm wil die of famine before they can penetrate his defence. ‘Sudderly a cry is heard from within the castle. Seyton goes fo investigate and, wher he returns, he tells Macbeth that his. wife is dead. With the news that he has lost his precious lady, tacbeth resigns himself to the fully of fe. A messenger tenlers and reports that he has seen an amazing cight - the vicads are moving toward the castle. Macbeth is at fist Unbelieving and slaps the messenger, calling him a 'iar and slave!’ But Macbeth cannot deceive himself any ionger end he vows that, ifhe must de, he will die a valiant soldier in bate: lf this which he avouches does appear, ‘There Is nor fying hence nor tarrying here. ‘gin to be aeweary of the sun, ‘And wish the estate o' the world were now undone. Ring the alarum bel! Blow wind! come wrack! Atleast well ie with harness on our back. ‘Act 5, Scene 6 In this very short scene we see Malocim, Slvard, and Macduff gathered with ther troops on the plain before Macbett’s: castle, They throw down their 'leafy screens’, sound the trumpets, and wage their assault on the royal palace. ‘Act 8, Scene 7 Macbeth has left the castle to fight Malcolm's army on the battlefield. Although he has resigned himself to defeat, he Femembers the second appatition, Still convinced that he will never meet a man not bor from a woman, he regains the hope that it is yet possible for him fo escape. He meets young Siward who calls him a liar and challenges him fo fight, Macbeth gladly obliges and, with his skill as a great warrier, easly kils the young man. But the noise ofthe fight altracts, ‘Macduff and he runs to confront Macbeth, ‘Act 5, Scene 8 Macbeth, wth his newfound hope and determination, continues to fight Malcolm's army. Macduff comes up behind him, ‘demanding that the ‘hell hound turn” (6.8.3) and fight. Macbeth tells him to leave, for he does not want the blood of another ‘Macduff on his hands. Macduff refuses and charges at Macbeth. They fight, and Macbeth boasts that he is Indestructible: "| bear a charmed if, which must not yield/To one of wornan born” (68,1203). Macduff reveals that he was net of woman ‘born, but ‘untimely tipped from his mother's womb. Macbeth realizes that the Witches, in their evl trickery, have only helped inhis destruction, and he resigns himself to death, Not far away, the victorious Malcolm rallies his soldiers. Macduff joins them, carrying the head of Macbeth, He hails the new King Malcolm and the King's promise of restoration brings the play to a close ‘We shall not spend a large expense of time Before we reckon with your several loves, ‘And make us even with you. My thanes and kinsmen, Henceforth be earls, the first that ever Scolland In such an honour named. What's more to do, ‘Which would be planted newly with the time, ‘As calling home our exiled fiends abroad ‘That fled the snares of watchful tyranny: Producing forth the cruel ministers. -30-Of this dead butcher and his fiend-lke queen, Who, as is though, by self and vielent hands Took off her lf; this, and what needful else ‘That calls upon us, by the grace of Grace, \We will perform in measure, time and place: So, thanks to all at once and to each one, ‘Whom we invite to see us crown'd at Scone. (.8.60-75) aieTHE TRAGIC HERO & THE FATAL FLAW Macbeth can arguable be called a tragic hero because he meets some criteria as outlined by Aristotle. According to Aristotle in the Poetics, the following characteristics are representative of a tragic hero: 1. The tragic hero is a character of noble stature and has greatness. This should be readily evident in the play. The character must occupy a "high" status position but must ALSO embody nobility and virtue as part of his/her innate character. Macbeth does occupy a high status and, tially, embodies virtue. Find an example (quote) from the text that supports this: 2. Though the tragic hero is pre-eminently great, he/she is not perfect. Otherwise, the rest of us—mere mortals--would be unable to identify with the tragic hero. We should see in him or her as someone who is, essentially like us, although perhaps elevated to a higher position in society. Many other characters see Macbeth as a great soldier. Find an example (quote) from the text that supports this: 3. The hero's downfall, therefore, is partially her/his own fault, the result of free choice, not of accident or villainy or some overriding, malignant fate. In fact, the tragedy is usually triggered by some error of judgment or some character flaw that contributes to the hero's lack of perfection noted above, This error of judgment or character flaw is known as hamartia and is usually translated as "tragic flaw. Again, Macbeth meets this criteria of the tragic hero. You could argue that his downfall is his own fault. You could also argue that others were potentially responsible (the Witches and Lady Macbeth). A tragic hero must be both good and bad so that the audience identifies with them. This way we see the melancholy duality of human nature. Find an example (quote) from the text that supports this: “32in focus 's the play a story about Macbeth controlling his own destiny, do other People contro! him or is he manipulated by supernatural forces beyond his understanding? The witches - are they in control? The play is strange and disturbing because of its depiction of witchcraft and the supernatural. The witches embody many different beliefs and superstitions that Elizabethans held about witchcraft and its practitioners. king James | had written a book about witches. The witches may have the ability to see into the future but not necessarily the power to influence events, Elizabethans from different parts of England would have different understandings of what witches were and what they could do. But people would agree that witches could access terrifying, dangerous power. In the play, the witches might be able to read Macbeth's mind and give voice to his thoughts and ambitions. They might also detect in him a fear of witchcraft. He certainly takes their prophecies literally. When the witches tell Macbeth he will be Thane of Cawdor and then king, Shakespeare does not give him a line. Banquo describes his reaction for us: ‘Good sir, why do you start and seem to fear Things that sound so fair?’ Act 1, Scene 3, lines 49-50 The witches have apparently struck a raw nerve in Macbeth. Shortly afterwards in the same scene, he is told he is the new Thane of Cawdor. In an aside, he mutters: “This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If il, Why hath it given me the earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion, Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs Against the use of nature?” Act 1, Scene 3, lines 129-136 -33-This gives us the explanation for Macbeth's startled reaction to what the witches told him, He has already thought of taking the crown for himselt, even though he knows what a dreadful crime that would be. The witches have drawn back a curtain and allowed Macbeth to cleerly see a future that he nas already considered, In Act 1, Scene 3, Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches after the battle, Is this a coincidence? Is it intentional? If t's intended, how did the witches knaw where the two men would be? In these early scenes Shakespeare uses dramatic irony — the audience and the witches know that Macbeth has been made Thane of Cawdor before Macbeth does. Are the witches taking advantage of human actions (Duncan's decision about Cawdor) or are they magically directing events? The apparent Power of the witches is clear to Macbeth when messengers from Duncan ride up and greet him as Thane of Cawdor, just as the witches foretold he would be. The extent to which the witches are in control depends upon your point of View. From Macbeth’s point of view, they seem to know exactly what is going to happen. But the nature of the witches’ power varies in different productions of the play. Whether the witches can see the future, or somehow control events through sorcery, depends upon the interpretation we watch. DID YOU KNow? SUA RN eae CCU RED Re ee em ean StL U OL Cn Seued acne een eee etl ats Le ee eee RU aC raat ena neeneetl Mice ee cen RUE TU ee eee mR eee Neen ee CLR aon eolie ee nite tte SE CRU eel og eee dramatic irony @ narrative device in which the audience knows more than the cheracters doLady Macbeth - is she in control? Lady Macbeth is often portrayed as the person who most manipulates Macbeth into murdering Duncan and taking over Scotland. When she reads a letter from Macbeth describing his encounter with the witches, she suspects that Macbeth will not have the stomach to take the throne for himself! ‘Glamis thou art, and Cawdor and shalt be What thou art promised; yet I do fear thy nature, Itis too full o' th’ milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way’ Act 1, Scene 5, lines 14-17 ‘To catch the nearest way’ means ‘to cotton on to the easiest path to becoming what you were promised’; that is, becoming the king, as the witches told him he would. Lady Macbeth calls on evil powers to give her the strength to act ruthlessly and support her husband: ‘Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull Of direst cruelty Act 1, Scene 5, lines 38-41 When Lady Macbeth asks the spirits to ‘unsex’ her, she is asking that the qualities traditionally thought of as feminine ~ compassion, caring, love — be destroyed and replaced with the cruelty she needs to murder Duncan. (n Act 1, Scene 7, when Macbeth announces he will not go through with Duncan's murder, Lady Macbeth ridicules her husband: ‘What beast was't then That made you beak this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man.’ Act I, Scene 7, lines 48-50 In this scene she is cleerly capable of making her own decisions and reveals a strong influence over her husband. When Macbeth stupidly re-emerges, after stabbing Duncan to death, Covered in incriminating biood and carrying the murder weapons, Lady Macbeth coolly directs him to take the daggers back and place them near Duncan's drugged guards, and to wash the blood off himself. Macbeth is not thinking like a criminal, but Lady Macbeth is cunning enough to think of framing others for their crime: -35-‘Go get some water And wash this filthy witness from your hands, Why did you bring these daggers from the place? They must lie there. Go carry them And smear the sleepy grooms with blood’ Act 2, Scene 2, lines 49-53 Lady Macbeth loses her ability to control events not long after she becomes queen. Her influence fades from the point of Banquo's murder onwards, as her presence fades from the play altogether. She intervenes once more to protect her husband's reputation in Act 3, Scene 4, when he sees Banquo’s ghost and makes a fool of himself in front of the assembled Scottish lords. But this is the last scene in which the Macbeths appear together in the play. Lady Macbeth is not on stage again until the first scene of Act 5, by which time she has descended into madness, the burden of her crimes too great to bear. In Act 5, Scene 5, she dies, apparently by suicide - which could be interpreted as a final act of self-control — but Shakespeare does not show this to the audience, Not seeing her death creates the possibility she is murdered too. What does Lady Macbeth want? Although the actors playing her often interpret her as a social climber, she does not declare an ambition to be queen in the way that Macbeth makes it obvious that he wants to be king, Nor does Shakespeare provide a reason for her to hate Duncan. Perhaps love and loyalty to her husband are her motivations. She simply wants what Is best for him. Macbeth - is he in control? In Scene 2, King Duncan awaits news of a battle against the rebelling thane Maccionald. 4 wounded captain reports to King Duncan describing Macbeth aS a courageous wartior, deciding to take enormous risks on the battlefield, determining the course af the battle by his own skill and daring, “But all's too weak, For brave Macbeth ~ well he deserves that name — Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like Valour's minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave, Which ne'er shook his hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’chaps And fixed his head on our battlements.’ Act 1, Scene 2, lines 15-23Macbeth is apparently in control and controlling the fate of others too, personal ending the lives of many men. in gratitude, King Duncan rewards Macbeth and punishes the original Thane of Cawdor. Later, Macbeth will turn the same Capacity for violence against his king, rather than use it in the king’s service. Macbeth seems to surrender self-control immediately after murdering Ouncan. He appears on stage as 4 paralysed, bumbling, regretful man who nearly made a complete mess of murdering his king, needing his wife's steely resolve to save him. But having taken the crown, Macbeth soon hits his stride, He has no hesitation in sending murderers to kill his best friend and his best friend’s child, and without any intention of taking Lady Macbeth into his confidence. He patronisingly tells her not to concern herself: ‘Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, Till thou applaud the deed.” Act 3, Scene 2, lines 45-46 The witches’ double-edged prophecies in Act 4, Scene 1 simultaneously convince Macbeth of his invincibility but also warn him about Macduff. Macbeth feels himself to be in a race against time, so he resolves to be more ruthless, reckless anc brutal than before. He is determined to act on instinct before his enemies can react. “Time, thou anticipat’st my dread exploits; The flighty purpose never is o'ertoole Unless the deed go with it. From this moment, ‘The very firstlings of my heart shall be The very firstlings of my hand.’ Act 4, Scene 1, lines 143-147 Macbeth honours his newfound resolve. Even though Macduff has already fled to England, Macbeth sends murderers to Fife to kill Macduff's entire family. Macbeth makes choices about committing evil acts. He is capable of thinking through a course of action and anticipating the consequences. In one sense he makes easy choices ~ murdering Duncan seems like a Girect way of getting the crown. But the decision to murder Duncan is actually very difficult. Ina sense it is brave for a man like Macbeth, who has achieved a reputation for honour and integrity, to throw that away by committing an act of great treachery. He values his reputation and does not throw it away lightly. AS Act 5 proceeds, Macbeth finds himself wifeless, friendless and with his enemies’ army bearing down on him. He is forced to reflect on what life ultimately means, and does so in one of Shakespeare's most famous soliloquies. -a1-“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools Their ways to dusty death. Out, out brief candle, Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing’ ‘Act 5, Scene 5, lines 18-27 At the end of the play, Macbeth resolves to fight on and to duel with Macduff. He has already realised that the witches’ prophecies are empty promises and devious tricks, ‘And be these juggling fiends no more believed ‘That palter with us in a double sense, ‘That keep the word of promise to our ear And break it to our hope.’ Act 5, Scene 8, lines 19-22 The Macbeths are a duo, attempting to act in a coordinated way. They reflect on their actions before, during and after the events. We also know the justifications that they tell themselves. This makes us part of the process of rationalising their behaviour. For most of the play they are actually communicating their deepest thoughts directly with each other. As individuals they respond differently to the consequences of their actions. The two act together in the murder of Duncan and covering it up afterwards. Shakespeare carefully presents the couple's conversations in ways that make their teamwork clear. Neither can get what they want by acting alone. They must collaborate to achieve their aims and so both bear a share of the guilt for their crimes. Is it necessary to weigh the crimes and find who, out of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, deserves more of the blame? Shakespeare seems to be making the point that their cooperation brings a greater disaster than either of them working in isolation could have. All of us are confronted with making moral choices every day. They're not usually life-and-death choices fortunately but when our ambitions for ourselves are in conflict with our principles we face decisions that define who we are. On any kind of moral basis, @ choice between right and wrong, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth fail in their obligations.What's in a word? Equivocation A theme of the play is equivocation. in one sense of the word, characters convince themselves that it is justifiable to lie, They say one thing but mean another, and they will tell half-truths with the intention to mislead others. in the play the witches, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Ross all equivocate. Lady Macbeth tries to wash the imaginary blood from her hands. Even though it’s not really there, she believes she can’t get rid of it. This inability to wash the blood away is what drives her to madness. She realises that what she has done and what she has told herself she was doing are two different things. She has equivocated with herself Ross is at least a witness to many of the play's dreadful events but he doesn’t say much about it. Meeting up with Malcolm and Macduff in England, Ross knows that Macduff's family has been murdered, but when Macduff asks about them, Ross replies: ‘... they were well at peace when I did leave 'em.’ Act 4, Scene 3, line 181 There is a terrible double meaning to this line - Macduf's family, being dead, is indeed ‘at peace’, although Macduff initially takes Ross's line to mean that they are alive and well. Ross is complicit in what happens because he sets his own interests above any moral consideration to do what's right. Appearances in Macbeth can be misleading, Things are not always as they seem, For example, Duncan is impressed by the outward peacefulness of Macbeth’s castle! ‘This castle hath a pleasant seat, the air Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself Unto our gentle senses.’ Act 1, Scene 6, lines 1-3 Little does Duncan know that within the castle's walls the Macbeths are evilly plotting his violent death Towards the play's end, Macbeth realises that the Apparition who toid him he'd be safe so long as Birnam Wood didn't reach the walls of Dunsinane had been feeding him some pure doubletalk ‘I pull in resolution and begin ‘To doubt th’ equivocation of the fiend ‘That lies like truth.” Act 5, Scene 5, lines 41-43 equivocation to evade or conceal the truthDPR Olid Equivocation was a word with a special meaning in the late sixteenth and See tect) beth | and James 1. To avoid punishment, Cee tte ORR OR aes ce ene tee mae SE eee ee eee Ut ge ORR ete Cems ee Cee eam ee ee osm eee ee SRC n ray In November 1605 a group of Catholics who opposed King James | cue he Racca ey h barrels of gunpowder. The Gunpowder Plot, as it became known, was intended to kill members of Parliament and the king himself, who would be visiting Pee Ca URE Uke mena ct Come en ee RUC e Ut nue Mea uP ee Rect emit DU a RU ook rescence cet COST tunics aon ee Rm aug unc k ene OM tT eu eee e man en nel Remuera the confessional, so Garnet did not report what he knew to the authoritie: Coelena Piensa Con Re oN SCR U aC a Coe RUM mame aCe tl Ue eR Meee een MAS eS ae ck CT UR eee eum eek ueCrTs Mee mea Rees chee fee etd Tagen ree Rc areal ce Rea mrcrd Ut ee ne Coe ee eee ICC ee) Coe Rn Nar ran SU eee Unni ose aCe anc er CECT es against either scale, who committed treason enough for God’s sak RaCR aac unet ce Oh rte i eee ee a) -40-