THE TRAGEDIE OF MACBETH

Play by William Shakespeare

Presentation by -
Ananya Sharma(L00MAENG20230001)
Lalitendu Das
Harneet Singh
 Introduction to
the text
Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare's most
famous tragedies, written around 1606. It is a
dark and gripping exploration of ambition,
power, guilt, and the supernatural. Set in
Scotland, the play tells the story of Macbeth, a
loyal soldier who, after encountering a group of
witches who prophesy his rise to the throne, is
driven to commit regicide and seize power.
However, once he achieves the throne, his
overwhelming guilt and paranoia lead to further
violence, chaos, and his eventual downfall.
 SHAKESPEARE AND THE CONTEXT OF MACBETH

William Shakespeare, the most popular playwright in England was born in

1564 in Stratford, England. While he had no formal education beyond
grammar school, he went on to become a favorite of both Elizabeth I and
James I. He has written around 37 plays and 154 sonnets in his lifetime.
He was a part of one of the most famous acting companies in England, The
Lord Chamberlain's Men- and James I also became a patron of the
company.

Macbeth was written in 1606 during the reign of James I. Macbeth might also be a
form of homage to the king’s Scottish lineage ( as he was James VI of Scotland
before he succeeded to the English throne in 1603). It has been claimed that King
James was actually the descendent of the historical Banquo.
 Major characters of
the play

➢MACBETH
➢LADY MACBETH
➢THREE WITCHES
➢BANQUO
➢KING DUNCAN
➢MACDUFF
➢MALCOLM
 MACBETH
A Scottish nobleman

A valiant warrior

A loyal subject to King Duncan

Thane of Cawdor

Consumed by the idea of power and status

Initially hesitant to commit murder

Undergoes a dramatic transformation

 LADY MACBETH

An Ambitious wife

Driven by a desire for status and influence

The catalyst for Macbeth’s dark actions.

Exhibits remarkable strength and resolve
Consumed by guilt, experiences psychological turmoil

Tragic flaw lies in her unchecked ambition

A complex and multifaceted character

 BANQUO
A warrior in Scotland

Macbeth’s close friend and companion

Shares a bond of loyalty with Macbeth

Desires a noble lineage

Becomes a victim of Macbeth’s ambition

His role as a father is significant

 KING DUNCAN
The reigning monarch of Scotland

A benevolent and just ruler, respected and loved by his subjects

Have ideal qualities of a good king

Characterized by his noble and generous nature.

Rewards loyalty and bravery

Places his faith in Macbeth

His murder marks transition from order to chaos

 MACDUFF
A Scottish nobleman and the Thane of Fife

A loyal subject to King Duncan

A key figure in opposing Macbeth’s tyrannical rule

Demonstrates bravery and determination.

Macduff’s relationship with Macbeth is marked by deep

conflict.

A Dynamic character, representing loyalty, courage,

and the quest for justice
 MALCOLM
The eldest son of King Duncan

The rightful heir to the Scottish throne.

Portrayed as intelligent, cautious, and morally

upright.

Responsible and aware of the political

complexities surrounding

Evolves from a seemingly passive figure into a

strong leader.
 PLOT OVERVIEW
Three witches predict great things for Macbeth

Macbeth and his best friend Banquo are riding home from a big battle. The
three ugly Witches appear and tell Macbeth that the King will give him a
promotion. They also say that one day Macbeth will be king. They tell Banquo
that in the future, his children will be kings too.

Ross arrives from the King to tell Macbeth that he has a promotion. It seems
like a big coincidence: Macbeth can’t stop thinking about what the Witches
have said.
 Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill
King Duncan
Lady Macbeth wants to kill the King so that Macbeth can become king as soon as
possible. She worries that Macbeth is too nice to carry out this plan. She asks
evil spirits to make her strong like a man.

“Come, you spirits

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe topful
Of direst cruelty!”

When Macbeth comes home, Lady Macbeth talks about how they should kill the
King. Macbeth isn’t keen. She treats Macbeth horribly until he agrees to do what
she says.
Macbeth kills King Duncan and becomes
King of Scotland
Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that she has got the King’s guards drunk. A
ghostly dagger floats in front of him and points the way to King
Duncan’s bedroom. Macbeth stabs Duncan. He comes back, covered in
blood and still holding the murder weapons. It’s as if he is in shock.
Lady Macbeth helps him plant the bloody daggers on Duncan’s drunken
guards. Macduff finds King Duncan dead in his room.

Duncan’s sons are scared that they might be next on the hit list, so they
run away. Soon after, Macbeth is made King of Scotland.
Macbeth has his best friend, Banquo, murdered .
Macbeth remembers what the Witches said about Banquo’s children
becoming kings of Scotland. He is worried that Banquo’s son will take over
from him. Even though Banquo is his best friend, he pays some thugs to
murder him and his son.

The thugs brutally stab and kill Banquo, but his son, Fleance, runs away. One
of the murderers turns up at the party to tell Macbeth what has happened.
He is still covered in Banquo’s blood.

At a party, later on that evening, Macbeth thinks he can see Banquo’s gory
ghost sitting at the dinner table. He is terrified, and everyone, including his
wife, thinks he is acting really strangely.
Macbeth begins to think that he’s invincible

Several ghosts appear. They warn Macbeth to keep an eye on

Macduff. They tell Macbeth that he will be safe until the woods start
climbing up the hill to his castle. They also say that no man who has
been born can ever kill Macbeth. Macbeth believes that he is
invincible.

Macbeth gives orders for Macduff’s wife and young family to be

assassinated. Macduff’s little boy is cheeky to the murderers and they
kill him. Then they go after his mother.
 Lady Macbeth commits suicide

Lady Macbeth’s gentlewoman calls the doctor. The doctor watches and
feels that he has heard too much. He says that she needs a priest, not a
doctor. Meanwhile, things are not going well for Macbeth. When he
hears that his wife has killed herself, he sinks into deep and pessimistic
despair and deliver his “Tomorrow , and tomorrow and tomorrow”

A messenger tells Macbeth that he’s just seen some trees moving up
the hill towards the castle. Macbeth starts to realize that the Witches
have tricked him. The English army, camouflaged with branches, is
marching up the hill towards him.
There is a battle and Macduff decapitates Macbeth
The English army come to fight Macbeth. They want Duncan’s son,
Malcolm, the rightful heir, to rule Scotland.

Macbeth puts on his armour . He thinks no man born can harm him.

Macduff was delivered by way of Caesarean section, so in a way he

wasn’t born in the usual sense of the word. When Macbeth hears this,
he realizes that the Witches really did trick him. He decides to go down
fighting, rather than give himself up. Macduff chops Macbeth’s head
off. Duncan’s son, Malcolm, is made king.
 Macbeth’s murder of Duncan in
Act 2 represents the point of no
return , that is , the climax .
The exposition of Macbeth primarily The denouement of Macbeth occurs
occurs in Act 1, where key characters, The falling action in Macbeth in Act 5, Scene 8, during the final
conflicts, and themes are introduced. occurs after the murder of King confrontation between Macbeth and
The prophecy of witches triggers Duncan in Act 3, Scene 4 (the Macduff.
Macbeth’s ambition . banquet scene). Following
Duncan's death, Macbeth’s reign With Macbeth's death, order is
Macbeth and Banquo’s encounter with becomes increasingly unstable restored to Scotland, and Malcolm is
the witches initiates both conflicts . as he spirals into paranoia. It declared king. The denouement ties
Lady Macbeth’s speech goad Macbeth leads to Macbeth's inevitable up the loose ends of the plot,
into murdering Duncan . downfall, as his crimes and resolving the play's political and
madness begin to catch up with moral struggles.
him.
 Shakespeare’s Inspiration

Shakespeare likely drew much of his material from The Chronicles of

England, Scotland, and Ireland by Raphael Holinshed, published in 1587.
Holinshed’s account of Scottish history provided a wealth of information
on figures like Macbeth, Duncan, and Banquo.

In Holinshed’s version, Macbeth kills Duncan in battle and takes the

throne, but he is eventually defeated by Malcolm, Duncan’s son.
Holinshed’s portrayal of Macbeth as a cruel and power-hungry character
closely resembles the Macbeth Shakespeare presents.
 The Real Macbeth

The character of Macbeth and the events in Macbeth are

loosely based on real historical figures and incidents,
though Shakespeare took creative liberties for dramatic
purposes. The historical Macbeth was a Scottish king who
ruled from 1040 to 1057. His reign was marked by political
instability and warfare, including his killing of King Duncan,
who was allegedly a weak ruler. Macbeth’s eventual
downfall came when he was defeated by Duncan’s son,
Malcolm, and Siward, an English general .
 SHAKESPEARE’S STYLE

Shakespeare’s style in Macbeth is characterized by a rich use of

language, dramatic structure, symbolism and themes to highlight
the tragic story of the downfall of Macbeth. Compared to his
contemporaries such as Marlowe, his style might seem less
grandiose or introspective but he focuses on certain aspects that
made his plays much more dramatical such as the use of more
action and violence over inner dialogues . This can be attributed to
the fact that Shakespeare was nowhere as educated as some of his
contemporaries, and one of his major concerns was to please his
audience as he was a stakeholder in some theaters.
 1. USE OF LANGUAGE AND VERSE

• BLANK VERSE- Much of the play is written in unrhymed iambic

pentameter, which feels natural and also is appropriate for the
theme and scope of the story- it elevates the quality of dialogues
which is quite appropriate for the serious nature and the nobility of
characters.

• PROSE- Shakespeare has used prose to indicate the status of

non-nobility characters or moments of confusion. Examples being
the witches and servants and Lady macbeth or Macbeth when
they are losing their sanity or composure.
 SOLILOQUIES AND MONOLOGUES

- Soliloquies and monologues are a key feature of the play which describe
the inner thoughts of several characters. These provide great insight into
the character’s internal turmoil, ideologies and moral dilemma.

- Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 7 shows his internal conflict between

his desire to gain power and his hesitation to kill Duncan.

- One of the best and most famous soliloquies is that of Lady Macbeth’s in
Act 1 Scene 5 which highlights her sheer determination and rejection of her
femininity in order to assassinate Duncan and gain power.
 IMAGERY AND SYMBOLISM
Blood and Violence- Macbeth is most certainly a very bloody and violent play, and blood highlights how
low Macbeth has fallen. Once he has killed Duncan, he shows no more remorse in taking so many lives,
including those of an innocent woman (Lady Macduff) and her son.

Blood also symbolizes guilt of the characters and provides a moment of introspection for the characters
where they ponder what they have done.

Lady Macbeth, the mastermind behind the assassination of Duncan also hallucinates of blood, as shown
by her obsession of washing her hands to get rid of blood stains. This might be due to her fear or guilt of
getting caught.

“Out, damned spot! out, I say!” (Act 5, Scene 1)

• Night and Darkness- Many of the scenes of violence occur at night, including the key moment when
Duncan is killed. Darkness represents the corruption and moral degradation of Macbeth.
•
Supernatural Elements- There are quite a few supernatural elements shown in the play such as the
prophecy, the witches, the ghost of Banquo, etc. They play a very vital role in the story and we will
discuss them further ahead.
Dramatic Structure
Five-act structure
The play follows a five act structure which is
quite traditional in Shakespeare’s plays .

• Act 1: Prologue or Exposition

• Act 2: Rising Action
• Act 3: The Climax
• Act 4: Falling Action
• Act 5: Denouement or Resolution
•
Foreshadowing- The Witches’
prophecies function as foreshadowing
of the events of the plot. While the
prophecies are very unclear and
misleading, they are the key ingredient
in making Macbeth follow up on hastily-
thought and pretty short sighted plans.
 MAJOR THEMES
1. AMBITION AND CORRUPTION
The theme of ambition is central to the plot of Macbeth- this is what leads to the actions performed
by the characters such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the play. Ambition can be considered the
root cause of the downfall of the characters .

Macbeth’s corruption

- Ambition corrupted the mind of Macbeth to such an extent that he turned from a
valiant warrior and trustworthy friend of King Duncan to a stone cold killer.
- He started off as a nobleman, the Thane of Glamis and was made the Thane of
Cowdor for his bravery in battle.
- Initially conflicted, but gradually succumbs to the temptation of power.
- Assassinated his guest, King Duncan after being persuaded by Lady Macbeth.
- Becomes the king of Scotland- and turns fully corrupted with power, and causes
more violence to secure his future.
Lady Macbeth’s Ambition
- From the very beginning, she is very cold and calculating
and even more ambitious than Macbeth.
- Upon learning about the prophecy she becomes hell bent
on gaining power.
- She manipulates Macbeth by questioning his courage ,
and is so corrupt herself that plotting a heinous crime, like
assassinating her own guest- no less the king himself, is
not an issue for her.
 2. SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS
The play Macbeth consists of many supernatural elements that play a very crucial role in shaping
the plot and influencing the characters. We can say that the story would have progressed in a
completely different way if not for these elements. There are also instances when these provide a
moment of reflection and retrospection for the characters.

The Witches

- The play opens with the three witches who already know of Macbeth which is quite unnatural
as Macbeth never met them before.
- It is their prophecy that elevated Macbeth’s ambition and made him do the things that he did-
granted, there were other factors but the prophecy can be considered a vital catalyst that
ultimately led to the chain reaction of total chaos.
- Their supernatural powers allow them to see the future- but in a distorted way, as if they were
half truths, there was always a catch but it was enough of a spark for the havoc to unfold.
 Banquo’s ghost

- Macbeth is the only person who can see Banquo’s ghost after he
had him murdered.
- We can’t say if Macbeth was simply hallucinating or there really
was a ghost, but it is clear that the ghost represents or rekindles
Macbeth’s guilt and fear.
- It also highlights the fall of Macbeth’s conscience- from a noble
and valiant warrior to a hallucinating, fearful and guilt-ridden
individual.
 3. MANHOOD AND FEMININITY
Shakespeare has asked many questions on manhood in this play through the
dialogues between various characters. Shakespeare’s portrayal of the women
in this play also highlights the then contemporary position of women in
general.

Macbeth’s struggle with manhood

- Macbeth was already a noble and respected warrior- however it is the words
of Lady Macbeth that made him doubt his strength. More than his own
ambition, it was his compulsion to prove his strength that made him
assassinate King Duncan.
- Lady Macbeth, manipulated his perception of Manhood by making him
believe only a true man has the strength and determination to do whatever it
takes to achieve power.
The femininity showed by Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff

- Lady Macbeth shows an interesting contrast in her character- she is

cunning and ruthless , and uses her femininity as a tool to achieve her
goals. While she acts lady-like and a wife to Macbeth, she is no less a
murderer who can reject all traits of femininity when required.

- Lady Macduff on the other hand, is a reflection of the typical Elizabethan

women- she was an innocent, devoted wife and mother. She represented all
the ideal traits of the Elizabethan woman, but also highlighted the issue with
the society. She had no role other than to be a vulnerable and defenseless
character whose death was just another example of Macbeth’s cruelty.
 “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth! Hail to
thee, Thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!
- Act 1, Scene 3 (The Witches to Macbeth)
Significance : The witches' words serve as a catalyst for Macbeth’s internal conflict and
eventual decision to murder King Duncan. This prophecy awakens Macbeth’s ambition and
sets in motion the tragic events that follow.

“Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill
me from the crown to the toe topful / Of direst cruelty!”
- Act 1, Scene 5 (Lady Macbeth)
Significance : It is a key moment in the play, as it highlights Lady Macbeth’s pivotal role in
Macbeth’s moral decline and the thematic exploration of gender, power, and violence. Her
invocation to the spirits to “unsex” her and fill her with cruelty shows her rejection of
traditional femininity and her willingness to embrace malevolence and violence to achieve
power.
“Out, damned spot! out, I say! One, two. Why, then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is
murky! Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it,
when none can call our power to account?”
- Act 5, Scene 1 (Lady Macbeth)
Significance : In this famous sleepwalking scene, Lady Macbeth is haunted by
the bloodstains she imagines on her hands, which she cannot wash away. This
scene shows her psychological unraveling, a stark contrast to the determined
and manipulative figure she was earlier in the play.

“I have lived long enough: my way of life / Is fallen into the sere, the yellow leaf; / And
that which should accompany old age, / As honor, love, obedience, troops of friends, / I
must not look to have; but in their stead / Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honor,
breath, / Which the poor heart would fain deny and dare not.” - Act 5, Scene 3 (Macbeth)
Significance : At this point in the play, Macbeth reflects on the emptiness of his life and his
lost humanity and is surrounded by treachery and betrayal. This speech foreshadows
Macbeth’s final descent into despair and his eventual defeat.
 Conclusion
Macbeth remains one of Shakespeare's most enduring works because of its
exploration of human nature, the consequences of unchecked ambition, and the
psychological effects of guilt. The play deftly intertwines personal tragedy with
political consequences, making it a profound meditation on the destructive power
of ambition and the complexity of fate, free will, and morality.

Through the character of Macbeth, Shakespeare examines the fragility of the

human soul when faced with temptation, and the destructive potential of power
when obtained through immoral means.

The play’s themes, including the psychological effects of guilt, the role of fate
versus free will, and the influence of the supernatural, resonate deeply across
cultures and time periods, making Macbeth an enduring and relevant work in the
canon of Western literature.