Introduction to Shakespeare

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Introduction to Shakespeares Macbeth
John Worston, Macbeth and Banquo Meeting the
Witches
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Introduction to William Shakespeares Macbeth

• The Meanings of Macbeth
• Brief examination of the historical context of
  Macbeth
• A Macbeth for King James?
• Witches and Witchcraft in Macbeth
• For next day
• Themes and Imagery
• The Bloody Man

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The Many Meanings of Macbeth

• A historical thriller
• a fast-moving, action-packed murder mystery
  demonstrating that crime doesnt pay
• A psychological study of a murderers mind
• A play of political and social realism
• how oppressive and hierarchical society can
  corrupt individuals

• A play of illusions
• the effect of the mysterious or supernatural on
  humans
• A play of ideas or themes
• for example, appearance versus reality
• A tragedy
• the fall of a great person brought about by a
  fatal flaw in their character

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Historical Context of Macbeth

• Shakespeare was a playwright, not an historian.
  However, he knew that history provided great
  material for plays war, conflict, ambition, the
  downfall of great rulers.

• Eleventh-Century Scotland was a violent and
  troubled country.
• Feuding families and clans fought to control
  trade and territory.
• The castle was the power base of each rival
  war-lord (thane).
• Political murder and revenge killings were
  commonplace.

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The Real Macbeth

• The real Macbeth was born in 1005, the son of a
  ruling family.
• Macbeths father was murdered by his cousin.
• Macbeth married the granddaughter of the High
  King of Scotland (Gruach)

Martin, Banquo and Macbeth on the Heath
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Duncan and Macbeth

• Duncan was the king of Scotland at the time the
  real Macbeth was born
• Duncan was 38 at the time of his murder - a
  murder possibly committed by the real Macbeth.
• Macbeth was elected High King of Scotland in 1040.

• Macbeth ruled Scotland for 17 years, during which
  time Scotland became comparatively peaceful and
  stable.
• Duncans son, Malcolm, invaded Scotland in 1054,
  supported by Edward the Confessor.
• Macbeth was killed on August 15, 1057 and buried
  at Iona, the sacred burial place of the Kings of
  Scotland.

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A Macbeth for King James?

• King James succeeded Queen Elizabeth in 1603 - a
  Stuart, he was already King of Scotland
• Shakespeares Macbeth may have been performed for
  the first time before King James in 1606
• Macbeth contains many echoes of King James
  interests . . .

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A Macbeth for King James?

• Banquo (pictured at right)
• an elaborate family tree of the Stuart dynasty
  suggests that King James is descended from a real
  Banquo (Holinshed). In fact, Banquo never
  existed.
• Shakespeare lays full responsibility for Banquos
  death upon the Macbeths
• the change to the traditional telling of the
  story was probably made to appease King James,
  who hated King-killers (regicides).

Henry Fuseli, Macbeth, Banquo and the Witches on
the Heath
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A Macbeth for King James?

• King James interest in witchcraft was well known
• King James visited Oxford in 1605 and was greeted
  by three witches who hailed him as the descendent
  of Banquo . . . interesting.

Alexandre-Marie Colin, The Three Witches from
Macbeth
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The Cost of a Show

• 1 shilling to stand
• 2 shillings to sit in the balcony
• 1 shilling was 10 of their weekly income
• Broadway Today
• 85 Orchestra
• 60 Balcony
• 10 of a teachers weekly salary

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Macbeth
The tragedy of

• Set in Scotland
• Written for King James I (formerly of Scotland,
  now England)
• Queen of Denmark (Jamess sister) was visiting
• Shakespeare researched Holinshed's Chronicles
  of England, Scotland and Ireland (1577 Banquo is
  an ancestor of King James I

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Notes

• Full title The Tragedy of Macbeth
• Genre Tragedy
• Setting (time) 11th century
• Setting (place) Scotland, and briefly, England
• Protagonist Macbeth
• Major Conflicts Macbeth struggles with his
  conscience (before and after murder) evil
  (Macbeth and Lady Macbeth) struggles with good
  (Malcolm and Macduff)

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Theme

• The play is seen as a tale of dangers of the lust
  for power and betrayal of friends.

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Recurring motifs (patterns)

• Blood
• Clothing
• Natural order
• (nature)
• Insomnia

These are examples of test questions
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• King Duncan of Scotland
• Murdered by cousin Macbeth
• Honest and good
• Malcolm Donalbain
• Sons of the King
• Malcolm is the eldest son
• Macbeth
• Duncans most courageous general
• Ambition to become king corrupts him causing him
  to murder Duncan

The Characters
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• Banquo
• General and Macbeths best friend
• Suspects Macbeth in Duncans murder
• An actual ancestor of King James I
• Lady Macbeth
• As ambitious as her husband
• A dark force behind his evil deeds
• Macduff
• Scottish general, suspects Macbeth of murdering
  the king
• Macbeth has his family murdered
• Swears vengeance

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The Curse!
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The Scottish Play

• It is believed to be bad luck to even squeak the
  word Macbeth in a theatre
• Legend has it you will lose all your friends
  involved in the production--horribly
• MORE ON THAT LATER...

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The Tragic Hero
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• Def. Man of high standard who falls from that
  high because of a flaw that has affected many -
  Aristotle
• Macbeth is one of the most famous examples of the
  tragic hero.

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So what really happens?

• Good guy goes bad
• Guy wants power
• Married to a pushy control freak
• She wants power
• Kills people- LOTS of people
• Gets power
• Gets paranoid (a.k.a. goes crazy)
• Ticks off a lot of people
• Want more power! Kill! Kill!
• Gets whats coming to him in the end

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Best Line!
Lifes but a walking shadow a poor player, That
struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And is
heard of no more it is a tale Told by an idiot,
full of sound and fury, Signifying
nothing. - Act V s.5
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Witches Witchcraft

• A witch-mania characterized the Elizabethan era.
• Most people believed in witches and circulating
  pamphlets containing tales of witches and
  witchcraft were the equivalent of todays popular
  newspapers.

Henry Fuseli, The Three Witches
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Witches and Witchcraft

• Witches were said to have diabolical powers.
  They could
• predict the future
• bring on night in the daytime
• cause fogs and tempests
• kill animals
• curse enemies with fatal, wasting diseases
• cause nightmares and sterility
• take demonic possession of any individual
• raise evil spirits by concocting a brew
• It was believed that witches allowed the devil to
  suck their blood. Accused witches were examined
  for the Devils Mark - a red mark on their body
  from which the devil had sucked blood.

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Witches and Witchcraft - Misogyny?

• Between 1560 and 1603, hundreds of people, nearly
  all of them women, were convicted as witches and
  executed
• In 1604 an official Act of Parliament decreed
  that anyone found guilty of practicing witchcraft
  should be executed
• Those who confessed to being witches did so under
  torture or because they were in the grip of
  delusions recognized today as psychiatric
  disorders.

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beginning Macbeth. . .

• Trance
• look how our partners rapt
• Changed Appearance
• why do you make such faces
• Inability to Pray
• Amen stuck in my throat
• Visions
• Is this a dagger I see before me?

• Disturbed Behaviour
• I have a strange infirmity
• Lack of Fear
• I have almost forgot the taste of fears
• Indifference to Life
• She should have died hereafter
• Invitiations to evil spirits
• Come, you spirits

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For Today . . .

• Close reading of Act I
• Pay particular attention to the themes and images
  that are introduced here.
• Jot down a list of themes and images that appear
  in Act I.