Macbeth

1
Macbeth

• Shakespeare

Introduction
Plot
Characters
Themes
Key Scenes/Lines
2
Macbeth

• Shakespeare

Introduction

• Shakespeares shortest tragedy
• Written in early 15th century
• Play believed to be cursed
• Covers regicide and the natural order of the
  world
• Play focuses on blind ambition
• Shakespeare uses madness of character and
  emotions to propel plot

3
Macbeth

• Shakespeare

PLOT OUTLINE
Plot

• Scotland is in middle of a war
• Macbeth and Banquo are war heroes
• Macbeth meets spiritual forces that both predict
  his future and make him ambitious, (three
  prophecies Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor,
  King of Scotland)
• Macbeth and his wife both become ambitious to the
  point where they will stop at nothing to meet
  their goals
• Macbeth goes on a killing spree to maintain his
  lies

4
Macbeth

• Shakespeare

Plot

• Ghosts and spirits become intermingled with guilt
  and angst for both Macbeth and his wife
• Macbeth given three more prophecies Beware
  MacDuff, none of woman born shall harm Macbeth
  and never vanquishd be until Great Birnam Wood
  to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.
• Macbeth murders wives and children to make
  statements

5
Macbeth

• Shakespeare

Plot

• Lady Macbeth wracked with guilt and eventually
  dies. Suicide is suspected but never confirmed
• Noblemen in Scotland defect from the king and
  begin to stage a revolt
• Army forms to fight Macbeth using branches from
  Birnam Wood as a disguise
• Macbeth fights but is cocky because of the
  witchs prophecy about not being able to be
  killed by a child born from a woman
• Macbeth killed
• New rightful king seated

6
Macbeth

• Shakespeare

Plot

• ...STRUCTURE OF SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY...

• ACT I Exposition, Exciting Force, Rising
  Action
• ACT II Rising Action
• ACT III Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action
• ACT IV Falling Action
• ACT V Falling Action, Catastrophe

7
Macbeth

• Shakespeare

Characters

• ...CAST OF CHARACTERS...

• Three Witches The Weird Sisters
• Duncan, King of Scotland The true king
• Malcolm Elder son of Duncan
• Ross Nobleman and friend of Duncan
• Macbeth Scottish Lord and later, King
• Banquo Scottish Lord and friend of Macbeth
• Lady Macbeth Wife of Macbeth
• Fleance Son of Banquo
• MacDuff Scottish Lord and friend of Duncan
• Other characters, children and castle people

8
Macbeth

• Shakespeare

Themes

• TRAGEDY OF CHARACTER
• Following ambition, guilt, motives, outside of
  the order of things

• TRAGEDY OF MORAL ORDER
• Changes to moral order by death of king, Great
  Chain of Being, Lady Macbeth calling the shots,

• WITCHCRAFT AND EVIL
• Three witches, darkness, chaos, conflict, ghosts

9
Macbeth

• Shakespeare

Key Scenes/Lines
Act/Scene Line Importance
I.i Fair is foul -The first scene, foreboding
I.iii All hail, Macbeth... -First prophecies
I.iii Two truths are told -Macbeths first soliloquy
I.vii Vaulting ambition -Macbeths second soliloquy
I.vii screw your courage -Lady Macbeth swasys Macbeth
II.i Is this a dagger... -Macbeths third soliloquy
III.i To be thus is nothing -Macbeths fourth soliloquy
III.iii Fly, good Fleance -Murder of Banquo
IV.i something wicked -Second set of prophecies
V.i hell is murky -Madness of Lady Macbeth
V.v a tale told by an idiot -Macbeths final soliloquy