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" In other
words, the play is filled with the idea of contradiction. aka equivocation.
Nothing is what it appears to be.
For your essay, choose three examples of things that are not what they
appear to be.
For example, it would appear that Macbeth is a good and loyal subject of
the king. Explain how this is not so.
It would appear that Malcolm and Donalbain hired the guards to kill their
father. Explain how this is not so.
It would appear that Fleance, too, was responsible for Banquo's death.
Explain how this is not so.
It would appear that Macduff is a traitor. Explain how this is not so.
It would appear from what the witches tell Macbeth, that he cannot be
defeated. Explain how this is not so.
In other words, there are many examples in the play. Choose three of
them and then support what you say by using an example from the play.
It is interesting to note that the Porter speaks of an equivocator who
committed treason. This is a reference to Father Garnet who confessed
several members of the Gunpowder Plot before the attempt but said
nothing. This was treason according to the courts despite the fact that he
was bound by the confessional. The only recognized church in England
was The Church of England. It was illegal to be a Roman Catholic. As a
result of his defense of the confessional, he was known as the Great
Equivocator.
Remember, "Nothing is but what is not."
Equivocation is language of confusion; ambiguity; double meanings; halftruths; paradoxes; riddles
The editor above does an excellent job illustrating the most famous: "Foul
is fair; fair is foil." These lines turn the world of Macbeth inside out: good
is evil, and evil is good. The murderous become king, and the king gets
murdered. The natural becomes unnatural. The witches have established
a world with no moral center in which things fall apart.
Equivocal Morality: How do you know whats good, or whos good, if
theres overlap between good and evil? The play does away with the old
Medieval concept of morality in which there is clearly good and clearly evil
with little in between. The play presages the modern concept of relative
morality which says that good and evil are not fixed, but change over time
and situation. This concept is revolutionary because it says a man like
Macbeth can be both good and then evil, given the choice, almost
overnight. It is the existential choice to change that empowers Macbeth.
Other examples:
Lesser than Macbeth and greater.
These solicitings cannot be evil, cannot be good
I would add the fact that Malcolm says he is a lascivious, greedy, evil man
(when he's talking with Macduff), but he is not. A wood (forest) cannot
move, yet it does. Water washes away blood, but obviously it does not
wash away the sin. An interesting area to study in Macbeth.
This doesn't sound like a man who's excited to start busting out with the
treachery. In fact, he sound like he's horrified by his own thoughtsand
haven't we all had some horrifying thoughts now and then? (Okay, maybe
not as horrifying as regicide.) The difference is that most of us don't act on
those horrifying thoughts. So why does Macbeth?
Maybe he's simply controlled by outside forces. After all, the three witches
prophesize that Macbeth will become king, and they also know the exact
circumstances of Macbeth's downfall, which suggests that Macbeth has no
control over his own fate. What's more, the weird sisters' words clearly
prompt Macbeth into action and we often get a sense that Macbeth is
acting against his own will, as though he's in a trance. Think about the
first time Macbeth encounters the witches he's twice described as being
"rapt" (1.3.56,60).
Even after this encounter Macbeth, at times, seems to move through the
play in a dreamlike state, as when he follows a "dagger of the mind"
toward the sleeping king's room just before he commits his first murder
(2.1.50). So, maybe Macbeth is nothing more than a victim of fate: his fate
made him a murderer. It's similar to saying that your brain tumor made
you do it, or the evidence that some criminal behavior has genetic roots.
Free to Be You and Me
On the other hand, maybe not. In the play, we clearly see Macbeth
deliberate about murder, and the witches, we should point out, never say
anything to Macbeth about murdering Duncan. When Macbeth first hears
the sisters' prophesy, his thoughts turn to "murder" all on their own. So,
perhaps Macbeth has had inside him a murderous ambition all along and
the three witches merely a dormant desire.
More proof? Take the moment when he thinks about whether to kill
Banquo: "To be thus [king] is nothing;/ But to be safely thus.Our fears in
Banquo/ Stick deep" (3.1.52-54). Here, we see him having already
accomplished his goal but still deciding to kill more. Again, is this fate? Or
is this now his very own choice?
The beauty of literature is that it doesn't have to be black or white. Maybe
Macbeth is "fated" to become king, but how he comes to the crown is
entirely up to him. Or, may Macbeth is simply a figure to dramatize the
ambiguity of human will and action. Why do people do the things they do,
even when they know their actions are wrong?
She'll Make a Man Out of You
On the other hand maybe Macbeth is propelled by fate, maybe by his
own dark desires, or maybe just by his nagging wife.
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth treats Lady Macbeth as an equal, if
not more dominant partner. In fact, when Macbeth waffles and has second
thoughts about killing Duncan, his ambitious wife urges him on by
attacking his masculinity. (Apparently, that's a strategy that never gets
old.) When Macbeth says "we will proceed no further in this business"
(1.7.34), Lady Macbeth responds by asking, "Art thou afeard / To be the
same in thine own act of valour / As thou art in desire?" (1.7.43-45).
In other words, Lady Macbeth asks if Macbeth is worried that his
performance of the act of murder will be as weak as his "desire" to kill the
king. There's also a dig at Macbeth's sexual performance at work here
Soon after Macbeth proves his "manhood" by killing Duncan and becoming
king, Lady Macbeth disappears into the margins of the story and becomes
the kind of weak, enfeebled figure she herself would probably despise.
When she learns that the king's dead body has been discovered, she
grows faint and must be carried from the room. (Hmm. It's almost as
though Lady Macbeth has literally been drained of that "spirit" she said
she was going to pour into her husband's "ear.")
Later, when Macbeth decides to murder Banquo in order to secure his
position of power, he excludes his wife from the decision making
altogether (3.2).
And by Act V, Lady Macbeth has been reduced to a figure who sleepwalks,
continuously tries to wash the imaginary blood from her hands, and talks
in her sleep of murder (5.1). She's grown so ill that the doctor says there's
nothing he can do to help her. "The disease," he says, "is beyond" his
"practice," and what Lady Macbeth needs is "the divine" (a priest or, God),
not a "physician" (5.1.62,78).
Would could easily read this as a kind of psychological breakdown. Lady
Macbeth is so consumed by guilt for her evil acts that she eventually loses
her mind. But we could also say that her transformation from a powerful
and "unnaturally" masculine figure into an enfeebled woman reestablishes
a sense of "natural" gender order in the play. In other words, Lady
Macbeth is put in her place, sleepwalking through the palace while her
man makes all the decisions.
However we read Lady Macbeth's transformation, one thing's certain. In
the end, Lady Macbeth is all but forgotten. When Macbeth learns of her
death, he says he has no "time" to think about her "She should have
died hereafter; / There would have been a time for such a word" (5.5.2021).
Star Performance
Depending on the production, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a virago (a
brazen, war-like woman) and a manipulator, as the seed of Macbeth's evil
thoughts, or as his devoted queen. In some productions she weeps
incessantly, in some she sneers, and in some no one's really sure what
she's doing. In some interpretations, she uses sexuality to convince
Macbeth to do the murder the King.
We're partial to Judy Dench's powerful and nuanced performance in Trevor
Nunn's
CAPTAIN
And Fortune, on his damnd quarrel smiling,
Show'd like a rebel's whore. But all's too weak;
For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)
Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution, (1.2.16-20)
Basically, the captain says here that Macbeth should have died in battle
but he was stronger than his fate. If this is true, then Macbeth has no one
to blame but himself. But notice that the captain calls Macbeth "damned
quarry": Macbeth may escape fortune this time, but that "rebel's whore"
will get him in the end. (Hey, Shakespeare's words, not ours.)
FIRST WITCH
All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!
SECOND WITCH
All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!
THIRD WITCH
All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter! (1.3.51-53)
Million-dollar question: are the witches (1) playing on Macbeth's ambition
and planting the idea of murder in his head; (2) really privy to some secret
info about the way things are going to go down; or (3) actually controlling
fate in some way?
BANQUO
Look, how our partner's rapt. (1.3.156)
"Rapt" comes from the Latin word "raptus," which means to be "seized" or
"kidnapped." (Brain snack: It's the same word that gives us "rape," which
clues you into the way that women were viewed as propertyrape was a
crime against a man's property rather than a crime against a woman.) But
back to the play: if Macbeth is "rapt," then he's been "seized" by
something outside of his control. Does that mean we let him off the hook?
MACBETH [Aside]
If chance will have me king, why, chance may
crown me,
Without my stir. (1.3.157-159)
Here, Macbeth briefly decides to let "chance" take its course rather than
fighting things, or, you know, murdering his noble king. Piece of advice,
Macbeth: go with this line of thought. But if "chance" is the same as
"fate," then it seems to amount to the same thingand it's not good for
Macbeth. Or Duncan. (Decent for Malcolm, however.)
MACBETH [Aside]
The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires:
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. (1.4.55-60)
Uh-oh. Once he learns that King Duncan has named Malcolm the Prince of
Cumberland and heir to the crown of Scotland, Macbeth isn't content to
wait around for "chance" to intervene. He decides that he must take
action, or "o'erleap" the obstacles in his path to the throne. By murder.
Well, this seems pretty willful to us.
MACBETH
Prithee, peace:
I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more is none. (1.7.50-52)
When Macbeth tries to insist that the murder plot is off, Lady Macbeth
needles him (and makes a few impotence jokes) until he finally gives in.
That's rightgives in. Saying "I dare do all that may become a man"
sounds a lot like he's made a decision.
MACBETH
Is this a dagger which I see before me,
love for her. The fact that she belittles his confidence, insults his abilities,
and questions his manhood is so manipulative, but also wise because it
worked in her favor. She said to him Screw your courage to the sticking
place (1.7.60). She was confident that her ridicule could gain her control
over her husband. There is no doubt that she manipulates her close
relationship to Macbeth to get them both the power they covet. She uses
mockery and persuasion to pressure him into murder. He is left feeling as
if he must commit the murder with the intention of proving himself to her.
Lady Macbeth appears evil, but this is proof of her devotion and drive to
assist Macbeth rise to the throne. She is strong woman and acts as a
powerhouse towards her pursuit for power.
Macbeth becomes paranoid and nervous after he murders Duncan. Lady
Macbeth proved to support her husband by using her strengths to make
up for his weakness by consoling him during the decline of his insanity.
Lady Macbeth becomes fearful that could perhaps expose their devilish
doings through his acts and facial expressions. She tells him, Look like
the innocent flower but be the serpent undert. (1.5.65). It is clear that
Macbeth needs support, and without insurance and control from his wife,
Macbeth would have fallen apart sooner than later. Although Macbeth
committed the murder, it is actually Lady Macbeth who is in control of the
assassination. She assures him, Infirm of purpose! / Give me the daggers
The sleeping and the dead/ are but as pictures (2.2.50-51).
Macbeths guilt develops further and his sense of judgment becomes an
issue for him. At a banquet, Macbeth is certain he sees the ghost of his
murdered former companion, Banquo. Macbeths mental state is declining
and Lady Macbeth takes strength where her husband lacks. Lady Macbeth
says to their guests, my lord is often thus/ And hath been from his youth/
pray you, keep seat/ The fit is momentary (3.4.52-54). If Macbeth spoke
any further, he could be exposed of his secrets of murder, but Lady
Macbeth conceals for his burst of indecorous behavior. A.C. Bradley wrote
about this moment as, In presence of overwhelming horror and dagger,
in the murder scene and the banquet scene, her self control is perfect.
She leans on nothing but herself. However appalling she may be, she is
sublime. Lady Macbeth is then proven to be the strong and supportive
wife. Thus, without her constant support, they could have been uncovered
in their wrongdoings.
Lady Macbeths skill throughout the play was to compensate for her
husbands shortcomings as well. While being questioned for the killing of
the servants for the brutal murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth pretends to
faint as an attempt to draw attention away from her husband.
Shakespeares day was one of continued chivalry, and men felt obliged to
help women in distress. Lady Macbeths calculating trick succeeded by
drawing chaos towards herself, ironically it was Macbeth who was actually
in distress.
As they rise to royalty, they face a downfall in their relationship. Macbeth
gains knowledge of the witches prophecies and writes to Lady Macbeth to
tell her of what he has learned. This is an important scene that proves his
dedication and love for her. This scene can prove that they were at once
happy, trusting, and devoted to one another. She tries her best to
whole situation were the witches. They are the ones who basically caused
the majority of the problems in MacBeth and I think that they knew what
was going to happen the entire time. Even though it may look as though
they gained nothing from everyone else's misfortune they actually
succeeded in making MacBeth do evil deeds and winning him over to their
side.
MacBeth may have gotten what he was after in the beginning when he
was crowned king, but afterwards of course he lost everything he had.
First, he lost his wife, then he lost his friends, and finally he lost his life.
The witches are the ones who put the idea into his head about being king,
and actually caused him and his wife to kill the king. This is what started
everything bad that he did. Even having his best friend, Banquo, killed.
MacBeth's wife had a similar situation. Things went well for her in the
beginning but soon changed. After MacBeth told her the prophecies and
she convinced him to kill the king she became queen, and MacBeth
became king just as she wanted. But soon things changed and she slowly
went insane trying to protect MacBeth and herself at the same time, until
she finally died.
The king, obviously, did not prophet too entirely much from dying.
However, his sons too, really didn't gain anything out of the whole ordeal.
Foremost, they lost their father, but also they had to leave their kingdom
because they were afraid that they might be next in line to be slain.
Furthermore, by fleeing they made themselves look guilty of killing their
father to get to the throne quicker.
Overall, this is why I think that the witches were the only ones who
profited from the whole ordeal, and that it had the exact outcome that
they had either hoped for, or knew was going to happen. By telling
MacBeth the prophecies they caused him to become a very wicked person
and do things that he would not have normally done. Therefore, they were
successful in bringing MacBeth to the other side which I think was their
intent in the first place.
In the play Macbeth, many different major choices are brought forth to a
certain character and the decision that is chosen affects the entire play.
The results of these actions or decisions can be a positive or negative
outcome towards the character. Does justice always prevail in the
play Macbeth? If a character decides to commit a crime, will he/she be
punished? If a character does a noble deed, will he/she be rewarded? As is
represented in the play Macbeth, justice always prevails due to the guilty
character's developing sense of remorse and/or the character
receiving fair punishment. For every action there is a reaction and
whatever the result is, it is meant to happen and it is just.
The first malevolent decision chosen by Lady Macbeth and her husband
Macbeth was to kill King Duncan. The death of Duncan would mean the
birth of a new Macbeth, King Macbeth. Lady Macbeth decided to have her
husband kill Duncan and said in Act I scene 5, "He croaks the fatal
entrance of Duncan." (p.33) This quote says how the presence of Duncan
would turn fatal once Macbeth kills him. Once Duncan is killed, Macbeth
has second thoughts about the murder of Duncan and his conscience
starts to kick in. His wife then puts his conscience at ease. The wife was
being immoral by persuading Macbeth to kill Duncan and trying to soften
the blow of Duncan's death by reassuring her husband that everything
was going to be all right. Macbeth was being immoral by actually killing
King Duncan. Macbeth is already starting to feel guilty, but Lady Macbeth
seems not to be affected, as of now.
The second malicious decision chosen by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth was
to have Banquo and his sons killed. This would cancel out the possibility of
Banquo's sons becoming kings. In Act III scene 1, Macbeth states that
Banquo and his sons would be murdered by saying, "Banquo, thy soul's
flight, if it find heaven, must find it out tonight." (p.91) The consequence
of the decision to kill Banquo and his sons started when Macbeth felt more
guilt and developed a worried conscience in the form of a vision of
Banquo's ghost. This vision terrifies Macbeth and he starts to break down
emotionally.
Throughout most of the play, Lady Macbeth has been that little devil
sitting on her husband Macbeth's shoulder. Lady Macbeth was the one
who persuaded Macbeth to kill Duncan, and then to have Banquo and his
sons killed, and then have Macduff's wife and children killed. Lady
Macbeth didn't actually kill any of these people, but had them killed by
convincing her husband to kill them. Lady Macbeth seems not to be
affected by any of her actions. When you hold something in for so long, it
will increase until it finally bursts and explodes. This is exactly what
happened to Lady Macbeth in Act V scene 1 when she says that famous
line, "Out, damned spot, out I say!" (p.163) Let's just say that Lady
Macbeth is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Lady Macbeth let the guilt of
the murders she has caused overpower her and she killed herself. Justice
has been prevailed and she got what she deserved.
If Lady Macbeth went crazy and killed herself for having Macbeth kill
Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff's wife and children, imagine how Macbeth
must feel. Of course Macbeth is filled with guilt, but that is not what kills
him. Macduff slays Macbeth by cutting off his head in Act V scene 8.
Macduff declares that he has killed Macbeth by saying, "Th' usurper's
cursd head. The time is free."(p.189) Now Macbeth is dead, Macduff cut
off his head, Malcolm is king, fairness is everything, now you know, not to
overthrow, because you reap what you sew.
are fashioned. Endowed with potential and under the impact of passions
constantly shifting and mounting in intensity, the dramatic individual
grows, expands, and develops to a point that at the end of the play he is
more understanding of the world and of his own spirituality than at the
beginning of the play. Macbeth is bound to his humanity, that reason of
order that determines his relationship with natural law, and that compels
him toward proper actions and his own end. This natural law provides him
with a will capable of free choice, and obliges his discernment of good and
evil.
Macbeth
Because we first hear of Macbeth in the wounded captains account of his
battlefield valor, our initial impression is of a brave and capable warrior.
This perspective is complicated, however, once we see Macbeth interact
with the three witches. We realize that his physical courage is joined by a
consuming ambition and a tendency to self-doubtthe prediction that he
will be king brings him joy, but it also creates inner turmoil. These three
attributesbravery, ambition, and self-doubtstruggle for mastery of
Macbeth throughout the play. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show the
terrible effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks
strength of character. We may classify Macbeth as irrevocably evil, but his
weak character separates him from Shakespeares great villainsIago
in Othello,Richard III in Richard III, Edmund in King Learwho are all
strong enough to conquer guilt and self-doubt. Macbeth, great warrior
though he is, is ill equipped for the psychic consequences of crime.
Before he kills Duncan, Macbeth is plagued by worry and almost aborts
the crime. It takes Lady Macbeths steely sense of purpose to push him
into the deed. After the murder, however, her powerful personality begins
to disintegrate, leaving Macbeth increasingly alone. He fluctuates between
fits of fevered action, in which he plots a series of murders to secure his
throne, and moments of terrible guilt (as when Banquos ghost appears)
and absolute pessimism (after his wifes death, when he seems to
succumb to despair). These fluctuations reflect the tragic tension within
Macbeth: he is at once too ambitious to allow his conscience to stop him
from murdering his way to the top and too conscientious to be happy with
himself as a murderer. As things fall apart for him at the end of the play,
he seems almost relievedwith the English army at his gates, he can
finally return to life as a warrior, and he displays a kind of reckless
bravado as his enemies surround him and drag him down. In part, this
stems from his fatal confidence in the witches prophecies, but it also
seems to derive from the fact that he has returned to the arena where he
has been most successful and where his internal turmoil need not affect
himnamely, the battlefield. Unlike many of Shakespeares other tragic
heroes, Macbeth never seems to contemplate suicide: Why should I play
the Roman fool, he asks, and die / On mine own sword? (5.10.12).
Instead, he goes down fighting, bringing the play full circle: it begins with
Macbeth winning on the battlefield and ends with him dying in combat.
Lady Macbeth
While the male characters are just as violent and prone to evil as the
women, the aggression of the female characters is more striking because
it goes against prevailing expectations of how women ought to behave.
Lady Macbeths behavior certainly shows that women can be as ambitious
and cruel as men. Whether because of the constraints of her society or
because she is not fearless enough to kill, Lady Macbeth relies on
deception and manipulation rather than violence to achieve her ends.
Ultimately, the play does put forth a revised and less destructive definition
of manhood. In the scene where Macduff learns of the murders of his wife
and child, Malcolm consoles him by encouraging him to take the news in
manly fashion, by seeking revenge upon Macbeth. Macduff shows the
young heir apparent that he has a mistaken understanding of masculinity.
To Malcolms suggestion, Dispute it like a man, Macduff replies, I shall
do so. But I must also feel it as a man (4.3.221223). At the end of the
play, Siward receives news of his sons death rather complacently.
Malcolm responds: Hes worth more sorrow [than you have expressed] /
And that Ill spend for him (5.11.1617). Malcolms comment shows that
he has learned the lesson Macduff gave him on the sentient nature of true
masculinity. It also suggests that, with Malcolms coronation, order will be
restored to the Kingdom of Scotland.
The Difference Between Kingship and Tyranny
In the play, Duncan is always referred to as a king, while Macbeth soon
becomes known as the tyrant. The difference between the two types of
rulers seems to be expressed in a conversation that occurs in Act 4, scene
3, when Macduff meets Malcolm in England. In order to test Macduffs
loyalty to Scotland, Malcolm pretends that he would make an even worse
king than Macbeth. He tells Macduff of his reproachable qualitiesamong
them a thirst for personal power and a violent temperament, both of
which seem to characterize Macbeth perfectly. On the other hand,
Malcolm says, The king-becoming graces / [are] justice, verity,
temprance, stableness, / Bounty, perseverance, mercy, [and] lowliness
(4.3.9293). The model king, then, offers the kingdom an embodiment of
order and justice, but also comfort and affection. Under him, subjects are
rewarded according to their merits, as when Duncan makes Macbeth
thane of Cawdor after Macbeths victory over the invaders. Most
important, the king must be loyal to Scotland above his own interests.
Macbeth, by contrast, brings only chaos to Scotlandsymbolized in the
bad weather and bizarre supernatural eventsand offers no real justice,
only a habit of capriciously murdering those he sees as a threat. As the
embodiment of tyranny, he must be overcome by Malcolm so that
Scotland can have a true king once more.
Motifs
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can
help to develop and inform the texts major themes.
Hallucinations
Visions and hallucinations recur throughout the play and serve as
reminders of Macbeth and Lady Macbeths joint culpability for the growing
body count. When he is about to kill Duncan, Macbeth sees a dagger
floating in the air. Covered with blood and pointed toward the kings
wanders through the halls of their castle near the close of the play
(5.1.3034). Blood symbolizes the guilt that sits like a permanent stain on
the consciences of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, one that hounds
them to their graves.
The Weather
As in other Shakespearean tragedies, Macbeths grotesque murder spree
is accompanied by a number of unnatural occurrences in the natural
realm. From the thunder and lightning that accompany the witches
appearances to the terrible storms that rage on the night of Duncans
murder, these violations of the natural order reflect corruption in the
moral and political orders.
FU LL T I TLE The Tragedy of Macbeth
AUT HOR William Shakespeare
T Y P E OF WO RK Play
G ENRE Tragedy
LA NG UA G E English
T I ME A ND PLA CE WRI T T EN 1606, England
D AT E OF FI R ST PUB LI CATI ON First Folio edition, 1623
P U BLI S HER John Heminges and Henry Condell, two senior members
of Shakespeares theatrical company
T ONE Dark and ominous, suggestive of a world turned topsy-turvy by
foul and unnatural crimes
T ENSE Not applicable (drama)
SE T T I NG (TI ME) The Middle Ages, specifically the eleventh century
SE T T I NG (PLA CE) Various locations in Scotland; also England,
briefly
P RO TAG ONI ST Macbeth
MA J OR CONF LI CTS The struggle within Macbeth between his
ambition and his sense of right and wrong; the struggle between the
murderous evil represented by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and the best
interests of the nation, represented by Malcolm and Macduff
RI SI NG A CTI ON Macbeth and Banquos encounter with the witches
initiates both conflicts; Lady Macbeths speeches goad Macbeth into
murdering Duncan and seizing the crown.
CLI MA X Macbeths murder of Duncan in Act 2 represents the point of
no return, after which Macbeth is forced to continue butchering his
subjects to avoid the consequences of his crime.
FA L LI NG A CTI ON Macbeths increasingly brutal murders (of
Duncans servants, Banquo, Lady Macduff and her son); Macbeths second
meeting with the witches; Macbeths final confrontation with Macduff and
the opposing armies
T HEME S The corrupting nature of unchecked ambition; the
relationship between cruelty and masculinity; the difference between
kingship and tyranny
MOT I FS The supernatural, hallucinations, violence, prophecy
SY MBO LS Blood; the dagger that Macbeth sees just before he kills
Duncan in Act 2; the weather
FORE SHA D OWI NG The bloody battle in Act 1 foreshadows the bloody
murders later on; when Macbeth thinks he hears a voice while killing
Duncan, it foreshadows the insomnia that plagues Macbeth and his wife;
Macduffs suspicions of Macbeth after Duncans murder foreshadow his
later opposition to Macbeth; all of the witches prophecies foreshadow
later events.
Study Questions
1.
Characterize the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. If the
main theme of Macbeth is ambition, whose ambition is the driving force of
the playMacbeths, Lady Macbeths, or both?
The Macbeths marriage, like the couple themselves, is atypical,
particularly by the standards of its time. Yet despite their odd power
dynamic, the two of them seem surprisingly attached to one another,
particularly compared to other married couples in Shakespeares plays, in
which romantic felicity appears primarily during courtship and marriages
tend to be troubled. Macbeth offers an exception to this rule, as Macbeth
and his wife are partners in the truest sense of the word. Of course, the
irony of their happy marriage is clearthey are united by their crimes,
their mutual madness, and their mounting alienation from the rest of
humanity.
Though Macbeth is a brave general and a powerful lord, his wife is far
from subordinate to his will. Indeed, she often seems to control him, either
by crafty manipulation or by direct order. And it is Lady Macbeths deepseated ambition, rather than her husbands, that ultimately propels the
plot of the play by goading Macbeth to murder Duncan. Macbeth does not
need any help coming up with the idea of murdering Duncan, but it seems
unlikely that he would have committed the murder without his wifes
powerful taunts and persuasions.
2.
One of the important themes in Macbeth is the idea of political legitimacy,
of the moral authority that some kings possess and others lack. With
particular attention to Malcolms questioning of Macduff in Act 4, scene 3,
try to define some of the characteristics that grant or invalidate the moral
legitimacy of absolute power. What makes Duncan a good king? What
makes Macbeth a tyrant?
After Duncans death, the nobles of Scotland begin to grumble among
themselves about what they perceive as Macbeths tyrannical behavior.
When Macduff meets Malcolm in England, Malcolm pretends that he would
make an even worse king than Macbeth in order to test Macduffs loyalty
to Scotland. The bad qualities he claims to possess include lust, greed,
and a chaotic and violent temperament. These qualities all seem
characteristic of Macbeth, whereas Duncans universally lauded reign was
marked by the kings kindness, generosity, and stabilizing presence. The
king must be able to keep order and should reward his subjects according
to their merits. For example, Duncan makes Macbeth thane of Cawdor
after Macbeths victory over the invaders. Perhaps the most important
quality of a true king to emerge in Malcolms conversation with Macduff is
loyalty to Scotland and its people above oneself. Macbeth wishes to be
king to gratify his own desires, while Duncan and Malcolm wear the crown
out of love for their nation.
3.
An important theme in Macbeth is the relationship between gender and
power, particularly Shakespeares exploration of the values that make up
the idea of masculinity. What are these values, and how do various
characters embody them? How does Shakespeare subvert his characters
perception of gender roles?
Manhood, for most of the characters in Macbeth, is tied to ideals of
strength, power, physical courage, and force of will; it is rarely tied to
ideals of intelligence or moral fortitude. At several points in the play, the
characters goad one another into action by questioning each others
manhood. Most significantly, Lady Macbeth emasculates her husband
repeatedly, knowing that in his desperation to prove his manhood he will
perform the acts she wishes him to perform. Macbeth echoes Lady
Macbeths words when he questions the manhood of the murderers he has
hired to kill Banquo, and after Macduffs wife and children are killed,
Malcolm urges Macduff to take the news with manly reserve and to devote
himself to the destruction of Macbeth, his familys murderer. Ultimately,
there is a strong suggestion that manhood is tied to cruelty and violence:
note Lady Macbeths speech in Act 1, scene 5, when she asks to be
unsexed so that she can help her husband commit murder. Yet, at the
same time, the audience is clearly meant to realize that women provide
the push that sets the bloody action of the play in motion. Macduff, too,
suggests that the equation of masculinity with cruelty is not quite correct.
His comments show that he believes emotion and reflection are also
important attributes of the true man.
Suggested Essay Topics
1 . The fantastical and grotesque witches are among the most memorable
figures in the play. How does Shakespeare characterize the witches? What
is their thematic significance?
2 . Compare and contrast Macbeth, Macduff, and Banquo. How are they
alike? How are they different? Is it possible to argue that Macbeth is the
plays villain and Macduff or Banquo its hero, or is the matter more
complicated than that?
3 . Discuss the role that blood plays in Macbeth, particularly immediately
following Duncans murder and late in the play. What does it symbolize for
Macbeth and his wife?
4 . Discuss Macbeths visions and hallucinations. What role do they play in
the development of his character?
5 . Is Macbeth a moral play? Is justice served at the end of the play?
Defend your answer.
6 . Discuss Shakespeares use of the technique of elision, in which certain
key events take place offstage. Why do you think he uses this technique?
The Fall of Man
The ancient Greek notion of tragedy concerned the fall of a great man,
such as a king, from a position of superiority to a position of humility on
account of his ambitious pride, or hubris. To the Greeks, such arrogance in
husband's cruelty and her own guilt recoil on her, sending her into a
madness from which she never recovers.
Banquo A fellow-captain and companion of Macbeth, who also receives a
prophecy from the Witches: that his children will one day succeed to the
throne of Scotland. This information is sufficient to spell his death at the
hands of the resentful Macbeth, who is later haunted by Banquo's ghost.
Duncan King of Scotland. His victories against rebellious kinsmen and the
Norwegians have made him a popular and honored king. His decision to
pass the kingdom to his son Malcolm provokes his untimely death at the
hands of Macbeth.
Fleance Banquo's son, who, by escaping Macbeth's plot on his life, will go
on to be father to a line of kings.
Donalbain and Malcolm Duncan's two sons. Fearful of implication in
their father's murder, they flee Scotland, Donalbain to Ireland and
Malcolm to England, where he raises a large army with the intention of
toppling the tyrant Macbeth.
Macduf A thane (nobleman) of Scotland who discovers the murdered
King Duncan. Suspecting Macbeth and eventually turning against him,
Macduff later flees to England to join Malcolm. When Macbeth arranges
the murder of his wife and children, Macduff swears personal revenge.
Lennox, Ross, Menteth, Angus, Caithness Thanes of Scotland, all of
whom eventually turn against the tyrannical Macbeth.
The Porter, the Old Man, the Doctors Three commentators on events,
all of whom have a certain degree of wisdom and foresight. The Porter
hints at the Hell-like nature of Macbeth's castle; the Old Man associates
the murder of King Duncan with the instability of the natural world; the
Doctors recognize disease and disorder even though they cannot cure it.
The Witches Three agents of Fate who reveal the truth (or part of it) to
Macbeth and Banquo and who later appear to confirm the downfall and
tragic destiny of the tyrannical Macbeth.
Macbeth is introduced in the play as a warrior hero, whose fame on the
battlefield wins him great honor from the king. Essentially, though, he is a
human being whose private ambitions are made clear to the audience
through his asides and soliloquies (solo speeches). These often conflict
with the opinion others have of him, which he describes as "golden" (I:7,
33). Despite his fearless character in battle, Macbeth is concerned by the
prophecies of the Witches, and his thoughts remain confused, both before,
during, and after his murder of King Duncan. When Duncan announces
that he intends the kingdom to pass to his son Malcolm, Macbeth appears
frustrated. When he is about to commit the murder, he undergoes terrible
pangs of conscience. Macbeth is at his most human and sympathetic
when his manliness is mocked and demeaned by his wife (see in particular
Act I, Scene 7).
However, by Act III, Scene 2, Macbeth has resolved himself into a far more
stereotypical villain and asserts his manliness over that of his wife. His
ambition now begins to spur him toward further terrible deeds, and he
starts to disregard and even to challenge Fate and Fortune. Each
successive murder reduces his human characteristics still further, until he
Macduff is the archetype of the avenging hero, not simply out for revenge
but with a good and holy purpose. Macduff is the character who has two of
the most significant roles in the play: First, he is the discoverer
of Duncan's body. Second, the news of the callous murder of his wife and
children (Act IV, Scene 3) spurs him toward his desire to take personal
revenge upon the tyrannical Macbeth. When he knocks at the gate of
Macbeth's castle in Act II, Scene 3, he is being equated with the figure of
Christ, who before his final ascension into Heaven, goes down to release
the souls of the damned from hell (the so-called "Harrowing of Hell").
Like Macbeth, Macduff is also shown as a human being. When he hears of
the death of his "pretty chickens," he has to hold back his emotions. Even
when (in Act IV, Scene 3) Malcolm urges him to "Dispute it like a man,"
Macduff's reply "I will do so. But I must also feel it as a man" enables the
audience to weigh him against Macbeth, an unfeeling man if ever there
was one. In the final combat between hero and anti-hero, this humanity is
recalled once more when Macduff cries out, "I have no words; my voice is
in my sword." It is his very wordlessness that contrasts with Macbeth's
empty rhetoric.
Banquo
Banquo's role in the original source for Macbeth was as Macbeth's coconspirator. In Shakespeare's play, he is depicted instead as Macbeth's
rival; the role of fellow plotter passed to Lady Macbeth. Like Macbeth,
Banquo is open to human yearnings and desires: He is, for example, just
as keen to hear what the Witches have in store for him in Act I, Scene 3.
He is kept from sleep by his dreams of the Witches (Act II, Scene 1). And in
his soliloquy at the start of Act III, Scene 1 "Thou hast it now . . . "
there is more than a hint of resentment and, possibly, of the same naked
ambition that leads Macbeth astray. Nevertheless, Banquo is a
sympathetic figure for several reasons. First, he is ignorant of what the
audience knows concerning the murder of the king and of his own
impending doom. Second, he is a father whose relationship with his son is
clearly an affectionate one.
Malcolm
With his brother Donalbain, Malcolm quickly ascertains the danger of
remaining in Scotland and flees the country (Act II, Scene 3). By the time
he reappears, in Act IV, Scene 3, he has won the support of Edward the
Confessor (king of England), he has mobilized troops under
Northumberland and Siward, and (to borrow a phrase from King Lear) he is
"every inch a king."
If Macduff is the stereotypical revenger, Malcolm is the embodiment of all
that is good in kingship, and this is seen particularly in Act IV, Scene 3, in
which he tests the allegiance of Macduff. His testing of Macduff, although
dramatically longwinded, is psychologically accurate. By pretending to be
what he is not, he hopes to coax from Macduff a confession of his loyalty.
This feature of his character playing a part in order to strengthen the
prospect of good is in stark contrast to Macbeth, who plays a part in
order to advance his own evil. In the final scene of the play, Malcolm is
presented as the future king. His use of the phrase "by the grace of
Grace" indicates the importance that he attaches to the service of good
and reminds the audience of his direct descent from one who ruled by
divine right, as opposed to Macbeth, who usurped the throne. Like his
father Duncan, Malcolm is the representative of order.
Shakespeare coined many popular phrases that are still commonly
used today. Here are some examples of Shakespeare's most familiar
quotes from Macbeth. You just might be surprised to learn of all the
everyday sayings that originally came from Shakespeare!
"Fair is foul, and foul is fair." (Act I, Scene I)
"When the battle's lost and won." (Act I, Scene I)
"When shall we three meet again in thunder, lightning, or in rain? When
the hurlyburly 's done, When the battle 's lost and won." (Act I, Scene I)
"If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me." (Act I, Scene
III)
"Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it; he died as one that had
been studied in his death to throw away the dearest thing he owed, as 't
were a careless trifle." (Act I, Scene IV)
"Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' the milk of human kindness." (Act
I, Scene V)
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't." (Act I, Scene
V)
"I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none." (Act I,
Scene VII)
"Screw your courage to the sticking-place." (Act I, Scene VII)
"I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition,
which o'erleaps itself, and falls on the other." (Act I, Scene VII)
"Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my
hand?" (Act II, Scene I)
"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No,
this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the
green one red" (Act II, Scene II)
"There's daggers in men's smiles." (Act II, Scene III)
"What's done is done." (Act III, Scene II)
"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes." (Act
IV, Scene I)
"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble." (Act IV,
Scene I)
"Out, damned spot! out, I say!" (Act V, Scene I).
"All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." (Act V, Scene
I)
"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 V,
Scene V)
"I bear a charmed life." (Act V, Scene VIII)
Topic #1
The term tragic hero refers to a central character who has a authoritative
status in the drama, but through a flaw in his or her character brings
about his or her demise. The flaw may consist of a poor decision that is
made and creates a situation the character cannot change or control. The
tragic hero recognizes his or her flaw, however there is nothing that can
be done to avert tragedy. Macbeth is seen as a tragic hero. Write a paper
tracing the sequence of events that contribute to Macbeths demise and
tragic end.
Outline
I. Thesis Statement: Macbeth is seen as a tragic hero. He compromises his
honor and negates moral responsibility to attain power and position which
result in his tragic end.
II. Definition and characteristics of a tragic hero
1. Fate
2. Weakness
3. Poor decision making resulting in a catastrophe
4. Realization of flaw but unable to prevent tragedy
III. The Witches
A. Plan to meet Macbeth
B. Statement that fair is foul, and foul is fair
IV. Allegiance to Scotland and Duncan
A. Battle with Macdonwald
B. Battle with the King of Norway
C. Duncans Response
1. Honor bestowed on Macbeth
2. Duncans opinion of Macbeth
V. Witches on the battlefield
A. The prophecy
B. Macbeths Response
C. Banquos Response
VI. Macbeths meeting with Duncan
A. Duncan greets Macbeth with respect
B. Macbeths reaction to Duncan naming Malcolm as his successor
VII. Decisions made before Macbeth is king
A. Lady Macbeths plan
1. Macbeths response
2. Lady Macbeths Influence on Macbeth
3. Macbeths decision
B. Eve of the Murder
1. Floating Dagger
2. Macbeths reaction
C. Duncans Murder
1. Murder of the guards
2. Response
D. Discovery of Duncans body
1. Macbeths reaction
2. Duncans sons
3. Macbeth named as king
VIII. Decisions made as King
A. Banquo
1. Fear of prophecy
2. Hires Murderers
B. Banquet
1. Reaction to Murderers
2. Ghost
C. Meeting with the Witches
1. Response to Prophecy
2. Macduff and family
3. Leaving for Dunsinane in England
D. Battle with Malcolms forces
1. Dunsinane prophecy
2. Young Siward
3. False sense of security
E. Reactions to Lady Macbeths illness and death
F. Meeting Macduff
1. Guilt
2. Revealing prophecy to Macduff
3. Macbeths realization that the Witches told him half-truths
IX. Macbeths tragic end
A. Macduffs victory
B. Malcolms speech
Topic #2
Lady Macbeth is seen as a controlling factor in Macbeths life. She is able
to control his actions and events. However, she loses control of Macbeth.
Write a paper describing what control she has in Macbeths life and how
the loss of that power contributes to her demise.
Outline
I. Thesis Statement: Lady Macbeths desire for power prompts her interest
in controlling Macbeths actions. However, she loses control which
contributes to her tragedy.
II. Introduction of Lady Macbeth
A. Reading Macbeths letter
B. Witches prophecy fulfilled
C. Opinion of Macbeth
D. Desire for Power
1. Strength needed
2. Her plan
III. Meeting with Macbeth
A. Affection towards each other
B. Lady Macbeths plan
IV. Power over Macbeth
A. Macbeths Decision about Lady Macbeths plan
1. Lady Macbeths response to Macbeth
Themes
link Link
In Macbeth, ambition conspires with unholy forces to commit evil deeds
which, in their turn, generate fear, guilt and still more horrible crimes.
Above all, Macbeth is a character study in which not one, but two
protagonists (the title character and Lady Macbeth) respond individually
and jointly to the psychological burden of their sins. In the course of the
Malcolm (MAL-kuhm), King Duncans eldest son. Far more cautious and
shrewd than his father, he leaves for England to escape possible
assassination. He is reluctant to give his trust to Macduff but finally,
realizing his loyalty, accepts his aid in taking the throne of Scotland.
Donalbain
Donalbain (DON-ahl-bahn), King Duncans younger son. After consulting
with Malcolm, he agrees to take a separate path, going to Ireland so that
the potential heirs to the throne would not be accessible to a common
assassination.
Fleance
Fleance (FLEE-ahns), the son of Banquo. He escapes the murderers who
kill his father and lives to haunt Macbeth with the Three Weird Sisters
prophecy that kings will spring from Banquos line.
Ross
Ross, a nobleman of Scotland. He is Duncans messenger to Macbeth,
bringing him word of his new title, thane of Cawdor. He also bears news to
his kinswoman, Lady Macduff, of her husbands departure from Scotland.
His third office as messenger is to carry word to Macduff of the destruction
of his entire family. He fights in Malcolms army against Macbeth.
Lennox
Lennox, a nobleman of Scotland. He is Macduffs companion when the
latter brings the message to King Duncan at Macbeths castle. He also
deserts Macbeth and joins forces with Malcolm.
Lady Macduf
Lady Macduff, a victim of Macbeths most horrible atrocity. She is human
and pathetic.
Macdufs son
Macduffs son, a brave and precocious child. He faces Macbeths hired
murderers without flinching and dies calling to his mother to save herself.
Siward
Siward (SEE-wurd), the earl of Northumberland, the general of the English
forces supporting Malcolm. He is the type of the noble father accepting
stoically the death of a heroic son.
Young Siward
Young Siward, the generals courageous son. He dies fighting Macbeth
hand to hand.
A Scottish doctor
A Scottish doctor, called in to minister to Lady Macbeth. He witnesses her
sleepwalking in which she relives the night of the murder.
A gentlewoman
A gentlewoman, an attendant to Lady Macbeth. She is with the doctor and
observes Lady Macbeth during the sleepwalking scene.
A sergeant
A sergeant (also called captain in the folio text), a wounded survivor of the
battle at the beginning of the play. He reports to King Duncan the heroism
of Macbeth and Banquo.
A porter
A porter, a comical drunkard. Roused by the knocking on the castle door,
he pretends to be the gatekeeper of Hell and imagines various candidates
implicitly all social prescriptions that limit our humanity because of ideas
engendered by imperfect cultural evolution.
Specifically, the play is about social pressures and the consequent fissures
within sexual identity. Readings of the line quoted above may eventually
lead some or even many readers to...
Starting with the witches' assertion that fair is foul, and foul is fair,? it is
clear that Macbeth is a play in which appearances will be deceiving and
morality will be muddled. From the dialogue between King Duncan,
Malcolm, and the wounded sergeant in Scene 2, it would appear that
Macbeth is the most fair? of all of the figures mentioned, while
Macdonwald the Thane of Cawdor, who betrayed the Scots, is most
foul.? This can be inferred mainly from the sergeants conversation with
Duncan in Scene 2, in which he describes Macbeths valor in combat
against the merciless? Macdonwald. The wounded sergeant describes
Macbeth as brave,? and then tells the king that well he deserves that
name.? King Duncan echoes the sergeant's admiration with his reply: o
valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!? In the next few lines, the sergeant
describes Macbeths unrelenting assault on the enemy, and compares the
magnitude of his slaughter to another Golgotha,? which is the place
where Christ was crucified. On the other hand, Macdonwald is spoken of
with disgust, and since the reader is given only the Scots point of view,
we share in their disdain. According to the wounded sergeant,
Macdonwald is worthy to be a rebel,? which...
In Greek tragedy, inevitability plays an important role, portraying the
protagonists as pawns of the fates, whose roles in the tragedy are
distributed arbitrarily and without justice. The outcomes of these roles are
decided before the play even begins, for example in Sophocles' Antigone,
and thus any actions of the characters during the play are futile, as they
cannot affect the outcome. In the worst tragedy of all, the characters must
return again and again to play out the same roles, as the wheel turns.
Of course, Shakespeare and the other Jacobean playwrights were not
subject to the conventions of Greek tragedy, but nevertheless would have
been aware of it and been influenced by it. Inevitability is important in
Shakespeare's tragedies too, both as a dramatic device and as a tool in
conveying the play's message. A feeling of inevitability keeps the
audience enthralled as it watches apparently hopeful events in the
knowledge that there is an inexorable downturn sometime in the near
future. This leads the audience to sympathise more with the tragic hero,
as one caught up in circumstances beyond his control, although of his own