MACBETH
William Shakespeare
CONTEXT OF MACBETH
It was written in 1605 or 1606, right after
James I, the first Stuart king, took up the crown
of England in 1603. James I was the son of
Mary, Queen of Scots (cousin to Elizabeth I)
and this less-than-direct connection meant that
James was eager to assert any legitimacy he
could over his right to the English throne.
Coincidentally, Macbeth is the only of
Shakespeare's plays set in Scotland, and it
includes a nice little moment where he ties
James I's ancestry to the rightful succession.
CONTEXT 2
Witchcraft was a hot topic at the end of the
16th and beginning of the 17th century.
James I was particularly excited about
witches—excited about hunting them down,
that is—publishing his very own book about
the subject, Daemonolgie, in 1597.
Coincidentally, Macbeth begins with the
stage directions, "Enter three witches…
CONTEXT 3
In 1605, James was also the target of the
Gunpowder Plot, where a group of rebel
Catholics tried to blow up the King and
Parliament. (This is where we get Guy Fawkes
, that guy in V for Vendetta).
Coincidentally, Macbeth shows the murder of
a king and alludes in Act II, scene iii, to the
Catholic priest who encouraged Catholics to
be deceptive and treasonous. These allusions
would have struck a sensitive chord with the
play's audience—a lot like referring to the
attacks of September 11th.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 - Macduff’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.
MACBETH – A CRAPPY SUMMARY
1. Macbeth receives a prophecy that he
will become King.
2. His wife convinces him to murder the
king.
3. Macbeth becomes king.
4. Macbeth goes crazy.
5. Macbeth dies because he is a tragic
hero – his demise was ultimately
caused by his flaws as a character.
BIGGEST PLOTPOINTS
Macbeth and friend Banquo meet three witches who tell Macbeth that he
will be made Thane of Cawdor, then King. They also say that although
Banquo won't be King, his children will be.
Macbeth is made Thane of Cawdor so starts to believe the witches, he
tells his wife what they said .
They plot to kill the King to hurry the process, and lay the blame on his
guards .
The King's sons run away in fear for their lives and Banquo becomes
suspicious of Macbeth .
Macbeth kills Banquo, but his son Fleance escapes.
The witches tell Macbeth to beware Macduff, so he has his whole family
slaughtered. The King's son Malcolm leads an army against Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth commits suicide.
Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm takes the throne.
BASICALLY MACBETH
PROPHECIES MADE BY WITCHES
CONCEPT OF THE TRAGIC HERO
1. A great or virtuous character in a dramatic trag
edy
2. Who is destined for
downfall, suffering, or defeat
Name three other famous tragic heroes
Shakespeare created.
TRAGIC HERO CONTINUED
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.
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 someone who is essentially like
us, although perhaps elevated to a higher
position in society.
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.
4. The hero's misfortunate is not wholly
deserved. The punishment exceeds the crime.
