Introduction to Macbeth
What’s this play about anyway?
Plot Overview
• Shakespeare’s shortest and bloodiest tragedy,
Macbeth tells the story of a brave Scottish general
(Macbeth) who receives a prophecy from a trio of
sinister witches that one day he will become King of
Scotland.
• When the play begins, there are two wars in
progress:
1. Civil War - King Duncan vs. Macdonwald’s
rebels
2. National War - Scotland, led by King Duncan,
against invading Norway, led by King Sweno
Elements of Drama
• Stage Directions (lighting, blocking, etc.)
• Irony (verbal, situational and dramatic)
– Dramatic Irony: There is a contradiction between what
the character thinks and what the reader or audience
knows to be true
• Subtext
• Dialogue (dialogue, monologue, soliloquy, asides)
– Monologue: a long speech delivered by one character to
another, or to a group
– Soliloquy: Character’s internal thoughts, spoken aloud in
a Shakespearean play
– Aside: A private remark to one character or to the
audience that breaks the conventions because it is
understood not to be heard by other characters on stage.
Shakespearian Tragedy
• Tragedy: This is an event or work of fiction that
results in a disastrous conclusion for the main
character.
– This character is known as the tragic hero.
• In a tragedy, the hero is destroyed by his/her
own mistakes.
– This mistake is known as a tragic flaw
Shakespearian Tragedy: Basic Set Up
1. Act 1: The Exposition (introduction) - the beginning of the story that
gives background information on characters and previous action. Here the
reader learns about the general setting, the persons, the character traits,
problems of the play, the major conflict, and the tragic hero’s flaw.
2. Act Two: Rising Action- Beginning of the action that will lead to a high
point in the story
3. Act Three: Climax-the turning point of the story; the part of the story in
which the protagonist reaches an emotional high point or a peak in power
4. Act Four: Falling Action-the action that occurs after the climax, before
everything is wrapped up in the story
5. Act Five: Catastrophe and Resolution - when the events of the falling
action bring the protagonist to his fate and order is restored.
Important Topics and Motifs to Look
Out For
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Ambition
Fate and Free Will
Violence
Manhood and The Nature of Man
Nature and the Natural World
Light and Darkness
Blood
Fair and Foul
Mood in Macbeth: Act 1 Scene 1
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clG8ha2
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Character in Macbeth: Act 1 Scene 3
• 1. This is the first time that we see Macbeth in this
play, though we have heard about him. Analyze
his character based only on this scene; be sure to
support your explanation.
• 2. Compare Macbeth and Banquo in this scene.
How do they react similarly and differently to the
predictions the witches make? What does this say
about their characters?
• Soliloquy: Character’s internal thoughts, spoken
aloud in a Shakespearean play
• Because it is what the character is thinking, and only the
audience can “hear” these thoughts, soliloquies often
reveal A LOT of information about the characters.
Personal Response
Imagine for a moment that you’ve just done THE WORST thing you could
ever imagine YOURSELF doing. (NOTE: this is subjective—for one person it
may be breaking curfew, for another if may be murder (though I sincerely
hope not!!))
On your piece of paper, explain this act. Then, ponder the following:
To what lengths would you go to cover up this horrible act? Or…
Would you confess immediately? Explain. What role does fear play in your
decision making?