Macbeth
The Globe Theatre
The play’s origins
 Shakespeare created this imaginative dramatisation of Macbeth
from Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
 Lady Macbeth was taken from a different story found in the
Chronicles, because in reality, there was no such person
named Lady Macbeth.
 Duncan changed from an ineffectual king into a revered one.
The play’s origins
 The historical Macbeth reigned in Scotland for 17 years, and
his rule was mostly peaceful. There is no evidence that
Macbeth dabbled in witchcraft. He was, in fact, a strong
supporter of the Church.
 Shakespeare’s fast-paced plot incorporates elements of the
occult, and speculative themes about the nature of good and
evil.
Character List
Macbeth: tragic hero, leads his troops to victory, ambitious
and easily manipulated by his wife.
Lady Macbeth: resembles her husband in many ways, strong
and manipulative.
Banquo: Serves as a foil in the play, and though ambitious, he
never loses sight of what is wrong
Fleance: Banquo’s son
King Duncan: Good King and ruler who is murdered by
Macbeth
Character List
 Malcolm and Donalbain: The King’s sons who flee after
his murder but are the rightful heirs to the throne
 Macduff: Symbolises the opposite of Macbeth – he is good
and honest. He brings Macbeth down as he was not of
woman born.
 The Witches: are the catalyst for Macbeth’s murderous
ambition.
Start Reading
Macbeth!
The main events in Act I are:
 The witches’ plan to meet Macbeth.
 Macbeth is introduced as a hero who will become Thane of
Cawdor as a reward for his loyalty.
 The witches prophesise that Macbeth will be king and
Banquo will be the father of a line of kings.
The main events in Act I are:
 Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to look ‘like the innocent flower
but to act like a serpent’
 Macbeth is troubled by his conscience and almost talks
himself out of killing Duncan.
 Lady Macbeth torments Macbeth about his promise to kill
Duncan, and his lack of manliness. She gives the impression
that she is more of a man that he is.
Important Notes for ACT I
 Lady Macbeth has already ‘unsexed’ herself to commit the
bloody deed of killing Duncan. This connected to the theme
that appearances can be deceptive.
 Macbeth is outwardly brave but inwardly indecisive. His
soliloquies (where he speaks his mind to the audience) are
full of pathos (strong emotions) and audiences cannot help
but sympathise with his distress.
 What image of feminine power is Shakespeare presenting
through his depiction of Lady Macbeth?
  List modern examples of this stereotypically evil woman.
Important Notes for Act II
 Macbeth’s state of mind is questioned.
 The inner world of Macbeth’s psyche spills over into the
physical world (the deed).
 Macbeth sees a dagger leading him to the murder scene.
 The ‘instrument’ he refers to in this speech mirrors what
Banquo called the witches - the ‘instruments of darkness.’
 Macbeth is either possessed by the witches, or obsessed with
the idea of killing Duncan to fulfill the witches’ prediction.
Important Notes for Act II
 Sleep is important, as an extended metaphor, that signifies or
represents Macbeth’s troubled existence.
 No one can sleep because Macbeth’s ambition to become
king plunges the country into a darkness.
 Images of natural disorder - an owl eats a falcon, two noble
horses eat each other.
 The symbolism of the act is centred on the images of birds at
war with each other, and every scene in the act contains a
least one reference to birds = metaphor for Macbeth who is
like an owl (sleeps by day and hunts by night).
Important Notes for Act III
 Act III starts after Macbeth has been crowned King.
 Banquo is murdered
 The focus in this Act is what does it mean to be a man? Lady
Macbeth defines masculinity as the ability to ruthlessly
achieve a desired goal.
 Ideas about masculinity are throughout the action of the play.
1. Duncan rewards masculine valour with titles
2. Macbeth kills the king to prove he is a man of destiny.
3. Macduff defends his masculinity by killing Macbeth out of
revenge for the killing of his wife and children.
Important Notes for Act III
 Idea of cleanliness and removing stains - Lady Macbeth says,
“a little water clears us of this deed,” but it doesn’t.
 Macbeth is haunted by the sight of Banquo’s ghost - the idea
of being unable to cleanse the mind and the spirit is closely
tied to the play’s themes of order and disorder and light and
dark. The killing of Duncan has upset the spiritual order of
the world
Important Notes for Act IV
 Begins with the witches’ reminder of the “double, double”
nature of their predictions - give double messages to
 Warn him to fear no man born of woman, and that he need
only fear when BirnamWood comes to Dunsinane
 Shakespeare warns the audience of the dangers of double
dealing. The dramatic effect of the scene foreshadows the
need to restore order in the world.
Important Notes for Act IV
 Lady Macduff’s murder continues the bird symbolism that
began in Act I. Lady Macduff uses a metaphor and says "the
poor wren,/The most diminutive of birds, will fight,/Her
young ones in her nest, against the owl" (IV, 2, 11-14).
 Her son reassures her that he will have to live "as birds do".
This metaphor becomes more powerful because the audience
knows that Macduff’s castle is about to be attacked by
Macbeth's men.
Important Notes for Act IV
 There is a contrast between Lady MacDuff and Lady
Macbeth, who confessed that she would rather ‘smash out’
her baby’s brain than fail to keep a promise, such as Macbeth
had made. The differences between the two views of
mothering creates a dramatic impact for the audience.
Important Notes for Act V
 Begins with Lady Macbeth’s guilty, but unconscious,
revelations about the murders.
 Audience now sees the weak side of her
 The washing theme is continued as the sleep-walking Lady
Macbeth tries to scrub the stains of the murders from her
hands. (blood = guilt / sin – biblical reference to the sin in
the book of Genesis, when Cain killed Abel and God placed a
mark upon Cain)
Important Notes for Act IV
 Scene reminds the audience of the witchcraft trials that were
going on all over the country.
 Reinforces the play’s underlying theme of good versus evil.
Key character profiles
 What words would you use to describe the following key
characters in Macbeth. For each provide an explanation.
1. Macbeth
2. Lady Macbeth
3. The witches

If you were casting a modern film adaptation, who would
you cast in the roles and why? Consider physical
characteristics, tone of voice, warmth/distance to
audience.
Key character profiles
MACBETH
 First referred to as “brave Macbeth” and Duncan says of
Banquo and Macbeth “They smack of honour both.” The use
of “honour” and “brave” sets up the character of Macbeth,
enabling his fall from grace to be more significant.
 The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be “King hereafter”
is the catalyst for his ambitious murder-spree.
 When it comes to kill Duncan, Macbeth is not brave or
assertive – he nearly withdrawals because he feels guilty.
 Lady Macbeth’s determination forces him to commit the
deed.
Key character profiles
 After the murder, he is sometimes ambitious and sometimes
guilty.
 He determines that Banquo must die. When Macbeth sees his
ghost at the banquet, guilt makes him appear mad.
 At the end of the play, Macbeth “bravely” fights to his death.
 Macbeth is considered a tragic hero.
 What do you know about the conventions of a tragic hero?
Tragic Hero
 Essential elements of the tragic hero:
 Tragedy involves the "fall" of a hero due to some flaw in his
own personality. The most common tragic flaw is hubris
(excessive pride).
 The hero must have a lofty position to fall from, or else there
is no tragedy (just pathos).
 Tragedies involving people of stature (Kings) affect the lives
of both the individual and his family, and also the whole
society.
Tragic Hero
 The role of fate is important in the downfall of a tragic
hero, but there is also an element of choice. The tragic hero
falls because he chooses one course of action over another.
 Crucial that the tragic hero understands what went wrong
before he meets his end.
 Punishment exceeds the crime. The audience must not
be left feeling that the tragic hero got what he deserved.
 Produces catharsis in audience - we may feel emotionally
drained, but cleansed.
 How is the character of Macbeth a “tragic hero”
Key character profiles
LADY MACBETH
 One of Shakespeare’s best known and most frightening
female characters.
 She is more ambitious than her husband. She says “unsex me
here” which represents her desire for power though she
knows, as a female, she can’t possess it. She wants masculine
power (unusual for women of the time)
 She’s manipulative and challenges Macbeth’s manhood
 She suffers guilt and insanity. She sleepwalks and cannot
cleanse the blood from her hand “out out damn spot.” She
succumbs to her guilt and commits suicide.
Key character profiles
THE WITCHES
 Start the play with a sinister tone.
 They are ugly representations of the supernatural and
resemble Fate. Fate manipulates human lives.
 Powerful in their manipulation of Macbeth.
 They speak in rhyming couplets which separates them from
other characters in the play.
 They play on Macbeth’s weaknesses rather than cast spells on
him
Themes
 What is a theme?
 What themes do you think are evident in the play?
 Do you think these themes are still relevant to an audience
today? Why/not?
Themes
 Shakespeare's plays are still relevant today because his themes
are universal.
Order versus disorder
 Ranks of the men (King etc) represent order in Scotland.
 When Duncan is killed, order unravels.
 Lady Macbeth and Macduff represent contrasting domestic
order (consider how they treat their children).
ACTIVITY: look in ACT II for quotes/images of the natural
order being overturned.
Themes
Appearance versus reality
 Throughout the play there are double meanings “look like th’
innocent flower / But be the serpent under’t’”.
 Shakespeare is saying ‘don’t be fooled by appearances’.
 He also expects audiences to question the reality of the
events they see. For example:
1. Macbeth is a presented as a brave and noble Thane. This
may be true but for how long?
2. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth appear to be horrified at
Duncan's death. Why?
3. Only Macbeth can see Banquo’s ghost? Why?
Themes
Manhood and masculinity:
 Masculinity is strongly tied to images of violence.
 Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manliness and his ability
to murder the king.
 Macbeth reminds the murderers that they are part of “The
valued file” of men (clearly depends on their ability to kill)
 A different kind of masculinity is presented by Macduff who
is not afraid to weep openly when he discovers that Macbeth
has had his wife and children slaughtered.
Themes
Betrayal
 most obvious: Macbeth’s betrayal of Duncan and Banquo.
 Betrayal of office, friendship, trust, truth, justice
 Macbeth’s disloyalty represents a threat to the natural order
 Characters believe things are good, but they are betrayed:
Duncan says the castle is “sweet” but he dies here. Macbeth
thinks the “armed head” and “bloody child” are good omens
from the witches, but they turn out to be deceptive
wordplays
 Lady Macbeth betrays her womanhood as she seeks to be a
man
Techniques
 Choose either:
1.
2.
1)
2)
Lady Macbeth’s speech (Act 1 Scene 5) OR
Macbeth’s speech (Act II Scene I)
Summarise the speech in your own words
Find examples of techniques used (imagery, descriptive
language, figurative language like
similes/metaphors/personification). Write the example
and explain what the effect is. Is it to create a particular
image? Is it to contrast/compare a feeling? What does the
technique do
Techniques
Language techniques
 Macbeth’s speech (Act II Scene II) “Is this a dagger I see
before me” contains example of allusion and personification.
 Macbeth’s line (Act II Scene III) “Will all great Neptune’s
ocean wash this blood” example of hyperbole.
Foreshadowing
 The witches (Act I.) and eerie atmosphere establish the
mood of the play. They foreshadow the meeting with
Macbeth upon the heath. Their chant that ‘fair’ will be ‘foul’
foreshadows the topsy-turvy events that will follow.
Language Techniques
 Irony
Shakespeare uses both irony and dramatic irony in Macbeth.
Verbal irony = inconsistency between what is said and what
is meant.
Example: During the banquet scene, Macbeth expresses the
insincere wish that Banquo should be present. The irony
becomes apparent when Banquo's ghost appears and terrifies
Macbeth.
Language Techniques
'dramatic' irony = when the audience knows something the
characters don’t.
Example: when Duncan arrives at Macbeth's castle and
expresses his delight over the pleasant setting. The audience
knows that his murder was planned here and that his gracious
host and hostess will be his killers.
Essay Writing
Introduction
 Address the question and state your position. Use a strong opening sentence
which summarises your whole argument (thesis). Include the same terms of the
question in your answer.
Body
 S – topic sentence. One idea per paragraph supported with evidence.Your
topic sentence should indicate what idea is in that paragraph.
 E – Explain. Justify your idea and expand your topic sentence.
 X – Example. Give evidence from the text to support (either a detailed
example or a quote).
 Y – Why. Reiterate why you included this idea. Reword your topic sentence.
Conclusion
 No new information.Your conclusion should mimic your introduction but now
you imply that you have proved your idea.