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Setting: Scotland
Mood: evil, foreboding, sinister, tense,
uncertain
 Developed by imagery, three witches, and
weather
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Witches are planning to meet Macbeth
Key Quote: “Fair is foul and foul is fair”
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War between Scotland and Norway
King asking for report on how war is going
Macbeth unseamed Macdonwald “nave to
chops”
 Macbeth - brave
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King Duncan’s sons (Malcolm, Donalbain)
Scotland wins
King Duncan orders execution for Thane of
Cawdor
 Gives title of “Thane” to Macbeth
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Witches torture sailor because his wife doesn’t share her
chestnuts
 Random pilot thumb
 Characterization of witches
The witches tell Macbeth and Banquo the future and it
comes true.
 The prophecies
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 Macbeth’s: (current Thane of Glamis) Thane of Cawdor, King
 Banquo: Lesser than Macbeth and greater, not as happy as
Macbeth but happier, descendants will be though he will not be
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Macbeth gets Thane of Cawdor title
 Starts thinking horrid things
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Original Thane of Cawdor “died well” even
though he was a traitor
Key Quote: There’s no art to find the mind’s
construction in the face…
King Duncan names his son Malcolm “The
Prince of Cumberland” – heir to the throne
Macbeth thinks Malcolm’s in the way to
becoming King
 KQ: The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step…
Lady Macbeth reads a letter from Macbeth telling her
of the prophecies and the first one coming true
 KQ: Yet I do fear thy nature…
 She plans to persuade him to go after what he wants
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 Theme alert! Gender roles!
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Macbeth coming home with King Duncan
“Fatal entrance”
KQ: Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts,
unsex me here!
 Psyching herself up, rid herself of remorse so she can
commit the unthinkable
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KQ: Look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent
under ‘t.
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Lady Macbeth greets King Duncan as he
enters their home.
She hides her plans by being nice to him.
KQ: This castle hath a pleasant seat. The air
nimbly and sweetly recommends itself unto
our gentle senses.
Dramatic irony!
 WHY???
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Macbeth is having second thoughts about killing
the King.
 Duncan a good king; Macbeth as subject and host
should protect him
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Lady Macbeth questions his manhood
 Shows her psycho side – bash baby’s brains out
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Plan is to get guards drunk and frame it on them
KQ: Bring forth men-children only, for thy
undaunted mettle should compose nothing but
males.
Macbeth finally says he’ll do it
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Macbeth asks Banquo for his loyalty; Banquo
says okay as long as it’s morally acceptable
KQ: Dagger Soliloquy!
 Macbeth sees floating dagger pointing towards
Duncan’s room
 Sees it first time clean, then notices blood on it
▪ What does that symbolize?
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Macbeth sets off to murder Duncan
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Lady Macbeth gets the servants drunk and Macbeth
kills Duncan.
Macbeth kills Duncan (offstage) and returns with the
bloody daggers (messing up the plan)
Macbeth can’t say “Amen” – what does this mean?
Macbeth is “murdering sleep”
KQ: The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures
KQ: Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
clean from my hand?
KQ: A little water clears us of this deed. How easy is it,
then!
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The Porter opens the gate
Porter serves as comedic relief and dramatic irony!
 He’s pretending to guard the gates of hell when a hellish act was
committed inside
 Lechery
Crazy weather the night prior
Macduff finds the king dead; they think the guards did it
Macbeth says anger drove him to kill the guards
Lady Macbeth “faints” to take the attention off Macbeth’s
excuse
 Donalbain and Malcolm realize they’re in danger
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 Donalbain goes to Ireland
 Malcolm goes to England
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Unnatural events in nature reflecting
unnatural events in human world
A falcon was killed by an owl and the horses
ate each other.
Ross and Macduff suspect Duncan’s sons as
the killers who fled the country for their own
protection
Macduff doesn’t support Macbeth as King
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Banquo starts to suspect Macbeth
 KQ: I fear thou played’st most foully for ‘t.
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KQ: To be thus…
Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and
his son Fleance
 Convinces them by blaming all their problems on
Banquo
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KQ: Naught’s had, all’s spent, where our
desire is got without content
Macbeth almost jealous of the “peace”
Duncan has in death
Macbeth doesn’t tell Lady Macbeth about the
planned murders for Banquo and Fleance
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The three murderers kill Banquo
Fleance escapes
Symbol alert! Light = ?
At the banquet
Murderer comes in, tells Macbeth they killed Banquo but
Fleance got away
 Ghost of Banquo sits in Macbeth’s chair at the table
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 He flips out, screams at “empty” chair, no one else can see the
ghost
 What do you think this means?
Lady Macbeth tries to cover it up, says he’s been sick a
while, that it’s normal
 Ghost comes back; Macbeth freaks out again, starts giving
away details
 Macbeth aware of Macduff’s disdain
 Macbeth planning to go see witches again for more info
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Hecate (head witch) mad at the 3 witches for
not including her in their mischief
Witches going to brew up misleading charms
and illusions that will make Macbeth overly
confident
 Which theme is this?
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The state of Scotland not great
People suffering
Macduff went to England to ask King Edward
for help
Macbeth angry
Macbeth now a “tyrant”
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Witches give Macbeth the apparitions
 1. Armed head – Beware Macduff
 2. A bloody child – None of woman born shall harm
Macbeth
 3. Crowned child with tree in hand – Macbeth safe
until Birnam Woods moves to Dunsinane Hill
 4. Banquo’s line of kings
▪ The first three reinforce his first prophecies, but the last one
shows how it will all be taken away still
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Macbeth hears Macduff has fled to England and
plans to murder his family
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Lady Macduff feels like husband has
abandoned them
 Questions if he’s a traitor
 Ross assures her he’s not
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Warned by messenger, but she says she’s not
going to run because she’s innocent
Murderers kill Lady Macduff and son
 Symbolism! = the death of innocence
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Malcolm and Macduff in England with King Edward
Tell how bad it is in Scotland
Malcolm questions Macduff why he got away so easy
 Dramatic irony! Doesn’t know family just murdered
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Malcolm tests Macduff
 Paints picture that he’d be terrible king; Macduff says then
he doesn’t deserve it; Macduff passes test
King Edward blessed by God, heals sick people
Ross enters, hesitant to tell of murderers, finally tells
Macduff
 Malcolm encourages Macduff to use grief for revenge
 Going to start war
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Lady Macbeth sleepwalking
 Walks around with candle because doesn’t want
to be separated from light (symbol!)
 Tries to wash imaginary blood off hands
▪ KQ: Out, damned spot! Out, I say!
 Gives away murder details
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Doctor and maid witnessed
Doctor says only God can save her
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English army near with Siward and his son
Macbeth fortifying castle
People think Macbeth starting to lose it
Those who follow him only do so out of fear
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Macbeth banking on apparitions, overly
confident
English has 10,000
Thanes have abandoned him and gone to the
other side
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English army going to cut down branches and
small trees to hide their numbers and move
towards Macbeth’s castle
 What will this look like?
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Macbeth learns queen is dead
KQ: Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and
tomorrow…
 BIG Quote
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Messenger sees forest “moving” towards
castle
Macbeth less confident
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The English throw down their branches and
charge the castle
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Macbeth kills Young Siward
Macbeth mocks him in death saying he must
have been woman born
Macbeth’s men turning against him, fighting
with the English
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Macbeth refuses to commit suicide, resolved to
fight
 Reminiscent of earlier bravery
Macduff and Macbeth fight
Macduff reveals he was untimely ripped from
mother’s womb
 Macduff kills Macbeth and takes head
 Siward proud his son died nobly
 We learn Lady Macbeth killed herself
 Malcolm becomes king
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