1
Selected THEME TOPICS on Macbeth
NOTE:
a) These must be developed into full theme statements to be used in literary analysis (i.e. in an essay);
and
b) The topics are in no particular order of importance, and as you will see, many are closely related.
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Natural VERSUS Unnatural
Good kingship VERSUS bad kingship
Kingship and Natural Order
Conflict between reason and passion
Good VERSUS Evil
The overthrow of harmony and the
natural order
The Fall of Man
Fortune/Fate VERSUS Free Will
Corrupting power of unchecked
ambition
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Creation of an Internal/External Hell
through one’s own deeds
The frailty of the human psyche and
conscience
Relationship between cruelty and
masculinity
Appearance VERSUS Reality
Fair is foul and foul is fair
Equivocation as a means of
manipulation
Worldly rewards VERSUS loss of the
soul/damnation
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SAMPLES OF FULLY DEVELOPED THEME STATEMENTS IN MACBETH
NOTE: When referring to theme in a literary essay, you must clearly develop a theme topic into a fully
developed theme statement such as those listed below. Notice that some of these statements incorporate
more than one simple theme topic, and that various aspects of the play are highlighted in others.
1. The conflict between good and evil often manifests through unnatural behaviours that overturn the
natural order (regicide, patricide, etc.).
2. A safe and prosperous kingdom is only possible under the rule of a good king; thus, chaos is
unavoidable under a bad king.
[See 4.3.107-110
for examples of good qualities and 4.3.70-73 for bad ones]
3. The power over others that results from unchecked ambition leads to the corruption of that
individual’s moral nature.
4. The ‘Fall of Man’ occurs when a human being ambitiously assumes he or she can ‘play God’ which
inevitably leads to that person’s tragic downfall.
5. Appearances can not only be misleading, but can provide us with a false sense of security that leaves
us vulnerable to physical and/or spiritual destruction.
6. It is vitally important in life to perceive the manipulations or machinations beneath the surface of
others’ behaviours.
7. The human psyche is often far more vulnerable and frail than people believe, leading to the mental
decline or destabilization of those with guilty consciences.
8. Ultimately, those who align themselves with evil for the sake of worldly rewards come to realize on
the larger scale of the soul or of life, that what they gained was not worth damnation.
9. Although it may often seem as though our lives are ruled by external forces such as Fate or Fortune,
ultimately, how we use our Free Will is the greatest determining factor in our lives’ final outcomes.
REMEMBER: YOU can (and should) make up your own theme statements!!!