The Tragedy of Macbeth
Notes for Act V
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Notes for Act V
Struggling Readers—Option Trees
 As you consider the decision-making process that leads to Macbeth’s downfall,
complete an Options Tree. Starting with the decision of whether to believe the
witches’ initial predictions, trace the path Macbeth follows from one decision to
another. Look back at the notes you took. Speculate in your notes about how
Macbeth’s fate might have differed if, for example, he had decided not to murder
Duncan.
o Here is a sample Options Tree:
Hide in the castle
or
Murder Macduff’s family
or
believe the apparitions
or
kill Duncan
or
fight Macduff
avoid the urge to retaliate
be cautious
wait to see
believe the prophecies or disregard them
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Notes for Act V
Struggling Readers—
 To help you understand the differences and similarities between characters in the
play, use a scale of comparison grid to rate characters on their traits, such as
deciding who is more loyal, Macbeth or Macduff.
Crossing the Curriculum—Health
 We are only just beginning to understand what happens when sleep is disturbed,
as it is during a sleepwalking episode. Sleepwalking, also known as
somnambulism, is a sleep disorder in which people walk around or perform other
actions normally associated with being awake while they are actually asleep.
Normal sleep consists of several stages, which occur in cycles throughout the
night. Stage 1 sleep is a light sleep. During Stage 2 sleep, brainwaves slow
down. Stages 3 and 4 are deep sleep. Most sleepwalking occurs during these
deep-sleep periods. Sleepwalking episodes average from five to twenty minutes
and are usually, though not always, calm. Occasionally, sleepwalking is
combined with sleeptalking, as in the case of Lady Macbeth. Generally,
sleepwalking, especially in children, is not an indication of any emotional or
psychological problem. However, in adults, sleepwalking occasionally can signal
a serious disturbance.
Reading Skills and Strategies—Comparing and Contrasting
 Reread Act II.2.66-67. How are Lady Macbeth’s assumptions in Act II proved
incorrect in Act V.1.25-27?
 Washing one’s hands to remove guilt is a ritualistic act that has a long history.
For instance, in the New Testament, Pontius Pilate, the ruler of Judea, washed
his hands before he released Jesus to the Romans to be crucified.
Skill Link—Analyzing and Responding to a Critical Review
 Focusing on Act V.2.20-22, in which Macbeth’s title is likened to a giant’s robe on
a dwarfish thief, critic Caroline F.E. Spurgeon writes, “This imaginative picture of
a small, ignoble man encumbered and degraded by garments unsuited to him,
should be put against the view emphasized by some critics of the likeness
between Macbeth and Milton’s Satan in grandeur and sublimity.” Do you judge
Macbeth as “small and ignoble” or full of “grandeur and sublimity”?
Historical Connections—The Servant Named Seyton
 According to Shakespearana Genealogica, “The Setons of Touch were (and are
still) hereditary armor-bearers to the kings of Scotland; there is thus a peculiar
fitness in the choice of this name for Macbeth’s servant.
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Notes for Act V
Researching Medieval Medicine
 Although some doctors in the Middle Ages were well-trained and had studied the
writings of such Greek physicians as Hippocrates, the majority relied on folk
remedies. Various herbs and poultices were an essential part of the practice.
For instance, egg white were used to relieve digestive problems and marigolds to
reduce fever. Purgative drugs, or drugs designed to cleanse the system,
included dandelions, rhubarb, and senna. When Lady Macbeth becomes ill,
Macbeth calls a doctor and encourages him to use these folk remedies on her.
Critical Comment—The Witches
 Critic Willard Farnham discusses the role of the witches: “Before we make up
our minds about the guilt of the hero and, finally, the meaning of the tragedy, we
must first decide what power these beings [witches] wield over the actions and
fortunes of the hero. They are witches having the forms of repulsive old women,
but they are not mortal witches, such as the law might get its hands upon and put
to death in the England or Scotland of Shakespeare’s day. They are ‘weird
sisters,’ but the word ‘weird’ as applied to them cannot mean that they have
control of Macbeth’ destiny and compel him to do all that he does. Macbeth is
certainly no mere puppet moving under their manipulation. Nothing is clearer
than that Shakespeare writes of Macbeth as a man who has free will so far, at
least, as the choice of good or evil is concerned, and who in choosing evil
creates for himself physical misfortune and a spiritual hell on earth. In what they
do the witches show themselves to have a power over Macbeth that is limited,
however strong it may be. They are supernatural agents of evil, and in working
to make fair into foul, they reveal both the capacities and the incapacities that the
Christian tradition has attributed to devils. They tempt Macbeth to do evil, and
tempt him with subtlety. They cannot force him to do it.”
Literary Connection—Quotable Shakespeare
 Only the Bible has been the source of more titles, quotes, and allusions than
Shakespeare. Titles have been lifted from the text throughout the play, such as
Steinbeck’s The Moon is Down (2,1), but the famous speech in Act V, Scene 5,
lines 17-28 has been the richest source of titles, from Robert Frost’s poem “Out,
Out—“ to William Faulkner’s novel The Sound and the Fury. In fact, almost every
line of this speech has been used at least once for the title of some other work:
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, This Petty Pace, All Our Yesterdays,
The Way to Dusty Death, Brief Candle, Walking Shadow, A Poor Player.
 William Faulkner wrote a novel called The Sound and the Fury, part of which is
narrated by Benjy, a man of low intelligence who might fit Macbeth’s definition of
an idiot.
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Notes for Act V
Skill Link—Analyzing and Responding to a Critical Review
 Think about this analysis by Terry Eagleton: “Macbeth centers around a single
action—the murder of Duncan—which…is seen as self-defeating. The whole
structure of the play makes this clear: Scotland moves from health to sickness
and back into health. Malcolm replaces Duncan, and the wheel comes full circle
without Macbeth having made any permanent achievement. The energy he
expends in trying to secure his position contrasts ironically with his lack of
attainment: his actions are cancelled out by the circular movement of the play,
and he becomes a momentary aberration in Scotland’s history, an aberration
without having lasting consequence: the history rights itself and continues.”
Connecting to the Theme—“Under a Hand Accursed”
 Reexamine the themes of the play. In what sense is Macbeth’s “hands
accursed”? Were Macbeth’s actions fated, or were his actions totally under his
control?
Critical Comment—Soliloquies and Asides
 Read page 383 in your text. This feature sheds light on the use of soliloquies
and asides as dramatic devices by Renaissance writers. Macbeth’s soliloquies
and asides give the audience insight into his psyche and show the evolution of
his tragic downfall.
Literary Analysis—Shakespearean Tragedy
 If Lady Macbeth is to be a tragic figure in the tradition of Shakespearean tragedy,
four things must be true: she must be a person of high rank with a tragic flaw or
weakness; events related to this tragic flaw must lead her into disaster; the
audience must feel pity, awe, and/or fear; and there must be elements that offset
the sadness, such as “vivid spectacle” and comic scenes. Lady Macbeth is
certainly of high rank, and she does have the tragic flaw of overwhelming
ambition. This ambition leads her to violence, deceit, and suffering. The
audience could possibly feel pity for her during the sleepwalking scene. A
sleepwalking woman, trying to wash her hands of imaginary blood while a doctor
tries to write down everything she says, might qualify as a “spectacle.” It seems
as if Lady Macbeth is shown as a tragic figure in every sense.
Understanding Elizabethan Theater—Swordplay on the Stage
 As soldiers were assembled and battle became imminent, the Elizabethan
audience would prepare for an exciting flurry of swordplay. Londoners of
Shakespeare’s time were connoisseurs of the art of fencing and would have
been disappointed to see any half-hearted duel.
 Some Elizabethan actors became so skillful at fencing that they won awards for
it. Richard Tarleton, for example, was made Master of Fence. As the highest
degree offered by fencing schools, this designation was akin to today’s black belt
in karate.
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Notes for Act V
Understanding Social Context—Bearbaiting
 In Scene 7, lines 1-2, Macbeth compares himself to a bear tied to a stake. This
metaphor refers to bearbaiting, a form of entertainment popular from the twelfth
to the nineteenth century. Bullbaiting was also popular. In these “sports,” a bear
or bull was chained to a stake by the neck or a leg. The animal was then
attacked by specifically-trained dogs. In fact, the breed of dog we call the bulldog
was developed especially for bullbaiting. The metaphor shows that Macbeth, for
all his bravery, realizes he has little chance of surviving.
Understanding Political Context—The Real Malcolm’s Reign
 As the play closes, Duncan’s son Malcolm takes the throne of Scotland. In
reality, the real Malcolm Canmore did become king in 1057, seventeen years
after the real Duncan’s death. He reigned as Malcolm III for thirty-five years.
 The real Malcolm had been protected during his exile by Edward the Confessor
and was later able to return the favor to England. After England was defeated in
the Battle of Hastings in 1066 by William of Normandy, the grandchildren of
Edmund Ironside, half-brother to Edward the Confessor, fled in exile to Scotland
to be protected by Malcolm. Queen Elizabeth II (the current queen of England) is
descended from this line to the throne.