THEMES AND IDEAS



Act 1 The witches meet and encounter MacBeth
and Banquo. They predict MacBeth will be king
and that Banquo’s children will be kings. Lady
MacBeth and her husband both conspire to kill
Duncan, the king.
Act 2 The king is murdered by MacBeth and kills
the guards who were to be blamed for the
murder. MacDuff discovers the dead king and
becomes suspicious of MacBeth.
Act 3 Banquo is murdered by MacBeth and his
ghost visits MacBeth at a formal banquet.
MacBeth is unsettled by this and the banquet
ends in disaster.


Act 4 The three witches call upon spirits to
make predictions for MacBeth. Three
prophecies convince him he is safe. MacBeth
murders Macduff’s family. He grieves for
them and realises he needs to kill MacBeth.
Act 5 Lady MacBeth goes mad and commits
suicide (offstage). The prophecies begin to
come true when the woods of Birnam
“advance” towards the castle.




Political corruption: MacBeth as manipulator in
order to gain/maintain power. Mugabe, Zuma,
Sarkozy, Berlusconi et al……..
Ambition/power: “Thriftless ambition...” (Ross
2:4, 28-29). Political leaders/heads of industry –
e.g., mining in Coromandel to improve NZ’
economic position – at what cost?
Greed (linked with ambition/power): Lady M’s
greed enables her to persuade her husband when
he weakens. Housing market collapse.
Honour/Kingship: Duncan, MacBeth, Malcolm as
kings. Compare/ask question: what makes a good
leader? Tiger Woods etc.




Darkness/disturbances in nature (linked to superstition):
“’Tis day/Yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp”
(2:4, 11). Anthropogenic global warming; conspiracy re
climate change science; ETS controversy.
Paradox/appearance vs reality “Fair is foul and foul is fair”
(1:1, 11). Framing of guards for murder; the marching of
Birnam Wood. Adages/sayings – e.g., don’t judge a book
by its cover – yet we do. Plastic surgery disasters (trying to
stay young).
Manhood/Gender roles: e.g., women in NZ are still paid,
on average, 12% less than men. Lady M: “Unsex me!”. The
witches and their role.
Masks/deception – e.g., MacBeth: “False face must hide
what the false heart doth know”; Goldman Sachs case; NZ
finance compay meltdowns (e.g., Hanover).




Scheming: MacBeth’s soliloquies on how to kill the
king; Lady M’s planning. Terrorist plots; conspiracies
– e.g., tobacco industry.
The nature of good and evil (related to paradox): can
someone ever be said to be “truly good” or “truly
evil”? Are psychopaths born or made? Is it a choice?
The consequences of evil: MacBeth became king; this
seemed to be unjust. However, the ending restored
justice and MacBeth was killed. Capital punishment;
length of prison sentences. Three strikes bill.
Darkness/superstition (also linked with fate and
destiny): “I would not sleep...”(Banquo); the witches.
Faith vs reason – e.g., Richard Dawkins vs religious
leaders. Persecution.





http://msn.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article
.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10643190&ref=rss
(corruption/power/greed/ambition)
http://msn.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article
.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10643264
(corruption/power/greed/ambition)
http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3647/features/1
5195/you_are_in_safe_hands.html
(corruption/power/greed/ambition/deception)
http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3629/features/1
4483/no_excuse.html (disruption to nature)
http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3628/features/1
4424/moving_on_up.html (gender issues)