Played by the Witches

 “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes” (4.1) After their incantation, the witches foreshadow more about Macbeth’s future Staged Reading: 3 Witches, Macbeth, Lennox       What does Macbeth want?

What is in his way?

How does he try to surmount the obstacles? Do his objectives change in the course of the scene?

What about the witches—what do they want?

What do they do to get it?

4.2

 4.3

 Staging of a Family Massacre (Messenger, Lady Macduff, Murderer, Son) --What words describe how the Messenger feels in the scene?

--How do the feelings of the character translate into behavior?

--What does Lady Macduff’s response to the message tell you about her frame of mind?

--What do the son’s words show about his character?

Malcolm and Macduff meet in England and plan their attack against the “tyrant” (Macbeth) Word Web: Macbeth as a ruler  Macduff’s reaction to the death of his family  Malcolm’s discuss of qualities of ruler

  a) b)  “Of those Who by their crimes comes to be Princes” “Of Cruelty and Clemency, and Whether it is Better to be Loved or Feared” In your group, Summarize the examples   Machiavelli discusses a variety of examples of princes and rulers.

In these two sections, you will examine one of the following concepts: What ideas do the support Relate them to Macbeth

 

Discuss in a group of 4, the words that you investigated in Act 4 How do the different words develop. . .

--The Themes --The Characters --The Plot

        Out, damned spot, out, I say! (5.1.37) I have lived long enough. My way of life Is fall’n into the sere, the yellow leaf (5.3.26-27) Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day (5.5.22-23) Ring the alarum bell!—Blow wind, come wrack, At least we’ll die with harness on our back (5.5.58-59) They have tied me to a stake. I cannot fly, But, bear-like, I must fight the course. (5.7.1-2) Macduff was from his mother’s womb Untimely ripped. (5.8.19-20) I will not yield To kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet (5.8.32-33) Lay on, Macduff, And damned be him that first cries “Hold! Enough!” (5.8.38-39)

Lady Macbeth: Then and Now Quote Investigation Activity  This is Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene. - List her actions. -In what ways is this scene linked to her unsex me speech in Act One, scene five? - Look carefully at the images that come out of her subconscious mind. What do they suggest about her state of mind? - To what extent has the audience been prepared earlier in the play for her inability to cope with her guilt?

Quick Paragraph Write: How has Lady Macbeth changed between Act 1 and Act 5? Think in terms of HER BEHAVIOUR, HER LANGUAGE, and HER RELATIONSHIP WITH MACBETH

Scene Three

 Read Macbeth's speech which begins with : I am sick at heart... - Why is he disillusioned? - In the scene as a whole, in what ways is he still placing his faith in the witches?

Scene Five

 - Read Macbeth's speech in response to Lady Macbeth's death. What is he saying about life? - What does his final speech in this scene suggest about his state of mind and his belief in the witches?

Scene Eight

 Macbeth , finally denying his belief in the witches, fights and dies with valiant fury. To what extent do you see his death as being heroic?

Consider in what way evil can be said to destroy itself. Q: Can the Macbeths be said to have destroyed themselves?

Q: Who represents the forces of good in the play, and is it true to say that the Macbeths are destroyed by them? Draw a chart with two columns entitled 'Destroyed by themselves' and 'Destroyed by Good'. Present your findings using bullet points for each point you make. Come to a conclusion as to how far the Macbeths are destroyed by themselves as opposed to thwarted by the forces of good. You might consider whether the forces of good are presented as strong or weak.

 

Discuss in a group of 4, the words that you investigated in Act 4 How do the different words develop. . .

--The Themes --The Characters --The Plot