Transcript Macbeth Introduction Written by William Shakespeare in 1605  Macbeth is a man who overthrows the rightful King of Scotland  Shakespeare wrote Macbeth.

Macbeth Introduction
Written by William Shakespeare in 1605
 Macbeth is a man who overthrows the rightful
King of Scotland
 Shakespeare wrote Macbeth at the beginning
of King James I reign

 Before
James succeeded Elizabeth I he was king of
Scotland
 Placing the play in James’ homeland probably
pleased him
 King James was somewhat of an authority on
witchcraft
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Will the real Macbeth please stand
up?
Macbeth was a real king of Scotland
 He did kill King Duncan
 Reigned from 1040-1057
 Unlike the Macbeth in Shakespeare’s play

 The
real Macbeth had a legitimate claim to the
throne
 The real Macbeth was a strong leader
 The real Macbeth’s reign was successful
 The real Macbeth was killed at Lumphanan as
opposed to Dunsinane
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Connections for British Society
“Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...”
 In November 1605 the Gunpowder Plot was
discovered

Guy Fawkes and his followers (Roman Catholics) planned
to blow up Parliament
 They wanted to bring down the British government and put
a Catholic rulers on the throne
 The plot was discovered and the men involved were tried
and killed as traitors


Shakespeare sided with the king and seemed to think
that a play about treason and death would find an
audience at this time
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So this is a comedy… right?
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous
tragedies (it is also his shortest)
 Aside from the violent nature of the plot
Shakespeare uses several literary devices to
enhance the feeling of evil

 He
creates a serious and sinister mood by having
most of the play take place at night
 There is a heavy emphasis on the supernatural
(witches, dreams, spells, and ghosts)
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A little taste of Macbeth
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Macbeth Act 1 - Scene 1
Witches - Supernatural influences
 “Fair being Foul” - Paradox
 King Duncan - Scotland
 Duncan’s sons- Malcolm and Donaldbain
 Generals - Macbeth and Banquo
 Thunder , lightning , and rain - sense of
doom

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Macbeth Act 1 - Scene 2
Macdonaldwald’s rebellion
 Ross tells Duncan of Norway’s rebellion King of Norway - Sweno
 Thane of Cawdor rebels against Duncan
 Scotland wins - Macbeth gets title Thane of Cawdor - “ THE SPOILS OF
WAR”
 Macbeth and Banquo - “Two spent
swimmers”

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Macbeth Act 1 Scene 3
The witches first prophesy has come true
- Thane of Cawdor
 Macbeth - “So foul and fair a day , I have
not seen - recalls witches first scene
 Banquo - “The instrument of darkness tell
us truths - only to betray us”

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Macbeth Act 1 Scene 4
Execution of Cawdor
 “You can’t tell what is in a person’s heart
by looking at his face”
 “Nothing in his life became him like the
leaving of it”
 Duncan- Malcolm to be King
 Macbeth- “Let not light see my black and
deep desires”

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Macbeth Act 1 Scene 5
Macbeth’s home - Castle of Inverness
 Lady Macbeth comes up with plan to kill
Duncan - Husband weak
 “The milk of human kindness”
 Lady Macbeth - Must pour spirits in their
ear. (Hamlet killed that way)

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Macbeth Act 1 Scene 6
Lady Macbeth - chameleon - perfect
hostess
 Duncan’s speech full of dramatic irony “castle pleasant” - “air is sweeter” sees a
martlet (a summer bird)
 to Duncan the castle appears to be a
paradise

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Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7
LadyMacbeth - convinces Macbeth to do
the “horrid deed”
 Macbeth’s Soliloquy - marked by confusion
Duncan - Kinsman and his subject , a
good King and virtuous man , a popular
King , and death would bring sorrow to
Scotland
 Lady Macbeth Argument- “What could
have been when he can be King” - “
Would kill her own baby to do this”

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Macbeth Act 2 Scene 1
Past midnight - Moon has set and the
“Candles” of heaven cannot be seen dark brooding
 Banquo draws sword - irony doesn’t know
Macbeth is going to kill Duncan
 Dagger Speech - Mental disturbance
 “Is this a dagger which I see before
me,The handle toward my hand?” —
Macbeth, 2.1.42–3

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Macbeth Act 2 Scene 2
Lady Macbeth - “That which have made
them drunk, hath made me bold, What
hath quenched them have given me fire”
 Drunk with boldness and on fire with
passion
 Lady Macbeth -would have murdered
Duncan had he not looked like her father
 Macbeth has two concerns - he has
murdered sleep , bloodiness of deed
 Lady Macbeth - blood is only like paint
wash it off

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Scene 2
Knocking - knocking of their consciences
actual knock
 “With all great Neptune’s ocean wash this
blood Clean from my hand?”—Macbeth,
2.2.78–9

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Macbeth Act 2 Scene 3
Porter - light comedy
 farmer and equivocator have specific
religious and historical connotations
 A few months before Macbeth performed
- Gunpowder plot - King James Guy
Fawkes and John Garnett (nickname the
farmer)
 Lennox - extraordinary weather -unnatural
events - The universe and events related

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Scene 3
Equivocation - The practice of lying in
court about one’s religion
 Lady Macbeth faints when Macbeth
proclaims he has killed the guards avenge the act of treasonous malice - not
in the plan
 Malcolm - England
 Donalbain - Ireland

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Scene 3
Macbeth says he has killed servants - Lady
Macbeth faints
 Macbeth and other Thanes swear to meet
“in manly rediness” to avenge this act of
“treasonous malice”
 “ There’s daggers in men’s smiles”
 Donaldbain - Ireland
 Malcolm - England

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Macbeth Act 2 Scene 4
Macbeth has become King
 Donaldbain and Malcolm have fled
 Old Man - Traditional figure in lit
represents what “has been”
 owl kills falcon - daylight has been
replaced by night - horses of the King’s
stable have eaten each other
 The world he has known has been turned
on its head

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Macbeth Act 3 Scene 1
Banquo suspects Macbeth - gains comfort
from 2nd prediction - his own children will
be Kings
 Even with new title Macbeth does not feel
at ease
 calls murderers dogs but he shows his
inhumanity and imperfections -also wants
to kill Fleance

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Act 3 Scene 2
Macbeth plans murder not Lady Macbeth
 Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s world not at
peace
 Macbeth wants to get rid of his bond with
humanity
 “We have scorched the snake, not killed
it.”—Macbeth, 3.2.15
 “Duncan is in his grave; After lifeʼs fitful
fever he sleeps well.”—Macbeth, 3.2.24–5

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Act 3 Scene 3
Banquo killed - Murderers lantern
extinguished - Fleance escapes
 Forces of darkness are at odds with light
 Murderers capable of poetry
 Escape of Fleance turning point Peripeteia - sudden reversal of fortune
 Banquo’s dying words “to revenge”

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Act 3 Scene 4
Macbeth has Thanes of Scotland over Macduff not there
 Murderers tell Macbeth what happened Macbeth losses it
 Macbeth sees ghost - goes into a fit
 Macbeth has lost control
 Macbeth will kill Macduff and visit three
sisters
 “It will have blood, they say: blood will
have blood.” —Macbeth, 3.4.152–53

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Act 3 Scene 5
Hecate joins three sisters
 Some say this scene was not in the
orginal play

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Act 3 Scene 6
Lennox reveals doubts about Macbeth Did he kill the guards hastily?
 Macduff has fled to England to join forces
with Malcolm also asks help from King
Edward of England

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Macbeth Act 4 Scene 1
“Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire
burn, and cauldron bubble.”—Witches,
4.1.10–1
 Macbeth goes to weird sisters and
demands to be shown apparitions of the
future
 1. disembodied head of a warrior who
warns Macbeth of revenge
 2. blood-covered child who cannot be
killed by any man “ of woman born”

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3. a child wearing a crown promises
Macbeth cannot lose in battle until Birnam
wood moves to Dunsinane
 Macbeth asks about Banquo’s sons and
sees a procession of Banquo and future
kings
 Macbethless future
 Macduff has fled to England and Macbeth
announces revenge of Macduff’s wife and
children
 “I’ll make assurance double sure.”—
Macbeth, 4.1.93

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Act 4 Scene 2
Lady Macduff feels Macduff has acted
dishonestly
 Son says the world is full of dishonest
men

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Act 4 Scene 3
“At one fell swoop.”—Macduff, 4.3.256
 Malcolm tests Macduff’s loyalty - says he
would be a great tyrant - reverse
psychology
 Macduff still hates Macbeth - Malcolm has
gotten what he wants Macduff’s loyalty
 Ross tells him of the slaughter of wife and
child - Macduff vows revenge

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Macbeth Act 5 Scene 1
“Out, damned spot! out, I say!”—Lady
Macbeth, 5.1.31
 “All the perfumes of Arabia will not
sweeten this little hand.” —Lady
Macbeth, 5.1.46–7
 “What’s done cannot be undone.”—Lady
Macbeth, 5.1.62–3
 Played in dark except one candle
 Lady Macbeth has gone mad - sleepwalks
and tells fragments of events

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overheard by doctor and lady-in-waiting
 Lady Macbeth is seen rubbing her hands (quotes at the beginning)
 Lady Macbeth needs a “divine”
 Spiritual darkness - 1 candle

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Macbeth Act 5 Scene 2
Four lords of Scotland - Lennox, Mentith,
Angus, and Caithness resolve to join
Malcolm and English forces who are at
Birnam Wood
 Caithness speech - warrior hero - valiant
fury - but not righteous - “ Distemper’d
Cause”

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Macbeth Act 5 Scene 3
Macbeth dismisses reports of invasion (
confident tyrant)
 Trusts the prophecies
 Servant ( cream faced lilly livered)
announces huge army
 Doctor tells of Lady Macbeth
 “ yellow leaf” - fall of his own reputation

34
Macbeth Act 5 Scene 4
English and Scotish armies under
leadership of Malcolm meet at Birnam
Wood
 Malcolm orders soldiers to cut a branch
and carry it in front of them as
camouflage “To shadow the number of
our host”
 taken from Holinshed’s Chronicles - 1577

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Macbeth Act 5 Scene 5
Macbeth fully armed - brave rhetoric
 shriek offstage - The queen is dead
 Birnam Wood appears to have uprooted
itself advancing towards Dunsinane
 Shakespeare - Power-seeking tyrants tend
toward self-destruction
 “I have supped full with horrors.”—
Macbeth, 5.5.14 - Banquo’s ghost
 “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and
tomorrow.”—Macbeth, 5.5.21

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Macbeth Act 5 Scene 6
Malcolm and his troops have reached
Dunsinane
 Siward first to advance - age
 Macduff order of troops- discipline harbinger or sign of what is to come

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Macbeth Act 5 Scene 7
Macbeth challenged by son of Siward
 Macbeth’s forces have surrendered
Dunsinane Castle
 “They have tied me to a stake: I cannot
fly”
 kills young Siward - “Thou wast born of
woman”
 Macduff - ironic timing- takes place of
Siward

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Macbeth Act 5 Scene 8
Macbeth and Macduff finally face to face
 words are tossed
 Macbeth ponders suicide but hey I can’t
die
 Macduff tells him he entered the world
“Untimely ripp’d” from mothers womb
 Macbeth realizes witches are “imperfect
speakers”
 Macbeth dies

39
Macbeth Act 5 Scene 9
Malcolm proclaimed new king of Scotland
 true friends “we miss” loyalty he will rule
with graciousness and humility
 Macduff enters with Macbeth’s head

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