Macbeth

Revision of key ideas and quotes

How is Macbeth seen as brave and heroic?

Macbeth is seen as brave and heroic due to his initial portrayal as a valiant, skilled warrior who fights valiantly for King Duncan. He is described as the epitome of a courageous man for his fierce battlefield prowess against Norway and treacherous Scottish rebels.

How is Lady Macbeth seen as a strong character?

Lady Macbeth is seen as a strong character due to her ambition, ruthlessness, and manipulative power over Macbeth, which she exerts to drive the plot forward and achieve their shared goals. She is presented as being more decisive than Macbeth, even to the point of directly influencing him through questioning his masculinity and suppressing her own emotions to suppress guilt and achieve power. However, her strength ultimately crumbles under the weight of guilt, leading to her tragic downfall along with her husband.

How are the witches portrayed as evil and sinister?

Shakespeare portrays the witches as evil and sinister through their unnatural appearance, mischievous and malevolent actions, deceptive and manipulative prophecies, and overall subversion of the natural order. These elements not only make them malevolent characters but also reflect the pervasive fears of witchcraft during the Jacobean era.

How is Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s marriage portrayed throughout the play?

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's relationship begins as a powerful, unified partnership driven by shared ambition, though Lady Macbeth initially dominates and manipulates Macbeth into pursuing the throne. However, as their crimes escalate, the partnership breaks down; Macbeth becomes secretive and violent, gaining power in the relationship over Lady Macbeth while she is consumed by guilt, leading to a complete separation by Act 3 and her eventual death by suicide.

'“Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t” Act 1 Scene 5

Spoken by: Lady Macbeth

Links to: Power and stereotypical presentation of men.

Reason said: She wants Macbeth to pretend to be nice and good on the outside but keep the evilness in him, hidden from others

“Fair is foul and foul is fair” Act 1 Scene 1

Spoken by: The Three Witches

Links to: Supernatural narrative of the play and Macbeth’s tragic downfall

Reason said: Can be used to summarise the entire play; morality is flipped 'what's good is bad, what's bad is good' implying 'Brave Macbeth' becomes a 'tyrant' and a 'dead butcher' and Lady Macbeth turns from innocent to deranged

"unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty!" Act 1 Scene 5

Spoken by: Lady Macbeth

Links to: Her downfall, counter typical thoughts of jacobean women