macbeth themes

- ambition - loyalty and betrayal - kingship - good and evil - supernatural - reality vs appearances - fate and free will

effect of ambition on macbeth’s character

effect of ambition on macbeth’s character

• motivates him to commit terrible deed: changes from “valiant” soldier to “dead butcher”

• play shows ambition is dangerous - it can quickly spiral out of control

• he considers the morality of killing Duncan for a long time but doesn’t hesitate ab killing Banquo

• once he starts killing he has to kill more people to get what he wants and to try to make his position secure - shows ambition can make people ruthless and selfish

• both M and LM eventually destroyed by their ambition - play can be read as warning against ambition that isn’t balanced by reason or morals

how can ambition be considered macbeth’s biggest weakness

• macb fatal flaw

• he’s brave hero at the start: Duncan calls him “noble” and LM says to “wouldst not play false” to get what he wants

• M reluctance to kill Duncan show that he’s moral but his actions emphasise how strong his ambition is

• his ambition makes him against his morals

• makes him act against his better judgement

• knows ambition often “o’erlaps itself / And falls” - it can lead a person to aim too high so that they fail and lose everyhting: foreshadowing M own tragic downfall.

• by end play M lost everything and dies an “abhorrèd tyrant”

ambition can corrupt, but also be positive

• not all characters corrupted by it as L and LM are

• ambition can be a positive thinh if motivated by a desire to help others rather than yourself

• ML and MD ambitious for their country - want to take M power away, not got their own selfish desires, but for the good of Scotland

• Banquo ambitiouse for his sons - hopes that “there come truth” from Witches prophect - but doesn’t act on predictions in violent way M does

how do characters show loyalty

• characters who say they’re loyal - like < who talks ab loyalty he owes D even when plotting kill him

• characters whose actions show their loy MD

COUNTRY

• MD to Scotland

• he chooses to go to England to ask ML to defend his country instead of protecting his family

• he’d rather leave Scotland than see it be ruled by a bad king

KING

• the thanes are loyal D because he’s been a great king

• M gives D “service and loyalty” by fighting for him in A1

BELIEFS

• B is loyal to his own sense of honout - says that he will keep his “allegiance clear”

• he won’t let ambition or W prophesies affect hi,

show how betrayal and loyalty are related

• when characters betray their loyalty - to pursue their own selfish desires

• often go hand in hand - MD loyalty to Scotland leads him to betray his family

• betrayal often linked to power

• power (in form of titles) - given or taken away depending on a person’s loyalty

DUNCAN

• has old ToCawdor executed for being a “disloyal traitor” and rewards M loyalty by giving him the title

• play has a circular structure - ends with M being killed for betraying Scotland an ML rewarding thanes’ loyalty

MACBETH

• betrays his own sense of right and wrong

• eventually leads to his loss of self-worth and his death

how do the macbeths pretend their loyalty

• M initially loyal to D as “kinsman and his subject” - makes it even more shocking when he puts his own desires ahead of his loyalty to the King

• LM fakes an appearance of loyalty - tells D that she and M are “Your servants ever” while they’re plotting his murder.

• her two-faced nature helps her betray D - trsts her as a “Fair and noble hostess” and doesn’t see her lust for power (reality and appearance)

• Sh juxtaposes LM plotting to kill D with her welcoming him into their castle, developing her character and making her murderous intentions more dramatic.

good rulers vs bad rulers

• DUNCAN EXAMPLE IDEAL KING “gracious” and inspires loyalty in his subjects who see him as a “most sainted king” therefore rightful ruler of Scottland

• M described “tyrant” because he rules selfishly, using violence - rarely referred to as “king” which shows other characters don’t accept him as the true King

act 4, s4 ML describes gvb kings

bad king

• “bloody, Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful, Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin That has a name”

• ML describing M reign - “avaricious” he’s motivated by selfish greed

• lies make him “false” and “deceitful”

• “bloody” because he uses violence to keep control over his people

good king

• “king-becoming graces, As justice, verity, temperance, stableness, Bounty, persevearance, mercy, lowliness, Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude”

• ML could be describing D in this speech

• D shows “temperance” in his calm, peaceful manner, “lowliness” (humble) in his gratefulness for loyalty, “justice” when dealing with those who betray him and “Bounty” in his generosity

good kingship and religion

• M says good ruler is holy

• people believed King was appointed by god

• KoE Edward has a “healing benediction” uses “holy prayers” cure sick people - surrounded by “blessings” that “speak him full of grace”

• in contrast D is “Devilish” - commits murder and talks to evil witches - not the chosen king

how does macbeths character change throughout play

• a good man who does evil acts

• beginning he shows hes a “noble” person and has potential gratness

• once he’s tempted to give in to his ambition, M goodness is overcome by his evil desires - shows good poeple can be led astray by their power

• M becomes increasingly evil as he becomes hardened to many crimes he commits

• the strugle for the crown of Scotland vecomes btw good and evil

• M is the evil “tyrant” who must be killed before he destroys Scotland

how is evil linked to gender

• LM links cruelty and aggression with masculinity

• want spirits to “unsex” her and fill her with “direst cruelty” - thinks femininity hlds her back from taking violent action

• Masc ideas of evil focus on violence and bloodshed

• though she wants to be more like a man, LM relies on manipulation rather than action

• she sees M weakness and uses emotional blackmail to commit evil

• W gender is ambiguous - B says they “should be women” but have beards - like LM rely manip ather physical force

• supernatural elemnts play presented as evil + powerful - W linked devil, B calls them “devil” and M “fiends”, associating them with evil deeds

how do battles represent conflict between good and evil

• symbolise g and e

• opening scene, battle Scot and Norw: enemy army led by a traitor “merciless Macdonald”, whose “villanies of nature” show hes evil

• ends with a battle against M: ML men have “dear causes” and fight to “dew the sovereign flower”, to restore the rightful King

• Sh emphasieses conflict btw g+e through religious imagery - M described as “cùrsed” and has a name “More hateful” than devil

• in contrast, Young Siward is “God’s soldier” because he died fighting to defeat an evil “tyrant”

how are the witches a supernatural force

• evil

• “strange intelligence” and ability predict future gives them power over humans

• however, when planning to harm the sea captain, say his ship “cannot be lost”, hints their power is limited

• not in many scenes but drive action of the play

• unlikely that M would have committed so many terrible crimes if he hadnt been influenced by the W

• associated with caos: try impose an unnatural on whats good + natural.

• M says they “untie the winds” and make “castles topple”

• W are motivated by destruction rather than goodness - represent struggle btw natural and unnatural order

• Sh prenents as completely evil - cruel, inhuman and dont show any remorese, celebrate evil

how are visions linked to the supernatural

• signs of guilt

• ambiguous, real or imaginary

• fill characters who see them with fear

• M “blanched with fear” by B gost and his languafe is agitated and nervous: “Prithee, see there! Behold, look, lo!”

• fear made him lose control of his speech

• M calls his own reactiona “strange infirmity” linking to other signs of madness later in play

• LM languagr when she sleepwalks desperate “O, o, o!” - shows that she's disturbed by the vision of blood on hands

• Doctor says her heart is “sorely charged” - sees that the vision is result of her guilty conscience.

how can appearances be deceptive

• character often hide their thought and pretend be someting they’re not

• LM encourages M to appear good so nobody suspects that he plans to kill Duncan

• “look like th'innocent flower, But be the serpent under't”A1S5 The serpent links Lady Macbeth to Satan who tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

• M knows he needs a "False face" to hide his murderous acts. However, when Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost, his face is "the very painting" of his fear and betrays his feelings.

• At first LM no trouble disguising her evil behaviour.

• pretends to faint with shock when D death is discovered

• her guilt becomes too great to hide and she starts sleepwalking.

how are the meaning of words unclear

• W chant “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” suggests things that appear good are actually evil

• use language to trick M abd convince him of a false reality - tell him “none of woman born” will harm him giving him false confidence to fight to protect his reign

• other spek using paradoxes: M “Nothing is / But what is not”

• create uncertainty showing nobody can tell whats real

how do characters suffer when they trust too mcuh in appearances

• D trusts M and dies for it, even though he made the same mistake by trusting the disloyal Thane of Cawdor.

• D says, "There's no art / To find the mind's construction in the face" — he thinks that there's no way of telling what someone's really like.

• M knows that reality and appearances don't always match up, but he completely trusts the Witches prophecies. This leads to his downfall.

• In contrast, ML is immediately sceptical that D was murdered by his servants and suspects one of the thanes: "To show an unfelt sorrow is an office / Which the false man does easy". His awareness of what "false" men can do causes him to flee and probably saves his life.

• Apparitions seem real to the characters who see them, but they're a sign that the character can't tell reality from appearance.

how is fate related to free will

• Fate is the idea that everything has already been decided, so people can't change what happens to them.

• Free will means that humans choose their own course of action, so their future is made up of the results of their choices.

• If it's fate that everything that happens was destined, then it's not M fault that he murders D.

• If free will exists, then M own choices lead to his downfall.

• The play raises a lot of questions, but Sh doesn't make it clear whether the W "strange intelligence" is real, and therefore whether M was truly fated to kill D

how could you argue M is doomed from the star

• At times, M seems to believe in fate.

• After he hears the Witches' prophecy, he seems happy to let fate take its course — he believes that "chance may crown me, / Without my stir" so he'll become King without doing anything to make it happen.

• LM thinks that Macbeth is fated to be King

  "fate and metaphysical aid doth seem / To have

  thee crowned withal"

• despite believing in fate, she decides Macbeth must act to make it happen.

• by the end M says that life is "a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage" - feels that people are no more than actors playing a part who aren't in control of their lives.

  The Witches

• It's not clear whether the Witches are messengers of Macbeth's fate or whether their prediction inspires Macbeth to make bad choices.

  Macbeth

• doomed because of his 'fatal flaw'

• If he wasn't so ambitious, he'd ignore the Witches and Lady Macbeth.

how could you argue M acts on his own free will

• At first, M makes a deliberate choice not to kill D after he's considered the options: "We will proceed no further", he carefully weighs up the pros and cons, which suggests that he's in control.

• Later, M acts on the W prophecies despite B

  earlier warning that they're "instruments of darkness".

• M could do as B does and accept the prophecies without acting.

• Some of the prophecies are self-fulfilling - M only acts because he hears his future, so he causes it to happen.

• This suggests that he has free will.

• The captain says that Macbeth '

  was "Disdaining fortune" when he fought Macdonald — it shows

  that Macbeth killed Macdonald against the odds.

• It hints that Macbeth could have changed his actions if he'd wanted to.