(2) Macbeth - Everything to know

10 Keywords - THUD MITCH V

Tragic hero

Hamartia

Unchecked (uncontrollable)

Duplicitousness (deceitful)

Motif of sleep/blood

Irresistible allure

Tyrannical (cruel/oppressive leader)

Carcass of insanity (lost their mind)

Hubris (excessive pride)

Violating divine order/law

Context

King Duncan's Grim Death Sparks Paranoia

King James I

Divine Right of Kings

Great Chain of Being

Daemonologie

Seven deadly sins

Patriarchy

Context - King James I

funded for Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare wanted to please him, so he wrote against regicide

Context - Divine Right of Kings

• God chooses the king. Disrupting this was seen as an assault on God himself.

• Macbeth violates the divine right of kings by committing regicide

Context - Great Chain of Being

• God created the word with a hierarchal order - rich above the poor, men above women

• Macbeth's bloodthirsty rampage violates the Great chain of being

• Lady Macbeth tries to alter her position by being more powerful than Macbeth

Context - Daemonologie

• Book written by James I which describes the supernatural and how to punish Witchcraft

• Witches supernatural depiction matches the exact descriptions of the supernatural in Daemonologie - another way for Shakespeare to please James I

Context - Seven deadly sins and religion - GWPE

• 7 deadly sins were to be avoided within Christianity to abstain from being influenced by the devil. Some are greed, wrath(anger), pride(ego), and envy(jealousy)

• Macbeth + Lady Macbeth embody: greed, wrath, pride and envy (GWPE)

• Macbeth is driven by his pride and is greedy for more power - he is envious of the power of Duncan, This results in his violent wrath as he commits regicide

Context - Which of the 7 deadly sins are in Macbeth?

Greed, wrath, pride and envy are seen in both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

Context - Patriarchy

• Male dominated society where women were inferior to men

• Lady Macbeth consistently subverts patriarchal expectations of women as she manipulates and emasculates (makes him feel lesser of a man) Macbeth

Key themes - VAGGAS

Violence

Ambition

Guilt

Gender

Appearance vs reality

Supernatural

Macbeth: “Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps..

..itself and falls on th' other" - Act 1

"Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself and falls on th' other" - Theme links

Ambition, violence, supernatural, appearance vs reality, guilt, gender

"Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself and falls on th' other" - Personification

Macbeth personifies his ambition, like a human force that can corrupt his formerly innocent mind.

"Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself and falls on th' other" - ‘Fall’

'Fall' shows Macbeth's awareness that his ambition is his hamartia destined to lead to his mental and physical decline.

"Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself and falls on th' other" - metaphor

The metaphorical portrayal of Macbeth's "vaulting ambition" draws a parallel between him and a jockey who can manage an untameable, almost animalistic force. This is self-deceptive, implying he can control this force.

"Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself and falls on th' other" - summary

Personification: Human force

Fall - awareness of his hamartia

Metaphor - horse and jockey

Macbeth: "I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more!..

..Macbeth does murder sleep' " - Act 2

"I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep' “ - Theme links

Guilt, violence, supernatural, appearance vs reality, ambition, gender

"I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep' “ - Motif of sleep

motif that makes sleep synonymous(linked) to innocence. Lack of sleep = departure from innocence as he committed regicide.

"I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep' “ - Macbeth's character change

He went from imperative commands like 'stars hide your fires'. But now is mentally haunted by 'cries'

"I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep' “ - Exclamative sentence

emphasises the enduring and irreversible nature of Macbeth's loss of innocence. His disruption of the natural order through his wickedness has forever condemned his mind to the relentless torment of guilt.

"I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep' “ - summary

Motif of sleep: sleep = innocence. Loss of sleep = loss of innocence

Compare: imperatives to troubled mind

Exclamative sentence: emphasise irreversible guilt

Lady Macbeth: "Dash'd the..

..brains out" - (Act 1)

"Dash'd the brains out" - Theme links

violence, ambition, gender, appearance vs reality

"Dash'd the brains out" - Plosive

The plosive on "dash'd" creates a brutal sound, mirroring her brutality and her brutal rejection of motherly instincts. Her tendency for violence takes precedence over motherhood

"Dash'd the brains out" - Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition between "dash'd" (being violent) and "brains" (delicate part of the body) reflects her character - despite her fragile exterior, she wants to instigate violence and chaos.

"Dash'd the brains out" - Irony

Ironic, as the very organ she seeks to disrupt in her unborn child becomes the locus(particular place something occurs) of her own downfall (she wants to dash her own child's brains, her brain is the place of her mental downfall)

"Dash'd the brains out" - Summary

Plosive: harsh rejection of motherhood

Juxtaposition: reflects her nature

Irony: brain is the place she harms herself in the end

Lady Macbeth: [enters with..

..a taper] (Act 5)

**taper is a candle**

[enters with a taper] - Theme links

Guilt, violence, ambition, gender, appearance vs reality

[enters with a taper] - Symbolism of [taper]

As a [taper] provides light, this shows she is seeking light, hope and solace(comfort) in her eternal mental darkness.

[enters with a taper] - Biblical references:

In Christian symbolism, light = hope and divine (godly) guidance. This is her plea for God's redemption from the sins that torment her

[enters with a taper] - LM’s Character development

Her need for light is the antithesis (opposite) to act 1: "come thick night", where she wants darkness

[enters with a taper] - motif of dark and light

The motif of darkness and light reinforces how her dark needs for violence causes her desperation to see the light and seek redemption

[enters with a taper] - summary

Symbolism of taper: seeking hope + solace

Christianity: plea for gods redemption

Character development: contrast "come thick night"

The Witches: "Instruments of..

..darkness” (said by Banquo Act 1)

"Instruments of darkness" - Theme links

supernatural, appearance vs reality, violence, ambition

"Instruments of darkness" - Auditory image on 'instruments'

The auditory(image about sound) imagery implies a malevolent(evil) musicality, their words possess an almost hypnotic trance for Macbeth - their speech is a manipulative melodic composition

"Instruments of darkness" - Plosives

The plosives on "darkness" creates a harsh sound foreshadowing the ominous and grim destiny the Witches are ready to inflict upon Macbeth

"Instruments of darkness" - Banquo’s discernment

Banquo's discernment (able to judge it well) of this 'darkness' indicates his immunity to the hypnotic and malevolent musicality that captivates Macbeth

"Instruments of darkness" - summary

Auditory image: hypnotic trance for Macbeth

Plosive: foreshadow grim destiny for Macbeth

Banquo: immune to hypnotising musicality

The Witches: “Fair is foul..

..and foul is fair” (Act 1)

"Fair is foul and foul is fair" - Theme links

appearance vs reality, supernatural, ambition

"Fair is foul and foul is fair" - paradoxes

The Witches Speak in paradoxes. "foul" and "fair" create a sense of contradiction and disorientation that is established from the start.

"Fair is foul and foul is fair" - foreshadowing

This foreshadows the impending chaos in the play - the Witches' deceitful nature will leave Macbeth bewildered and disorientated

"Fair is foul and foul is fair" - trochaic tetrameter

The witches speak in trochaic tetrameter. Gives their speech an eerie songlike quality, different from other characters who speak in iambic pentameter. This compounds their duplicitousness as even their speech transcends the earthly realm (beyond how humans act).

"Fair is foul and foul is fair" - summary

Paradoxes: disorientation from the beginning

Foreshadows chaos

Trochaic tetrameter, eerie song-like quality

Banquo: "He hath wisdom that doth..

..guide his valour to act in safety”

(said by Macbeth in Act 3)

"He hath wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety" - Theme links

Ambition, appearance vs reality, violence, supernatural

"He hath wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety" - 7 deadly sins

Macbeth epitomises (the perfect example of) the 7 deadly sin of envy - he envies Banquo's capacity for courage in abstaining from succumbing(failing to resist) to these "deep desires"

"He hath wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety" - connotation

"guide" connotes leadership, mirrors Macbeth's initial attempt to lead his ambition but he succumbs to its potent influence. Banquo emerges as a figure capable of self-guidance, steering clear of the temptations of sin.

"He hath wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety" - ambivalent portrayal of Banquo

The ambivalent(uncertain) portrayal of Banquo stands as the antithesis(contrast) to Macbeth's bloodthirsty deception

"He hath wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety" - summary

7 deadly sin: Macbeth embodies envy

Connotation: Macbeth can't lead his ambition, Banquo can

Antithesis: Banquo's antithesis to Macbeth

Macduff: “Turn..

..hell-hound, turn” (Act 5)

"Turn, hell-hound, turn" - Theme links

violence, ambition, appearance vs reality

"Turn, hell-hound, turn" - Repetition

The repetition on ‘turn’ emphasises Macbeth's upheaval(disruption) of order through his tyrannical rule.

Also implies once Macbeth "turns" to face Macduff, Macduff knows he will be able to reinstate order within Scotland.

"Turn, hell-hound, turn" - Epithet

The epithet(nickname) creates an infernal(hellish) image that emphasises Macduff's condemnation of Macbeth's diabolical ambitions and ensuing chaos. (Macduff gives Macbeth this nickname as he sees him closer to the devil than to God)

"Turn, hell-hound, turn" - antithesis

Macduff is the antithesis of Macbeth - Macbeth prioritises his own selfish ambitions whereas Macduff places his country and the people that reside in it at the forefront of his concerns.

"Turn, hell-hound, turn" - summary

Repetition: emphasises upheaval of order

Epithet: hellish image as Macbeth's actions are devilish

Antithesis: Macbeth = selfish. Macduff = selfless for his country

Malcolm: "What I am truly, // Is thine..

..and my poor countries, to command” (Act 4)

"What I am truly, // Is thine, and my poor countries, to command" - theme links

Ambition, appearance vs reality

"What I am truly, // Is thine, and my poor countries, to command" - caesura

The caesura would make the actor pause, allowing the audience to fully absorb Malcolm's honest dedication. He is the embodiment of a true king.

"What I am truly, // Is thine, and my poor countries, to command" - possessive pronoun

The Possessive pronoun "my" before "poor countries" reveals not just ownership but a paternal(fatherly) tenderness. The word "poor" evokes sympathy for Scotland's suffering under Macbeth's dismantling rule.

"What I am truly, // Is thine, and my poor countries, to command" - Foil - "my poor country"

"my poor country" - Malcolm portrays himself not as a distant ruler, but as a compassionate protector which is a foil(a contrast) to the tyrannical Macbeth

"What I am truly, // Is thine, and my poor countries, to command" - summary

Caesura: audience reflect on his dedication

Possessive pronoun: paternal tenderness

Foil: Malcolm is a foil to tyrannical Macbeth