William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Macbeth Trivia Written specifically to please King James I. He was obsessed with witches. Producing the play is unlucky. Stories of people getting sick or injured or playhouses burning down.

Tribute to the King King James I succeeded Queen Elizabeth I and was on the throne at the time. James was a Stuart; the Stuarts were Scottish. Guy Fawkes’ attempt to blow up the House of Lords also occurred around this time.

Main Characters Macbeth – A Scottish thane who is tempted to murder the king for personal gain. Lady Macbeth – A pushy wife who seeks to benefit from her husband’s rise to power. Three Witches – Evil hags who plant the seed of murder in Macbeth’s mind. Banquo – Macbeth’s friend who is loyal to the king.

Main Characters Continued MacDuff - A thane who is loyal to the king who opposes Macbeth. King Duncan – A Scottish king who has been generous to Macbeth. Malcolm – Duncan’s son and a prince. Thane-held land granted by the king

Major themes: Macbeth Fate vs. Free Will Good vs. Evil Violence and bloodshed result when the prescribed social order is tampered with. Good vs. Evil The qualities of good and evil, strength and weakness, are often combined in a single individual. Appearance vs. Reality Things/People aren’t always what they seem to be. Internal desires and fears can be more influential than exterior reality. Ambition vs. Morality Brave, honest, and noble persons can be seduced by power and ambition, and so turned into tyrants.

Shakespeare’s Verse: Definitions Iambic Pentameter: Iambic pentameter is a type of meter that is used in poetry and drama, consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable. Iambic Pentameter creates a particular rhythm and is 10 syllables.

weakSTRONGweakSTRONGweak STRONGweakSTRONGweakSTRONG “I AM…” I AM I AM I AM I AM I AM “ I a m a p i r a t e w i t h a w o o d e n l e g . ” i AM a PI rate WITH a WOOD en LEG Mark the following lines with a  if the syllable is unstressed, and a , if the syllable is stressed.

Shakespeare wrote his plays in Blank Verse(mostly) Blank Verse is: Unrhymed Iambic Pentameter Example: Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more!” (2.2.34).

Key Terms for Act 1 Paradox a statement whose two parts seem contradictory yet make sense with more thought “They have ears but hear not” “I can see I’m going blind” Macbeth is the protagonist, but often seen as evil Why would an author include something like this???

Key Terms for Act 1 Dramatic Irony the audience knows more than the characters in the play Therefore, words and action have additional meaning for the audience What examples of dramatic irony do you remember from Romeo and Juliet? Prologue tells us at beginning that R & J will die, but the characters do not know this

Overview of Scenes 1 & 2 Three witches meet in thunder and lightning and discuss Macbeth. They say they will meet him after the battle. Some of the Scottish lords (thanes) have rebelled against their king Duncan. To help the rebels, the Norwegians have sent an army. There has been a great battle. King Duncan waits for the report of the battle. A badly wounded captain reports that although the rebels had strong forces, Macbeth and Banquo were the heroes because they fought so bravely. The wounded man is sent for treatment. Another soldier named Ross arrives giving further news of the battle. Ross tells that Macbeth has triumphed, capturing the leader of the rebels, the Thane of Cawdor, and making a very favorable peace treaty with the King of Norway. Duncan sentences Cawdor to death and gives the title to Macbeth.