William Shakespeare

Characters Macbeth Lady Macbeth The Witches Banquo Macduff Duncan Malcolm and Donalbain

Macbeth “Brave Macbeth” “Black Macbeth” Greed Disloyalty Murder Tyranny Morality Malleability Tragic Hero Tragic Villain

Character of Macbeth Macbeth “brave Macbeth” “worthy cousin” “noble Macbeth” Gullible and manipulated? Weakness of character Macbeth’s conscience Macbeth the Murderer/ Tyrant Macbeth the untouchable? Macbeth’s journey

Quotes Sergeant: “brave Macbeth” Duncan: “O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman” Macbeth to the Witches: “why do you dress me in borrow’d robes?”( clothing imagery)

Macbeth: “that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires let not light see my dark and deep desires.” “If chance will have me King, why, chance may crown me, without my stir.” (Fate/ Chance)

“We will proceed no further in this business” (conscience) Lady M: “Yet I do fear thy nature It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way”- (M’s good nature, Lady m’s manipulative nature) Macbeth’s conscience: “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed, then, as his host Who should against the murderer shut the door Not bear the knife myself.”

Macduff: “Not in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damned in evils to top Macbeth.”

Macbeth the Murderer.

“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”(appearances v reality) “Is this a dagger I see before me/ The handle toward my hand” “Macbeth does murder sleep- the innocent sleep” (conscience) “Macbeth shall sleep no more” (conscience) “To know my deed ‘twere best not know myself.” “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/ And then is heard no more.”

Lady Macbeth Manipulator Murderess Greed Femininity? Hatred Capacity for cruelty Guilt Self-destructive

I have given suck, and know How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this. Macbeth, 1. 7 Screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we'll not fail. Macbeth, 1. 7 Lady Macbeth: Things without all remedy Should be without regard; what's done is done. Macbeth: We have scotched the snake, not killed it; She'll close and be herself, while our poor malice Remains in danger of her former tooth. Macbeth, 3. 2

Character of Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth Manipulator Appearance V Reality Duping of Duncan Appears strong woman Against stereotype Journey to guilt Mirror of Macbeth’s journey Growing guilt/suicide Representative of evil. Evil must die for good/order To be restored

The Three Witches What are these So wither'd and so wild in their attire, That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth, And yet are on 't? Macbeth, 1. 3

Quotes from the Witches/ Apparitions “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” “beware Macduff”(Armed Head) “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (bloody child) “Great Birnan wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall coma against him.” (Crowned child) “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.” (to Banquo)

Macbeth and Banquo meet The Weird Sisters

The Witches Witches Portents of Evil Manipulators of Macbeth supernatural Symbols of chaos Breaching the natural order Witces Illusions “Armed head” “A bloody child” “A child crowned” Portrayal of females In the text (aligned with LM)

Themes Good v Evil Appearances v Reality Loyalty v Betrayal Order v Chaos Kingship/ Power Violence Action v Inaction Fate v Chance The supernatural

The struggle between Good and Evil Good V Evil “fair is foul, and foul is fair” “Chance may Crown me without My stir” The Witches Influence on M Lady M Manipulation M’s good Qualities Contrast start and finish M’s journey Good to evil Conscience Effects on M &LM Restoration of Good (Order v Chaos)

Appearance and Reality

Appearances V Reality Appearances V Reality Macbeth’s “borrowed robes” Lady M’s Deception The witches Prophetic or Evil emissaries Macbeth as king Driven by tyranny M’s illusion of power LM & Witches Puppet masters Disguise in the play Ghosts

Quotes “Let not light see my black and deep desires.” “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”(Macbeth)

Kingship/ Power Duncan’s illusion Of power Macbeth as king Tyranny Lady M’s Power (gender stereotype) Witches bid For power Order V Chaos Restoration of Good

Fate V Chance? Fate or Chance Witches Lady Macbeth Macbeth in Control? Power of humanity V Power of supernatural Prophecy Or Manipulation Restoration Of order

Motifs/ Images Water Manhood Clothing Animal imagery Light and Darkness Reversals in natural order Heaven and Hell

Imagery/ Symbolism Bad weather signals entrance of evil in the play- Thunder and lightning, fog for witches- storm on the night of Duncan’s death- “’twas a rough night” Lennox; “ Lamentings heard i’ the air, strange screams of death.” Lady M.: “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.” (Animal/nature) “Let not light see my black and deep desires.”(light v darkness, good v evil)

“A little water clears us of this deed” ( Lady M) “Will al great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red.” ( reversal of nature- water will only turn red and not cleanse him of his sins) “It is an accustomed action with her to be seen thus washing her hands.”( water and innocence) “That darkness does the face of earth entomb When living life should kiss it?” “a falcon towering in her pride of place was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed.”( animal imagery/ reversals in nature) “O full of scorpions is my mind”

“Though you untie the winds and let them fight against the churches” (turning Nature against religion and humanity) Macduff’s wife: “for the poor wren, the most diminutive of birds, will fight, her young ones in her nest, against the owl.”