William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” Unit Review: Axford/Christopher

Shakespeare’s Life The Bard was born… on April 23, He died on… on April 23, Shakespeare’s hometown was… Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Shakespeare married… Anne Hathaway. (Wait, not that one.)

This one…

Life in the Theatre Shakespeare’s acting company was originally called…. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men. It changed to… The King’s Men in order to honor… James I.

Shakespeare was admired by poets and by kings, But his favorite audience was the Groundlings. No fine clothes and no fancy bonnets, They walked for miles to hear his sonnets. Laughter and hilarity were followed by marriage, And Death rolled with tragedy like a runaway carriage. Will’s Globe Theatre was the toast of London Town, And many a heart broke on the day it burned down.

Macbeth—The Play The setting is… Scotland, The 11 th Century.

Predictions—Part I Macbeth is intrigued when the witches hail him as: Thane of Glamis Thane of Cawdor King

Obstacles (which the witches failed to mention) Duncan is… already King. The Prince of Cumberland, otherwise known as Malcolm, has been named heir to the throne. Banquo’s descendants will be… kings.

Lady Macbeth She is … Ambitious Deceitful Worried her husband is too weak to take what he wants Willing to take matters into her own hands

The Porter Scene The purpose of this scene is to provide… COMIC RELIEF

Things begin to fall apart… Increasingly paranoid and consumed with envy, Macbeth… has Banquo murdered. Fleance… flees. And guess who’s coming to dinner? Banquo’s bloody ghost!

Predictions—Part II According to the Apparitions, “Beware… Macduff.” Fear no one… borne of woman Macbeth will not be vanquished until… Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. (And don’t forget the eight images of Fleance with the last one holding a mirror!)

Those darn witches! Macduff was delivered by… “C”-section Birnam Wood did come to Dunsinane when… the army used branches for camouflage. “Beware Macduff”…. The understatement of the century!

“Blood will have blood…” In order to punish Macduff, Macbeth has… his family murdered. In the words of Macduff… “What, all my pretty chickens And their dam At one fell swoop?”

“All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” As a result of her guilty conscience, Lady Macbeth has begun… sleepwalking. What does she do repeatedly during these episodes? Washes her hands Ultimately, Lady Macbeth… commits suicide.

Macbeth and the Meaning of Life “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle, Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing.”

What comes around, goes around. The Thanes… desert Macbeth. Macbeth is killed by… Macduff. Malcolm… becomes King.

The Tragic Hero The main character in a tragedy. Has a fatal flaw or error in judgment which brings about his/her downfall. Macbeth’s fatal flaws: greed, ambition, lust for power

Macbeth: Major Themes Appearance vs. Reality Example: Witches’ predictions Ambition Example: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s unwillingness to wait out the prophecies Guilt/Conscience Example: Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking, Macbeth’s momentary hesitation about killing the king

Review All assignments: Jeopardy Question Sheet, Quote Sheet, Status Update, Shakespeare’s Life Quiz, etc. All PowerPoints on Ms. Christopher’s Blog Your copy of the play (if you have one.) “No Fear Shakespeare” on Sparknotes.com