Macbeth Ambition. Betrayal. Corruption. Witch will destroy them?

William Shakespeare  The most influential writer in all of English literature  Wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets  During his lifetime he was the most popular playwright in England, receiving public and critical acclaim  Part owner of The Globe Theater and The King’s Men acting company  At the time of his death his works were proclaimed as timeless  100 years after his death he was proclaimed the greatest poet to ever write in English

The Globe Theater  Circular, open air theater  The lower class stood on the ground, the upper classes were in the balconies  The theater featured a trap door in the stage and ropes to hoist actors up  Little to no set decoration; extravagant, expensive costumes  Female roles played by young boys

Acting & Stage Direction 101  Soliloquy—A long speech delivered alone onstage by one character; meant to convey the character’s thoughts  Aside—A shorter speech delivered by a character to them self that is not heard by the other characters onstage  Stage Directions—Written in [italics] and in brackets to signal character movements

Macbeth The shortest and bloodiest of all the Shakespearean plays The shortest and bloodiest of all the Shakespearean plays The story of how ambition and corruption lead one man to murder and how guilt and fear lead the same man to insanity and death The story of how ambition and corruption lead one man to murder and how guilt and fear lead the same man to insanity and death Explores the theory of divine right to kingship: the belief that the king was chosen by God; when a king died the first born son would take the throne Explores the theory of divine right to kingship: the belief that the king was chosen by God; when a king died the first born son would take the throne What happens when this natural order is broken and evil is allowed to influence history? What happens when this natural order is broken and evil is allowed to influence history?

Themes 1. Ambition, Corruption & Violence What are people willing to do in order to achieve their greatest ambition? What are you willing to do? What are people willing to do in order to achieve their greatest ambition? What are you willing to do? What happens once violence is used to achieve a goal? What happens once violence is used to achieve a goal? Pay attention to how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are affected by corruption once they resort to violence to achieve their ambitions. Pay attention to how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are affected by corruption once they resort to violence to achieve their ambitions. 2. Gender Roles How is manhood or masculinity defined? How is manhood or masculinity defined? How are men and women expected to behave? How are men and women expected to behave? Are men more violent than women? Are men more violent than women?

Themes 3. Evil & the Supernatural Are there evil forces attempting to manipulate us? Is it possible to predict the future or are all prophesies self-fulfilling? Is Macbeth completely responsible for his actions or are others to blame? 4. Order vs. Disorder Is there a natural order to the way the world and the universe operates? What happens when this order is disturbed? What signs of disorder are evident after Macbeth becomes king?

Themes 5. Guilt What effect does guilt have on the human mind? What effect does guilt have on the human mind? Is guilt in some way more of a punishment than anything else? Is guilt in some way more of a punishment than anything else? Pay attention to the very different ways guilt affects Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Pay attention to the very different ways guilt affects Macbeth and Lady Macbeth