Macbeth Introduction Written by William Shakespeare in 1605 Macbeth is a man who overthrows the rightful King of Scotland Shakespeare wrote Macbeth at the beginning of King James I reign – Before James succeeded Elizabeth I, he was king of Scotland

Will the real Macbeth please stand up? Macbeth was a real king of Scotland He did kill King Duncan Reigned from Unlike the Macbeth in Shakespeare’s play – The real Macbeth had a legitimate claim to the throne – The real Macbeth was a strong leader – The real Macbeth’s reign was successful – The real Macbeth was killed at Lumphanan as opposed to Dunsinane

Connections for British Society “Remember, remember the fifth of November Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder, treason Should ever be forgot...” In November 1605 the Gunpowder Plot was discovered – Guy Fawkes and his followers (Roman Catholics) planned to blow up Parliament – They wanted to bring down the British government and put a Catholic rulers on the throne – The plot was discovered and the men involved were tried and killed as traitors Shakespeare sided with the king and seemed to think that a play about treason and death would find an audience at this time

So this is a comedy… right? Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies (it is also his shortest) Aside from the violent nature of the plot Shakespeare uses several literary devices to enhance the feeling of evil – He creates a serious and sinister mood by having most of the play take place at night – There is a heavy emphasis on the supernatural (witches, dreams, spells, and ghosts)

The Witches

Witchcraft in Shakespeare’s Day Many people believed in the power of witches in Shakespeare’s day, especially King James I. In 1591, when he was King of Scotland, King James was almost murdered by a group of witches and sorcerers. Their trial and testimony convinced King James that they were sources of evil (witches). King James became the King of England in Shakespeare knew very well of King James’s superstition, and he also knew that a play about witchcraft would cause a stir and make a quick buck. Therefore, he wrote Macbeth, a play full of elements of evil!

The Witches Their character is modeled after Norse mythology- the Norns (three Fates) the name Urðr (Wyrd, Weird) means "fate" or simply "future", The norns- by Arthur Rackham

The Witches “Double, double toil and trouble” – they cause more grief for the mortals around them. The witches never actually tell Macbeth to kill Duncan, but merely tempt him with the idea of becoming king. Represent darkness, chaos and confusion. “Fair is foul and foul is fair”- a contradiction. Evil is good, while good is evil.

The Witches The witches were also modeled after the Three Fates of Greek and Roman mythology They controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death. The names of the three Parcae (Roman Fates) were: Nona - spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle. Her Greek equivalent was Clotho; Decima - measured the thread of life with her rod. Her Greek equivalent was Lachesis; Morta - was the cutter of the thread of life. She chose the manner of a person's death. When she cut the thread with "her abhorrèd shears", someone on Earth died. Her Greek equivalent was Atropos.

“The Scottish Play” A large mythology has built up surrounding this superstition, with countless stories of accidents, misfortunes and even deaths, all mysteriously taking place during runs of Macbeth (or by actors who had uttered the name). Many actors will not mention the name of the play aloud, referring to it instead as "The Scottish play".

The Scottish Play It is believed to be bad luck to speak the word ‘Macbeth’ in a theatre Legend has it you will lose all your friends involved in the production— horribly The legend says that an early actor to play Macbeth died when a real knife was used instead of a stage knife Other strange occurrences and mishaps surround the play

“The Scottish Play” Explanation #1 Shakespeare is said to have used the spells of real witches in his text, purportedly angering the witches and causing them to curse the play.

“The Scottish Play” Explanation #2 S truggling theatres or companies would often put on this popular 'blockbuster' in an effort to save their flagging fortunes. However, it is a tall order for any single production to reverse a long-running trend of poor business. Therefore, the last play performed before a theatre shut down was often Macbeth, and thus the growth of the idea that it was an 'unlucky' play.

“The Scottish Play” Explanation #3 Theatre companies may have used Macbeth as a back-up play if they were to lose an actor and were not able to perform the production originally planned for the performance. Macbeth requires fewer actors (when doubling of characters for actors occurs) and has the least amount of text for the actors to memorize. Macbeth may have been the play kept in theatre companies' back pockets, just in case some bad luck were to occur prior to any planning of a performance.

“The Scottish Play”: A Chronology of Misfortunes Here are some of the gory particulars: Beginning with its first performance, in 1606, Dear Will himself was forced to play Lady Macbeth when Hal Berridge, the boy designated to play the lady with a peculiar notion of hospitality, became inexplicably feverish and died. Moreover, the bloody play so displeased King James I that he banned it for five years.

“The Scottish Play”: A Chronology of Misfortunes Even brave and talented actors like Glenda Jackson to Ian McKellen don’t refer to this haunted play by name, but instead call it “That Scottish Play” or simply “That Play”; everyone, it seems, will get the message, in a flash.

“The Scottish Play” Several methods exist to dispel the curse, depending on the actor. One is to immediately leave the building the stage is in with the person who uttered the name, walk around it three times, spit over their left shoulders, say an obscenity then wait to be invited back into the building. Another popular "ritual" is to leave the room, knock three times, be invited in, and then quote a line from Hamlet. Yet another is to recite one of Shylock's monologues from The Merchant of Venice.

“The Scottish Play” Superstition of Characters’ Names MacBee Macker’s Mr. and Mrs. M. The Scottish King MacWhat’s-his-face

e · quiv · o · ca · tion [ih-kwiv- uh - key -sh uh n] noun 1.the use of equivocal or ambiguous expressions, especially in order to mislead or hedge. 2.an equivocal, ambiguous expression. The speech was marked by elaborate equivocations. 3.Logic. a fallacy caused by the double meaning of a word. Synonyms: fudge, hedge, pussyfoot, tergiversate, waffle, weasel, beat around (or about) the bush, hem and haw, straddle the fence, flip-flop, yo-yo; dodge, duck, elude, eschew, evade, shake, shirk, shun, sidestep, skirt; bypass, circumvent; cavil, quibble; straddle