1. Macbeth – the Basics Ms. Miller AP English Literature (source – Prestwick House)

2. Shakespeare 1564-1616 Stratford-on-Avon, England Queen Elizabeth I Time of national wealth (the English Renaissance) - humans had potential for development - medieval Christianity’s concept of life as preparation for eternal life was questioned - marriages were arranged - women had a lower social status than men - concern for “the order of things” - rulers were “God’s agents”

3. Use of Language Blank verse – unrhymed iambic pentameter Note shifts, such as when witches speak in rhymed couplets of irregular iambic tetrameter, and when the Porter and Lady Macbeth (sleepwalking) speak in prose

4. Use of Language, con’t. Figurative language includes similes and metaphors to support imagery Ex.: Doubtful it stood; As two spent swimmers, that do cling together And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald – (I,ii). Ex.: And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling, Show’d like a rebel’s whore; but all’s too weak; (I,ii).

5. Use of Language, con’t. Personification, Hyperbole, and Understatement “valour’s minion,” “pity, like a naked newborn babe,” “I think our country sinks beneath the yoke” “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood” “This is a sorry sight” (II,ii).

6. Dramatic Conventions/ Author’s Techniques Soliloquy Aside Foil Allusion The Supernatural Madness Tragic Hero (It is, after all, a tragedy.) Internal Conflict

7. Techniques/Conventions Dramatic Irony Foreshadowing Comic Relief

8. Characters Dynamic vs. Static You must decide which characters are which and why. Remember that “change” is at the heart of the issue.

9. The Weird Sisters Weird = wyrd = fate or destiny From Old English Also references classical mythology’s three Fates Later use = “one who pretends or is supposed to have the power to foresee and control future events”

10. Tragic Hero Aristotle’s definition = a man (god, demi-god, hero, high-ranking official) who rose to a high position and then fell from that high position – usually to utter death and desolation. Two forces in classical tragedy are the tragic flaw (hamartia), and fate. The Elizabethan hero was thought to be in charge of his own destiny.

11. Historical References Holinshed’s Chronicles states that Macbeth ruled Scotland for 17 years, 10 of which were peaceful and prosperous Seven years were tumultuous – Duncan’s exiled adult sons plotted to invade Scotland and oust Macbeth Note that Holinshed records that Macbeth did not murder Duncan in cold blood, but rather he and his army murdered the king, who was considered incompetent Duncan was said to have been only 36 when killed in 1040

12. Historical References, con’t. What can you find out about Lady Macbeth and Banquo?

13. Motifs and Themes We will discover these together, but you must consider some questions/issues in order to move towards their discovery: Do you believe in fate? Can you escape your destiny (shades of Oedipus here)? Is committing murder a fair price to pay in exchange for obtaining power? Is anyone worthy of total trust? Define “evil.” Define “good.” What is the difference between greed and ambition?

14. AP Literature Free Response Qts. 1972. In retrospect, the reader often discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the opening scene of a drama introduces some of the major themes of the work. Write an essay about the opening scene of a drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it functions in this way.

15. AP Free Response Qts. 1974. Choose a work of literature written before 1900. Write an essay in which you present arguments for and against the work's relevance for a person in 1974. Your own position should emerge in the course of your essay. You may refer to works of literature written after 1900 for the purpose of contrast or comparison.

16. Another Free Response Qt. 1988. Choose a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well- organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.

17. Another Free Response Qt. 2002. Morally ambiguous characters -- characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good -- are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.