1. Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Breaking Apart the Conclusion

2. Case #1: Confidence In 5.3, Macbeth is bold and resolute
Believes that until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Castle, he is invincible
Also, discusses how Malcolm is woman borne
Macbeth uses the prophecy to build up his confidence, as he feels knowing the future protects him

3. Case #1: Confidence However, in 5.5… his confidence waivers
Lady Macbeth’s suicide sparks a harsh reality
“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.”

4. Case #1: Confidence The soliloquy has a specific implication:
He knows death is inevitable
Life and theatre is nothing more than an act, all things come to an end
His conclusion signifies a sudden nihilist attitude… he does not care anymore
With his wife dead, he has realized that life has no meaning… as the end, and his death, are unavoidable

5. Case #2: The Doomed Pair
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have drawn connections to another famous pair in Shakespearean history: Romeo & Juliet
The star-crossed lovers met their untimely death due to others refusal for acceptance
This deadly duo, however, meet their untimely death due to very different reasons

6. Case #2: The Doomed Pair
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are doomed at the end of Act I: conspiracy to murder
Lady Macbeth descends into madness, as the guilt builds on her conscious… this eventually is what causes her to kill herself
Macbeth refuses to accept that the prophecies are coming true… this is what causes his end to be a violent death

7. Case #2: The Doomed Pair
However, it is important to note that the doomed pair did love one another
Macbeth’s lapse in good nature weighs on her soul, and she blames herself
Lady Macbeth’s death is what causes Macbeth to become a nihilist and not care for the ending of his life (or that of the play)

8. Case #3: Crime & Punishment
Revisit that old quote..
“full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
He notes that nothing significant came from his crimes… except guilt and paranoia

9. Case #3: Crime & Punishment
Guilt = “sound” as it can trigger a steady heartbeat
Paranoia = “fury” as it is an uncontrollable mental state

10. Case #4: Reinterpreting Reality
Shakespeare did not capture reality, he reinterpreted it
The lengthy soliloquies, the offstage deaths, and the poetic speeches act as a reinterpretation of our world
They are not, in any way, shape or form, a picture perfect picture of the world
… this includes of historical representation

11. Case #5: The Prophecies
1st apparition: helmeted head warning “beware Macduff!”
2nd apparition: bloody child warning that “no man woman born can kill Macbeth”
3rd apparition: crowned child holding tree branches that says Macbeth can only be killed when a forest moves to the hill

12. Case #5: The Prophecies
1st apparition signifies war with the helmeted head
However, the first apparition connects to the second apparition that says “no man woman born can kill Macbeth”
The man that Macbeth must beware is Macduff…. Because he was born via c-section

13. Case #5: The Prophecies
The 3rd apparition signifies the forest moving toward the castle Macbeth is hiding in
The crowned child looks like Malcolm
Who had the idea to carry tree branches to hide their numbers?
It was Malcolm. The significance of the crown shows who will be king after Macbeth is killed.
Fleance ascended the throne after Malcolm’s death: the story is true

14. Case #6: Malcolm’s Victory
As Malcolm became king, a sense of calm covers the end of the play: WHY needed?
For the sake of Scotland and the play, order needs to come into control over chaos. Macbeth’s death signals the end of anarchy, and Malcolm’s crowning means the restoration of order.
It’s needed not only for the nation, but for us as the audience!

15. Case #7: Personal Hells
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suffer in their own personal hell… one they created.
Why is it important to note that they were never happy during the course of the entire play?
Even when they achieved what they wanted the most (the crown), they were unhappy. Why?