1. To be, or not to be, that is the question...
William
Shakespeare's
World
To be, or not to be, that is the question...
This above all, to thine own self be true...

2. The Man That Would Be Shakespeare
William
The Man That Would Be Shakespeare
Born April 23rd, 1564
Started out performing with “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men”
Gave him a chance to write a play
Henry IV, Pt. 1- It stunk but they gave him another shot

3. Reconstructed in the 1990’s
Many playwrights with nowhere to “play”
Barn turned into theatre (Yeah!)
Puritans burn it down (Evil theatre! Boo!)
Globe built! (Yeah!)
Globe burns (sniff, darn cannon!)
Globe rebuilt! (Yeah!)
Globe burns (Dang that Fire of London!)
The Globe
Reconstructed in the 1990’s

4. Aristocrats
The Queen/King
The Groundlings!

5. When in a play... Only men were permitted to perform
Boys or effeminate men were used to play the women
Costumes were often the company’s most valuable asset
Costumes were made by the company, bought in London, or donated by courtiers

6. The Cost of a Show 1 shilling to stand
2 shillings to sit in the balcony
1 shilling was 10% of their weekly income
Broadway Today:
$85 Orchestra
$60 Balcony
10% of a teacher’s weekly salary

7. The tragedy of Macbeth Set in Scotland
Written for King James I (formerly of Scotland, now England)
Queen of Denmark (James’s sister) was visiting
Shakespeare researched The Chronicles - Banquo is an ancestor of King James I

8. King Duncan of Scotland
Murdered by cousin Macbeth
Honest and good
Malcolm & Donalbain
Sons of the King
Malcolm is the eldest son
Macbeth
Duncan’s most courageous general
Ambition to become king corrupts him causing him to murder Duncan
The Characters

9. Banquo Lady Macbeth Macduff General and Macbeth’s best friend
Suspects Macbeth in Duncan’s murder
An actual ancestor of King James I
Lady Macbeth
As ambitious as her husband
A dark force behind his evil deeds
Macduff
Scottish general, suspects Macbeth of murdering the king
Macbeth has his family murdered
Swears vengeance

10. The Curse!

11. The Scottish Play
It is believed to be bad luck to even squeak the word ‘Macbeth’ in a theatre
Legend has it you will lose all your friends involved in the production--horribly
MORE ON THAT LATER...

12. Tragedy
When a person willingly and knowingly commits a wrongful act, and in doing so, causes his own downfall as well as that of others. The emphasis is on conscious choice

13. Tragic Flaw
A tendency to act in a certain way, but this tendency is carried to an extreme

14. The Tragic Hero

15. Macbeth is one of the most famous examples of the tragic hero.
Def. “Man of high standard who falls from that high because of a flaw that has affected many” - Aristotle
Macbeth is one of the most famous examples of the tragic hero.
However, how could John Proctor also be one?

16. So what really happens? Good guy goes bad Guy wants power
Married to a pushy control freak
She wants power
Kills people- LOTS of people
Gets power
Gets paranoid (a.k.a. goes crazy)
Ticks off a lot of people
Want more power! Kill! Kill!
Gets what’s coming to him in the end

17. MACBETH: THE ANTI-HERO
In literature and film, an anti-hero describes the main character who does not form the perfect model of the ideal hero.
Instead, they display some of the personality traits traditionally belonging to villains or un-heroic people, while also having enough heroic qualities, intentions or personality to gain the sympathy of the readers or audience.
Anti-heroes thus display paradoxical characteristics, in that they are a mix of good and bad qualities.

18. There are three varieties on the anti-hero theme
1) THE FALLEN HERO
2) THE OUTCAST
3) THE PURE VILLAIN

19. 1) THE FALLEN HERO
One type of anti-hero is an individual who has lofty or noble end goals, but who decides that questionable means can be used to achieve those goals.
This follows the old adage that “the end justifies the means.”
The audience is sympathetic to the character’s ideals but often revolted by who the character becomes as their actions become more and more questionable.
Some classic fallen heroes are Batman and Darth Vader.

20. 2) THE OUTCAST
Another type of anti-hero is one who has become disillusioned with society and distrusts conventional values and feels unwilling to commit to any ideals, thus rejecting the idea of even trying to be a hero at all.
Instead, they operate as an outsider, existing in an amoral, often cynical world.
The audience is attracted to these characters because they rebel against society and stand out as individuals.
Classic outcasts include The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Detective Phillip Marlowe from numerous pulp fiction novels.

21. 3) THE PURE VILLAIN
A final type of anti-hero is one who has no redeeming features at all.
This person is completely evil but something about their personality, their cleverness, their intelligence, their relishing of their evilness clearly sets them apart from the other insignificant or pathetic characters.
The audience sympathizes with the character because they can live vicariously through them, enjoying watching the character do things they could never get away with.
Kaiser Soze in The Usual Suspects, or Tony Montana in Scarface

22. Height of protagonist’s fortune
Play opens at the height or near the height of the hero’s fortunes
Wheel of Fortune
Reversal of fortunes through a downfall to a point exactly opposite to the one where he began
The play ends with a period of optimism

23. Best Line!
“Life’s but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And is heard of no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”
- Act V; s.5

24. Macbeth Timeline
It is important to have a summary of important points, so you can better understand the play. In addition to your quotations and questions for each act, you must also write a minimum of 10 important facts for EACH ACT. Always start at the beginning, and try to add a fact or two after each scene. Remember that not all scenes will have an important fact.