1. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

2. Introduction to the Play
Written by William Shakespeare in 1605
Macbeth is a man who overthrows the rightful King of Scotland

3. 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

4. Connections to British Society
In November, 1605:
Guy Fawkes and his followers (Roman Catholics)
planned to blow up Parliament
They wanted to bring down the British government and put a Catholic ruler on the throne
The plot was discovered and the men involved were tried and killed as traitors
Shakespeare sided with the king and believed that a play about treason and death would connect with audiences

5. 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)

6. Historical Connections
Scotland at the time was violent and troubled
The castle was the center of each rival aristocrat’s (thane) power
Political murder and revenge were not unusual means to gain power
Vikings and Norsemen attacked Scotland constantly

7. All Hail the King Macbeth focuses on issues of kinship and loyalty,
important ideals to King James, who had survived an
assassination attempt early in his life. His father had
been murdered.
His mother, Mary Queen of Scots, had been
executed.

8. Bewitched Belief in witchcraft was widespread
In 1604, the practice of witchcraft became punishable by death because it was believed that it attempted to change God’s “natural order.”

9. The Historical Macbeth
No historical evidence of Lady Macbeth’s influence on her husband
No historical evidence of Macbeth’s attention to witchcraft
Duncan, an ineffective king, was 38 when he was killed by Macbeth
Macbeth ruled for 17 years as High King of Scotland
Led Scotland into a long period of peace and stability
Strong supporter of the Church

10. Inside the Theatre
Actors often consider the play to be unlucky, and usually refer to it as “the Scottish play,” rather than by name.
To say the name of the play inside a theatre is considered to doom the production to failure.

11. Recurring Motifs (patterns)
Blood
Clothing
Natural Order (nature)
Insomnia

12. What to watch for… what Macbeth is thinking and feeling
why he acts the way he does
what consequences his evil brings upon himself

13. Themes in Macbeth: Ambition
The notion of wanting to attain more in one’s life
A character’s desire to achieve absolute power
Giving into one’s feelings for the things one desires
Wanting too much of anything
Belief that one can control one’s destiny

14. Appearance vs. Reality What seems to be good is not always so
Consider: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the witches, the setting, and King Duncan’s view of Macbeth

15. Good versus Evil
Traces of evil exist through the characters, setting and plot
The idea that one violent act spirals into more violent acts
Evil knows no boundaries
There are characters in the play that exhibit goodness

16. Chaos & Disorder
Anything that goes against the natural order of things
Consider the weather, prophesies, social/political order
Look carefully at the unnatural behaviour of characters
Consider the way characters talk about nature in the play
Chaos, not K-os

17. Betrayal To be unfaithful or deceitful to a person who trusts you
Consider the number of people Macbeth betrays in order to attain power
Betrayal not only exists between characters, but also within some of the characters

18. Act I, Scene i
Three witches gather and say that they’ll meet with Macbeth before sunset, after a terrible battle that has been fought nearby.
The witches are later called “the three weird sisters.”
Remember: “Fair is foul and foul is fair.”

19. Enjoy the play!