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. Disruption of the Natural Order
Themes
Ambition
Guilt
Temptation
The Supernatural
Disruption of the Natural Order

11. The Curse!

12. 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...

13. The Tragic Hero

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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

17. Translation
“Life is nothing more than an illusion. It’s like a poor actor who struts and worries for his hour on the stage and then is never heard from again. Life is a story told by an idiot, full of noise and emotional disturbance but devoid of meaning.” Act V; s.5

18. Shakespeare - The History of English (3/10) (1:16mins): http://www
Macbeth Summary (3:41mins):