1. by William Shakespeare
An introduction to…
by William Shakespeare

2. The Basics of “The Scottish Play”

3. Who is Shakespeare? Born April 23, 1564 in England
Married Anne Hathaway, Three children
Shareholder & main playwright for the most successful theatre company in London
Built the Globe Theatre
Wrote 37 plays – tragedies & comedies
MacBeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy and known as his bloodiest play!
Died April 23, 1616 – Yes, it is believed he was born & died on the same day 52 years apart!
Explain to students that the questions at the top of the slides are the questions they should write on the left hand side of their notes. They should take notes on the right hand side…notes should be in their own words, not copied word-for-word…they can abbreviate as they see fit as long as they understand it!

4. What is a tragedy?
A drama or literary work in which the protagonist (main character) is brought to ruin, suffers extreme sorrow and/or dies, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstance (Think back to 9th grade…Romeo & Juliet is also a tragedy)
Macbeth’s tragic flaws include ambition and obsession
Since this is a definition, they may want to copy this carefully

5. What is the historical context?
Shakespeare modeled his play after an actual historical figure
Some of the plot points are the same
MacBeth was the King of Scotland
MacBeth killed King Duncan to take the throne
BUT, the real Macbeth was (almost) universally loved & respected; Shakespeare’s Macbeth WAS NOT
Shakespeare wrote the play for King James I of England who was also King of Scotland…many of the characters are his ancestors!

6. What can the reader expect?
5/4/2019
A historical thriller
a fast-moving, action-packed murder mystery demonstrating that crime doesn’t pay
A psychological study of a murderer’s mind
A play of political and social realism
how oppressive and hierarchical society can corrupt individuals
A play of illusions
the effect of the mysterious or supernatural on humans
A play of ideas or themes
for example, “appearance versus reality”

7. What is the setting?
The play takes place in northern Scotland and England
In Scotland, the play is set at or near the following locations:
King Duncan’s castle at Forres
Macbeth’s castle in Inverness
Macduff’s castle in Fife
Birnam Wood
Dunsinane Hill in the countryside
A scene is also set at a castle in England

8. What are the themes & symbols?
Themes – the central ideas in a literary work that are often stated indirectly:
Ambition and the pursuit of power causes downfall
Cruelty vs. Manhood (Do you need to be a man to be cruel?)
King vs. Tyrant (What’s the difference?)
Symbols – an object, person or situation that has a meaning other than its literal meaning
The supernatural (ghosts, witches)
BLOOD
Weather (Hurly-burly)
Students should look for examples of these as they read the graphic novel

9. What is the mood?
As you may have guessed by now, the mood of the play is very dark
Shakespeare’s diction (word choice) play a large role in developing the mood
The words blood and night (or forms of them, such as bloody and tonight) occur more than 40 times each in Macbeth
Other commonly occurring words that help maintain the mood of the play include terrible, horrible, black, devil and evil
Since we are reading a graphic novel version of the play, students should look to see how the author/artist has developed this mood with pictures

10. Thursday, 9/7 Warm Up Collect your notebook from the cabinet
With a partner, review the Cornell Notes taken yesterday & fill in any information missing from your notes
You will complete the notes and summary today
Display slide as students enter. This is part of the Cornell Notes process

11. Who are the characters?
Macbeth (protagonist) – ambitious general in Scotland; viewed as a hero at the beginning due to his success in battle
Lady Macbeth – Macbeth’s wife; very persuasive and aggressive in her marriage
Banquo – army general; good loyal friend of MacBeth

12. Who are the characters? King Duncan – King of Scotland
Malcolm – Oldest son of King Duncan; Prince of Cumberland
Donalbain – Youngest son of King Duncan
Macduff – Scottish nobleman & Lord of Fife; known for his wisdom & integrity
Lady Macduff – Macduff’s wife

13. Who are the characters? Three Witches Hecate (Witch 4)
Hags who can predict the future for MacBeth
Also called the Weird Sisters – weird is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word wyrd, meaning fate
Hecate (Witch 4)
Referred to as the Queen of witches
Mistress of the witches’ charms and Queen of Hades

14. Is there a curse?
Many believe that there is a curse associated with the play
Two theories for the curse center around the idea that the witchcraft scenes in the play are too authentic
The first theory is that the incantations in the play are actual incantations which create a curse and that the curse is renewed each time the words are spoken
The second theory is that at the time the play was written local witches were so angry at having their secrets revealed that they placed a perpetual curse on the play

15. Is there a curse?
For 400 years, the play has been associated with death & disaster.
In the first production, the young man playing Lady Macbeth came down with a fever right before the performance & some say he died
King James, horrified by the death scenes, banned performance of the play for 5 years
Once the ban lifted, the play was performed at the Globe theatre. A few days later, the theatre burned to the ground
An actor playing Macbeth in an early production of the play died when a real knife was used instead of a stage knife
In 1937, the founder of Old Vic Theatre died of a sudden heart attack just before the play opened and Laurence Olivier was almost killed when a sandbag fell from the rafters

16. Is there a curse?
It is rumored that the night before he was assassinated, Abraham Lincoln was quoting from Macbeth!
In 1942, one production of the play experienced the following:
An actress playing one of the witches died of a heart attack
The actor playing Duncan died of a heart attack
A second actress playing one of the witches died of a heart attack
The set designer committed suicide
In 1948, an actress playing Lady Macbeth fell 15 feet off of the edge of the stage
A Russian film version of the play was canceled after 9 members of the crew died of food poisoning
In 1971, a theatre experienced 7 burglaries and 1 fire during a 3 month of the play

17. Why is it called “The Scottish Play”?
Due to its reputation, it is considered bad luck to even say “Macbeth” in a theatre except during rehearsal or a performance
Instead, the terms “the Scottish play” or simply “that play” are used
If someone does happen to say “Macbeth” by accident, it is said they must
leave the room, close the door, turn around three times, say a dirty word (or spit, some say), then knock on the door and ask to be let back in, OR
repeat this quote from Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4: “Angels and ministers of grace defend us!”
Note: It is okay to use the term Macbeth outside of the theatre, such as in a classroom!

18. Summary
On the last page of the Cornell Notes, complete the Summary section by answering the Essential Question: What do I need to know to understand MacBeth?
Please complete the Summary as homework, as needed