Macbeth
• Written · 1606
• Date of First Publication · First Folio edition, 1623
• Setting · The Middle Ages, specifically the
eleventh century, various locations in Scotland;
also England, briefly
• Major Conflicts · The struggle within Macbeth be-
tween his ambition and his sense of right and
wrong; the struggle between the murderous evil
represented by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and
the best interests of the nation, represented by
Malcolm and Macduff
• Rising Action · Macbeth and Banquo’s encounter with
the witches initiates both conflicts; Lady Macbeth’s
speeches goad Macbeth into murdering Duncan and
seizing the crown.
• Climax · Macbeth’s murder of Duncan in Act 2 repre-
sents the point of no return, after which Macbeth is
forced to continue butchering his subjects to avoid the
consequences of his crime.
• Falling Action · Macbeth’s increasingly brutal murders
(of Duncan’s servants, Banquo, Lady Macduff and her
son); Macbeth’s second meeting with the witches; Mac-
beth’s final confrontation with Macduff and the oppos-
ing armies
• Themes · The corrupting nature of unchecked ambition; the
relationship between cruelty and masculinity; the difference
between kingship and tyranny
• Motifs · The supernatural, hallucinations, violence, prophecy
• Symbols · Blood; the dagger that Macbeth sees just before
he kills Duncan in Act 2; the weather
• Foreshadowing · The bloody battle in Act 1 foreshadows the
bloody murders later on; when Macbeth thinks he hears a
voice while killing Duncan, it foreshadows the insomnia that
plagues Macbeth and his wife; Macduff’s suspicions of Mac-
beth after Duncan’s murder foreshadow his later opposition
to Macbeth; all of the witches’ prophecies foreshadow later
events.
Plot
• The play opens as three witches plan a meeting with the Scottish
nobleman Macbeth, who at that moment is fighting in a great battle.
• When the battle is over, Macbeth and his friend Banquo come across
the witches who offer them three predictions, Macbeth will become
Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland, and Banquo’s descendants
will become kings.
• Banquo laughs at the prophecies but Macbeth is excited, especially
as soon after their meeting with the witches Macbeth is made Thane
of Cawdor by King Duncan, in return for his bravery in the battle. He
writes to his wife, Lady Macbeth, who is as excited as he is.
• A messenger tells Lady Macbeth that King Duncan is on his way to
their castle and she invokes evil spirits to help her slay him. Mac-
beth is talked into killing Duncan by his wife and stabs him to death.
No one is quite sure who committed this murder, and no one feels
safe, but Macbeth is crowned king.
• Now that Macbeth is king he knows the second prediction
from the witches has come true, but he starts to fear the third
prediction (Banquo’s descendants will also be kings). Macbeth
therefore decides to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, but the
plan goes wrong – Banquo is killed but his son escapes.
• Macbeth then thinks he is going mad because he sees Ban-
quo’s ghost and receives more predictions from the witches.
He starts to become ruthless and kills the family of Macduff,
an important lord.
• Macbeth still thinks he is safe but one by one the witches’
prophecies come true, Lady Macbeth cannot stop thinking
about Duncan, she becomes deranged and dies. A large army
marches on Macbeth’s castle and Macbeth is killed by Mac-
duff.
Themes
• The Corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition
• Macbeth kills Duncan against his better judgment and af-
terward stews in guilt and paranoia, descending into a
kind of frantic, boastful madness.
• Lady Macbeth spurs her husband mercilessly to kill Dun-
can and urges him to be strong in the murder’s aftermath,
but she is eventually driven to distraction by the effect of
Macbeth’s repeated bloodshed on her conscience.
• Ambition is what drives the couple to ever more terrible
atrocities. The problem is that once one decides to use vio-
lence to further one’s quest for power, it is difficult to stop.
It is always tempting to use violent means to dispose of
potential threats.
The Relationship between Cruelty and Masculinity
• Lady Macbeth goads her husband on to mur-
der, Macbeth provokes the murderers he hires
to kill Banquo by questioning their manhood,
equating masculinity with naked aggression.
• To Malcolm’s suggestion, “Dispute it like a
man,” Macduff replies, “I shall do so. But I
must also feel it as a man” (4.3.221–223), giv-
ing him a lesson on the emotional nature of
true masculinity.
• Masculinity is an ideology, not a true virtue.
• Duncan is always referred to as a “king,”
while Macbeth soon becomes known as the
“tyrant.”
• tyrant : a thirst for personal power and a vi-
olent temperament
• The king-becoming graces : ‘justice, verity,
temp’rance, stableness, / Bounty, persever-
ance, mercy, [and] lowliness” (4.3.92–93).
• Model king: an embodiment of order and
justice, comfort and affection to subjects
The Difference between Kingship and Tyranny
Ambition
• Macbeth’s true downfall is his own ambition.
• Lady Macbeth is as ambitious as her husband,
encouraging him to commit murder to achieve
their goals.
• The results: paranoia(fear), obsession with
maintaining the power
• At the end of the play, Macbeth has achieved
all he wanted, but has nothing. With his wife
gone and no hope of producing a prince, Mac-
beth sees what his unchecked ambition has
cost him: the loss of all he holds dear.
Guilt
• Macbeth’s guilt about murdering his king, Duncan,
and ordering the murder of his friend, Banquo,
causes him to have guilty hallucinations.
• Lady Macbeth also hallucinates and eventually goes
insane from guilt over her role in Duncan’s death.
• Evidence that they are not entirely cold-blooded.
• Their guilt prevents them from fully enjoying the
power they craved.
• While Macbeth’s guilt causes him to commit further
murders in an attempt to cover up his initial crimes,
Lady Macbeth’s guilt drives her to insanity, and, fi-
nally, suicide.
The loss of children
• Children represent the idea of the continuation
of a family line.
• The Macbeths may have lost a child.
• Macduff mourns the children Macbeth ordered
killed and uses their memory to spur him on to
victory against their killer
• Siward laments the loss of his son in the play’s
closing battle, but is proud to have fathered such
a brave soldier who fought in a noble cause.
• Banquo’s son Fleance, an ancestor of James I.
Symbols
• Blood
• It is described in harrowing terms by the wounded
captain in Act 1, scene 2.
• Once Macbeth and Lady Macbeth embark upon their
murderous journey, blood comes to symbolize their
guilt.
• a little water will do the job (2.2.58–59)
• Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean
from my hand?
• Blood symbolizes the guilt that sits like a permanent
stain on the consciences of both Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth, one that hounds them to their graves.
The Weather
• Macbeth’s grotesque murder spree is
accompanied by a number of unnatural
occurrences in the natural realm.
• From the thunder and lightning that ac-
company the witches’ appearances to
the terrible storms that rage on the
night of Duncan’s murder, these viola-
tions of the natural order reflect corrup-
tion in the moral and political orders.
Macbeth’s ambition
• Macbeth’s ambition is driven by a number of
factors :
• Prophecy: Various prophecies are realized through-
out the play. However, it is unclear whether these
prophecies are preordained or self fulfilling.
• Lady Macbeth: his wife is the driving force that en-
courages Macbeth to overcome his strong sense of
guilt and take action on the prophecies.
• Consequences: Macbeth is slain as a tyrant and
Lady Macbeth commits suicide. Shakespeare does
not give either character the opportunity to enjoy
what they have achieved.
Fear and guilt
• create a perpetual cycle that causes characters to change their
morals, behaviors, and guide their actions.
• Macbeth: fearful to kill Duncan and Macbeth doesn't want to go
to hell or have a bad reputation.
• Macbeth is also afraid that he might fail and get caught while
attempting to kill the king.
• Lady Macbeth is afraid that people are going to wake up while
Macbeth is killing Duncan.
• Once Macbeth kills Duncan he is afraid that someone watched
him kill Duncan.
• Macbeth is afraid that Banquo is still alive and will tell about his
recent actions.
• Macbeth is afraid that the witches’ prophecies about Banquo's
children becoming king would be true.
• "...Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this
blood/ clean from my hand? No; this my hand
will rather/ the multitudinous seas incarnadine,/
making the green one red." (2.2. 59-62)
• Lady Macbeth is sleep walking and she feels
guilty about the past murders.
• She is trying to get the guilt off her hands when
in the past she said it was easy to hide and a lit-
tle water will make her clean of this act.
• Macbeth is afraid of being laughed at and would
rather die.
Good and evil
• Macbeth himself is not a totally evil man. There
is much about him that is good and he experi-
ences an on-going struggle with his conscience.
• Good is shown in many symbols throughout the
play : Heroism - Duncan and his men are trying
to restore peace to Scotland.
• Bravery - Macbeth is described as being a
brave man, ‘brave Macbeth, well he deserves
that name’ (1.2.16)
• Symbols of good - Malcolm and Macduff are
built up as figures of goodness.
• Evil is also shown in many symbols :
• The supernatural - the witches and their
spells are linked with the devil.
• The evil thoughts some characters have :
Lady Macbeth imagines the knocking out of
her child's brains and Macbeth imagines the
dagger, and tries to prepare himself for the
evil deed of murder.
• The evil deeds - the murder of Duncan and
the murder of Macduff's family.
The supernatural
• In Shakespeare's time belief in witch-
craft was very strong and many so-
called witches were burnt at the
stake.
• Is Macbeth possessed?
• - he is unable to say Amen (2.2.26),
he has visions, he is disturbed and
even thinks no one can kill him
Key Scenes for macbeth
• The witches (Act 1, Scene 3)
• Macbeth and Banquo hear the same prophecies
from the witches - but they react in different
ways. Why is Macbeth so moved?
• The witches speak dangerous thoughts Mac-
beth is thinking himself. His reaction is as if
someone has read his mind.
• Macbeth is excited by the witches' words, but
when he receives news he is now Thane of
Cawdor, he has proof they know the future and
he begins to believe them.
• Before the murder (Act 1, Scene 7)
• Did Macbeth really want to kill Duncan?
• His excuses show he does still really
want the crown.
• Lady Macbeth's persuasion quickly
works on him.
• By the end, he has taken over the plan-
ning himself. He temporarily loses his
doubt and fear.
• After the murder (Act 2, Scene 3)
• Which emotions might Macbeth be feeling four hours
after the murder?
• Fear and shock: At the start of the scene, Macbeth is
tense and nervous.
• Guilt and regret : Many of Macbeth's words suggest
he is feeling these emotions after the murder.
• Threat, menace, power and control : What Macbeth
says has a lot of menace in it. By the end of the
scene he could be enjoying the shock and distress he
has caused. His words have a dark double meaning.
• The banquet (Act 3, Scene 4)
• Macbeth is tense and anxious as he en-
ters the banquet, his mind conjuring up
the terrible image of the ghost.
• Macbeth is sick with worry about
Fleance being alive and guilt about
Banquo's murder.
• Macbeth is acting secretly, not commu-
nicating with Lady Macbeth.
• The effect of the ghost on Macbeth (Act 3,
Scene 4)
• Macbeth's reaction to the ghost occurs in
three distinct phases.
• He is terrified and cowers from it.
• He challenges it.
• Macbeth puts his faith in the supernatural,
his marriage is no longer the source of his
strength. This is a real turning point.
• Lady Macbeth's death (Act 5, Scene 5)
• How is Macbeth affected when he learns of his wife's
death?
• Macbeth seems suddenly weary when Lady Macbeth dies.
His reaction is strange - quiet, subdued and thoughtful.
• His power and motivation seem to vanish. It's as if Mac-
beth no longer sees any point trying to hold onto the
kingship. He cannot understand why he ever wanted it.
• He realizes this is the end and his own death is near. We
get the impression he now knows he will die, even
though the witches seem to have told him otherwise. The
strange thing is, he just seems to accept it.
Key scenes for Lady Mac-
beth
• The effect of the letter (Act 1, Scene 5)
• Lady Macbeth's reaction when she reads her hus-
band's letter is powerful and dramatic.
• On reading, she has decided she will make sure Mac-
beth is king. It's as if she and her husband are think-
ing exactly the same thing. She does not hesitate for
a moment.
• Lady Macbeth invites the spirits of evil to enter her.
She knows she has to steel herself, the murder will
need evil power, and evil is not naturally within her.
• She knows immediately murdering Duncan is the only
way of quickly achieving her goal.
• Before the murder (Act 1, Scene 7)
• Lady Macbeth uses different methods to persuade Mac-
beth to change his mind. Which one really affected Mac-
beth?
• She says it was his idea first. This is her opening line -
simply pointing out he raised the idea first.
• She taunts Macbeth's masculinity - calling him a coward.
This is an important part of her approach. Macbeth's
rank and fame depend on his courage and bravery.
• She says he cannot love her. This personal taunt really
hits home for Macbeth. It is unexpected because their
relationship is so intense.
Why does Lady Macbeth say she would kill their child?
• Lady Macbeth has lost a child when it was still
young. It's really shocking when she says she
would have smashed it to the floor rather than go
back on a promise. Why is this?
• This would be the ultimate sacrifice - she makes
the point she knew the joy of being a mother, and
would have given it up for Macbeth to be king.
• She uses terrible, violent imagery as a shock tac-
tic. She realizes Macbeth's doubt needs to be
overcome quickly and this needs extreme mea-
sures. If they delay one night, the chance is gone.
Why does Lady Macbeth faint?
• After the murder (Act 2, Scene 3)
• Without warning during this scene, Lady Macbeth faints.
• Does she faint to distract attention, because the others might
see through Macbeth's elaborate excuses?
• Or is it because she is genuinely shocked and overcome and
her strength suddenly leaves her?
• She's distracting attention. Well, you could say this - depend-
ing on how you read the scene. Certainly her line Help me
hence, ho!(Act two, Scene three, Line 18) could be said in a
theatrical way to distract attention.
• Lady Macbeth is shocked by the guards' murders. She was not
prepared for more death. This is a good point to make. She
thought the killing of Duncan would be the end of the story.
• The banquet (Act 3, Scene 4)
• This scene is a turning point in the play be-
cause it marks the point where Lady Mac-
beth loses touch with Macbeth.
• Her persuasion no longer works on him.
• She cannot understand Macbeth's faith in
the supernatural.
• She can only really have power through her
husband. She has no power of her own.
• The sleepwalking scene (Act 5, Scene 1)
• Understanding why Lady Macbeth has be-
gun to sleepwalk will help you to under-
stand her character.
• She needs to be cleansed. Lady Macbeth
never saw the evil of the murder lasting in
this way. The blood of Duncan haunts her.
• She re-runs her own part in the murder to
come to terms with her guilt. Her words
come back to haunt her.
• Lady Macbeth is horrified by Macbeth's continued killing. She
was devastated by the slaughter of Lady Macduff and her chil-
dren. What does the scene tell us about her part in the play?
• As a woman, Lady Macbeth never had the power to control
things independently.
• While Macbeth's conscience strikes in a public banquet, Lady
Macbeth's fear shows up in a private setting. This underlines
the different roles of men and women in this society.
• The isolation has driven her mad as Macbeth no longer seems
to exist for her, Lady Macbeth always instinctively saw herself
as part of a couple. Macbeth has gradually broken away from
her, leaving her totally isolated in her chamber. She desper-
ately wants their former closeness.
The witches
• How do the witches introduce the
play?
• The witches meet in foul weather -
they speak of thunder, lightning, fog
and filthy air. This introduces Mac-
beth as a dark, dangerous play, in
which the theme of evil is central.
• “Fair is foul and foul is fair.“ (1.1.11)
• These words appear to contradict each
other - it's confusing. Is that what this
play is about? Is everything as it seems?
The words introduce the idea of illusion
and reality.
• “So foul and fair a day I have not seen."
• (1.3.38)
• The principle of contradiction(A is A’)
The witches' influence
• Why do the witches' prophecies have so much power
over Macbeth?
• The witches have chosen the right moment to ap-
proach Macbeth - when he is full of the triumph of
battle, and fresh from killing.
• The witches speak Macbeth's innermost thoughts.
• The first prophecy has come true. Macbeth has im-
mediate proof the witches know the future.
• They've got him - Macbeth is under the witches' spell.
From now on, their words will always be in his
thoughts. We only see them once more, but the
witches are always in Macbeth's mind.
Who's to blame?
• Whose idea is Duncan's murder? Who is the stronger - Macbeth or Lady Macbeth?
• Whom do we pity? Are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth a team, and if not, when do things change?
• Macbeth
• He already harbours thoughts of the kingship. He willingly listens to the witches.
• He writes to his wife to excite her interest. He begins to back off when the plan has been
hatched.
• He takes over the planning from Lady Macbeth. His speech is full of evil, threat and darkness.
• Lady Macbeth
• She is obsessed with the news sent by Macbeth. She immediately hatches a plan.
• Her speech is full of evil double meaning. She taunts Macbeth when he tries to back down.
• She takes the knives back to the servants after the murder. She tries to make everything nor-
mal again afterwards.
• The witches
• They select their target precisely. They speak Macbeth's thoughts. They make him believe his
greatest prize is near. They show him they have the power of prophecy. They torment him with
riddles.
Techniques : Ambiguities
• Fair is foul, and foul is fair (1.1.11)
• What we think looks attractive or 'fair' is bad or 'foul'. In
other words, our ambitions can be our downfall or they
could be warning us of things to come in the play.
• Macbeth is tempted by their predictions and enters a
confused, unnatural world, where he cannot trust what
he sees and cannot bear what he is.
• Many of the characters say things which are ambiguous.
• Ex) When Lady Macbeth says the daggers must lie there
(2.2.46) - she could mean the daggers must be placed
there, but also the daggers will hide the truth and pin
the blame on the servants.
Repetition
• Repeating a word or phrase draws attention to it.
• Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep', the innocent
sleep, Sleep that knits up the ravel'd sleeve of care. (2.2.32-
34)
• In fact the word 'sleep' is repeated eight times in
just ten lines.
• Sleep is like death, but it's also an escape from
the worries of the world.
• By concentrating on the word 'sleep' we can see
how Macbeth has put Duncan to sleep and now
will no longer sleep again.
Why is Banquo's ghost important in act 3?
• Banquo's ghost is evidence of Mac-
beth's guilt and the fear that Mac-
beth feels about not being entirely
secure on the throne.
• It further shows the nobles around
him that he is "losing" it.
How a guilty conscience gives birth to a crime
• Having decided to kill Duncan, he makes a choice.
• And this choice is more serious than it seems to
him initially. It is not just a path to power; it is a
path towards the inner feeling of one’s own worth-
lessness.
• And it is easier to follow this path than to step off
it. Or, in Macbeth’s own words:
• “Things bad begun make strong themselves by
ill.”
• He does not have the strength to leave the path
that he had chosen.
the pangs of conscience
• How did the pangs of conscience – the purpose of
which is actually to elevate us – lead Macbeth and
Claudius downwards?
• Paradoxically, Macbeth and Claudius would both have
been much happier and more successful if their con-
science had not tormented them. For example, if they
had been villains to the core.
• Neither Claudius nor Macbeth can become such vil-
lains who have no remorse whatsoever.
• They have already passed that stage of their devel-
opment, and there is no way back for them. Just like
an adult can no longer return to a state of childhood.
• Externally, Macbeth is strong, he is
still trying to face fate’s challenges,
but inside he is already broken. Fear
stands behind the hectic actions of a
once brave man. And behind the fear
are (repressed) remorse and the feel-
ing of guilt. It is they which direct the
movement of energy downward.
Harold Bloom on Macbeth
• Richard III, Iago, and Edmund are hero-villains;
• to call Macbeth one of that company seems all
wrong.
• They delight in their wickedness; Macbeth suffers
intensely from knowing that he does evil, and that
he must go on doing ever worse.
• Shakespeare rather dreadfully sees to it that we are
Macbeth
• We are to journey inward to Macbeth’s heart of
darkness, and there we will find ourselves more truly
and more strange, murderers in and of the spirit.
