Macbeth themes

Macbeth themes

1. Evil and Supernatural

   • Wicked thoughts and actions
     • Witches predictions encourage Macbeth to think wicked thoughts and carry out evil deeds.
       • Macbeth is a liar, deceptive, coward, seeks out the Witches, behaves brutally physically and verbaly.
         • Act !, Scene 3: 'My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical
   • Context: King James I published a book called 'Demonology'
   • Contemporary audience would have believed it. Hell was real, Devil was threat.
   • The Witches
     • Controlling the weather, casting evil spells, wicked acts
       • Act !, Scene 1: 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair'
       • Act 1, Scene 1: 'In thunder, lightning or in rain?;
     • Context: hundreds on innocent people (mainly women) were executed.
     • Prophesy
   • Disruption of nature
     • Thunderstorm in opening of play
     • Storm on night of Duncan's murder, unnatural occurrences reported in Act 2 Scene 4.
     • Act 2, Scene 3: 'the Earth Was feverous and did shake.'