Macbeth

Macbeth

1. Themes

   • Ambition
   • Guilt
   • Appearance vs. Reality
   • Time
   • Kingship
   • Power
   • Supernatural
   • Violence
   • Deceit

2. Characters

   • Macbeth
     • brave warrior and leader at the start of the play
     • falls victim to the Witches' predictions
     • repeatedly questions his motives during soliloquies
     • towards the end of the play, his actions become less heroic and more cowardly
     • when he realises he is doomed, he briefly returns to his old heroic self
     • caught in a spiral of evil after meeting the Witches
   • Lady Macbeth
     • more ambitious and ruthless than her husband
     • uses her influence to persuade Macbeth to take action
     • pragmatic and very methodical in her processes
     • able to suppress her actions for a while but then becomes unable to deal with what she has done
     • she becomes mentally unstable and dies due to these tragic circumstances
   • Banquo
     • Macbeth's best friend
     • Banquo is more cautious and does not resort to murder to get what he wants
     • Aware of the predictions and tells Macbeth that they are evil
     • First person to suspect that Macbeth murdered Duncan
     • Dies whilst protecting his son and comes back as a ghost to haunt Macbeth
   • The Witches
     • Regarded as a single character; referred to as the Weird Sisters
     • The predictions they give lead Macbeth to become more ambitious
     • Many of their predictions are ambiguous
     • They always meet around symbols of witchcraft
     • Speak in rhyme which means they could be referred to as supernatural beings
   • Macduff
     • Thane of Fife
     • Deadly enemy of Macbeth
     • Discovered the body of Duncan and becomes Malcolm's chief supporter
     • Follows Malcolm to England to raise an army against Macbeth
     • Macduff feels guilty for leaving his wife and children to let Macbeth murder them
     • Macduff is the only one who can stop Macbeth- he eventually kills him in an act of revenge

3. Relationships

   • Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
     • Macbeth meets the witches- They are both on the same wavelength and it is almost like they can read each others thoughts
     • Planning the Murder- their relationship becomes more intense and can be regarded as passionate and obessive
     • The morning after the murder- Lady Macbeth seems to be shocked at Macbeth killing the guards and she feels that the situation is getting out of control- Macbeth becomes more violent and they are growing apart
     • After the coronation- neither of them are sleeping and Macbeth begins to plan alone and shuts Lady Macbeth out
     • The banquet- Lady Macbeth can do nothing to help him and at the end of the scene they are no longer in partnership, he is determined to go back to the Witches
     • After the banquet- all Lady Macbeth can do is watch Macbeth kill people, Lady Macbeth is driven to isolation and the guilt has driven her mad
     • Macbeth's Death- He realises that his life no longer has any meaning and calmly faces his own death at the hands of Macduff

4. Plot Summaries

   • Act 1: Duncan plans to reward Macbeth for his patriotic deeds during the battle, 3 witches prophesy that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and King, Lady Macbeth shares her ambition, Duncan arrives at the castle, insists on planning the murder
   • Act 2: Macbeth sees visions of a dagger, murders Duncan, Macduff finds Duncan dead, Macbeth kills the guards, Malcolm and Donalbain flee, Macbeth succeeds to the throne
   • Act 3: Banquo suspects that Macbeth murdered Duncan, Macbeth orders the murder of Banquo and Fleance, Fleance escapes, Banquo's ghost appears at the banquet, Macbeth plans to meet with the witches again, witches prepare to meet him, Macduff flees to England leaving his wife and children
   • Act 4: Macbeth visits the witches, should fear Macduff, receives 3 more prophesy, Macbeth orders the murder of Macduff's wife and children, Malcolm tests the loyalty of Macduff, Macduff vows to kill Macbeth as an act of revenge
   • Act 5: English army march disguised as Birnam Wood, Macbeth learns that his wife is dead, Macbeth goes out to fight and gets killed by Macduff in a single combat, Macduff hails Malcolm as King of Scotland