macbeth

macbeth

1. the witches

   • "foul is fair and fair is foul
   • they are in the first scene
     • this sets a sinister tone for the play
   • they appear with thunder lightning and rain
     • pathetic fallacy
     • they appear in moors and battle fields which are open and away civilisation and its laws much like the witches
     • in context it was believed that witches appeared mainly during storms

2. Lady Macbeth

   • when its revealed about the witch prophecies she is very ambitious
     • eager for macbeth to be king
     • later she loses her ambition due to a guilty conscience
       • this juxtaposes macbeths story as he began scared to do anything and by the end he was ruthless
       • she went mad
         • "these hands ne'er be clean"
           • "heres the smell of blood"

3. King Duncan

   • naive
     • both thanes of cawdor betray him
       • dramatic irony-"no more that thane of cawdor shall deceive
         • macbeth later kills and betrays him
         • "great happiness"
           • ironic as the rest of the play is sinister and dark