Macbeth

Ambition:

• the main theme in Macbeth
• ambition motivates macbeth to commit tragic deeds- 'valiant soldier' to 'dead butcher'- tragic hero as one flaw of ambition has a major effect
• play portrays ambition as dangerous as it can quickly spiral out of control- eg he considers killing duncan because of morals but doesnt hesitate killing banquo 
• ambition can make people ruthless and selfish- macbeth has to keep killing people to feel secure 
• Both LM and Macbeth are destroyed by their ambition- warning against ambition that isnt balanced by morals
• ambition leads to evil 

Ambition is Macbeths biggest flaw:

• tragic hero- his ambition to become king is his fatal flaw
• his ambition makes him act against his morals- eg when killing Duncan
• ambition makes him act against better judgement- he knows that if you aim too high you could fall and lose everything- foreshadows 
• LM sees theres a difference between ambition and acting upon ambition. she knows macbeth has ambition 'not without ambition' but thinks he isnt ruthless enough to act upon it 

Ambition can be good or bad:

• not all characters are corrupted by their ambition like the macbeths
• can be a positive thing if motivated by the desire to help others instead of yourself
• Malcolm and Macduff show positive ambition- they want to fight to take Macbeths power away for the good of scotland, not for themselves 
• Banquo's ambitious for his sons after his prophecy however doesnt act upon it in a violent way like Macbeth 

Different things that the characters are loyal to:

• Country- macduff loyal to scotland- he chooses to betray his family and go to england to fight for his country. He'd rather leave scotland than see it be ruled by a 'bad' king
• King- in act 1 Macbeth is loyal to Duncan by fighting for him, other thanes are also loyal because he's a 'great king'
• Beliefs- Banquo is loyal to his sense of honour,- he wants to keep his 'allegiance clear' and not act upon his ambition or let the witches prophecies affect him 

When characters betray their loyalty- its usually for their own selfish desires

Loyalty is rewarded and betrayal is punished:

• betrayal of original thane of cawdor gets him executed and duncan rewards title to macbeth to thank him for his loyalty- circular structure of the play as also ends on MB being killed and Malcolm rewarding thanes for loyalty
• Macbeth betrays his sense of right and wrong (conscience) which results in his death
• Betrayal and loyalty is linked to power- titles can be given or taken away depending on that persons loyalty

Macbeths pretend to be loyal:

• macbeth is initially loyal to duncan- more tragic and shocking when his desire to become king becomes more important than his loyalty
• LM fakes an appearance of loyalty- facade- tells duncan her and macbeth are 'your servents ever' even though shes plotted to murder him 
• juxtaposition between LM plotting to kill duncan and her welcoming him into her home- develops her character and makes murderous intentions more dramatic. 

• Duncan is an example of an ideal king- 'gracious'. he inspires loyalty and is the rightful ruler of scotland 
• contrast- macbeth is viewed as a 'tyrant' because he rules selfishly and with violence
• hes rarely referred to as king- shows other characters dont accept him as a king 
• under duncans reign, country is ordered and peaceful but under macbeths reign nature reacts

In act 4 scene 3, malcolm describes good and bad kings:

• indirectly referring to macbeth under description of bad king- 'false' 'deceitful' 'bloody' 
• indireclty referring to duncan under description of a good king- 'lowliness' 'temperance' 'bounty' 

Malcolm says a good king should be holy- at the time people believed kings were appointed by god

King Edward (england) is surrounded by blessings and uses prayers to cure sick people 

macbeth is 'devilish'- commits murder and talks to evil witches 

Macbeth:

• at the beginning of the play MB shows hes a 'noble' man and has the potential for greatness- Duncan recognises this and makes him thane of cawdor 
• once tempted by his ambitions, his goodness is overpowered by evil desires 
• shows that even good people can be led astray by ambition 
• becomes increasingly evil as he's 'hardened' to he many crimes he commits 
• crown of scotland becomes a battle between good and evil- MB is a 'tyrant' that must be killed before scotland is destroyed

Evil is linked to gender:

• LM links cruelty and aggression with masculinity when she says 'unsex me here' - she thinks her femininity is holding her back from taking violent action
• though she wants to be like a man she still relies on manipulation rather than action- emotional blackmail to get MB to commit the murder
• witches gender is ambiguous- women but have beards- they also rely on manip

Battles are used to represent conflict between good and evil:

• opening scene is scotland v norway- whos leader is led by a traitor 
• the play also ends with a battle against macbeth. malcolm's men want to restore the rightful king. 

Shakespeare emphasises conflict between good and evil by religious imagery- macbeth portrayed as 'more hateful' than the devil but Siward conveyed as 'gods soldier' 

Witches:

• their 'strange intelligence' and ability to predict the future gives them power over humans. 
• there are hints that their power is limited eg when planning to harm the sea captain they say his ship 'cannot be lost'- this foreshadows the prophecy they give MB saying he cant be killed but actually can 
• prophecies drive the action of the play eventhough they arent in many scenes 
• unlikely that macbeth would have committed all the crimes if he wasnt influenced by the witches
• associated with 'chaos' they try to impose an unnatural order on whats good and natural 
• motivated by destruction rather than goodness so represent the struggle between natural and unnatural order 
• supernatural elements add to the atmosphere- make the play darker and more frightening

Visions are supernatural signs of guilt:

Macbeth hallucinates a dagger before killing duncan, however its unclear whether its leading him towards duncan or warning him about murder. represents 'bloody business' 

Macbeth also hallucinates Banquo's ghost- macbeths gulty conscience after he has just murdered him 

LM is drven mad through constant hallucinations of hands covered in duncans blood- eventually leads to her killing herself 

• visions are ambiguous as could be real or imaginary
• fill the characters with fear eg when MB sees banquos ghost he cant speak properly
• LM's language when she sleepwalks is desperation- "O,o,o" - shes disturbed by blood as a result of guilty conscience 

Appearances can be deceptive:

• characters often hide their thoughts and pretend to be something they're not
• Lm encourages MB to appear good so no body suspects hes going to kill duncan "look like th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under't" (serpent links Lm to satan who tempted adam and eve)
• Macbeth knows he needs to put on a 'false face' however when he sees banquo's ghost this disappears
• At first, LM has no problem disguising her evil behaviour- she pretends to faint with shock when duncan is discovered to divert attention away from MB who was rambling on which made him look guilty. 
• However guilt becomes too great to hide and she starts sleepwalking 
• people can be deceptive but their true nature comes out in the end 
• witches are deceptive towards MB by giving him false prophecies

Meaning of words are unclear:

• could appear different to their true meaning 
• 'fair is foul and foul is fair' suggests that good is evil and evil is good- deceptive 
• witches use language to trick macbeth by giving him false sense of reality eg 'no man of woman born' gives false confidence 
• other characters use paradoxes which create uncertainty 

Some characters suffer when they trust deceitful appearances too much: 

• Duncan trusts Macbeth- killed by it however this could have been foreshadowed when he trusted disloyal thane of cawdor
• Macbeth knows about appearance vs reality as he is deceptive but still trusts the witches which leads to his downfall 
• Contrast- Malcolm is immediately sceptical at the claim duncan was killed by his servents- his awareness of this causes him to flee and potentially save his life

• Fate is the idea that everything has been decided so cant change what happens 
• free will is where humans choose their own course of action- so future is made up by results of these actions 
• If its fate that causes everything to happen then its not MB's fault he murdered duncan but if free will exists it was MB's own choice that lead to his downfall 
• shakespeare doesn't make it clear whether it was MB's fate to kill Duncan 

When Macbeth first hears the prophecies he's happy to just let fate take its course, like Banquo but LM also believes MB is fated to be king however convinces MB to act upon it. 

Macbeth- free will from prophecies but Banquo- fate. Banquo is a FOIL to show contrast in responses 

Out of MB's own free will that he initially decides not to kill duncan but later his free will causes him to kill him 

Was written and performed in 17th century- King James of England. jacobean era. Play appealed to his interests, he was fascinated with the supernatural and shakespeare honoured his ancestor Banquo by making him a character 

At the time Macbeth was written many people believed in witches and supernatural so the weird sisters would have been very believable and frightening to a 17th century audience 

11th century women or 17th century women would not have had any place in society or relationships, therefore lady macbeth is the antithesis to a jacobean women as she is the one in control in her relationship and more ambitous and stronger than macbeth

Divine right of kings- monarchs were seen as gods deputies on earth- they had absolute power. Shock to the audience that Macbeth killed a king. Killing a king would have horrendous consequences including the fact you'd go straight to hell (hence hell references) and nature would rebel eg horses ate eachother 

Scene 1: witches plan to meet macbeth

• pathetic fallacy 
• first three characters on stage- how important the theme of supernatural is
• mysterious- do not know their purpose
• constantly speak in rhyming couplets- only supernatural characters speak in rhyming couplets in this play, so sets them apart from everyone else
• fair is foul and foul is fair- introduces appearance vs reality 
• witches speak in paradoxes 

Scene 2:

• battlefield, scottish army led by banquo and macbeth
• sets a violent and bloody scene which sets a violent mood for the play 
• 'brave' and valient' macbeth- dramatic irony 
• macbeth is celebrated for his bloodthirsty nature as he kills the traitor- ironic 

scene 3: 

• macbeth and banquo visit witches and are given prophecies- thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor, King and banquo- descendents will become kings
• Banquo is suspicious and questions his sanity- he warns that the witches are manipulating 
• he's less easily deceived by macbeth- 'instruments of darkness' as he sees their evil but macbeth is less certain 
• macbeth is left spellbound by the predictions but also scared by the powerful ambition that that has awoken 
• Banquo is a FOIL- character to show contrast in ways the different characters reacted to the prophecies
• macbeth has a lust for power- hes already debating about killing duncan but his conscience tells him no
• when pronounced T of Caw..his ambition is strengthened 

scene 4

• MB pronounced TOC by duncan as a reward for his loyalty- dramatic irony 
• ironic how the title has just been taken by a traitor and is given to a traitor about to be 
• inside, MB's ambition is battling with his conscience- wants to keep his 'black and dark desires' hidden 

Scene 5

• Lm opens letter from MB about prophecies- she reads it and this allows audience to access her innermost thoughts
• no doubts about killing duncan but thinks MB is 'too kind' to kill him 
• in her soliloquy she uses evil imagery 'smoke of hell' to portray evil in her mind
• she asks the spirits to 'unsex me here' - doesnt want to be a women as she thinks theyre weak and not capable of murder

Scene 6:

• duncan arrives at the macbeths castle and is grateful for their hospitality- dramatic irony as he describes it as 'pleasant' but the audience know what macbeth has got planned
• LM puts up a facade of a perfect hostess- shakespeare contrasts this scene with the previous one to show how false she is 

Scene 7:

• MB's soliloquy- gives pros and cons on killing duncan- he knows he'll be murdered himself, he has a duty to protect him, hes a good king- Mb knows his ambition is what will trigger his downfall
• LM bullies and forces MB to go through with the murder by questioning his masculinity 
• she rejects her femininity and tries to prove how remorseless she is by saying shed kill her own baby 
• act 1 ends with suspense as the murder has been planned but hasnt happened 

• banquo and fleance are in this scene as a reminder of banquos prophecy that his kids will be king but hes doing nothing about it 
• there are no stars- 'their candles are all out' - dark symbolises the evil macbeth is going to do 
• he sees hallucinations of a dagger- unsure whether its leading him to duncan or warning him against murder

scene 2:

• Lm says she couldnt kill duncan because he reminded her of her father, shes also startled by every sound she hears whilst shes waiting for MB to return- she isnt as merciless as she appears
• murder takes place off stage- suspense and horrific as audience imagine it 
• MB worried al of 'neptune's ocean' wont wash his hands- guilt whereas LM seems unaffected- ironic foreshadowing of her in act 5
• 'my hands are of your colour, but i shame/ to wear a heart so white'- ironic as roles are reversed
• stage directions like knocking add to tension as as worry MB- showing his guilt and fear

Scene 3:

• porters comic monologue relieves tension but builds suspense 
• Lennox says the storm was awful 'strange screams of death'- dramatic irony 
• Macduff finds duncans body- horrified 
• Before duncans body was found MB was tense- spoke in short sentences but after body was found he starts rambling and so LM faints to direct attention away from him 
• Malcolm and Donalbain run away as they fear for their lives and think they'll be blamed- MB takes the throne 

Scene 4:

• purpose is to create a sense of fear and uncertainty
• several strange events happen after duncans death- natural order has been disrupted
• Macduff says he isnt going to the corrination- suspicious 

Scene 1:

• opens with banquo's soliloquy revealing innermost thoughts- hes suspicious of MB, hes still ambitious over the witches predictions but is willing to let fate take its course
• MB hires 3 murderers to kill banquo and fleance- shows how his character has changed as in act 1 he was indecisive to kill dunan but now willing to kill his best friend without thought
• coward as cant face the enemy himself
• MB persuades the murderers by questioning their masculinity 
• doesnt tell LM - roles have reversed

scene 2:

• the macbeths feel insecure about their positions
• shakespeare uses oxymorons to show their mixed emotions as theyre happy theve got what they wanted but feel threatened 
• Mb is so driven by his own ambition he doesnt tell MB about the plotted murder
• MB envies duncan at peace

scene 3:

• Banquo is murdered and when he does his light goes out- Banquo represents light
• fleance escapes- shows its impossible to cheat fate which suggests MB would have become king anyway

Scene 4:

• MB holds a feast- hes in a good mood as he thinks B and F are being killed
• one of the murderers tells him fleance got away- this irritates him
• B's ghost appears which is a symptom of his guilt and anxiety
• MB almost reveals hes killed Duncan- LM pretends his unwell and sends everyone away 

scene 5:

• Hecate- goddess of witches- is annoyed the three witches have been meddling with MB without her
• they plan to trick MB into a false sense of security 

scene 6:

• minor scene where macduff has raised a rebel army against macbeth in england with malcolm 
• lennox suspects MB is responsible for B and D's murder but he's too afraid to say anything
• he reveals his suspision through hes speech- "duncans murder did grieve macbeth!"- sarcasm 
• lennox writes a letter to england to beg to set scotland free from macbeths reign 

• 
  macbeth visits the witches again- announce his arrival by 'something wicked this way comes' 
• MB portrays hes not afraid of the witches, threatens and commands them
• witches use 3 apparitions to predict his future
• beware of Macduff
• no one women born can harm macbeth 
• macbeth cant be killed until birnam wood moves to Dunsinane 
• he feels secure as he thinks he'll never be defeated as its impossible for birnam wood to move and for a man not to be born from a woman 
• he wants to know if Banquo's prophecy is true- 4th appirition shows a line of banquos descendants 
• MB decides he wants to kill Macduff's fam- evil and paranoid- willing to kill anyone associated with the enemy 
• he doesnt share these murders with LM-driven by his own ambition and trusts no one 

scene 2

• Lady macduff is angry that her husband has run off to england 
• shes also fearful- shows how afraid people are under MB's reign 
• LM talks with her son- witty dialogue to intensify maternal bond which intensifies horror of whats about to happen
• contrast between when LM said shed dash out her babies brain 
• murderer enters and stabs son- made more brutal by murderer calling him an 'egg' and 'fry' to highlight how young and defenceless he is 
• murder happens on stage- compared to duncans murder off stage. shows MB no longer cares if people see his terrible crimes

scene 3:

• Macduff goes to england to convince him to raise an army 
• malcolm doesnt trust macduff- shows the fear and suspision macbeth has created
• macduff is loyal to scotland as has betrayed his family to save his country 
• malcolm thinks that because MD's family havent been killed that MD has to support MB- dramatic irony 
• theme of kingship- malc has learnt from duncans mistakes not to trust thanes 
• malcolms loyalty to his country contrasts MB's tyranny

• Macduff then discovers his family have been murdered- Ross's reluctance to break the news creates drama 
• MD's grief is clear from dialogue 
• this murder motivates MD to get revenge on MB

scene 1:

• LM sleepwalks- her characters change and is now driven by guilt and fear
• constantly carrying a candle- shes afraid of the dark which contrasts between her in act 1- 'come thick night' 
• tries to wash imaginary blood from hands- 'out, damned spot!' contrast between 'a little water clears us of this deed' 
• questions eg 'the thane of fife has a wife- where is she now?' shows mental confusion and guilty conscience 
• doctor says its unnatural deeds- LM has upset the natural balance by commiting evil 

scene 2:

• scottish lords preparing to fight MB- tension and anticipation is built 
• plan to meet english army by birnam wood- reminder of prophecies 
• scotland described as 'unwell' and malcolm will heal 
• macbeth described as weeds and malcolm as a flower
• macbeth described as a 'dwarfish thief' wearing a 'giants robe' 

scenes 3 and 4

• short scenes- increases drama 
• MB's soliloquy suggests hes beginning to despair however he talks to other characters as over confident- unstable mind
• his mental state matches LM's
• Malcolm tells the army to cut down branches from Birnam wood to disguise- audience can see that witches have tricked MB 

scene 5

• MB alternates between arrogance and despair 
• his confident attitude changes when hes told his wife is dead- he says his evil acts had no purpose and his life is meaningless- shows his human side regrets what hes done
• MB realises witches have tricked him when told about the woods- he was too trusting off the witches, ironic as duncan was too trusting in MB 
• MB decides to attack the english army- brave and a reminder of the valient soldier he was in act 1

scenes 6 and 7

• macbeth kills young siward- this gives him confidence
• hes still clinging to the idea that hes invincible and still tries to trust the witches prophecies
• lots of entrances and exit (stage directions) to create confusion and tension as MD is looking for MB and eg enters just after MB exits

scene 8:

• MB and MD meet but MB refuses to fight as he feels too guilty about killing his family
• Mb still thinks he cant be killed but MD reveals he's a caesarean 

scene 9

• MD kills MB and malcolm has won 
• Siward discovers young siward (his son) was killed- but he thinks its an honour is son died protecting scotland 
• malcolm pronounced king and natural order is restored 

• strong warrior who fights bravely
• hes very ambitious, which turns out to be his flaw that makes him a tragic hero 
• hes got a strong conscience- spends a lot of time feeling guilty
• the way MB speaks reflects his state of mind eg lots of questions when feeling guilty but at start and end in battle scenes hes confident and lang is more certain 
• hes easily influenced by people around him eg LM convinces him to kill D
• by the end of the play, MB's violent ambition has ruined all of his noble characteristics

Macbeth struggles with his overpowering conscience:

• knows murder will have many effects, but he still goes through with them which makes it even more shocking 
• knows Duncan trusts him 
• he hallucinates because of his guilty conscience 
• at the end of the play he no longer feels guilty as he thinks life means nothing 

Influences on Macbeth:

• Lady Mb influences MB by questioning his masculinity and so MB kills as he doesnt want to appear a coward
• LM's influence on MB declines after duncans murder- he commits the rest of his murders alone

He's also influenced by the supernatural:

• the first time he meets the witches he trusts them straight away, however banquo is suspicious of them
• dagger leads him to duncan
• as the withes prophecies come true, he believes in them more and relies more heavily on what they say

• cruel and ruthless
• influences MB
• ambitious and doesnt mind committing terrible crimes to get what she wants
• her character changes throughout the play- in the beginning she was dominant and confident, but she then slowly becomes driven by mad guilt
• Mb distances himself from her so she eventually kills herself 

shes just as ambitious as MB- as soon as she receives the letter she starts planning duncans murder- more ruthless than her husband 

antithesis of jacobean woman- so she calls on spirits to unsex her 

• LM links masculinity to strength however shakespeare portrays through her character that women can be just as ruthless
• she knows her husbands weak spots and manipulates him using them 

Lm is always in control of the situation- faints when duncan is discovered and covers up when MB sees banquos ghost

Shakespeare uses LM to explore gender and power

• women traditionally seen as weaker than men, LM proves this isnt always true 
• contrast with lady macduff
• but she does have a softer side- couldnt kill duncan as looked like her father
• LM can only achieve her ambitions through macbeth 

guilt and isolation affect LM so much she kills herself

at the beginning of the play, she speaks confidently in verse but by the end, her speech is made up of repititions and ramblings- shes lost all self control 

she keeps washing her hands in the hope to wash away her feelings of guilt

• the macbeths relationship changes 
• beginning- loving and passionate and LM controls MB 
• as MB reveals less and less about his murder plans, Lm becomes increasingly anxious and alone- she cant cope without her husband 

• kind and generous man who rewards loyalty
• nobody has a bad word to say about him- good king
• his flaw is that he is too trusting- the betrayal of the thane of cawdor foreshadows MB's betrayal 

everyone sees duncan as a great leader, even Macbeth. hes chosen by god 

puts scotlands needs before his own 

• hes not a soldier- hes more gentle and less aggressive
• he doesnt fight himself, but sensible sends his best soldiers for him 

• fair and honest like their father but are aware that they are in danger from those closest to them- common sense to flea scotland 
• Malcolm learns he should only trust people who prove their loyalty- he tests macduff in england by pretending to be a tyrant 
• Malcolm is wise and honest- him and macduffs partnership saves scotland 

Malcolm and donalbain dont immediately act on their fathers murder as they have too much sorrow- shows they are sensible 

Malcolm develops into a good leader- confident and earns the trust of scottish thanes

hes clever as disguises soldiers with branches etc

he rewards everyone who fought with him

• Banquo is ambitious and also hopes the witches prophecies come true, but hes wise enough not to act upon them and let fate take its course
• he isnt corrupted by the witches like Macbeth and is a FOIL as he represents the path macbeth could have chosen- he remains honourable 

Banquo questions the witches and doesnt trust them, but hes still intrigued to hear what they say

B suspects MB killed duncan but doesnt act upon it and instead reminds himself his children will be kings- ambition can even distract the most honourable characters

Macbeth feels threatened by Banquo. 

When hired murderers surround B- he says 'O, treachery'- he didnt suspect MB would betray him 

• noble, honest, sincere 
• contrast to MB
• he doesnt go to MB's corrination as he is suspicious of him 
• strong sense of loyalty and love for his country that he even betrays his family for scotland 
• brave- kills MB 

His mistake is that he put his country before his family which resulted in their murder. shows his lack of wisdom 

he is overcome with grief when he finds out which shows he didnt suspect it. his emotions contrast other men who see emotions as a sign of weakness 

Lady Macduff:

• cant understand her husbands actions- she thinks he shows lack of fatherly love
• calls him a traitor- ironic 
• dialogue with son is affectionate which makes their murder more horrific

• weird sisters- word weird comes from wyrd which means fate- so they could be instruments of fate
• ugly women with beards- unnatterural and evil 
• see the future and make malice predictions- they dont get anything out of it just want to cause trouble
• short rhyming lines- sets them apart from other characters

pathetic fallacy surrounds them- evil and dark 

they make prophecies but never actually explain how they will come true- so dont actually tell MB to murder duncan they just take advantage of his weaknesses 

they confuse MB and B by using paradoxes- 'lesser than Macbeth, and greater' 

Structure:

• introduces witches right at beginning to show their importance
• first scene for each act sets the scene for each act

suspense:

• when Mb battles with his conscience to kill D- will he do it or not?
• Banquo suspects MB killed D and MB is planning on killing B- will B accuse MB? will MB kill B?
• Macduff learns his family have been killed- will he get revenge on macbeth?
• act 5 battle scene alternates between MB preparing and the eng army advancing- who will win?

Mood and atmosphere:

• setting, humour, language, supernatural and senses