MacbethBy William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s Theater
First public playhouse in England – 1576
The Globe – built 1599
Home to many of Shakespeare’s plays
Henry V – first play performed at the Globe
Nobility and middle class sat in the tiered galleries
Groundlings stood in courtyard for a penny
Theatrical Conventions
Characters speak in Blank Verse - unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter - 10 syllables, unstressed / stressed( da Dum, da Dum, etc.)
Female roles were played by boys
Colorful and elaborate costumes
Barely any scenery
Most plays lasted only 2 hours
What happened to the Globe? Globe destroyed in 1613
- cannon to mark the entrance of Henry VIII during a performance set the roof on fire
Rebuilt in 1614
Torn down in 1644 for new housing
Replica now stands by the Thames River – opened in 1997
Source of “Macbeth” Shakespeare researched Holinshead’s “Chronicles
of England, Scotland, and Ireland”
Real-life Macbeth was king of Scotland from 1040-1057
Shakespeare drawn to story about King Duff
Murdered by a young couple
Story hit close to home
Gunpowder Plot of 1605 – supporters of Catholic Church planned to blow up King James and his Protestant Parliament
Shakespeare took both stories and twisted them to his liking
Macbeth became his tragic hero
Also included Banquo, one of King James’ ancestors
The Witches Widespread belief in
witches in 1500’s
King James wrote “Demonologie” about witchcraft being a threat to society
Some believe the play is cursed
Call it “The Scottish Play”
If you say “Macbeth” something bad may happen
Is it the witches?
The Tragic Hero Main character in a tragedy
“A man of high standard who falls from that high because of a flaw that has affected many.” – Aristotle
Hero discovers he is a result of his own actions
Macbeth’s major flaw – too ambitious
Other tragic heroes you’ve met:
Brutus from “Julius Caesar”
Romeo from “Romeo and Juliet”
The Plot
an ambitious general with a strong-willed wife tries to cope with guilt about his actions to further his power
Plot elements: superstition, ghosts, witchcraft
Themes
Things are not what they seem
Blind ambitionPower corruptsSuperstition affects human behavior
Literary Devices Allusions – an implied or indirect reference;
in Macbeth they are mythological and Biblical in nature
Figurative language –
Similes: comparison using like or as
Ex. Your face, my Thane, is as a book where men May read strange matters - image of Disguise
Metaphor – word or phrase used in place of another to suggest likeness
Ex. I have begun to plant thee, and will labor To make thee full of growing – Planting Imagery
Literary Devices
Personification – giving human-like qualities to a non-human thing or idea
Identify the personification: If chance will have me King, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir
“Chance” is given the quality of making someone a King
Identify the personification: Was hope drunk Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since?
“Hope” is given the quality of being drunk and sleeping
Literary Devices
Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words in a line.
Ex. But now I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in to saucy doubts and fears.
Symbol:
Birds – superstitions / omens
The Characters
Duncan – king of Scotland
Malcom – Duncan’s elder son
Donalbain – Duncan’s younger son
Macbeth – general in the army of King Duncan, Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and later King of Scotland
Lady Macbeth – Macbeth’s wife and later queen of Scotland
Seyton – Macbeth’s servant and attendant
More characters
Banquo – Macbeth’s friend and a general in the army of King Duncan
Fleance – Banquo’s son
Macduff – the Thane of Fife
Lady Macduff – Macduff’s wife
Macduff’s son
Ross, Lennox, Angus, Mentieth, Caithness – Scottish lords
Hecate – chief witch
And now……Act I, scene I –
A barren, misty heath in Scotland. Thunder and lightening. Enter three witches
Quick Quiz!!!
1. How many syllables does a line of iambic pentameter contain?
2. What is Macbeth’s major flaw?
3. Who wrote “Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland”?
4. Name King Duncan’s two sons:
5. What was the first play performed at the Globe?
6. What happened to the Globe Theater in 1644?
7. Name the plot to blow up King James I and his Protestant Parliament:
8. Who wrote “Demonologie”?
9. Which of the following is not a plot element of “Macbeth”:
a. superstitionb. mysteryc. witchcraft
10. Name two major themes of “Macbeth”: