2. At the end of this unit, students should have: read parts of
the play, an understanding of the story and different elements of
the plot. produced a close analysis of extracts. produced a piece
of imaginative writing, demonstrating understanding. an
understanding of Shakespeare and his world. 3. At the end of this
lesson, students should be able to : Know the basic plot,
characters and themes of Macbeth Know the three basic categories of
Shakespearean texts Show an improved understanding of the language
used by Shakespeare 4. What do you know about him? 5. Born: 23rd
April 1564 Died: 23rd April 1616 Place: Stratford-on-Avon Mother:
Mary Arden daughter of a local gentry. Father: John Shakespeare a
glover and tenant farmer of yeoman class. 6. Between the early
1590s and 1620s Shakespeare composed the most extraordinary body of
works in the history of world drama. He moved roughly from comedies
to histories to tragedies. His farewell to the stage was The
Tempest. 7. The Globe Theatre was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's
playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by
fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same
site by June 1614 and closed in 1642. A modern reconstruction of
the Globe, named "Shakespeare's Globe", opened in 1997
approximately 230 metres from the site of the original theatre. 8.
Act II: Rising Action During the Rising Action, the basic conflict
introduced in Act I is complicated by secondary conflicts and
obstacles designed to keep our protagonist from reaching his or her
goal, including lesser antagonists that can work together with or
without the main antagonist. You may already know that your main
character is going to live happily ever after, but she's going to
have to work for it, and this is where it starts. Act III: Climax
Also known as the "turning point," the Climax marks a notable
change, for better or worse, in the protagonist's journey towards
their goal. With tragedy, the protagonist begins the story on top
of world before everything begins to unravel, while comedies
generally do the opposite. Quite simply, this is where the bulk of
the drama or action takes place. 9. Act IV: Falling Action During
the Falling Action, the conflict between the protagonist and
antagonist finally comes to a head, and a clear winner and loser
are determined. This Falling Action may also contain a final moment
of suspense, in which one or more possible outcomes are in doubt
until the Resolution. Act V: Dnoument or Resolution The Dnoument or
Resolution ties up all the loose ends and concludes the story. All
of the conflicts are resolved, the characters return to normalcy,
and the viewer experiences an emotional release (catharsis). In
traditional comedies, the Dnoument leaves the main character better
off than she started, while traditional tragedies end in a
catastrophe that leaves the protagonist a shell of his former self.
Much like life, your story must be a roller coaster ride of action
and emotion. A good rule of thumb is, for every positive event your
protagonist experiences, it must immediately be followed up by a
negative event. This dissonance must begin in Act II and reach a
crescendo in Act III, before the Falling Action and Dnoument
resolve your story and restore order to the world. 10. Shakespeare
writes either in blank verse, in rhymed verse or in prose. Homework
task: Do some research on the different ways Shakespeare writes.
Write down a short explanation for each, include an example. 11. It
is said that Macbeth is a play fit for a king. It is often referred
to as Macdeath, and rarely by the name Macbeth why? Shakespeare is
said to have used the spells of real witches in his text,
purportedly angering the witches and causing them to curse the
play. Thus, to say the name of the play inside a theatre is
believed to doom the production to failure, and perhaps cause
physical injury or death to cast members. A large mythology has
built up surrounding this superstition, with countless stories of
accidents, misfortunes and even deaths, all mysteriously taking
place during runs of Macbeth (or by actors who had uttered the
name) 12. The story follows the moral decent of Macbeth, as he is
persuaded by prophecies given by witches and his wife's insistence
to murder Duncan, the king of Scotland. Macbeth becomes fortunes
fool During Shakespeares time, to murder a king was the greatest
crime someone could commit. Why? 13. Kings were appointed by God,
which meant that rebelling against the king was a rebellion against
God. By murdering Duncan, Macbeth may stand to gain a simple crown,
but he loses love, friendship and respect and perhaps more. 14. a
theme is the central topic within a text. Themes can be divided
into two categories: a work's thematic concept is what readers
"think the work is about" and its thematic statement being "what
the work says about the subject. The most common modern
understanding of theme is an idea or concept that is central to a
story, which can often be summed in a single word. 15. Make it a
point to be aware of these themes as we read through the play 16.
Notes: 17. Notes: 18. This also includes ideas surrounding dreams
and sleep Notes: 19. Notes: 20. Macbeth: Scottish general and thane
of Glamis- and later thane of Cawder Brave, powerful soldier Not
virtuous Married to Lady Macbeth Murders king of Scotland- Duncan
Proves better situated to the battle field than to political
intrigue Lady Macbeth: Macbeths wife Deeply ambitious, lusts for
power and position Commits suicide Influence over her husband is
primarily sexual The three witches: Plot mischief against Macbeth
Servants of Hecate Resemble mythological fates 21. Banquo: Brave,
noble general According to the witches is children are in line to
inherit the Scottish throne Has ambitious thoughts but does not
translate them into action Character stands to rebuke Macbeth His
ghost haunts Macbeth King Duncan: Good king of Scotland Murdered by
Macbeth for his crown Model of virtuous, benevolent and farsighted
leader His death- the destruction of an order in Scotland Macduff:
Scottish nobleman Hostile to Macbeths kingship Leader of crusade to
unseat Macbeth- replace with rightful king, Malcolm Desires
vengeance for his wife and sons murders Malcolm: Son of Duncan
Becomes serious threat to Macbeth with the help of Macduff 22.
Hecate: Goddess of witchcraft Helps witches work their mischief on
Macbeth Fleance: Banquos son Survives Macbeths attempt to murder
him At the end of the play his whereabouts are unknown Lennox and
Ross: Scottish noblemen The murders: Group of ruffians recruited by
Macbeth to murder Banquo, Fleance and Macduffs wife and children
Porter: Drunken doorman of Macbeths castle Lady Macduff: Macduffs
wife Her and her home serve as contrast to the hellish world of
Iverness Donalbain: Duncans son and Malcolm's younger brother 23.
Class activity: In this activity you will be given a photo per
table with which you will have to answer the following questions in
accordance to what you see: 1. Who are the characters in this
picture? 2. What do you think is occurring OR has occurred in this
scene? 3. What actions do you think are to follow this scene? 4.
What are the relationships like? 24. Picture 1 Picture 2 25.
Picture 1 Picture 2 26. Picture 1 Picture 2 27. Picture 1 Picture
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