AN INTRODUCTION TO…

Macbeth

Have you ever given in to temptation?

Do you believe in prophecies?

How do you personally decide what is good and what is evil?

What is the difference between greed and ambition?

Do you believe “you reap what you sow”?

Do you believe our lives are lead by fate or our actions alone?

ASK YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING:

1. People who are striving to get ahead often step on other people.

2. Being powerful usually is the same thing as being happy.

3. One mistake can often lead to another.

4. Everyone is capable of murder under the right circumstances.

5. People who are involved in criminal activities can still feel love, fear, and concern for other people.

Rate each statement on a scale of 1-10.1 =disagree completely to 10 = agree

wholeheartedlyBe prepared to explain your reasoning.

Macbeth is a dark, relentless tale of a good and brave Scottish general who, encouraged by the dark prophesies of three evil witches and by his own wife, murders Duncan, king of Scotland. Macbeth then becomes king and brings about his own destruction.

Shakespeare wrote the play for James I, England's new king, who had been king of Scotland. To please James, Shakespeare set the play in Scotland, used many characters who were James' ancestors, and included witches, a subject that James had written about. The play is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, probably because King James often fell asleep during performances.

Shakespeare's source for the story of Macbeth was The History and Chronicles of Scotland (1526), written by Hector Boece, a Scottish historian and humanist. (Many scholars question the factual reliability of Boece's work, and point out that Shakespeare took liberties with Macbeth's history for dramatic purposes.)

• There was no Tudor successor to the throne of England. Therefore, Elizabeth I chose James VI of Scotland to succeed her. After her death in 1603, James VI of Scotland became James I of England.

• Elizabeth I had been instrumental in the death of her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, who was beheaded.

THE KING OF ENGLAND IN 1606 WAS

JAMES I, A STUART.

On her deathbed, Elizabeth wanted to ease her way into Heaven, so she chose Mary’s son James to become the next King of England.

The appointment of James I was a good political move, unifying England and Scotland under one King.

• Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606, during King James’ reign.• King James was a devout advocate of the “Divine Right of

Kings.”• The setting is Scotland, King James’ homeland.• Banquo was an ancestor of James and is shown in the play to be a

virtuous person.• James believed himself to be an expert on witchcraft.• James had an interest in faith healing.

MACBETH: A TRIBUTE TO KING JAMES I

Shakespeare demonstrated the Elizabethan belief that the country is stable only if the King is good and virtuous.Elizabethans believed that evil occurs in darkness, which is a recurring theme in Macbeth.Shakespeare included a lot of blood and murder, which the Elizabethans expected to see in a play. The play was considered a thriller – a threat to an anointed King and the perceived evil behind the threat

MACBETH: AN APPEAL TO THE ELIZABETHAN PEOPLE’S

INTERESTS

Macdonwald’s rebellion & the invasion of Sweno took place at different times

—Shakespeare combined themDuncan is supposed to have been killed

by four hired servants—Shakespeare has Macbeth commit the murder

History represents Banquo as equal in guilt with Macbeth—Shakespeare

whitewashes Banquo’s character as a compliment to King James

History makes no mention of Lady Macbeth—her character is almost

wholly the creation of ShakespeareIn history, Macbeth fled before Macduff—Shakespeare shows

Macbeth bravely fightingUsed Raphael Holinshed’s

Chronicles of England, Scotland, & Ireland as historical reference

for his plays

HISTORY & MACBETH

When the play begins, there are two wars in progress:

1. Civil War - King Duncan vs. Macdonwald’s rebels

2. National War - Scotland, led by King Duncan, against invading Norway, led by King Sweno

BEFORE THE CURTAIN OPENS

King Duncan is the King of Scotland.

Edward the Confessor is the King of England.

The time period is the eleventh century (1000-1099).

Shakespeare used poetic license to bend some of the historical information.

SETTING

Macbeth is another one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies, based on Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland. It was written around 1605 but was not published in the first Folio until 1623. It tells about the fall of the ambitious couple, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth is the tragic hero, a character who has a fatal (tragic)flaw within himself that he cannot change. He is not an evil person; he is just corrupted by ambition.

Introduction to Macbeth

Macbeth: brave general under Duncan who becomes too ambitious after three witches prophesy that he will be King of Scotland.

Lady Macbeth: vicious wife of Macbeth, even more ambitious than Macbeth. She convinces Macbeth to murder the King.

Macduff: general, believes that Macbeth killed the King.

Macbeth Characters

Banquo: Macbeth’s friend and general

King Duncan: King of Scotland,

Malcolm: Duncan’s eldest son,

The three witches: They tell Macbeth that he is to become King, leading him to evil. They also tell him that he will be defeated, but they disguise it in a way as to give him false confidence.

Fleance: Banquo’s son,

Hecate: moon goddess and goddess of the witches, directs supernatural occurrences. Makes plan to give Macbeth false security.

Donalbain: Duncan’s youngest son,

Ross: Macduff’s cousin, messenger who carries news to people like Macbeth and Macduff throughout the play.

Lennox: nobleman, suspicious of the murder of the king

Seyton: Macbeth’s lieutenant.

Porter: watches Macbeth’s castle; when drunk, thought that he was the keeper of Hell’s Gates and that sinners were knocking at the door to be admitted.

Old Siward: Earl of Northumberland, ally of Malcolm and Macduff against Macbeth.

Young Siward: Old Siward’s son.

The Murderers: A group of ruffians  

Lady Macduff: Macduff’s wife. The scene in her castle provides our only glimpse of a domestic realm other than that of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. She and her home serve as contrasts to Lady Macbeth and the hellish world of Inverness.