Macbeth Act 1 Three witches - element of the supernatural. (King James, of England, fascinated by the supernatural). Shakespeare wanted the King to like his play. Quote: “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” Theme: Appearance v. Reality-what may seem bad can really be good and what seems good can really be bad.
Setting: Scotland Thane: Scottish nobleman Leader of Scotland: King Duncan King Duncan has two sons- Malcolm( eldest son and next to be King) and Donalbain. Scotland is at war with Norway. Macbeth is a great warrior-he is our TRAGIC HERO!! BRAVE MACBETH!!!
Definition of a Tragic Hero 1-supernatural elements (witches, ghosts) 2-tragic hero : person with noble qualities and a flaw in his character 3-tragic error: some disorder that has been committed against the laws of nature and needs to be corrected. 4-Conflict: with country or with the hero himself
5-revenge...the hero is usually often revenged or he is being avenged 6-sad ending: the death, downfall or destruction 7-comic relief : some light scenes to relieve the stress of tragic events
Three witches (element of supernatural) meet Macbeth and Banquo on the heath as the men return from battle. They predict that Macbeth shall be named: Thane of Cawdor (Macbeth gets this title because the Thane of Cawdor was a traitor to Scotland during the Scottish/Norwegian war)
King of Scotland (Macbeth has thought about being king before) They predicted that Banquo shall beget kings-which means that his descendents will become king (King James I). Based on the predictions of the witches we realize Macbeth’s ambition (fatal flaw/tragic hero) and Banquo worries that the predictions may be harmful and the witches are trying to mislead them.
Aside: Character’s inner thoughts said only to the audience. (very important to know this) Characterization of Macbeth: Brave Macbeth-he defines his manhood by his bravery and courage. L.M. is able to manipulate him with this.
Raven and owl are symbols of death- “The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan.” Lady Macbeth wants the “strength of a man” so that she can manipulate her husband to commit the murder.
Quote: “Look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.” Biblical imagery-Lady Macbeth tells her husband to look innocent while they (she) are (is) in fact planning Duncan’s murder. Serpent: Devil in the Garden of Eden Appearance v. Reality- He should be protecting the King (he is his leader…) and instead he is going to use the knife to kill him.
Reasons why Macbeth feels that he should not kill King Duncan: He is family. I am his subject. I am his host. He is a strong and successful king.
Inverness: Macbeth’s castle Weather: Whenever something bad is happening- witches/murder-the weather is stormy and reflects human nature. Lady Macbeth refers to their having had a child- and she would kill it rather than go back on promise to Macbeth.
Plan to kill King Duncan 1. Get Duncan’s guards drunk and drug their wine so that they fall asleep/pass out. 2. Use the daggers of the guards to kill King Duncan. 3. Stab King Duncan 4. Put the knives back on the guards to frame them.
End of Act I: Macbeth decides that he will go through with it and kill King Duncan… –Did he decide this on his own or was he manipulated?