The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare  https://sso.rumba.pearsoncmg.com/sso/login?profile=eb&service=https://k12integrations.pe arsoncmg.com/ca/dashboard.htm&EBTenant=DESOTO-TX ONLINE ACCESS TO YOUR BOOK (Also on my webpage) Username: initials ID # Password: ID #

William Shakespeare Born April 23rd, 1564 Started out performing with “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men” Gave him a chance to write a play Henry IV, Pt. 1- It stunk but they gave him another shot

When in a play... Only men were permitted to perform Boys or effeminate men were used to play the women Costumes were often the company’s most valuable asset Costumes were made by the company, bought in London, or donated by courtiers

The Tragedy of Macbeth Set in Scotland Written for King James I (formerly of Scotland, now England) The words blood and night (or forms of them, such as bloody and tonight) occur more than 40 times each in Macbeth. Other commonly occurring words that help maintain the mood of the play are terrible, horrible, black, devil, and evil. 

The Real Macbeth Macbeth was an 11th Century Scot who took the throne in 1040 after killing King Duncan I, his cousin, in a battle. The real Macbeth was believed to be a wise monarch who reigned over Scotland for seventeen prosperous years. In 1057, King Duncan’s oldest son, Malcolm, ended Macbeth’s reign by killing him in battle and assuming the role as King Malcolm III.

Witchcraft in Shakespeare’s day Many people believed in the power of witches in Shakespeare’s day, especially King James I. In 1591, when he was King of Scotland, King James was almost murdered by a group of witches and sorcerers. Their trial and testimony convinced King James that they were sources of evil (witches). King James became the King of England in 1603. Shakespeare knew very well of King James’s superstition, and he also knew that a play about witchcraft would cause a stir and make a quick buck. Therefore, he wrote Macbeth, a play full of elements of evil!

Characters King Duncan of Scotland Malcolm & Donalbain Macbeth Murdered by cousin Macbeth Honest and good Malcolm & Donalbain Sons of the King Malcolm is the eldest son Macbeth Duncan’s most courageous general Ambition to become king corrupts him causing him to murder Duncan

Characters cont… Banquo Lady Macbeth Macduff General and Macbeth’s best friend Suspects Macbeth in Duncan’s murder An actual ancestor of King James I Lady Macbeth As ambitious as her husband A dark force behind his evil deeds Macduff Scottish general, suspects Macbeth of murdering the king Macbeth has his family murdered Swears vengeance

Vocabulary to own Def. “Man of high standard who falls from that high because of a flaw that has affected many” - Aristotle Macbeth is one of the most famous examples of the tragic hero. Tragic Flaw- the character defect that causes the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy Moral dilemma-is a conflict in which you have to choose between two or more actions and have moral reasons for choosing each action.  Foreshadow- warning or indication of a future event Flashback-a sudden and disturbing vivid memory of an event in the past Suspense-a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen

The gist… Good guy goes bad Guy wants power Married to a pushy control freak She wants power Kills people- LOTS of people Gets power Gets paranoid (a.k.a. goes crazy) Ticks off a lot of people Want more power! Kill! Kill! Gets what’s coming to him in the end