1. MACBETH

2. Politics “he was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust” (A1,S4,L13) Duncan King Duncan is supposed to be a wise and ‘great’ King, and yet he trusts the Thane of Cawdor, who turns out to be a traitor, and Macbeth, who murders him. Is he really a great king, or just really great at misjudging people?

3. “our eldest Malcolm whom we name hereafter the Prince of Cumberland” (A1,S4, L38) Duncan Every Thane is vying for the Crown. Scotland has just been invaded by the King of Norway and some traitorous Thanes. King Duncan names his inexperienced son successor – perhaps this is a foolish political move when Scotland is in such a precarious state? “Noble Banquo, that hast no less deserv’d” (A1, S4, L30) Duncan Banquo has fought as bravely as Macbeth and is honoured – but not as highly as Macbeth. Macduff is also overlooked by King Duncan. Why does Duncan honour Macbeth above all the rest? What feelings might this inconsistency stir up? Banquo is promised his sons will be Kings – how might this influence his motivation for supporting Macbeth?

4. Ambition “the Prince of Cumberland: that is a step on which I must fall down or else o’erleap” (A1, S5, L49) Macbeth Macbeth immediately realises if he wants the Crown he will have to kill for it. The named successor must be eliminated, as must the King himself. This is his first thought on hearing the news of the heir – and betrays the depth of his ambition.

5. “What I am truly is thine and my poor country’s to command” (A4, S3, L132) Malcolm Malcolm speaks as if he is the saviour of Scotland, but his immediate instinct was to flee from his country at the first sign of trouble. He needs Macduff to fight for him – it is Macduff who finally kills Macbeth, not Malcolm. Is Malcolm a clever political player or a young coward? And why does Macduff support such a seemingly weak Prince? Does Macduff have his own designs on the Crown of Scotland?

6. “but screw your courage to the sticking place and we’ll not fail” (A1, S7,L60) Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is fiercely ambitious for herself and her husband. Would Macbeth have committed the murder of King Duncan without her influence? Lady Macbeth is a powerful persuader and shows courage in supporting her husband against the other Thanes. But what does this ambition cost her?

7. The Supernatural “Infected be the air whereon they ride; And damn'd all those that trust them! “ Macbeth (A4,S1,L137) The play contains witches, the supernatural and black magic – popular themes for an Elizabethan audience. Perhaps Shakespeare was trying to please the King (James I) who had written a book about witchcraft and prevent the theatres from being closed again. Or perhaps the witches represent other ideas in the play  The superstition of the banned Catholic religion  The power of government/the monarchy

8. Blood “ I am in blood Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er.” (A3,S4,L136) Blood becomes a symbol of many things in the play.  Ambition and greed  Heritage and ancestors  Fear and guilt  Madness and loss of control

9. The Dead Baby “How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me” (A1,S7,L55) Lady Macbeth There are many references to dead babies in the play –Lady Macbeth famously swears she would smash her babies brains out if she had sworn to do it. Macbeth hallucinates a bloody child prophesising to him, Macduff’s babies are all killed by Macbeth. The Macbeth’s are childless –although there is some evidence of a dead child in their past – this is a problem as Macbeth has no heir. In the play the dead baby imagery symbolises succession, the past, innocence destroyed, an empty future, sadness and loss.

10. Sleep ““Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent sleep, Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care,” (A2S2,L35 ) Macbeth There are many references to disturbed sleep in the play. Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, the Porter is woken from drunken sleep, wild storms prevent sleep, Macbeth himself cannot sleep after the murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth drugs servants to make them sleep, Duncan’s sons wake up to pray, then sleep again.

11. How can ‘Macbeth’ be viewed as a play about political manoeuvring? How would a feminist react to the play? How important is the use of symbols and motifs in the play? What would a Wicca think about ‘Macbeth’? Would a Monarchist enjoy the play? What does ‘Macbeth’ teach us about marriage? How would a Catholic watching the play in the 1600’s react?