1. Macbeth William Shakespeare
Elizabethan Drama
Macbeth
William Shakespeare
Sources: Mrs. Golden and Prestwick House

2. Shakespeare and His Times
When William Shakespeare ( ) was born in Stratford-on-Avon, England, Queen Elizabeth I was the ruling monarch
It was a time of national strength and wealth, and the prevailing attitude was that life was exciting

3. It was an age of exploration, not only of the world but also of man's nature and the English language
Shakespeare's time was also considered the English Renaissance of

4. Important ideas that characterized this period found in Macbeth:
Humans had potential for development
Christian beliefs changed
Medieval Christianity: this world is a preparation for eternal life.
Elizabethan Christianity: everyday life is meaningful and an opportunity for noble activity…leading to humanism
“The Divine Right of Kings”: The king was ordained by God and was to be obeyed

5. This was a time for heroes
The ideal Elizabethan man was a talented courtier, adventurer, fencer, poet, and conversationalist
He was a witty and eloquent gentleman who examined his own nature and the causes of his actions
Marriages were arranged, usually for wealth
Women had a lower social status than men
The “Great Chain of Being” was followed
To kill a King was a heinous crime; the heavens would show ominous signs when such evil was present

6. Shakespeare's Use of Language

7. blank verse
Shakespeare's essential pattern in his plays is blank verse
Therefore, whenever a reader notices a change in this pattern (a change in rhythm; a shift in meter; a shift from poetry to prose) there is a reason for the change
With the change, Shakespeare is creating a mood, establishing character ... Something needs your attention as a reader

8. Be aware of shifts in language like this. For example:
the witches speak in rhymed couplets of irregular iambic tetrameter;
the Porter (Act II, scene iii) speaks in prose;
Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene (Act V, scene i) is in prose

9. use of figurative language (especially simile and metaphor)
Shakespeare's characters often speak in similes and metaphors — to expand ideas and amplify imagery
Be certain not to miss the "like" or "as" or the text will indeed seem incomprehensible

10. For example, in Act I, scene ii, the bloody sergeant describes the battle against Macdonwald:
Doubtful it stood;
As two spent swimmers, that do cling together And choke their art The merciless Macdonwald­ Worthy to be a rebel, for to that the multiplying villainies of nature do swarm upon him—from the western isles Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;
… For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name-- Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel, Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave;
Which neTer shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps, And fix‘d his head upon our battlements

11. Macbeth and Banquo are not swimming. Neither is drowning
Macbeth and Banquo are not swimming. Neither is drowning. The sergeant is explaining that the two sides of the battle were both exhausted yet each impeding the other's victory ... as two spent swimmers
The second simile is a pretty clear one: Macbeth fights his way to Macdonwald like the special favorite or "pet" of valour (bravery, fortitude, etc.)

12. Here lay Duncan, His silver skin laced with his golden blood; And his gash’d stabs look’d like a breach in nature For ruin's wasteful entrance:
Here Macbeth is describing the appearance of Duncan's body. The skin is not literally silver, nor the blood gold, but Shakespeare is giving us information about how much Macbeth valued Duncan and thus regrets killing him — and how conflicted (noble yet evilly ambitious) Macbeth is

13. Lady Macbeth does not use much figurative language
Macbeth used a great deal of figurative language; besides metaphors and similes, he uses personification, hyperbole, and understatement
Why? Perhaps because Macbeth is a dynamic character, and we see his emotional growth through his use of comparisons and imagery

14. Motifs

15. Notice how Shakespeare repeats certain themes or phrases:
Fair is foul, foul is fair;
Cleaning Duncan's blood from their hands;
The witches' abuse of words — ambiguities and hidden meanings;
Guilt, repression, and madness;
Sleep and sleeplessness

16. Dramatic Conventions and Author's Techniques

17. Soliloquy
A soliloquy is a monologue. The character is alone onstage; it is a device the playwright uses to give the audience insight into the character's thoughts and emotions
Shakespeare uses soliloquies to allow the reader to witness the conflict between Macbeth's honorable nature and his ambition combined with his desire to please his wife

18. Aside
The aside is another device used by the playwright to give the audience insight into the character; Here, the character is speaking either to himself or directly to the audience; There are other characters onstage who by convention do not hear the aside
We see an example of this in Act I when Macbeth thinks about the ramifications of the witches’ prophecies

19. Foil
A foil is a character who highlights or emphasizes certain traits of the main character by contrasting them
In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses both Banquo and Lady Macbeth as foils for Macbeth
Banquo's staunch integrity and Lady Macbeth's unmitigated ambition heighten the inner conflict between Macbeth's own wavering integrity and ambition

20. Allusion
An allusion is an indirect reference to another event, person or work with which the writer assumes the reader is familiar
Shakespeare uses allusions as techniques for establishing character, building theme, setting mood
In Macbeth, there are allusions to Greek and Roman mythology, Roman history, and the Bible

21. Conflict
there can be no drama at all without conflict ... In Macbeth, the primary conflict is internal between Macbeth's strong sense of Right and his strong desire both to be king and to please his wife

22. Miscellaneous Devices
Use of the supernatural is another device used extensively in Macbeth
Madness, either real or pretended, was another popular device in Elizabethan drama; Lady Macbeth displays this quality
One also cannot discuss Elizabethan tragedy without a discussion of the tragic hero

23. Dynamic and Static Characters

24. Dynamic Character Macbeth is a strong example of a dynamic character
At the beginning of the play he is a courageous general, a man of honor with a strong sense of duty and responsibility
These traits are what cause him to anguish over whether or not to kill his king and cousin
In the middle of the play, he is guilt.- ridden and paranoid
By the end of the play he is a brooding tyrant who laments the meaninglessness of his life

25. Static Character Lady Macbeth, on the other hand is a static character
From the beginning of the play she is set — Duncan must be killed
To doubt or to speak of guilt is foolish
Ironically, it is her inability to change that ultimately leads to her insanity and suicide

26. The Weird Sisters and the Tragic Hero

27. Witches?
the Weird Sisters are referred to as "witches" only in the stage directions. No one seeing the play will hear the word "witch" even once.
In the text Banquo and Macbeth call them the "Weird Sisters;" this is what they call themselves.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "weird" is derived from the Old English wyrd meaning fate or destiny…remember Beowulf?

28. Later uses refer to one who pretends or is supposed to have the power to foresee and control future events
Still later the uses include persons who have the power to control the destinies of others
So how much control does Shakespeare intend his Weird Sisters to wield over Macbeth's destiny? Keep in mind that the Elizabethan tragic hero's downfall was the result of his own choices and actions
Therefore, if the Weird Sisters cause the action of the play and control Macbeth's destiny, where's the tragedy in that?

29. What, then, is their role?
Be careful not to give too much power or control to the witches
These characters are designed to propose possible temptations for Macbeth…but they never FORCE him to give in to them
Macbeth still practices free will

30. Tragic Hero
A tragic hero is, by classical definition, a person of high power who, through a combination of fate and his own foolish choices, falls to total death and destruction
By the Elizabethan Era, men felt that they had more control over their lives, so a tragic character fell by his own choices, not the control of outside “fates”

31. So, Macbeth is a tragic hero…tempted to choose things that ultimately destroy him
The weird sisters are not mystical, mind-controlling creatures…but they understand human nature and know how to “push Macbeth’s buttons”

32. Historical References

33. The Real Duncan
Duncan was only 36 when he was killed on the battlefield
Yes, Macbeth revolted against Duncan, but it was because Duncan was an incompetent king
Duncan was actually killed on the battlefield
Malcolm was only 9 years old at the time

34. The Real Macbeth
Macbeth ruled for 17 years; 10 were peaceful and prosperous
The next 7 years were filled with turmoil as Duncan’s sons were old enough to fight for their father’s throne and Macbeth was constantly threatened by their attempts to invade Scotland and kill Macbeth

35. The Real Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth was the granddaughter of Kenneth IV, a Scottish king of a rival family to Duncan's
Kenneth IV died in a battle against Malcolm II, Duncan's grandfather
So, Lady Macbeth really did believe she had a right to be a royal and hated Duncan, just as implied by Shakespeare in the play

36. After the Real Macbeth Died
His stepson, Lulach, tried to continue the dynasty but failed
Presumably Macbeth's stepson was Lady Macbeth's son by a previous marriage — which would explain how Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth has apparently been a mother ("1 have given suck and know/How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me..." 1, vii) while Macbeth himself apparently has no children

37. Except for the 17 years of Macbeth's reign, all subsequent rulers of Scotland were descended from Duncan — including James I (James VI of Scotland) who was England's ruler when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth

38. Tie to the “Present”
According to legend, the Stuarts of Scotland traced their ancestry back to Duncan I on the female side and to Banquo on the male
Therefore, Shakespeare makes Banquo a “hero” in the story and connects him to King James I – perhaps to impress the king and show the people of England that they had a “legit” king after their queen died

39. The Setting
All of the historical places in the play are based on real locations in Scotland
However, as we already know, Shakespeare took great liberties with his characters and the sequence of historical events….so the setting is also changed from historical fact to enhance the tension, interest, and characters in his play

40. Literary Terms

41. Tragedy — A drama portraying the doomed struggle and eventual downfall of an admirable but flawed hero
Comedy - A less serious form of drama that aims primarily to amuse, and usually as a happy ending
Tragic Flaw — A tragic hero's error of judgment or inherent defect in character which, when combined with fate or outside factors, brings about catastrophe
Patron — A person who supports with money, gifts, efforts, or endorsement an artist, writer, museum, cause, charity, etc.
Dramatic Irony — A narrative poem in which the characters speak to a specific silent listener
Poetic Imagery — Elements in a poem that are used to evoke mental images by appealing to the senses