1. English 10 William Shakespeare’s
The Tragedy of Macbeth

2. The Tragedy of Macbeth Unit Essential Questions:
What are the conventions of Shakespearean drama?
How are dramatic conventions used to explore theme in The Tragedy of Macbeth?
How is Macbeth in The Tragedy of Macbeth an example of a tragic hero?

3. Studying Shakespeare: Context
The Tragedy of Macbeth is one of the most famous examples of Shakespearean drama. It is the shortest of the Shakespearean tragedies and was written in approximately 1606.
Although it was written in the early 1600s, Macbeth takes place in the eleventh century in Scotland and England. This means that the events of Macbeth were as historically distant to Shakespeare’s audience as Shakespeare is to us.
Macbeth is loosely based on the account of a Scottish general named Macbeth found in Holinshed’s Chronicles, a well known history of the British Isles written in 1587.
During this time in history, Scotland was becoming a single, unified kingdom rather than a group of small warring kingdoms.

4. Studying Shakespeare: Context
The major themes of Macbeth are ambition, guilt, gender identity, and madness.
The play is considered by people in the theater industry as unlucky and possibly cursed, and saying its name is taboo. It is often referred to as “The Scottish Play.”
The play was written to impress King James I of England, who was of Scottish descent and was said to be descended from the line of one of the “good” characters in the play, Banquo.

5. King James & Macbeth
King James (of “King James Bible” fame) was the patron of Macbeth.
King James I took the throne after Queen Elizabeth I, who died childless. His mother was the infamous Mary Queen of Scots.
Shakespeare based his play on real historical figures (King Macbeth, Macduff, and Duncan) but changed the events considerably for dramatic effect.
James I had been King of Scotland before becoming the King of England. The play was written to cater to his interests and comment on his reign.

6. King James and the Occult
Macbeth was written in regard to King James not only because he was descended from Banquo, but because it features malevolent witches.
James I was involved in the North Berwick Witch Trials, which resulted in the accusation of over a hundred “witches” (and the torture and execution of many of those) in Scotland in the late 1500s/early 1600s.
James I also wrote a book called Daemonologie which endorsed witch hunting.

7. Scotland

8. Geography of Scotland
A great deal of the play discusses Scotland’s conflicts with other countries. Scotland is part of the British Isles, and sits North of England, and thereby has many relations with the English.

9. Shakespearean Tragedy
Tragedy refers to a drama in which a series of actions lead to the downfall of the main character, known as the tragic hero.
Catastrophe refers to the disastrous final outcome of the events of the drama, often resulting in the death of the tragic hero and many others.
To build suspense before the ending of the play, Shakespeare used several dramatic conventions to draw in the audience and help them better understand and empathize with the characters.

10. Dramatic Convention
There are three major dramatic conventions used in Macbeth:
Dramatic Irony occurs when the audience knows more than one of the characters (example: the audience knows who Macbeth is plotting to kill; the potential victims are unaware)
A soliloquy is a speech given by a character alone on stage, giving the audience insight into his or her personal feelings, thoughts, and motivations
An aside is a character’s remark, either to the audience or other characters, that no one on stage is intended to hear. Like a soliloquy, this provides insight into his or her intentions and motivations.

11. Tragic Hero
A tragic hero is the main character of a tragedy who meets the following criteria:
is of high social rank, such as a king, prince, or general
has a tragic flaw—a fatal error in judgment or a character defect– that ultimately leads to his or her fall from grace
suffers utter ruin or death
faces his or her downfall with courage and dignity

12. Warm-Up
Complete sentences #1-10 on your vocab sheet!

13. Shakespearean Language
In addition to archaic language, Shakespeare also writes his play in verse, meaning the dialogue is written in metrical patterns of poetry.
Most characters speak in blank verse, which refers to unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter.
Iambic pentameter is a pattern of rhyme that has five unstressed syllables, each followed by a stressed syllable:
“So foul and fair a day I have not seen.”
Sometimes, Shakespeare changes blank verse to vary rhythm, create tension, or indicate differences between character’s rank.

14. Tips for Surviving Shakespeare
Read the cast of characters at the beginning of each scene. It will show you who is related to whom and how they are connected!
Try to predict future events by keeping an eye out for potential foreshadowing.
Use the side notes (definitions in the margins) to help with understanding challenging words.
Remember that the end of a line doesn’t necessarily indicate the end of a thought. Look at punctuation to decide when a thought ends.
If you are having trouble understanding, try rephrasing the passage or attempting to translate it into modern English.

15. Central Characters: Macbeth
Macbeth is a thane (a Scottish nobleman, below a Prince or King in rank) and a valiant soldier. He impresses the king with his prowess in battle and earns his favor.
Macbeth is powerfully influenced by his wife’s ambition.
Although he seeks the throne and to please his wife, he is plagued by guilt throughout the play.

16. Various Imaginings of Macbeth

17. Central Characters: Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth, the wife of Macbeth, is the other central character in the play.
Lady Macbeth coaxes her husband into committing regicide, or the murder of the King, so that he may take his place.
She is extremely ambitious and cunning, and struggles with abandoning her femininity to gain power.
A major theme of the play centers on Lady Macbeth’s conception of gender identity. She attempts to persuade her husband to commit murder by challenging his masculinity and seeks to set aside her femininity in order gain power.
Eventually, in spite of her cunning, Lady Macbeth is consumed by guilt and becomes obsessed with blood.

18. Various Imaginings of Lady Macbeth