Macbeth

Characters Guide and Introduction

Take your paper and fold it long ways. Take the folded paper and on the outside

make 16 sections. Make the same sections on the inner fold just

beneath. You will flip up the name of the character and

see the important characteristics beneath.

Instructions for Character Guide

King of Scotland Model of the virtuous ruler

Duncan

Son of Duncan Rightful heir to Duncan’s throne More cunning than his father

Malcolm

Son of Duncan, younger brother of Malcolm

Donalbain

Thane of Glamis with more titles to come. Scottish General Easily tempted but later plagued by guilt

Macbeth

Macbeth’s wife Deeply ambitious Loyal to her husband Also affected by guilt

Lady Macbeth

Drunken doorman who works at Macbeth’s

castle Provides comic relief

Porter

An officer serving Macbeth

Seyton

Serves Lady Macbeth

Gentlewoman

A Scottish Thane Brave and noble general Represents the path Macbeth could have

taken

Banquo

Banquo’s son Presumed to eventually fulfill the witches

predictions to Banquo Like his father, an ancestor of King James I

Fleance

Thane of Fife Opposes Macbeth’s treachery

Macduff

Wife and son of Macduff Lady Macduff serves to contrast Lady Macbeth

Lady Macduff and Son

Thanes

Lennox, Ross, Mantieth, Angus, &

Caithness

Siward is Earl of Northumberland, is Duncan’s

brother, and has a son, Young Siward

Siward and Young Siward

3 Witches Plot mischief through predictions of the future Allude to the three Fates of Greek mythology Followers of Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft

The Weird Sisters

Historical Context

Written in England in 1606 for King James I.

James I was a strict Protestant who believed, amongst other things, that: God had a supernatural influence on human

affairs Witches and magicians were agents of the

devil, working to punish sinners and tempt the virtuous

God distinguished kings from ordinary men

To please James I, Shakespeare set the

play in Scotland, used many characters who were James' ancestors (including Duncan and Banquo), and included witches, a subject that James had written about.

The play is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, probably because King James often fell asleep during performances.

Historical Context continued

Shakespeare's source for the story of

Macbeth was The History and Chronicles of Scotland (1526), written by Hector Boece, a Scottish historian and humanist.

(Many scholars question the factual reliability of Boece's work, and point out that Shakespeare took liberties with Macbeth's history for dramatic purposes.)

Historical Context continued

Setting

11th century Scotland Hereditary succession to the throne was only

three generations old Duncan is king; he has two sons, Malcolm and

Donalbain He is supported by a number of noblemen as

they battle Norse invaders Macbeth is a General in the king’s army

Great Chain of Being

People in Shakespeare's time didn't think like us.

We live in the post Darwinian age. Things are supposed to improve over time as the weak die out.

Before Darwin, people assumed that the further we lived after the date of Creation the worse things got, because we lived more distantly from the “perfect time”.

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~maggieoh/Macbeth/chain1.html

History vs. Macbeth

Macdonwald’s rebellion & the invasion of Sweno took place at different times—Shakespeare combined them

Duncan is supposed to have been killed by four hired servants—Shakespeare has Macbeth commit the murder

History represents Banquo as equal in guilt with Macbeth—Shakespeare whitewashes Banquo’s character as a compliment to King James

History makes no mention of Lady

Macbeth—her character is almost wholly the creation of Shakespeare

In history, Macbeth fled before Macduff—Shakespeare shows Macbeth bravely fighting

Great Chain of Being

GodAngelsKings/QueensDukes/Duchesses/ThanesBishopsEarls/CountessesKnights/Local OfficialsLadies-in-WaitingPriests/MonksSquiresMessengersMerchants/ShopkeepersTradesmenYeomen FarmersSoldiers/Town WatchHousehold ServantsBeggarsActorsThieves/PiratesGypsiesAnimalsPlantsRocks

http://arnoldit.com/wordpress/2008/09/20/search-moving-up-the-buzzword-chain-of-being/

Disruption in the Chain could cause anything from storms to deaths to absolute chaos.

supernatural blood sanity / insanity order / disorder light / darkness

Motifs and Imagery to look for . . .

Soliloquy – a speech that a character makes

while alone on stage to reveal his or her thoughts to the audience.

Aside – remark a character makes in an undertone to the audience or another character.

Soliloquy and Aside

A tragedy is a drama in which the fortunes,

misfortunes, and disasters befall human beings of title, power, and position.

A tragedy inevitably ends in the ruin or demise of the hero, contains an element of fate with the façade of free will and acts as a cry against the tragic situation unfolding.

A tragic hero is the main character of the play and must submit to six basic characteristics.

What is a tragedy?

Since tragedy often involves the

“fall” of the hero, he or she must have a high position to fall from, or else there is no tragedy.

People who fall from a high position in society, such as king, affect the lives of others.

#1: Noble Stature

The hero must “fall” due to something wrong

his or her personality. One of the most common flaws is hubris (too much pride).

In Greek mythology, this is seen when mortals think they can do better than the gods.

In Shakespearean drama, it is seen when characters think they can avoid or change their fate.

#2: Tragic Flaw

The hero falls because he chooses

one course of action over the other. In other words, he has made a life-changing mistake.

Look for warnings from other characters that go unheeded, for example.

#3: Free Choice

The audience has to feel sorry for

the tragic hero. They must feel that he did not get what he deserved.

Death is the most common punishment that cannot be reversed AND seems the harshest.

#4: Punishment Exceeds the Crime

The hero must come to some

sort of an understanding of what went wrong or what was really going on before he dies. He must come to accept a truth.

#5: Increased Awareness

The audience must not feel guilty

for what happened to the tragic hero. They must feel emotionally drained, but happy. The ending must leave them satisfied that all has happened for a reason, and all characters have had life-altering realizations.

#6: Produces Catharsis for Audience