Lesson 10 Act 5 Scene 2 Analysis Hubris

Lesson 10

Act 5 Scene 2 Analysis Hubris – excessive pride which inevitably leads to one’s downfall. • Extended metaphor - In this scene, the extended metaphor of attire, clothes and garments that don’t fit appears. Angus refers to Macbeth as a dwarf wearing a giant’s robes. Again, we can take this to mean that Duncan, as a good king, was a “giant” while Macbeth, in his place, is a dwarf. I feel this means more about stature rather than any literal sense of size. Certainly as the play draws to its conclusion, we begin to see the final version of Macbeth and he is not hiding. • Internal conflict - Over the next few scenes, (as forces amass against him), Macbeth faces internal turmoil. The building forces outside his castle are almost a mere distraction to his own thoughts. The audience is being guided in the direction of Macbeth’s own thoughts and feelings rather than putting too great a stock in the battle which is due to happen. • Suspense - Shakespeare makes another interesting structural decision here that enhances the impact of the final scenes. From Act 4 Scene 3, when Macduff and Malcolm decide to join forces to overthrow Macbeth, until the end of the play, Shakespeare tends to contrast a scene of the “good guys” planning their attack with a scene where we see Macbeth in emotional turmoil. Through this we see the liberating army steadily moving towards Macbeth’s castle while we see Macbeth himself steadily descending into despair. • Hubris - While Macbeth believes himself to be invincible, we see that his real enemy is his conscience. He is suffering the weight of the decisions he has made and the acts he has carried out. The armies gathering outside his castle are inconsequential, an annoyance at best. The real battle is within his mind and soul.

Act 5 Scene 3 Analysis Analogy - comparison between one thing and another, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification. • Illness - following Macbeth’s internal monologues, we see that the strain is beginning to show – a Doctor comes and tells him about Lady Macbeth and how he is suffering – he simply tells him to treat the illness. • Analogy - Macbeth invokes an analogy here asking the doctor if he can treat a sick country – echoes and furthers Shakespeare’s metaphor from the scene in the English court where the doctor there about how Malcolm heals and helps the sick people in his country whilst here in Scotland we’ll have to assume that the entire country is sick – it is a result of Macbeth himself – mood swings: rage, disgust, misery, determination. • Individualism - Macbeth decides to face the invaders single-handedly -“till from my bones my flesh be hacked” – Shakespeare is trying to get the audience to have some admiration for him – logistically speaking, Macbeth is now ruined – left with only one option: face them like a man, like the great warrior we saw at the beginning.

Act 5 Scene 4 Analysis • “Cut down the bow from the trees” – carry it in front of him to disguise their numbers. • Macbeth believed wholeheartedly in the witches prophecies: – another one is coming true in an unfortunate way – his bravery and determination is misplaced, believing himself to be invincible – the witches are cunning in their deception towards Macbeth, who is highly impressionable. - the tragic denouement is imminent and inevitable.

Act 5 Scene 5 Analysis MACBETH: Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. • “Died hereafter” – multiple meanings: - either Macbeth knew that LM would die anyway - to symbolise the complete breakdown of their relationship. - or her dying is an annoyance and distraction as he plans for battle. - or she shouldn’t have died yet, she should have died at a later date. • Scene is notable for Macbeth’s soliloquy - - speaks about the trivial nature of life and that it is essentially worthless.

Act 5 Scene 6 & 7 Analysis • Scene 6 – battle begins when the troops throw down their branches. • Scene 7 – Macbeth joins the fray – determined and fierce like a “bear tied to a stake pursued by savage dogs” – has not figured out the true meaning of the witches’ prophecy about Macduff yet (“being not born of woman”). - Siward wants to make a name for himself and kill Macbeth – Macbeth kills him easily – honourable death for Siward – was attacked from the front – fought an honourable battle and died an honourable death – valour and bravery in a violent and vicious world. • The battlefield - The setting of the play is dangerous and violent – Macbeth is heralded at the beginning of the play for killing lots of people but it is acceptable because it was on the battlefield (enemies of Scotland) – when he goes on killing the wrong sort of people, people become concerned – unbalancing the natural order. • Ambiguous loyalty - Suggestion of Macbeth’s soldiers are either not fighting very hard or have joined the other side – Malcolm “we’ve met with foes who strike beside us” – emphasis on how alone Macbeth is now – Macbeth against the world.

Act 5 Scene 8 Analysis • Courage versus cowardice - Macbeth – “why should I play the Roman fool and die on my own sword? ” – thought of suicide. • Guilt - Macbeth has guilt about killing Macduff’s family – attempts to remedy this by telling him that he does not want to shed any more of his blood - Macbeth also still believes that he can’t be defeated by anyone born of woman – misplaced confidence. • The final deception – Macduff was cut from his mother’s womb (caesarean) rather than born naturally – this news devastates Macbeth – this was the sole thing that his confidence was based. • Macbeth’s first instinct is to run – “I’ll not fight with thee” – after being goaded by Macduff, he becomes the warrior Macbeth – he chooses to die fighting rather than be captured and humiliated. • Masculinity - Macbeth forced by taunting and bullying (Lady Macbeth and Macduff) by challenging his manhood. • Shakespeare - presents Macbeth as Scotland’s best warrior, celebrated by his King and loved and respected by his peers – through ambition, weakness and the influence of others, he threw it all away – lost parts of his humanity and ends up completely alone to face his own death – can we have any sympathy for him? - was he wholly responsible for his actions? - was Lady Macbeth the main influence and facilitator? - How about the Witches? - were they just bystanders in the decline and fall of Macbeth?

Act 5 Scene 9 Analysis • The King is dead – Macbeth has been killed (head cut off) and everyone gathers round to celebrate. • Order has been restored – natural order was disrupted by Macbeth and now Malcolm is about to become King. • Macbeth is the driving force of the narrative, and his death leaves a void in the final scene which is almost anti-climactic (intentionally so). • Final words of the play - Macbeth is referred to as a “butcher” (contrast to his heroic entrance in Act 1) – tragic, regressive character arc – good man with a flaw who ultimately ends up dead. • Un/sympathetic - Good guy lead astray or bad guy who took advantage of villainous influences (Lady Macbeth and Witches)?