Macbeth Ambition Betrayal Corruption Witch will destroy them

Macbeth Ambition. Betrayal. Corruption. Witch will destroy them?

William Shakespeare 1564 -1616 § The most influential writer in all of English literature § Wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets § During his lifetime he was the most popular playwright in England, receiving public and critical acclaim § Part owner of The Globe Theater and The King’s Men acting company § At the time of his death his works were proclaimed as timeless § 100 years after his death he was

The Globe Theater § Circular, open air theater § The lower class stood on the ground, the upper classes were in the balconies § The theater featured a trap door in the stage and ropes to hoist actors up § Little to no set decoration; extravagant, expensive

Acting & Stage Direction 101 § Soliloquy—A long speech delivered alone onstage by one character; meant to convey the character’s thoughts § Aside—A shorter speech delivered by a character to them self that is not heard by the other characters onstage § Stage Directions—Written in [italics] and in brackets to signal character movements

Macbeth n The shortest and bloodiest of all the Shakespearean plays n The story of how ambition and corruption lead one man to murder and how guilt and fear lead the same man to insanity and death n Explores theory of divine right to kingship: the belief that the king was

to do? ü What happens once violence is used to achieve a goal? ü Pay attention to how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are affected by corruption once they resort to violence to achieve their ambitions. Themes 2. Gender Roles ü How is manhood or masculinity defined? ü How are men and women expected to behave? ü Are men more violent than women?

attempting to manipulate us? ü Is it possible to predict the future or are all prophesies self-fulfilling? ü Is Macbeth completely responsible for his actions or are others to blame? Themes 4. Order vs. Disorder ü Is there a natural order to the way the world and the universe operates? ü What happens when this order is disturbed? ü What signs of disorder are evident after Macbeth becomes king?

Themes 5. Guilt ü What effect does guilt have on the human mind? ü Is guilt in some way more of a punishment than anything else? ü Pay attention to the very different ways guilt affects Macbeth and Lady Macbeth