Macbeth WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Introduction Macbeth is one of

Macbeth WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Introduction Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's shortest tragedies, at 2107 lines…. . it was written by Shakespeare but the witches scene may have been added by Thomas Middleton. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most violent tragedies, with over 100 references to bloodshed and many dead bodies. Macbeth is a contemporary morality play warning of the dangers of trafficking with the “instruments of darkness. ”

Introduction Macbeth is written in both blank verse, an elevated style of writing that was common in dramatic works of the time…. Elizabethans did not actually speak this way! Blank verse also contains an internal rhyme scheme known as iambic pentameter. The rhythm pattern would have a stressed an unstressed syllable Ex. da DA da DA “So foul and fair a day I have not seen” The play also contains 150 lines of prose text which contrasts with the elevated blank verse style. Usually this is reserved for people of the lower classes and blank verse is for the nobility.

Questions to Consider- Free Write Have you ever given into temptation? Explain. How did it feel to be tempted? How did it feel when you gave in to the temptation? Are you a superstitious person? Do you believe in magic, witches, supernatural forces? Do you believe you “reap what you sow”? Do you believe our lives are lead by fate or our actions alone?

Group Discuss and Present- T-Chart What is the difference between greed and ambition? Define greed in your own words, define ambition in your own words. Compare and Contrast How do we decide what is good and what is evil? Define Good in your own words, define evil in your own words. Compare and Contrast

Agree or Disagree and WHY? ? 1. People who are striving to get ahead often step on other people to get there 2. Being powerful is usually the same as being happy 3. One mistake can often lead to another 4. Everyone is capable of murder under the right circumstances 5. People who are involved in criminal activities can still feel love, fear, and concern for other people, even people who have committed murder

Background Info Macbeth was an actual Scottish king who ruled during the 11 th century. Shakespeare and his audience did not consider history to be a science, in which the goal was accuracy; rather history was an art, related to storytelling

The historical sources that Shakespeare used were as much mythologies as they are reality. Actually there was very little known about the historical Macbeth, so if the historians hadn't made things up they wouldn't have had much to say about him. Shakespeare's principal source, Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of Scottish History, was a loose collection of gossip, tales and fantasies, so the material he was using was already seriously flawed from a historical perspective. Shakespeare then used this flawed material selectively, not telling the whole story, but only bits and pieces that made for a good drama. He would also alter certain elements for dramatic effect. For example, the historical record claims that the real Macbeth did indeed kill Duncan, but not in the way Shakespeare describes

It is believed that Shakespeare created this play for King James I (formally King James VI of Scotland). This explains a lot: - James was Scottish. - It was said he didn’t care for long plays (Macbeth is the shortest of Shakespeare’s tragedies). - He was Patron of Shakespeare’s Company of Actors. As such, he provided them with substantial financial and material backing. - He was fascinated with the topic of witchcraft. He had even written a book on the subject, entitled Daemonologie. It addressed such issues as why witchcraft was a sin, what the tools of the witch were, and, indeed, whether witchcraft really existed in the first place. King James was not a practitioner of the black arts, and thought they were a real danger. This feeling and, in fact, all the beliefs contained in Dæmonologie, were mostly shared by other Englishmen of the time. His book reflected the belief system which his subjects already followed.

Holinshed had mentioned witchcraft in his account of the real Macbeth. Shakespeare recognized that all this information could be woven together to create a compelling drama, one that would have broad appeal and appease the King at the same time. The dangers that witches and witchcraft posed were considered quite serious to people in the Elizabethan / Jacobean eras. Witches were not viewed in the way we would view them today. Their existence was undisputed. During this era, literally thousands of women were executed-often in horrific fashion-for the crime of witchcraft.

The Great Chain of Being

The Great Chain of Being The great chain of being is a strict, religious hierarchical structure of all matter and life, believed to have been decreed by God. The chain starts from God and progresses downward to angels, demons (fallen/renegade angels), stars, moon, kings, princes, nobles, commoners, wild animals, domesticated animals, trees, other plants, precious stones, precious metals, and other minerals. The great chain of being (Latin: scala naturae, literally "ladder/stair-way of nature") is a concept derived from Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, and Proclus.

The Great Chain of Being Macbeth

Act 1 Considerations A 1/S 1 The last 2 lines of the scene seem paradoxical. What do you think they mean? A 1/S 2 Although Macbeth does not appear in this scene, we learn a great deal about him. What impressions do we get of Macbeth? Draw as complete a character sketch of him as you can based on what people say about him- use direct quotes. The bleeding Sergeant utilizes a number of comparisons to describe the progress of the battle. Choose at least two metaphors which you consider to be especially effective and explain fully the comparisons drawn. Explain why you think they are effective. A 1/S 4 Duncan is basically a kind and generous King. However, he can be seen as having at least one major shortcoming. What is it? Provide evidence from this scene to support your opinion.

Act 1 considerations A 1/S 5 An important theme in this play deals with the discrepancy between appearance and reality. The weird sisters introduce this themes with their chant “Fair is foul, and foul is fair. ” The play is full of echos of this statement. Review the scenes thus far and list at least 3 references that deal with the deceptive nature of appearances (focus on this scene in particular). A 1/S 6 Why is it appropriate that Lady Macbeth’s response to Duncan be lavish and humble? What kind of imagery does she use in lines 30 -33? Why is this appropriate? A 1/S 7 In the opening soliloquy, Macbeth offers a number of reasons why it would be wrong to kill Kind Duncan. Outline his reasons and put them in your own words. Lady Macbeth uses powerful language in her attempts to deal with her husband’s wavering. How does Lady Macbeth persuade her husband to go through with the plan?