TEST Shakespeares Macbeth What to Study Background to

TEST – Shakespeare’s Macbeth What to Study: Ø Background to the Renaissance (Notes; textbook) (Monarchs, focus of literature, Gunpowder Plot, Shakespeare’s theater, influences upon the Renaissance, etc. ) Ø Characteristics of the Shakespearean Tragedy (notes; textbook) Ø Characters of the play – Be able to match descriptions and quotes Ø Chain of Being and Pathetic Fallacy Notes Ø Review Acts of the Play – Be able to put events in order as they occur in the play Ø Themes of Macbeth

Themes Found in Macbeth v A guilty conscience can greatly affect one’s physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. v Ambition is a strong characteristic and has the capacity to be used for good or for evil. v When humans disrupt the natural order of the universe, the result is chaos and disorder; order is God’s entitlement. v Appearance can be deceptive; things are not always as they seem. v Bloody deeds will catch up with those who execute them; good always triumphs over evil.

Literary Devices Found in Macbeth Blank verse Unrhymed iambic pentameter (10 beats per line) Pathetic Fallacy Nature’s response to human emotion Heroic Couplets Rhymed iambic pentameter Apostrophe Allusion Comic Relief Denouement Foil (The complete list will include 29 terms – be familiar with all terms on the Literary Device Assignment) Addressing an absent character or object as though present Reference to another work of literature or real historical place, person, or event Providing humorous relief for the audience after a moment of intensity The resolution A character’s complete opposite

Literary Devices Found in Macbeth Blank verse “Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here…” Pathetic Fallacy The drunken Porter Heroic Couplets Apostrophe “Witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate’s offerings” Allusion Macduff to Macbeth Comic Relief Malcolm’s final speech Denouement The Old Man and Ross have a conversation regarding the eclipse and the king’s horses turning wild Foil

Name that Character… Devices the first murder scheme “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it…” Witness to Lady Macbeth’s confessions Macbeth said this person would be a stumbling block to his desires Seeks justice for Scotland revenge for his family Flees to Ireland Accuses Macbeth of being a coward “I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters…” Queen of the Witches Discovers Duncan’s murder