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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