Introduction to Macbeth - Teacher Copy

Introduction to Macbeth Macbeth is about: 1. The “success, treachery, and disintegration of a brave but flawed human being.” 2. The potential of each human being to be evil. 3. Ambition. 4. Fate versus Free Will. Macbeth’s Origin: 1. Shakespeare based much of the plot of Macbeth on Holinshed’s Chronicles (1577), which detailed, among other things, 11th century Scottish history. 2. The history Shakespeare used from Holinshed’s book included the story of the Scottish king, Macbeth, who ruled from 1040-1057. 3. Shakespeare changed the story: he altered real characters and created new ones. Ex: Banquo, James I’s ancestor, though an accomplice to murder in actual history, is an innocent, virtuous man in the play. 4. Banquo was the first Stuart king—from the same family as James I. 5. Shakespeare wrote the play, in part, as a tribute to James I. Macbeth’s Timeliness: 1. Probably first produced in 1605 following the Gunpowder Plot on 11/5/1605. 2. Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes, leader of several catholic rebels against the Anglican king, James I, attempted to blow up the Parliament. He and others placed 36 barrels of gunpowder in the basement of Parliament in an effort to assassinate high officials—namely James I. James I discovered the plot and they tortured Fawkes until he gave up his accomplices. All were executed. 3. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is timely because it presents themes/subjects relevant to that age—an attempt on a king’s life and the virtues of loyalty to a king. 4. The play also flatters James I by presenting one of James I’s ancestors, Banquo, as virtuous. Macbeth’s Mode: Tragedy 1. Apply Stoppard’s "Couples, Corpses and Crowns" rule. In Shakespeare's comedies, "everyone gets married;" in his tragedies, "everybody dies;" and in his histories, "somebody's named King." Introduction to Macbeth 2. Macbeth is a tragedy. 3. Tragic hero: a person of high rank or authority whose fault (tragic flaw) results in his/her downfall. 4. Tragic flaw: a fatal weakness. Macbeth’s Form: 1. Macbeth is the shortest of Shakespeare’s major tragedies (Othello, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, and King Lear). Probably because James I did not like long plays. 2. Blank Verse: unrhyming iambic pentameter. 3. Archaic words: whence = from where, ere = before, anon = soon, thy/thee/thou = your /you (object) /you (subj) Mood: foreboding, suspenseful, gloomy --Foul weather, dark “thick” nights, dark castles, witches, apparitions (ghosts). Setting: Scotland (and briefly England) in the 10th and 11th centuries. Ex: Iverness (Macbeth’s castle), Forres (location of Duncan’s castle). Motifs: a recurring literary convention or an element that is repeated within a literary work or among literary works. NOTE: This is different from a theme. A theme is a message about life, society, or human nature. A motif may support a theme. 1. Blood- Blood lines, spilled blood, passion. 2. Hands-“Caught red-handed," "give a helping hand,” washing bloody hands. 3. Sleeplessness –we often say that we need to "sleep on" a problem, but what do you do when you murder sleep, as Macbeth does? 4. Light/Darkness Much of Macbeth takes place in the dark, and both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem to believe that the dark can hide their crimes, perhaps even from themselves. 5. Fair/Foul (appearance vs. reality)- From witches… Throughout the play, fair appearances hide foul realities.