Themes in Macbeth:

Ambition: can cause to overstep moral boundaries

- ambition leading to greed, lead to Macbeth’s downfall
- can cause to overstep moral boundaries
- Act 1 Scene 5: Lady Macbeth reads letter from Macbeth, invokes forces of
evil, influences Macbeth to kill Duncan - “Look like th’ innocent flower, but
be the serpent under’t.”
- Act 1 Scene 7 - Macbeth: “It would be best to get it over with quickly.” Lady
Macbeth: “But screw your courage to the sticking place” Lady Macbeth
has more ambition, controls Macbeth’s ambition
- Act 3 Scene 1: Macbeth plans to kill Banquo. “No son of mine succeeding”
Envious, hates idea someone else’s sons became King after him

Kingship: power, divine right of kingship, the natural order

- Duncan represents a good king, Macbeth represents a bad king. Have
different moral values
- Macbeth murdering Duncan - against divine right of Kings, going against will
of God
- Act 1 Scene 7: Duncan’s good qualities. Macbeth “Hath borne his faculties
so meek, hath been so clear in his great office”
- Act 3 Scene 6: Lennox and other lord discuss life under Macbeth’s rule. “He
should return quickly to free our country, which is suffering u see a tyrant!”
Mabeth portrayed as cruel, oppressive. Shows has no control over country,
bad king, power, desires
- Act 4 Scene 3: “Angels are bright, though the brightest fell.” referencing
Lucifer, turned against God (divine right of kingship), was cast out, links to
Macbeth, downfall, power

Fate and free will: extent of controlling own destinies

- witches, prophecies, fate, ambition leads to free will
- told he will be king, decides on own to kill Duncan to help prophecies. Shows
fate predetermined but free will determined how will reach fate
- Macbeth’s free will under influence of fate, prophecies
- “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion” thoughts of murder
- Act 4 Scene 1: second prophecies, “And take a bond of fate, Thou shalt not
live” guarantee of fate, unnecessary to kill him but will anyway

Appearance and reality: deception, people/events not as they seem

- Duncan shows trust in Macbeth
- Macbeth plots his murder
- “This castle hath a pleasant seat”, feels safe, welcome
- dramatic irony
Motifs:

blood: evil is result of overambition

- Act 1 Scene 5 - “Make thick my blood”, feels guilty about killing innocent
man, asks the supernatural to harden heart
- thick blood means less humane, wants to lose human traits like compassion,
kindness
- Act 2 Scene 1 - “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean
from my hand?”
sleep: natural process, disrupted by going against natural order
- Act 2 scene 1 - “Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse the
curtain’d sleep”
- duncan killed in his sleep, Act 2 Scene 2 “Macbeth does murder sleep”, won’t
be able to sleep again, guilt, advantage of vulnerability (sleep is peaceful
state)
vision: insanity
- Macbeth sees a dagger with handle pointing toward his hand, led by force,
fate out of control Act 2 Scene 1 “Is this a dagger which I see before me”
- Lady Macbeth, sleepwalking, sees blood on hands “Out damned spot”, guilt
light and darkness: representing innocence and evil
- Act 1 Scene 4, “Stars, hide your fires;Let not see my black and deep desires”,
doesn’t want anyone to see his dark, evil ambitions
- Act 4 Scene 2 “Come, seeling night.” darkness conceal Banquo’s murder
Nature: disrupted when morality is broken
- Act 2 Scene 4 “Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man’s act”
- Act 2 Scene 4 “Tis unnatural,/ Even like the deed that’s done.” Ripple effect

Context:
- jacobean society
- natural order
- divine right of kings
- hamartia - fatal flaw, leads to downfall