Introduction -
• About a Scottish noble, Macbeth, in the 11th century, who turned evil in order to get the throne
• Context – Shakespeare wrote the play in order to get into the good books of the king – James
the first.
• For this reason, he portrayed Macbeth to be worse than he actually was. He portrayed Banquo,
another character in the book, to be extremely virtuous as James the First considered Banquo to
be his ancestor.
• It is still relevant in modern society as it shows the repercussions and dangers of being greedy
and not having restraint over your own desires.
Act 1-
Scene 1-
Scene 1 -
• In the first scene, we are introduced to 3 witches, who meet during a storm. They talk about an
ongoing war and predict that it will end by the sunset of that day. Following this, they will meet
there again, and encounter Macbeth.
• The storm setting and the witches’ diction is particularly ominous, giving rise to the feeling
something evil is going to take place.
• Shakespeare introduced witchcraft in the very first scene of the play as it is a major theme in the
play. This was done to please King James, as he was a stark believer in witchcraft. He had
published a book about it and considered himself to be an expert in the field. More importantly,
the theme of witchcraft is a reflection of society, as it was given a lot of importance during that
time.
• The witches speak in a cryptic manner and therefore, there are several paradoxes and
oxymorons throughout the play. In this scene, the phrase ‘when the battle’s lost and won’ is a
paradox, which means that one side will lose and one will win. Another interpretation is that he
wins the battle, but he loses so much more.
• The phrase ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair’ is an oxymoron and a paradox, which was used for the
first time. It means that what appears to be good may be bad and what appears to be bad, may
be good and this is an underlying theme in the full play.
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• Formalist+ New Historicism
• Spectacle – place, weather, people – creates gloomy area, ominous vibe
• Trochaic tetrameter – stressed syllables followed by unstressed – fair is foul.... fog and filthy air
– set the tone and mood for the rest of the play (unsettling and ominous). - contrasts physical
and moral world. - alliteration, juxtaposition, paradox
• Tension - “there to meet w Macbeth” - since we don’t know who Macbeth is yet.
• Ecocriticism- the setting; toads and cats were associated w witches
Scene 2-
• Here, the setting is at a military camp. King Duncan of Scotland and his sons meet a sergeant
from the war. He updates them on the situation saying that their original battle against the Irish
ended with Scottish victory as Macbeth fought valiantly. However, they were then attacked by
Norwegian troops who were assisted by a traitor referred to as the thane of Cawdor. He says
that they fought with twice as much force this time. He is then taken out and the thane of Ross
enters. He says that the Scottish won again, all thanks to Macbeth. The king says that Macbeth
should be given the title of the thane of Cawdor, and the traitor himself should be killed.
• Metaphor – two exhausted swimmers clinging to each other who represent the Irish and
Scottish armies fighting each other and no one winning.
• Personification and symbolism – He says, ‘fortune...like a rebel’s whore’. Here, he refers to
fortune as a person, describing her a whore to symbolize her fickleness. He also personifies
courage in the phrase ‘Valour’s minion’
• Allusion – Roman mythology – Bellona's bridegroom – Bellona is the goddess of war. Also,
allusion to Christ, by saying that Macbeth wishes to make the battlefield as infamous as
Golgotha, where Christ was crucified.
• Scene 2 serves the purpose of introducing several main characters in the play, showing Macbeth
as both a violent man and a hero and creates the theme of honor, valiance and order. The
gruesome descriptions of war were included in this scene and throughout the play to interest
the viewers, who expected to see bloodshed in the plays.
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• Macbeth was shown as a hero by killing a traitor. Establishes his loyalty, which makes us feel like
he is the hero. This also sets him apart because it makes him a dynamic character, not just
another character. As he is the protagonist, he needs to be set apart from the other characters.
• Use of objectives like brave to establish his heroism
Scene 3-
• Lesser than macbeth but greater -
• Along the lines of rising action – Several things take place that results in what Macbeth becomes
and does
• New Historical Criticism
Scene 4-
• Formalist lens – imp part in the plot – creates a lot of tension – accelerates the action – lots of
events in quick succession
• Dramatic irony
• Archetypal criticism- several symbolic images. Symbols to show that duncan is Macbeth's
mentor
• Characterization – Portrayal of Duncan as a hero, a nice man, making us sympathize with him
and feel the shock when Macbeth betrays him.
Scene 5-
• Lady Macbeth ‘reading a letter’ - to give context to her; she can read and write + purpose of
letter – many of Shakespeare’s characters announce their arrival before they come; to give her
time to plan and scheme
• Too full o the milk of human kindness- metaphor
• Lady Macbeth is the one who plants the seed of committing regicide and tries to convince him
to get rid of all obstacles
• This ignorant present...instant - the urgency of the issue
• Themes – Fate vs free will; appearances vs reality (portrayal to audience, readers, is there a
façade? ; natural vs supernatural; light vs dark
• Equivocation – Using ambiguous language to conceal the truth, using contradictions and
paradoxes
Eg. Not so happy, yet much happier; lesser than macbeth and greater; thou shalt get get kings, though
thou be none; fair is foul and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air.
Iambic pentameter, trochaic tetrameter
Scene 6-
• Structural Juxtaposition – Duncan is admiring the castle – its beauty and peacefulness, whereas
macbeth and his wife are planning to kill him.
• Dramatic Irony – We know of the plot, they don’t
Scene 7-
• Euphemism - ‘it’
• Personification – even handed justice
• Biblical allusion – Similar phrases said by Judas who betrayed Jesus; chalice
• Soliloquy
ACT 2 - rising action
Scene 1 -
• Sleep: motif – symbolizes innocence
• Dramatic irony – Banquo should be weary of macbeth, we know it he doesn’t
• Ambition
• Honesty
• Soliloquy - Rhetorical question.
Scene 2 -
Scene 3-
• Biblical allusions - eg – Satan and Beelzebub (+ allusion to daemonology)
• Symbolism – knocking and judgement
• Porter compares himself to the one who guards the gates of hell
• Dramatic Irony – he's actually a guarding a hellish place
• Macduff and Lennox – Lennox talks about the terrible weather - ‘unruly weather’ - his death has
caused the natural world to become chaotic – Elizabethans believe that God appointed the King
• Symbolism – Owl – symbolizes death and evil
• Sight of dead king – Looking at gorgon
• Dramatic irony
• Is he actually feeling guilty?
• Wine of life is a metaphor
• Foreshadows Lady Macbeth’s guilt
• Daggers is smiles – innocent flowers but serpent underneath
• Porter scene – comical relief? (formalist); scale down the act and condemn him (psychological);
medieval mystery (new historicism); context of reception – some say necessary, some say
useless
• Equivocation – double meaning resulting in ambiguity
• Personification – Drink, confusion
• Nature – Night, Wind, Rain
• King’s body = temple
• Nihilistic - Relentless negativity or cynicism suggesting an absence of values or
beliefs
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ACT 3 -
Scene 1 -
• Fear – Macbeth fears that since one part of the prediction has come true, the part about
Banquo’s son will be true as well.
• Double Meaning – Duncan is previously referred to as the chief guest. Banquo is referred to the
chief guest in this seen
• Allusion – Mark Antony and Caesar
• Jealously -
• Soliloquy – Banquo – Purposes – restating the prophecy, to voice his worries that macbeth is the
murderer (shift in Banquo’s nature) - macbeth has gone so far that even his most loyal follower
is doubting him, this is the third time he’s denying the prophecy of the ‘weird women’, shows
Banquo in a good light
• Dramatic irony – we know why he’s asking about banquo’s return, he doesn’t
• Change in nature – before he was very reluctant, now to kill banquo he hired the murderers
himself and doesn’t even tell lady macbeth. Further, he even uses the same words lady macbeth
used while convincing him to convince the two murderers.
• Apostrophe – addressing someone who isn’t there – thou hast it now...
• Till supper-time alone – how power isolates you
• Macbeth’s soliloquy – different from the other 2 – the other two were more contemplative, he
showed his guilt, his humanity was shown. Now instead, of being more humane, he’s more evil,
he’s more confident.
• Anaphora – gracious Duncan
• Metaphor – vessel of my peace – conscience; mine eternal jewel- soul
Scene 2 -
• Peripetia - Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have been switched; she is now guilty and worried,
uncertain and her soliloquies have become smaller and he is killing without hesitation –
Evidenced also by switches in lines (Come seeling night and come thick night). Gothic imagery
(bats and demons and stuff)
• Antithetical Parallelism
• Dramatic Irony -
• Sleep – nightmares always used to demonstrate guilt
• Paranoia – Scorpions
• Evidence that Lady Macbeth was just used to validate his plans, but he had probably actually
come up with it himself.
• Macbeth’s relationship w fate – before he didn’t believe much in it and took it upon himself, but
now he believes in it because he’s scared of it
Scene 3 -
Scene 4 -
• Euphemism – dispatch'd for dead
• Metaphor – previously said something about banquo being a snake, now refers to fleance being
a young snake, without teeth
• Theme of manhood (act 1 s7) - he is manly, lady macbeth keeps asking him whether he’s a man,
he’s also trying to convince himself
• Telling everyone to leave in no order – foreshadowing – lack of order, his gradual loss of power
– just like his senses and control starts to crumble, his power and empire starts to crumble (he
characterizes macbeth as someone with lack of skills and senses, even though in reality he
wasn’t that bad simply to please james the dude)
Scene 5 -
• Rumoured to have not been written by Shakespeare himself because of iambic tetrameter and
also its whimsical portrayal on stage
• Allusion – Greek mythology – Acheron – five rivers of hell
Act 4-
Scene 1 -
• Tone and mood – set by the witches’ descriptions of objects
• Something wicked vs all hail macbeth - (this scene was act 1) - juxtaposes how he began in the
play
• Characterization – macbeth says that regardless of what happens to others, he wants what he
wants. Comparison to first soliloquy where he says that he shouldn’t do bad things because it
encourages others to do the same
• Foreshadowing in apparitions -
- armed head – macbeth vs macduff
-a bloody child – symbolizes macduff
• Fate – he keeps interfering with fate, is it now correct to call his future fate?
• Justice – is his gradually worsening mental health justice enough for his deeds?
Scene 2 -
• Horror, transformation – he was willing to kill a child
Act 5-
Scene 1 -
- Lady macbeth switches between talking to herself and to macbeth
- She always wants the light by her side (candle)
- Sigh – believed to lead a man to his death; makes a person choleric
- ‘this disease is beyond my practice’ - shows that lady macbeth has a disease of the mind, not
body
Macbeth Lady Macbeth
-filled with second thoughts, then no -previously was reckless and was an
restraint at all instigator, changed to restrainful
-feels guilt, wants to be away from -wants darkness because of his deeds
the darkness
-before no guilt, now a lot of guilt - Before a lot of guilt, now no
remorse
