MACBETH is a tragic hero.

At the beginning of the play he shows his courage and his loyalty to the king by
fighting and defeating the Danes. He is presented as a noble and good-natured man, but when tempted by
the three witches, he soon falls and, driven by his great ambition, commits crime after crime , transforming
himself from hero into villain.

LADY MACBETH initially comes across as a ruthless woman without scruples. She is stronger than her
husband and urges him to murder Duncan in order to become King. She acts out of ambition, but also out
of love for her husband. In the end the same sense of guilt which persecutes Macbeth also affects her and it
is symbolised by her persistent gesture of trying to wash her hands clean of blood, which eventually drives
her mad.

THE THREE WITCHES appear several times in the play to predict Macbeth’s future and introduce an
element of the supernatural symbolising the obscure power of evil which tempts man. Their prophecies
represent Macbeth’s hidden desires.

THEMES

1. SLEEP
In two speeches Macbeth repeats a verb frequently and this verb is "To sleep" (lines 30-33, 37-39). He
refers to sleep by means of a series of six metaphors:

- That knits up the ravell’d sleave of care(line 33)

- The death of each day’s life(line 33)
- sore labour’s bath(line 33)
- Balm of hurt minds (line 34)
- great Nature’s second course (line 34)
-Chief nourisher in life’s feast (line 35)

The common idea they all share is and idea of relief, rest and peace.

"Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep"(line 31). Sleep stands for the positive values embodied by
Duncan

"Sleep no more" (lines 38-39). Sleep here foreshadows Macbeth’s punishment.

2. MADNESS
Madness instead will be Lady Macbeth’s punishment later in the play (lines 28-29)

3. BLOOD AND WATER

These two images are interwoven. Besides introducing two of the main themes of the play, they also help
point out yhe basic difference in the characters of the hero and the heroine.

BLOOD symbolizes the guilt of murder which sticks to Macbeth’s hands and cannot be washed away.
WATER symbolizes the possibility of redemption

Macbeth and Lady MAcbeth have different attitudes to their bloodstained hands. Macbeth is obsessed with
the sight of blood on his hands, it reminds him of his crime. Lady Macbeth has a more practical attitude and
suggests washing the blood away.
ALTRA ANALISI

Sleep

1. Macbeth refers to Sleep by means of a series of metaphors. Write them down.

a. that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care (line 30);
b. the death of each day’s life (line 31);
c. sore labour’s bath (line 31);
d. balm of hurt minds (line 32);
e. great Nature’s second course (line 32);
f. chief nourisher in life’s feast (line 33).

What common idea do they share?

An idea of relief, rest and peace.

2. “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”.

Write down each phrase near the appropriate meaning of the word “Sleep”.
A. It stands for the positive values embodied by Duncan: Macbeth does murder Sleep.
B. It foreshadows Macbeth’s punishment: sìeep no more! ^

Madness

Madness, instead, will be Lady Macbeth’s punishment later in the play. Find the lines that foreshadow her
destìny: lines 26-27.

Blood and Water

These two images are interwoven. Besides introducing two of the main themes of the play, they also help
point out the basic difference in the characters of the hero and the heroine.

1. What does each image symbolize?

Blood: symbolizes the guilt of murder which sticks to Mac¬beth’s hands and cannot be washed away;
Water: symbolizes the possibility of redemption.

2. What are the different attitudes of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to their bloodstained hands?
Macbeth is obsessed with the sight of blood on his hands, they remind him of his crime. Lady Macbeth has
a more practical attitude and suggests washing the blood away.