MACBETH by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, originally published in 1623 but has seen
numerous adaptations over the years of its popularity. Despite its setting in medieval Scotland, the play
has represented characters and themes that parallel ideas and topics that are relevant to intellectual
discussions in today’s time. From strong female characters to supernatural prophecies, Macbeth proves to
be a literary paragon for subversion of contemporary ideas and tragedies in literature. A dark and bloody
tale, the play follows Macbeth as he ascends to power and tries to keep it, exploring the consequences of
ambition, the complexity of power and the mystery of the supernatural.

THEMES
THEMES EXPLANATION
Power is explored extensively in the play of
Macbeth, acting as the core of the entire
piece. It is mainly explored in two main
ways: desired power (explored through
characters’ desires for prosperity and
absolute power) and relative power (explored
through relations and their dynamics.)
In Macbeth, Shakespeare displays this theme
of desired power and detrimental ambition
through the fatal flaws of his tragic
characters. Controlled by a lust for power
and inherent ambition, Macbeth is led to
destruction and tyranny to secure his
kingship. This, alongside Lady Macbeth’s
POWER AND
ambition for herself and her husband, leads
AMBITION
to their ultimate downfall because of reckless
desires and insatiable greed.
Shakespeare also explores relative power
through the relationships, and how they are
shown, of his characters. He subverts
traditional presentations of power in
relationships, putting Lady Macbeth as the
dominant partner in her marriage with
Macbeth as she orders him to kill Duncan
and obtain kingship for both to get power.
This dynamic changes as Macbeth is
overcome by his ascension to sovereignty,
influencing Lady Macbeth’s demise as her
husband is led astray by his ambition.
GUILT Guilt is heavily explored in this play,
especially after events of great destruction,
and is the primary feeling that arises before
the downfall of Shakespeare's characters.
Shakespeare shows guilt as a result of
QUOTED EXAMPLE
‘To be thus is nothing but to be
safely thus’ - Macbeth tells us
that kingship means nothing
until that power is secured and
he can live safely with the
knowledge that he cannot lose
his power. This reinforces the
theme of fatal flaws as
Macbeth will not stop at
anything until his power is not
threatened by external forces.
'When you durst do it, then you
were a man' - Lady Macbeth is
questioning Macbeth’s
masculinity, actively showing
her dominance in the
relationship as she believes
Macbeth to be too weak/too
good to carry out the deed of
killing Duncan. This display of
relative power shows the
significance of this theme in
terms of how characters
interact and what can come of
it.
‘Will all of great Neptune’s
Ocean wash the blood from my
hand’ - While water could
wash his hands of Duncan’s
blood in a literal sense,
Macbeth cries that all the blood
 destruction: Macbeth deals with bouts of
guilt after he kills his victims for power,
often displaying mental strife as he tries to
come to terms with the severity of his
actions.
In Shakespeare’s time, the supernatural were
held to a high degree due to contemporary
people’s religious beliefs. To appeal to the
inherent intrigue of the supernatural of his
audiences, Shakespeare explores the
supernatural and their impact on the fates of
other characters in the play.
We see the supernatural affecting the world
as soon as the play starts, showing the first
way in how the supernatural are presented. In
Jacobean times, people believed in the Great
Chain of Being (a universal rule that gave
everything in existence a place in a natural
FATE AND THE
hierarchy from God to the King to his thanes,
SUPERNATURAL
etc.) The Chain of Being details that, if the
natural order of power were disrupted (e.g.,
regicide), the world would react in the form
of entropic weather and destruction. This is
shown when the play starts with a storm,
foreshadowing the coming of tragic events
which we see later in the play.
The obvious presentation of the supernatural
is seen with the Witches and their mysterious
impact on the fate of Macbeth and the people
around him. Their prophecy is what drives
the play and its happenings, along with their
occasional interference as the play proceeds.
Shakespeare explores this theme in a
multitude of ways, exploring the idea that
things are not always as they seem and the
reality behind these facades is dark and
unpleasant.
APPEARANCES This theme is shown through the deceptive
AND REALITY facades and scheming personalities of the
characters in the play and is often paired with
guilt after the severity of such deception
becomes realised. It is this confusion with
what seems real and what is not that leads
characters to their deaths and forces Macbeth
into extreme guilt over who he has murdered.
in the ocean cannot rid him of
the vile act of murder and, as a
result, Macbeth is forever
guilty.
‘First Witch: When shall we
three meet again? In thunder,
lightning, or in rain?
Second Witch: When the hurly-
burly's done, when the battle's
lost and won.
Third Witch: That will be ere
the set of sun.
First Witch: Where the place?
Second Witch: Upon the heath.
Third Witch: There to meet
with Macbeth.’
- The Witches open the play
with a storm, foreshadowing
chaos that may come as the
play goes on. At this point, the
play has only just started and
these supernatural characters
(who contemporary audiences
would have viewed with much
intrigue and reverence)
introduce the ideas of battle
and hurly-burly (chaos) along
with the meeting of Macbeth,
signifying their role in the
story and showing their eerie
ability of prophecy as Macbeth
goes on to see them not to
short after.
‘Look like th’ innocent flower
but be th’ serpent under’t’ -
Lady Macbeth is encouraging
Macbeth to act amiable in front
of the king so that no one will
suspect him of regicide. This
deception leads to Duncan’s
death and the mental suffering
of Macbeth as he is ridden with
guilt after accepting Duncan’s
hospitality (allowed in
Duncan’s home) and killing
him for personal gain.
 MACBETH
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LADY MACBETH
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THE WITCHES
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BANQUO
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MACDUFF
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