Macbeth

Macbeth Shakespeare's Macbeth is one of his darkest and oddest plays. While none of Shakespeare's
great tragedies can be called cheery, Macbeth is distinguished even from those other plays by an
underlying bleakness and by its interest in dark, supernatural forces. Like all of Shakespeare's great plays,
Macbeth has fascinated literary critics for centuries. These critics have tried to make sense of the play's
messy plot, supernatural elements, shocking violence, and unforgettable characters like Macbeth and
Lady Macbeth.
The main source for Shakespeare’s Macbeth play was Holinshed’s Chronicles. Holinshed, in turn, took
the account from a Scottish history, Scotorum Historiae, written in 1527 by Hector Boece. Shakespeare,
flattering James 1, referred to the king’s own books, Discovery of Witchcraft and Daemonologie, written
in 1599. Some of the main ideas of Macbeth are Nature, Manhood and Light versus Dark. And of course
Macbeth is considered one of Shakespeare’s most violent plays. In Macbeth, the murder of a king by one
of his subjects is seen as unnatural and the images of the play reflect this theme, with disruptions of
nature, like storms – and events such as where the horses turn on their grooms and bite them. In Macbeth
Shakespeare explores what it is to be a man. Lady Macbeth accuses Macbeth of being unmanly because
of his hesitation in killing Duncan, but Macbeth says that it’s unmanly for a man to kill his king.
Shakespeare plays with that paradox. Duncan is a good king and a good man, and he is surrounded by
20images of light. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth turn their surroundings into a picture of hell, blanketed in
darkness. Those images of light and dark interact throughout the play. Traditionally, there is a curse on
Macbeth. Actors and production crews perpetuate the superstition by avoiding using the play’s title,
Macbeth, which is considered bad luck. It has to be referred to as “The Scottish Play.
One of the most important critics of Macbeth in the twentieth century was Oxford professor A.C.
Bradley. Bradley's book Shakespearean Tragedy, a collection of lectures on Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello,
and King Lear, helped to establish those four plays as the definitive Shakespearean tragedies after it was
published in 1904.
Bradley was interested in the character and personality of Shakespeare's characters. He popularized the
idea that the heroes of the four tragedies were all undone by a tragic flaw, or a certain deficit of character
that leads to their downfall. Bradley argued that Macbeth's tragic flaw was ambition, as his lust for
power, egged on by Lady Macbeth, is what leads him to kill King Duncan and set in to motion all of the
other tragic events of the play. Though Bradley is thought of as an old-fashioned by many modern
Shakespeare readers, his ideas had a huge impact on interpretation of the play, as many people today still
seeit primarily as a play about ambition.
Macbeth: Plot :Act I
On bleak Scottish moorland, Macbeth and Banquo, two of King Duncan's generals, discover three strange
women (witches). The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be promoted twice: to Thane of Cawdor (a
rank of the aristocracy bestowed by grateful kings) and King of Scotland. Banquo's descendants will be
kings, but Banquo isn't promised any kingdom himself. The generals want to hear more, but the "weird
sisters" disappear. Soon afterwards, King Duncan names Macbeth Thane of Cawdor as a reward for his
success in the recent battles. The promotion seems to support the prophecy. The King than proposes to
make a brief visit that night to Macbeth's castle at Inverness. Lady Macbeth receives news from her
husband about the prophecy and his new title. She vows to help him become king by whatever means are
necessary.

Act II
Macbeth returns to his castle, followed almost immediately by King Duncan. The Macbeths plot together
tokill Duncan and wait until everyone is asleep. At the appointed time, Lady Macbeth gives the guards
drugged wine so Macbeth can enter and kill the King. He regrets this almost immediately, but his wife
reassures him. She leaves the bloody daggers by the dead king just before Macduff, a nobleman, arrives.
When Macduff discovers the murder, Macbeth kills the drunken guards in a show of rage and retribution.
Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, flee, fearing for their own lives; but they are, nevertheless,
blamedfor the murder.
Act III
Macbeth becomes King of Scotland but is plagued by feelings of insecurity. He remembers the prophecy
that Banquo's descendants will inherit the throne and arranges for Banquo and his son Fleance to be
killed. In the darkness, Banquo is murdered, but his son escapes the assassins. At his state banquet that
night, Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo and worries the courtiers with his mad response. Lady Macbeth
dismisses the court and unsuccessfully tries to calm her husband.
Act IV
Macbeth seeks out the witches who say that he will be safe until a local wood, Birnam Wood, marches
into battle against him. He also need not fear anyone born of woman (that sounds secure, no loop-holes
here). They also prophesy that the Scottish succession will still come from Banquo's son. Macbeth
embarks on a reign of terror, slaughtering many, including Macduff's family. Macduff had gone to seek
Malcolm (one of Duncan's sons who fled) at the court of the English king. Malcolm is young and unsure
of himself, but Macduff, pained with grief, persuades him to lead an army against Macbeth. 21
Act V
Macbeth feels safe in his remote castle at Dunsinane until he is told that Birnam Wood is moving
towards him. Malcolm's army is carrying branches from the forest as camouflage for their assault on
Macbeth's stronghold. Meanwhile, an overwrought and conscience-ridden Lady Macbeth walks in her
sleep and tells her secrets to her doctor. She commits suicide. As the final battle commences, Macbeth
hears of Lady Macbeth's suicide and mourns. In the midst of a losing battle, Macduff challenges
Macbeth. Macbeth learns Macduff is the child of a caesarean birth (loophole!), realises he is doomed, and
submits to his enemy. Macduff triumphs and brings the head of the traitor Macbeth to Malcolm. Malcolm
declares peace and goes to Scone to be crowned king.
Macbeth: Dramatis Personae
DUNCAN, King of Scotland.
MALCOLM & DONALBAIN, his Sons.
MACBETH & BANQUO, Generals of the King’s Army.
MACDUFF, LENNOX, ROSS, MENTEITH, ANGUS, & CAITHNESS: Noblemen of Scotland.
FLEANCE, Son to Banquo.
SIWARD, Earl of Northumberland, General of the English Forces.
YOUNG SIWARD, his Son.
SEYTON, an Officer attending Macbeth.
Boy, Son to Macduff.
An English Doctor.
A Scotch Doctor.
A Sergeant.
A Porter.
An Old Man.
LADY MACBETH.
LADY MACDUFF.
Macbeth - Macbeth is a Scottish general and the thane of Glamis who is led to wicked thoughts by the
prophecies of the three witches, especially after their prophecy that he will be made thane of Cawdor
comes true. Macbeth is a brave soldier and a powerful man, but he is not a virtuous one. He is easily
tempted into murder to fulfill his ambitions to the throne, and once he commits his first crime and is
crowned King of Scotland, he embarks on further atrocities with increasing ease. Ultimately, Macbeth
proves himself better suited to the battlefield than to political intrigue, because he lacks the skills
necessary to rule without being atyrant. His response to every problem is violence and murder. Unlike
Shakespeare’s great villains, such as Iago in Othello and Richard III in Richard III, Macbeth is never
comfortable in his role as a criminal. He is unable to bear the psychological consequences of his
atrocities.
Lady Macbeth -
Macbeth’s wife, a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power and position. Early in the play she seems
to be the stronger and more ruthless of the two, as she urges her husband to kill Duncan andseize the
crown. After the bloodshed begins, however, Lady Macbeth falls victim to guilt and madness to aneven
greater degree than her husband. Her conscience affects her to such an extent that she eventually commits
suicide. Interestingly, she and Macbeth are presented as being deeply in love, and many of Lady
Macbeth’s speeches imply that her influence over her husband is primarily sexual. There joint alienation
from the world, occasioned by there partnership in crime, seems to strengthen the attachment that they
feel to each another.
The Three Witches -
Three “black and midnight hags” who plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and
prophecies. Their predictions prompt him to murder Duncan, to order the deaths of Banquo and his son,
and to blindly believe in his own immortality. The play leaves the witches’ true identity unclear—
22aside from the fact that they are servants of Hecate, we know little about their place in the cosmos. In
some ways they resemble the mythological Fates, who impersonally weave the threads of human destiny.
They clearly take a perverse delight in using their knowledge of the future to toy with and destroy human
beings.
King Duncan -
The good King of Scotland whom Macbeth, in his ambition for the crown, murders. Duncanis the model
of a virtuous, benevolent, and farsighted ruler. His death symbolizes the destruction of an order in
Scotland that can be restored only when Duncan’s line, in the person of Malcolm, once more occupies
thethrone.
Macduff -
A Scottish nobleman, hostile to Macbeth’s kingship from the start. He eventually becomes a leader of the
crusade to unseat Macbeth. The crusade’s mission is to place the rightful king, Malcolm, on thethrone,
but Macduff also desires vengeance for Macbeth’s murder of Macduff’s wife and young son.
 Shakespearean Comedy: Main features of Shakespeare comic plays
We are going to dive deep into Shakespearean comedy and learn about the main features of
Shakespeare comic play. But before we do so, let us understand “What is a comedy” and different types
of comic plays that exist. It will then become easy for us to distinguish Shakespearean comedy from the
rest.
The general perception of a comic play is that it ends happily for the protagonists and also have elements
that may produce laughter. This perception is very close to Shakespearean Comedy.
Comic plays can be classified under heads like Comedy of Manners, Comedy of Humour, Sentimental
Comedy, Comedy of errors, Farce. But for the sake of keeping ourself within the scope of this article, we
may broadly classify comic plays into Classical comedy and Romantic comedy.
Classical comedy
Classical comedy strictly follows the rule laid down by ancient Greek and Roman. The main features
of Classical comedies are:
 Unity of time, place and action.
 No mix of the comic and tragic element.
 It aims at everyday life and realism.
 Ridicule and satirize human folly or vices.
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy does not follow the rules of classical comedy. It is written according to what suits
the fancy of the writer. Shakespearean Comedy is essentially a Romantic Comedy. Shakespeare broke
all rules of comic plays and wrote what suited his style and fancy.
Shakespeare mingled happy and sad theme, mixed comic elements with tragic elements. This made his
plays appear more convincing because no human life is completely tragic or completely comic. It is a
combination of both. He does not aim to correct human follies. Though follies and extravagances are
exposed in his plays, it is done in a light-hearted manner.
Shakespeare comic plays are full of creativity and imagination and his concern was just to make his
audience laugh and feel good. Light-hearted mood of his audience was his prime target.
Shakespearean Comedy Classification
Shakespeare comic plays can be classified into four different group.
Early Comedies
Shakespeare early comic plays were farcical and immature. It was packed with wits, puns and conceits.
Humour appeared as forced and cheap. The style of Shakespeare early comedies matches the Lyly’s
style. Plot and character composition were weak. Shakespeare’s comic plays that fall in this category are:

 Love’s Labour’s Lost,

 The Comedy of Errors,
 The two gentlemen of Verona,
 Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Joyous Comedies
The plays that fall in this group were full of love and music, fun and merry-making are the main
ingredients of these comedies. They have wonderful heroines and characters were skillfully composed. A
fine blend of romantic and realistic can be seen in these plays. This group includes plays like:

 The Merchant of Venice,

 As You Like It,
 Much Ado About Nothing,
 Twelfth Night
Dark Comedies
Dark comedies written by Shakespeare were sombre, dark and tragic in essence. These plays have Low
moral values and the theme is more of cynicism than comedy. These plays are comedies, only in name
and form, but not in essence. This group includes plays like:
 All Is Well That Ends Well,
  Measure for Measure,
 Troilus and Cressida
Dramatic romances
This style of comedy was very different from Shakespeare early comedies. Towards the end of his career,
Shakespeare switched back to comic plays from tragedies. This group includes plays like:

 Cymbeline,
 The Winter’s Tale,
 The Tempest
8 features Shakespearean comedy
1. Love and Marriage
Shakespeare comedy is a story of love and marriage. Not only the hero and heroine but almost all
characters fall in love. Therefore, marriage is inevitable in the end.
2. Mistaken identity or misconception
Characters impersonating someone or are mistaken for someone else is another important feature of
Shakespearean comedy.
3. Idyllic Setting
Shakespearean comedies are set in idyllic surroundings. The locations are like paradise, which doesn’t
exist in reality and is created by the imagination of the writer.
4. Disguise and Gender
Characters disguised as someone else, particularly female characters disguised as man is yet another
feature.
5. Music and Dance
Another important feature of Shakespearean comedy is music and dance. The climax part of his comedies
is always full of music, dance and merrymaking.
6. Fools
Presence of “fools” is Shakespeare’s comic plays is also an important characteristic. “Fools” serves any
purpose in his plays. He is witty and sometimes the mouthpiece of Shakespeare.
7. Fate and Fantasy
Fate and Fantasy place an important role in Shakespeare’s comic plays. He makes human appear as a
plaything, in the hand of some supernatural power. Supernatural elements like fairies and monsters are
also part of his play.
8. Happy Ending
All Shakespearean comedy has a happy ending and ends with the marriage of one or several characters.
The confusing gets resolved and everything is clear.
Conclusion
Some people do not find “Measure for measure” or “The Merchant of Venice” as a comic. There are
many critics who classify plays like “The Tempest” and “The Winter’s Tale” as Romance. There can be
an argument on the genre of the plays. But all the plays mentioned above fits the style of Shakespearean
comedy. Also, the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s play “First Folio 1623” has all the plays
mentioned above categorized under “Comedies”
 ELEMENTS OF SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDIES
William Shakespeare, perhaps the most talked about playwright in the world, was also an English poet
and actor . He is considered by many experts to be the greatest dramatist of all time. There are many
elements of Shakespearean tragedies. He was England’s national poet and his body of work includes 38
plays, 154 sonnets and 2 epic narrative poems. His genius as a playwright eclipses that of all others of his
. He created the most vivid characters of the Elizabethan stage. Traditionally,
Shakespeare’s plays are categorized as comedy, history, romance and tragedy; with some additional
categories proposed over the years. Shakespeare is perhaps most famous for his tragedies. A tragedy is a
drama in which series of action leads to the downfall of the Hero, the tragic hero. The plot builds to a
catastrophe or a disastrous final outcome . This usually involves the death of the hero and many others. In
all, Shakespeare wrote 10 tragedies. Some of his most famous tragedies include Hamlet, Romeo and
Juliet, Macbeth and King Lear.

SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDIES :SOME COMMON ELEMENTS OF HIS PLAYS

Shakespeare’s tragic works largely draw inspiration from ancient Greece . A society that placed value on
lessons drawn from plays concerning its religious, political and social matters. In fact, his tragic plays are
largely influenced by Aristotle’s classic poetics . Where a protagonist, usually of high social standing,
encounters a downfall caused by their own doing, referred to as “tragic flaw”. Some of the conspicuous
elements of Shakespeare’s tragedies includes
A tragic hero
Firstly , A tragic hero means a male or female royal of virtuous character . He/She must face adversity
either caused by their own flawed persona or sealed by fate. Ultimately they pay the price with their lives,
but after recognizing their mistake.

Good against evil

Secondly , Good and evil was as real in Shakespeare’s time, as it is today. Main reason why the Good vs
evil theme reflects in tragedy is the ability of the duo to stir the imagination of the audience . However
these elements have existed in the society since time immemorial. Thus the audience can easily identify
with both.
Hamartia
The protagonists in these tragedies all carry a flaw, which is also known as hamartia . This leaves them
vulnerable and eventually leads to a disastrous end.
Conflict
Above all , In Shakespearean tragedies, two types of conflicts take place. One internal and one external.
When the hero faces conflict from his antagonists it is external conflict . When the hero faces conflict in
their mind it is internal conflict.
The supernatural
However , Superstitious beliefs come to play in some of the Shakespeare’s popular plays. Ghosts and
supernatural has formed important part of the plot in dramas like Julius Caesar, Hamlet and Macbeth.
Tragic waste
In addition . Looking at Shakespeare’s plays, the hero and villain ultimately die . It is this disturbing
demise of good characters also, with the evil ones, that is known as the tragic waste.
Catharsis
Finally , The audience’s involvement in the play leads to an emotional roller coaster. Contains mixed
feelings for the hero and their antagonists. While the suffering of the hero elicits sympathy, the audience
experiences anger towards the villain.
Shakespeare’s historic plays :
Many of Shakespeare’s plays have historical elements, but only certain plays are categorized as true
Shakespeare histories. Works like "Macbeth" and "Hamlet," for example, are historical in setting but are
more correctly classified as Shakespearean tragedies. The same is true for the Roman plays ("Julius
Caesar," "Antony and Cleopatra," and "Coriolanus"), which all recall historical sources but are not
technically history plays.
So, if many plays seem historical but only a few truly are, what makes a Shakespeare history?
Sources of Shakespeare's History Plays
Shakespeare pulled inspiration for his plays from a number of sources, but most of the English history
plays are based on Raphael Holinshed's "Chronicles." Shakespeare was known for borrowing
heavily from earlier writers, and he was not alone in this. Holinshed's works, published in 1577 and 1587,
were key references for Shakespeare and his contemporaries, including Christopher Marlowe.
Were Shakespeare's Histories Accurate?
Not exactly. Even though they were a great inspiration for Shakespeare, Holinshed's works were not
particularly historically accurate; instead, they are considered mostly fictional works of entertainment.
However, this is only part of the reason why you shouldn't use "Henry VIII" to study for your history test.
In writing the history plays, Shakespeare was not attempting to render an accurate picture of the past.
Rather, he was writing for the entertainment of his theater audience and therefore molded historical
events to suit their interests.
If produced in the modern-day, Shakespeare's (and Holinshed's) writings would probably be described as
"based on historical events" with a disclaimer that they were edited for dramatic purposes.
Common Features of the Shakespeare Histories
The Shakespeare histories share a number of things in common. First, most are set in times of medieval
English history. The Shakespeare histories dramatize the Hundred Years War with France, giving us the
Henry Tetralogy, "Richard II," "Richard III," and "King John"—many of which feature the same
characters at different ages.
Second, in all his histories, Shakespeare provides social commentary through his characters and plots.
Really, the history plays say more about Shakespeare’s own time than the medieval society in which they
are set.
For example, Shakespeare cast King Henry V as an everyman hero to exploit the growing sense of
patriotism in England. Yet, his depiction of this character is not necessarily historically accurate. There's
not much evidence that Henry V had the rebellious youth that Shakespeare depicts, but the Bard wrote
him that way to make his desired commentary.
Social Class in Shakespeare's Histories
Despite seeming to focus on the nobility, Shakespeare's history plays often offer a view of society that
cuts right across the class system. They present us with all kinds of characters, from lowly beggars to
members of the monarchy, and it is not uncommon for characters from both ends of the social strata to
play scenes together. Most memorable is Henry V and Falstaff, who turns up in a number of the history
plays.
What Are Shakespeare's History Plays?
Shakespeare wrote 10 histories. While these plays are distinct in subject matter, they are not in style.
Unlike other plays than can be categorized into genres, the histories all provide an equal measure of
tragedy and comedy.
The 10 plays classified as histories are as follows:
 "Henry IV, Part I"
 "Henry IV, Part II"
 "Henry V"
 "Henry VI, Part I"
 "Henry VI, Part II"
 "Henry VI, Part III"
 "Henry VIII"
 "King John" "Richard II" "Richard III"