MACBETH

by William Shakespeare

Macbeth
Probably composed in late 1606 or early
1607
Macbethis the last of Shakespeares four
great tragedies, the others
beingHamlet,King LearandOthello.

It is considered by many scholars to be

Shakespeare's darkest work

LIST OF CHARACTERS

Three WitchesEvil prophets that guide

Macbeths destiny with incomplete
information regarding his future
MacbethThane of Glamis, later King of
Scotland
Lady MacbethMacbeths wife and
supporter of her husbands quest for power
DuncanKing of Scotland
MalcolmDuncans older son

LIST OF CHARACTERS

DonalbainDuncans younger son

BanquoGeneral in the Scottish
Army and Macbeths friend
FleanceBanquos son who is seen
as a threat by Macbeth
MacduffNobleman of Scotland
and rival of Macbeth
Lady MacduffMacduffs wifeSon
Macduffs son

LIST OF CHARACTERS

Lennox, Ross, Menteth, Angus,

CaithnessThanes of Scotland, all of whom
eventually turn against the tyrannical
Macbeth.
The Porter, the Old Man, the
DoctorsThree commentators on events,
all of whom have a certain degree of
wisdom and foresight.
MurderersMacbeths hired killers
HecateGoddess of the Witches

SiwardGeneral in the English army

fighting with Malcolm
Young SiwardSiwards son in the
English army with Malcolm
CaptainSoldier in Duncans military
that reports on Macbeths success in the
battle against Macdonwald

THE PLAY

TRIVIA

Macbeth is one of the famous female

character in all literature, Macbeths
wife is smart, ambitious and brave.
She is ruthless because of her
ambition

TRIVIA

Lady Macbeth is one of the most

famous speech in this play full of
famous lines in speeches, is
Macbeths soliloquy.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and
tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to
day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;

the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a
tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and
fury,
Signifying nothing.

TRIVIA

It is a widely held superstition in the

world of theatre that sayinh the
plays name aloud brings bad luck.
Instead, actors, directors and other
theatre people refer to Macbeth as
the Scottish Play

MACBETH THEMES

Fate and Free Will

Ambition
Power
Supernatural
Violence

Incredible storms rage, the earth

tremors, animals go insane and eat
each other. The unnatural events of
the physical world emphasize the
horror of Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth's acts, and mirrors the
warping of their souls by ambition.