Day I
Simple play
·
no big themes
·
very straightforward plot
·
Acts I-III all chronicle Macbeth's rise to glory
& IV, V follow his fall
·
character driven play; less psychology &
intricate relationships
·
Macbeth doesn't confide in the audience (like
Hamlet) he doesn't show any sign of humor or humanity, just painstaking
character development
Macbeth as a Tragic Hero
·
Beginning of play: indirect characterization
telling us he is well thought of, noble, honorable, etc.
o
End of the play: stands alone to be killed by an
entire army
·
Everything that happens in the play is the
function of Macbeth's own decisions
o
not influenced or compelled by any outside force
Murder of Duncan
·
Why?
o
Act I, scene vii, lines 25-28…glimpse of an idea
but too early to take for truth
o
Macbeth seems to be in the grips of something
bigger
§
his first reaction to the witches was weariness;
it seemed unjust to him at first
·
tension between immorality (consequences?!)
& his ambition to be/stay king
o
he knows that he will have to violate his
morals…he knows there will be consequences…he doesn't conversationalize his
worries and try to avoid the situation (Hamlet)
·
he struggles with knowing that to act on his
desires will lead to his own destruction (he then
o
decides not to kill the king
§
swayed, however, by his imagination of the
prospects
Macbeth & Lady Macbeth
·
Lady MacBeth
o
She is the agent of evil in the beginning
o
tells him to man up and keep the prospect of
being king alive
o
total animus (masculine personality) influence
§
urges him to be more manly when he comes to her
with things
o
lacks regard for emotions, scruples, values,
nurturing, etc.
·
Both characters experience a surreal feeling
o
Macbeth is fearful & horrified, but he
hallucinates and it's as if he is compelled to or drawn to do it
o
Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking
·
With help of Lady Macbeth allowed evil to
infiltrate his imagination. He knows what's going on
Courage & Fear
·
MacBeth
o
Courage is abundant when it comes to outward
enemies but can't handle the inner fears
§
Becomes fearful as soon as he kills the king
o
deals with it by continued killing to allow
himself to plow through and come to a solution
·
Lady Macbeth
o
can't handle the inner strains….Macbeth goes off
without her
o
guilt for lack of inner will destroys her
o
feels like Duncan looks like her father
§
sign of guilt and reprieve
o
she decays into craziness (for lack of a better
word) until she commits suicide
Day 2
Lady Macbeth
·
A representation of pure force
·
After the banquet, Macbeth & Lady Macbeth's
relationship becomes strained
o
They used to have a healthy
relationship/marriage but now they each have their own plans
·
Macbeth's throne is safe, no one suspects him,
but he has a guilty conscience
o
Act III, Scene iii shows Macbeth still knows the
difference between right and wrong
o
He’s murdering his way to peace of mind
§
Causes him to become less & less human
§
Loss of physical relationships result in a loss
of feeling
·
Makes Macbeth care less and less for what life
has to offer
·
Act V, scene iii explains why Macbeth accepts
the news of his wife's death with a horrifying calm
o
exemplifies the empty mockery his world has
become
The Three Witches
·
Macbeth's driving force
o
Plant the ideas in Macbeth's mind
§
he is then unable to control himself
·
Different schools of thought on their purpose:
o
A symbol of Fate
§
Events were inevitable
·
Exist to tempt & torment people
o
After becoming thane of Cawdor, Macbeth believes
the witches prophesies to be true, so he feels he must see them through
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