English Macbeth Flashcards
Who was named prince of Cumberland and what was Macbeth’s reaction?
• Malcolm
• Macbeth begins to plot KD’s death out of envy and ambition
Who was executed for treason?
Macdonwald
When was Macbeth written?
1606
Chiasmus definition
Paradoxical language
Sleep is a symbol of
conscience and mental wellbeing
Children are symbols of
inheritance and succession
megalomaniac
a person with an obsessive desire for power
How is Macbeth still relevant today?
It’s themes relates to our modern day world
What did the Jacobean English perceive the Scottish as?
Brutish and barbaric
Regicide was known as
The worst sin
What did Macbeth’s murder of King Duncan represent in real life?
Guy Fawkes’ attempt to kill King James (Gunpowder plot)
What did King James I approve of in his book ‘Demonology’?
The practice of witch-hunting
How is a cyclical structure used in Macbeth?
• Previous Thane of Cawdor (MacDonwald) betrayed Scotland (by joining forces with Norway)
• Macbeth betrays King Duncan (by killing him)
Proto feminism
When women are presented differently to what they usually are
Soliloquy
When a character speaks alone about their thoughts
Aside
When a character speaks to the audience
What does the dagger symbolise in Macbeth’s hallucination?
His ambition to kill the king
and also guilt
Catharsis
Emotional release
Why do Donalbain (KD son) and Malcom flee Scotland?
They are worried about their safety after the king’s death
Equivocate meaning
Using unclear / ambiguous language
How is the porter presented in Macbeth?
He provides comic relief breaking tension in the play through his use of sexual innuendo and his relatability to audience
Pathetic fallacy in Macbeth (Act 2)
Lennox says ‘The night has been unruly’ (A2 S3)
• Denotes that a storm has occurred.
• Reflects how the natural order is chaos after the Divine right of kings has been broken.
Who did King James believe he was a descendant of?
Banquo
Omen meaning
An event taken as a sign of the future