Macbeth Flashcards
Intro:
Shakespeare uses the character of Macbeth to invoke fear and pity in the audience. Macbeth is a tragic hero who is good but falls to evil due to his hamartia. Shakespeare uses him to invoke fear of ambition but also pity because of his demise by not letting the audience see Macbeth kill. He represents the traditional stereotype of masculinity through his courage and violence, which Shakespeare criticises through Macbeth’s tragic demise.
Paragraph 1:
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is presented as a good and courageous character which shows the traditional masculine stereotype in the Jacobean times. This is seen when the sergeant tells King Duncan that Macbeth was ‘brave’ which is good because of the violent environment the play is in, shown when he described the gruesome detail ‘the nave to th’ chops’. This shows that in the setting ‘Macbeth’ is based in, goodness is shown through actions on the battlefield. Alternatively, it shows his ruthlessness and bloodthirst before his betrayal. This shows the goodness in Macbeth before he falls. King Duncan giving Macbeth a title emphasises his role as a tragic hero because it means that he has more to lose. It also shows the audience how violent Macbeth can be, through the gruesome detail, which foreshadows the later murder of King Duncan. Shakespeare presents the setting of the play as violent while showing the goodness and loyalty of Macbeth.
Paragraph 2:
Shakespeare presents ambition as Macbeth’s hamartia while also leaving Macbeth out of the killing scenes, allowing the audience to still pity Macbeth as it appears that he is not necessarily accountable. In Macbeth’s soliloquy, Macbeth admits that the only reason he is planning to murder Duncan is his ‘vaulting ambition’. Here Macbeth is speaking his thoughts out loud, admitting his hamartia. The use of the verb ‘vaulting’ suggests that his ambition is too high and uncontrollable. This leads Macbeth down the pit of corruption as he later kills Banquo’s and Macduff’s family. However, Macbeth does not do this directly but by ordering assassins instead. Macbeth is actually never shown to kill as it would not invoke sympathy when he dies. This means that the genre of this play is a tragedy as the audience will pity Macbeth when he dies. Alternatively, it shows that he is a coward because it seems like he is too scared to do it himself. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to warn the audience of uncontrollable ambition while filling the audience with pity at Macbeth’s death.
Paragraph 3:
Shakespeare presents Macbeth as courageous in the final scene, which parallels his initial courageousness, emphasising his role as a tragic hero. He says ‘I will not yield’ and ‘Before my body I throw my warlike shield’. As this setting bases goodness and honour on the actions on the battlefield, this makes Macbeth look like the good hero that he was at the start of the play. This invokes pity in the audience because they know he is going to die while reminiscing about his earlier goodness which makes the audience fear over-ambition while feeling pity for Macbeth. The ‘warlike shield’ symbolises Macbeth’s mind which shows Macbeth values his mind less than his body. This shows how he sacrificed his healthy mental state for the position of king. This shows his continued ‘vaulting ambition’ as he sacrificed his mind for his ambitiousness. This shows Macbeth redeeming himself in the final scene though still showing his ambition and strong-willingness to not give up.
Conclusion:
Shakespeare uses the character of Macbeth to teach the audience to fear over-ambition while exciting them with pitying Macbeth’s tragic demise. He criticises the stereotype of masculinity because Macbeth’s braveness causes his death and demise.
