macbeth characters Flashcards
describe Macbeth on the whole, before we go into further detail on him:
- strong warrior who fights bravely in battle.
- ambitious - he wants to become the King of Scotland and will do anything to make this happen, even commit murder.
- he has a conscience and doubts whether he’s doing the right thing. spends a lot of time feeling guilty.
- easily influenced by others - weak.
quotes:
- asks lots of questions when he’s feeling uncertain or guilty. ‘whence is that knocking?’.
- BRAVE: ‘brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name.’
- GUILTY: ‘will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?’.
describe the portrayal of Macbeth as a brave hero:
- described as a ‘valiant’ warrior.
- his brave actions impress the King, who names him Thane of Cawdor. the King recognises Macbeth’s ‘personal venture’ (how brave he fought) and his loyalty.
- Macbeth seems most comfortable on the battle field. when he’s fighting, he doesn’t have to worry about his guilty conscience and the morality of his actions.
- Macbeth dies in battle too - he fights ‘bear-like’ to the end, even though he knows he’s doomed. he says he ‘will not yield’.
STRUCTURE: by the end of the play, Macbeth’s come full circle. he’s returned to being the soldier he was in Act 1. contrasts with the middle of the play where he seemed weak and uncertain.
describe how Macbeth is shown as a brutal murderer:
- Macbeth is a cold and calculating killer. murders Duncan because he wants to be King. has Macduff’s family and Banquo killed because he’s worried about losing his position.
- Macbeth is influenced by the people around him (lets LM convince him to kill Duncan because he wants to be King - ambition stronger than morality).
- at the end, Macduff calls Macbeth a ‘hell-hound’ - his violent ambition has ruined all his noble characteristics.
fate and FREE WILL: at the beginning, it sounds like he’s making a deliberate decision to kill Duncan. later, he says he didn’t have control over his actions because he’s just a ‘poor player’ who’s controlled by fate (or could be trying to make himself feel less guilty about his crimes).
describe Macbeth’s struggle with his conscience:
- strong sense of right and wrong. worries about the consequences of his actions because there’s ‘judgement’ on Earth and ‘deep damnation’ after death. his actions are even more shocking.
- reluctant to kill Duncan, who has ‘honoured’ him - ‘we will proceed no further in this business’. he sounds confident, like he’s made up his mind. recognises Duncan trusts him as his ‘kinsman’ and that as Duncan’s ‘host’ he has a duty to protect him.
- Macbeth then swings between killing anyone who threatens his King position and moments of despair when he struggles with his guilt, making him hallucinate (e.g. a voice saying ‘Macbeth does murder sleep’ and Banquo’s ghost).
- at the end, Macbeth seems weary and cynical - no longer feels guilty, as he thinks a person’s actions don’t matter and life means ‘nothing’.
describe how easily Macbeth is influenced:
- greatly influenced by LM. doesn’t want to be seen as unmanly or a ‘coward’.
SYMBOLISM: LM persuades M to commit murder by suggesting he’ll be ‘more than a man’. links masculinity with strength and courage.
- after Duncan’s murder, LM doesn’t influence M as much anymore. the other murders come more easily to him, so he acts alone.
- also influenced by supernatural:
1. first time he meets them, trusts them straight away, ‘two truths are told’.
2. sees a dagger leading him to Duncan’s room.
3. as the Witches’ prophecies become true, Macbeth’s belief in them increases, begins to rely heavily on them.
how is LM shown as cruel and ruthless?
- influences M, especially at the beginning.
- ambitious, doesn’t mind committing terrible crimes to get what she wants.
- at the beginning, is dominant and confident. persuades M that killing Duncan is the best course of action.
- after the murder, LM is slowly driven mad by guilt. M distances himself from her and she kills herself because she can’t live with what she’s done.
- CRUEL: ‘and fill me from the crown to the topfull / Of direst cruelty’.
- CUNNING: ‘look like th’innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t.’
describe LM’s ambition:
- just as ambitious as M. when she gets the letter, immediately assumes they must kill Duncan. more ruthless than her husband.
GOOD AND EVIL: LM says that M is ‘too full o’th’milk of human kindness.’ thinks his goodness makes him a ‘coward’ and stops him from achieving his ambitions.
- thinks no ordinary woman would plan this murder - appeals to the spirit world to ‘unsex’ her and fill her with ‘direst cruelty’.
- knows her husband’s weak spots, and uses his ambition, and fear of being perceived as a coward to manipulate him into murder.
SYMBOLISM: links masculinity to strength and violence. Shakespeare shows that women can be just as ruthless and cold-hearted as men.
describe how LM is clever and quick-witted:
- is the one who came up with the plot to frame Duncan’s servants for his murder. she’s clever as well as cruel and heartless.
- when Duncan’s murder is discovered, LM faints. could be to draw attention away from the unconvincing speech Macbeth is making. LM also covers up M’s strange behaviour when he sees Banquo’s ghost - tells the Lords that Macbeth’s ‘fit is momentary’ and has been a condition since his youth. she’s in control.
REALITY AND APPEARANCES: if LM only pretended to faint, was taking advantage of how women were viewed at the time. used the stereotype of a weak woman overcome by shock to the hide the true reality of her cruel, cold-hearted nature.
describe how Shakespeare uses LM to explore ideas of gender and power:
- women traditionally seen as kinder and weaker than men, but LM shows that this isn’t always the case. she says she’d kill her own baby if she’d sworn to do it. contrasts with Lady Macduff, a caring mother.
- LM thinks women are made weak by their maternal instincts - ‘come to my woman’s breasts / and take my milk for gall.’ wants to lose her femininity.
- does have a softer side, however. says she couldn’t kill Duncan because he reminded her of her father.
LM’S POWER IS MANIPULATION. NON-VIOLENT FEMALE TRAITS ARE JUST AS POWERFUL AS VIOLENT MALE TRAITS.
AMBITION: as Macbeth is set in a male-dominated society, LM can only achieve her ambitions through M.
describe how LM goes mad and kills herself:
- at first, it’s Macbeth with a guilty conscience. at the end, LM is driven mad by guilt.
- starts sleepwalking. her mind is so disturbed its affected her ability to sleep soundly.
- keeps washing her hands in her sleep in the hope she can wash away her feelings of guilt just as easily as blood. ‘out, damned spot!’.
- guilt and isolation affect LM so much that she kills herself - she can’t live with what she’s done.
LANGUAGE: at the beginning, speaks confidently in verse. at the end, her speech is confused ramblings and repetitions, ‘come, come, come, come, give me your hand’. lost all self-control.
SYMBOLISM: sleepwalking was thought to be unnatural in Shakespeare’s time. sleep is the ‘balm of hurt minds’, so the fact LM can’t sleep properly emphasises her madness.
describe the Macbeth marriage:
- at the beginning, their marriage seemse loving and passionate - ‘my dearest partner of greatness’.
- as the play develops, becomes clear that LM dominates M. manipulates him into killing Duncan and covers up his strange behaviour when he sees Banquo’s ghost.
- as M reveals less about his plans to his wife, LM becomes increasingly anxious and alone. although she’s domineering at the beginning, she can’t cope without her husband.
describe King Duncan and how he’s kind, but too trusting:
- King at start of play
- kind and generous, rewards loyalty (hands out honours to Macbeth and Macduff)
- Macbeth says ‘his virtues / Will plead like angels’
- his flaw is that he’s too trusting. trusts Macbeth, doesn’t suspect he’s plotting to kill him - describes Macbeth as ‘a gentleman on whom I built / An absolute trust.’
- Duncan can be firm when needed (executed previous Thane of Cawdor when he betrays him).
TRUSTING: ‘there’s no art / To find the mind’s construction in the face.’
GOOD KING: ‘so clear in his great office.’
how is King Duncan an example of a good king?
- model king (kind, honest, fair, generous, trusting)
SYMBOLISM: Duncan uses plant imagery - he will ‘plant’ Macbeth and make sure he is ‘full of growing’. shows how he nurtures his subjects.
- Macbeth says one of the reasons he shouldn’t kill Duncan is because he’s a good leader with many ‘virtues’. Macduff calls him ‘a most sainted king’ (reminds audience that kings were supposed to be chosen by God)
- puts Scotland’s needs ahead of his own. contrasts with Macbeth - a tyrant who’s feared and hated. Macbeth puts his own selfish desires in front of his country.
KINGSHIP: Malcolm talks about what a good king should be like. ‘stableness’, ‘mercy’, ‘justice’ - qualities Duncan has.
describe how Duncan isn’t like the other men:
- not a soldier. gentle, less aggressive. doesn’t fight for himself - sends his best soldiers to fight for him.
- not afraid to be emotional - shows ‘drops of sorrow’ because he’s so happy, and talks about his ‘gentle senses’ - might have been seen as unmanly.
SYMBOLISM: Duncan doesn’t have qualities that other characters associate with manliness, but Shakespeare shows that he’s kind, fair and generous. leads the audience to question whether a good leader needs to be a violent warrior.
how did Malcolm and Donalbain learn from their father’s mistakes?
- Malcolm is fair and honest, like his father. however, they’re aware that they’re in danger from those closest to them. ‘There’s daggers in men’s smiles, the near’r in blood, / The nearer bloody.’ they have the common sense to flee Scotland after Duncan is murdered.
- Malcolm learns he should only trust people who have proven their loyalty - Malcolm tests Macduff’s loyalty by pretending to be a tyrant. he knows that even people who seem good can be evil.
- Malcolm and Macduff eventually make a good partnership as Macduff’s experience gives Malcolm the confidence to take action.
