Macbeth - Context and Themes Flashcards
Ambition
What is the main theme in Macbeth?
Ambition is the main theme in Macbeth
Ambition
What does Ambition motivate Macbeth to do?
+Ambition motivates Macbeth to commit terrible deeds.
+It changes him from a “valiant soldier” to a “dead butcher”.
Ambition
How does the play show that Ambition is dangerous?
+The play shows ambition is dangerous because it can quickly spiral out of control.
+Macbeth considers the morality of killing Duncan for a long time but doesn’t hesitate about killing Banquo.
Ambition
What happens once Macbeth starts killing?
+Once Macbeth starts killing, he has to kill more people to get what he wants and to try and make his position secure.
+It shows that ambition can make people ruthless and selfish.
Ambition
What are both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth destroyed by?
+Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are eventually destroyed by their ambition, so the play can be read as a warning against ambition that isn’t balanced by reason or morals.
Ambition
What is Macbeth’s biggest weakness?
Ambition is Macbeth’s biggest weakness
Ambition
What is Macbeth’s ‘fatal flaw’?
+Ambition is Macbeth’s ‘fatal flaw’ - He’s a brave hero at the start - Duncan calls him “noble” and Lady Macbeth says he “wouldst not play false” to get what he wants.
+Context - Tragedy: In Shakespeare’s tragedies, the hero is usually a noble person with one main character flaw which leads to their downfall - this is their ‘fatal flaw’.
Ambition
What does Macbeth’s reluctance to kill Duncan show?
+Macbeth’s reluctance to kill Duncan shows that he’s moral, but his actions emphasise how strong his ambition is - his ambition makes him act against his morals.
+It also makes him act against his better judgement - He knows that ambition often “o’erleaps itself/And falls” - it can lead a person to aim too high so that they fail and lose everything.
+This foreshadows Macbeth’s own tragic downfall - By the end of the play, Macbeth’s lost everything and he dies an “abhorrèd tyrant”.
Ambition
What can ambition be?
+Good or bad
Ambition
What are not all characters corrupted by?
+Not all characters are corrupted by their ambition, as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are - ambition can be a positive thing if it’s motivated by a desire to help others rather than yourself.
Ambition
State the characters that are not corrupted by ambition.
+Malcolm and Macduff are ambitious for their country - They want to take Macbeth’s power away from him, not for their own selfish desires, but for the good of Scotland.
+Banquo is ambitious for his sons once he’s heard the Witches’ prophecy - He wants them to be kings, but he doesn’t act on the predictions in the violent way that Macbeth does.
Ambition
How does Macbeth know he’s very ambitious?
+“I have no spur…but only/Vaulting ambition”
+Macbeth knows that he’s very ambitious, and it’s this that fuels his decision to kill Duncan.
+Lady Macbeth thinks he’s not quite ambitious enough though, so she gives him a gentle push in the right direction.
Ambition
What does Lady Macbeth see that there’s a difference between?
+Lady Macbeth sees that there’s a difference between being ambitious and acting on ambition.
+She says that Macbeth is “not without ambition, but without/The illness should attend it” - She thinks that Macbeth isn’t ruthless enough to take action to get what he wants.
Ambition
How do characters show loyalty?
Characters show loyalty through their actions
What is the difference between characters who are loyal and characters who are not loyal?
+There’s a difference between characters who say that they are loyal [like Macbeth, who talks about the “loyalty” he owes to Duncan even when he’s plotting to kill him] and characters whose actions show their loyalty [like Macduff].
What do the characters in Macbeth show loyalty to?
+The characters in Macbeth show loyalty to different things:
- Country
- King
- Beliefs
How does Macduff show loyalty to Scotland?
+Macduff is loyal to Scotland - He chooses to go to England to ask Malcolm to defend his country instead of protecting his family.
+He’d rather leave Scotland than see it be rules by a bad king.
How do the thanes show loyalty to the king?
+The thanes are loyal to Duncan because he’s been a “great” king.
+Macbeth gives Duncan “service and loyalty” by fighting for him in Act 1.
How does Banquo show loyalty to his beliefs?
+Banquo is loyal to his own sense of honour - he says that he will keep his “allegiance clear”.
+He won’t let ambition or the Witches’ prophecies affect him.
What happens when characters betray their loyalty?
+When characters betray their loyalty, it’s usually to pursue their own selfish desires.
What is rewarded and what is punished?
+Loyalty is rewarded, betrayal is punished
What does Duncan have the old Thane of Cawdor?
+Duncan has the old Thane of Cawdor executed for betraying him and rewards Macbeth’s loyalty by giving him the title.
+The play has a circular structure - it ends with Macbeth being killed for betraying Scotland and Malcolm rewarding the thanes’ loyalty.
What does Macbeth betray his own sense of?
+Macbeth betrays his own sense of right and wrong - This eventually leads to his loss of self-worth and his death.
+Betrayal is often linked to power - Power [in the form of titles] can be given or taken away depending on a person’s loyalty.
+Loyalty and betrayal often go hand in hand, eg. Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland leads him to betray his family.
What do the Macbeths pretend to be?
+The Macbeths pretend to be loyal
Who is Macbeth initially loyal to?
+Macbeth is initially loyal to Duncan as “his kinsman and his subject” - this makes it even more shocking when he puts his own desires ahead of his loyalty to the King.
What does Lady Macbeth fake?
+Lady Macbeth fakes an appearance of loyalty - She tells Duncan that she and Macbeth are “Your servants ever”, even though they’re plotting his murder - it shows how easily she can pretend to be loyal.
+Theme - Reality and Appearances: Lady Macbeth’s two faced nature helps her to betray Duncan - he trusts her as a “Fair and noble hostess” and doesn’t see her lust for power.
+Shakespeare juxtaposes Lady Macbeth’s plotting to kill Duncan with her welcoming him into her castle - this develops her character and makes her murderous intentions more dramatic.
Explain how Macbeth shows his loyalty?
+At the start of the play, Macbeth is celebrated for his bravery and loyalty - and he’s rewarded for it.
+His loyalty at the beginning makes his betrayal seem even worse - it means he has further to fall.
What didn’t a king have to be?
+A king didn’t have to be the old king’s son.
+Historical context: In Scotland at the time, the successor didn’t have to be the King’s eldest son, even though it often was.
In the play, what does Macbeth suddenly become?
+In the play, Macbeth suddenly becomes King, even though he’s not the heir to the throne.
+Duncan chooses his eldest son as his heir, but he makes Macbeth next in line after Malcolm and Donalbain.
+Macbeth wins the throne by killing the King and framing Malcolm and Donalbain - Gradually, other characters realise Macbeth is not a true king.
What does Malcolm describe?
+Malcolm describes good rulers and bad rulers
What is Duncan an example of?
+Duncan is an example of an ideal king - he’s described as “gracious” and inspires loyalty in his subjects, who see him as a “most sainted king” and therefore the rightful ruler of Scotland.
How is Macbeth described in terms of his Kingship?
+Macbeth is described as a “tyrant” because he rules selfishly, using violence.
+He’s rarely referred to as “king” which shows that the other characters don’t accept him as the true King.
When is Scotland peaceful and when is it not?
+Under Duncan’s rightful reign, the country is ordered and peaceful.
+Macbeth’s unlawful reign is reflected in the overturned natural order, eg. day turns to night and horses eat each other.
What does Malcolm describe in Act 4 Scene 3?
+In Act 4 Scene 3 Malcolm describes good and bad kings.
How does Malcolm describe a bad king?
+A bad king is… bloody, Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful, Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin That has a name.
+Malcolm’s describing Macbeth’s reign here - he’s “avaricious” because he’s motivated by selfish greed; His lies make him “false” and “deceitful”, and he’s “bloody” because he uses violence to keep control over his people.
How does Malcolm describe a good king?
+A good king has… king-becoming graces,As justice, verity, temperance, stableness, Bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness, Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude.
+Malcolm could be describing Duncan in this speech - Duncan shows “temperence” in his calm, peaceful manner, “lowliness” [being humble] in his gratefulness for loyalty, “justice” when dealing with those who betray him and “Bounty” in his generosity.
What should a good king be?
+A good king should be holy
What does Malcolm also say that a good ruler should be?
+Malcolm also says that a good ruler is holy - at the time, people believed the King was appointed by God.
What did the King of England have?
+The King of England, Edward, has a “healing benediction” and uses “holy prayers” to cure sick people.
+He’s surrounded by “blessings” that “speak him full of grace”
+In contrast, Macbeth is “Devilish” - he commits murder and talks to evil witches - He’s not the chosen King.
Compare different types of kingship shown in the play.
+The play shows the two extremes of being a ruler - Duncan is a great king but Macbeth couldn’t be any worse.
+Malcolm seems to have Duncan’s good qualities, plus a dash of well-founded mistrust.
How is Macbeth a good man who does evil acts?
+At the
How does Macbeth become increasingly evil?
+Macbeth becomes increasingly evil as he becomes hardened to the many crimes he commits.
What does the struggle for the crown of Scotland become?
+The struggle for the crown of Scotland becomes a battle between good and evil.
+Macbeth is the evil “tyrant” who must be killed before he destroys Scotland.
+Shakespeare uses images of darkness to represent evil and images of light to symbolise goodness.
What is Evil linked to?
+Evil is linked to gender
What does Lady Macbeth link with masculinity?
+Lady Macbeth links cruelty and aggression with masculinity - she wants the spirits to “unsex” her and fill her with “direst cruelty” - she thinks her femininity holds her back from taking violent action.
What does Masculine ideas of evil focus on?
+Masculine ideas of evil focus on violence and bloodshed - though Lady Macbeth wants to be more like a man, she relies on manipulation rather than action.
+She sees Macbeth’s weakness and uses emotional blackmail to persuade him to commit evil.
What are the Witches’ gender?
+The Witches’ gender is ambiguous - Banquo says that they “should be women” but they have beards.
+Like Lady Macbeth, they rely on manipulation rather than physical force.
+Theme - The Supernatural: The supernatural elements of the play are presented as evil and powerful - The Witches are linked to the devil; Banquo calls them “devil” and Macbeth calls them “fiends”, which associates them with evil deeds.
What do Battles represent?
+Battles represent the conflict between good and evil
What does Shakespeare use battles to symbolise?
+Shakespeare uses battles to symbolise good and evil.
+In the opening scene, there’s a battle between Scotland and Norway - the enemy army is led by a traitor, “merciless Macdonald”, whose “villanies of nature” show that he’s evil.
+The play ends with a battle, this time against Macbeth - Malcolm’s men have “dear causes” and fight to “dew the sovereign flower” - in other words, to restore the rightful King; Macbeth is an “abhorrèd tyrant” who represents evil.
How does Shakespeare use religious conflict to emphasise conflict?
+Shakespeare emphasises the conflict between good and evil through religous imagery.
+Macbeth is described as “cursèd” and has a name “More hateful” than the devil.
+In contrast, Young Siward is “God’s soldier” because he died fighting to defeat an evil “tyrant”.
Compare the balance of good and evil in different characters?
+Think about how Shakespeare presents good and evil through the characters - some of them are really bad [like the witches], some of them are really good [like Duncan] and some [like Macbeth] go from good to bad to worse.
What force are the Witches?
+The Witches are a supernatural force
How are the Witches an evil supernatural force?
+The Witches are an evil supernatural force - their “strange intelligence” and ability to predict the future gives them power over humans.
+However, when they’re planning to harm the sea captain, they say that his ship “cannot be lost”, which hints that their power is limited.
What is the social context of the Witches?
+At the time Shakespeare was writing, many people thought that witches were real, so the Weïrd Sisters would have seemed believable and frightening to an audience in the 1600s.
Are the Witches in many scenes?
+They’re not in many scenes but they drive the action of the play.
+It’s unlikely that Macbeth would have committed so many terrible crimes if he hadn’t been influenced by the Witches.
What are the Witches associated with?
+The Witches are associated with chaos - they try to impose an unnatural order on what’s good an natural.
+Macbeth says they “untie the winds” and make “castles topple” - The Witches are motivated by “destruction” rather than goodness - they represent the struggle between the natural and unnatural order.
How does Shakespeare present the Witches?
+Shakespeare presents the Witches as completely evil - They are cruel, inhuman and don’t show any remorse - in fact, they celebrate evil.
What do Supernatural elements add to?
+The Supernatural elements add to the atmosphere - they make the play darker and more frightening.
+Shakespeare only hints at what’s real and what’s not, which adds to the drama.
What are supernatural signs of guiltt?
Visions are supernatural signs of guilt
What do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have which reminds them of guilt?
+Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have visions which remind the audience of their terrible guilt.
What is Macbeth’s vision in Act 2 Scene 1?
+Macbeth sees a vision of a dagger just as he’s about to kill Duncan.
+It’s not clear whether it’s leading him to Duncan or warning him against murder - It represents the “bloody business” he’s about to do.
What is Macbeth’s vision in Act 3 Scene 4?
+Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost, which gives him a “strange infirmity”.
+Nobody else can see the ghost, which suggests that it’s a sign of Macbeth’s guilty conscience.
What is Lady Macbeth’s vision in Act 5, Scene 1?
+Lady Macbeth is driven mad as she imagines that her hands will “ne’er be clean” of Duncan’s blood - her guilt is so great that she kills herself.
What is ambiguous?
The visions are ambiguous - they could be real or imaginary.
What do the visions fill the characters with?
+The visions fill the characters who see them with fear - Macbeth is “blanched with fear” by Banquo’s ghost and his language is agitated and nervous: “Prithee, see there! Beholf, look, lo!”
+His fear has made him lose control of his speech - Macbeth calls his own reaction a “strange infirmity” - it links to other signs of madness later in the play.
How do the visions affect Lady Macbeth’s language?
+Lady Macbeth’s language when she sleepwalks is desperate, “O,o,o!”, and shows that she’s disturbed by the vision of blood on her hands.
+The Doctor says that her heart is “sorely charged” - he sees that the vision is the result of her guilty conscience.
Are all the visions and apparitions important?
+“Were such things here as we do speak about?”
+All these visions and apparitions are dead important to the progress of the play.
+Some drive Macbeth’s actions, while others show the audience how guilt has ruined a character’s peace of mind [like Lady Macbeth].
What can appearances be?
+Appearances can be deceptive
+In Macbeth, what do characters often hide?
+In Macbeth, characters often hide their thoughts and pretend to be something that they’re not.
What does Lady Macbeth encourage Macbeth to do?
+Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to appear to be good so nobody suspects that he plans to kill Duncan.
+“look like th’innocent flower,/But be the serpent under’t [Act 1, Scene 5]
+The serpent links Lady Macbeth to Satan who tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
What does Macbeth know he needs to hide his murderous acts?
+Macbeth knows that he needs a “False face” to hide his murderous acts.
+However, when Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost, his face is “the very painting” of his fear and betrays his feelings.
At first, what does Lady Macbeth have no trouble of doing?
+At first, Lady Macbeth has no trouble disguising her evil behaviour - She pretends to faint with shock when Duncan’s death is discovered.
+However, her guilt becomes to great to hide and she starts sleepwalking.
+People can be deceptive, but the play shows that their true natures come out in the end.
What are the meanings of words sometimes to the audience?
Meanings of words are sometimes unclear to the audience.
What are some of the things the Witches say that seem unclear?
+The Witches’ chant “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” suggests that things that appear good are actually evil.
+They use language to trick Macbeth and convince him of a false reality - they tell him that “none of woman born” will harm him, which gives him the false confidence to fight to protect his reign.
What are some of the things Macbeth says that seem unclear?
+Other characters speak in paradoxes, eg. Macbeth says, “Nothing is/But what is not” - these paradoxes create uncertainty - they show that nobody can tell what’s real.
What do some characters trust too much in?
+Some characters trust too much in appearances
When do characters suffer like Duncan?
+In a world full of deception and lies, characters suffer when they trust in appearances too much.
+Duncan trusts Macbeth and dies for it, even though he made the same mistake by trusting the disloyal Thane of Cawdor.
+When this happens, Duncan says, “There’s no art/To find the mind’s construction in the face” - he thinks that there’s no way of telling what someone’s really like.
When do characters suffer like Macbeth?
+In a world full of deception and lies, characters suffer when they trust in appearances too much.
+Macbeth knows that reality and appearances don’t always match up, but he completely trusts the Witches’ prophecies - This leads to his downfall.
+Apparitions and visions seem real to the characters who see them, but they’re a sign that the character can’t tell reality from appearance.
How do characters like Malcolm not suffer?
+Characters like Malcolm do not suffer because he does not trust in appearances.
+Malcolm is immediately sceptical that Duncan was murdered by his servants and suspects one of the thanes: “To show an unfelt sorrow is an office/Which the false man does easy”.
+His awareness of what “false” men can do causes him to flee and probably saves his life.
Why is it difficult to tell for some characters to tell between appearance and reality?
+“False face must hide what the false heart doth know”
+It’s difficult for the characters in Macbeth to tell appearance and reality apart sometimes, because so many characters aren’t what they seem.
+Those who trust too easily like Duncan, pay the price.
What is fate the opposite of?
Fate is the opposit of free will
What is fate?
+Fate is the idea that everything has already been decided, so people can’t change what happens to them.
What is free will?
+Free will means that humans choose their own course of action, so their future is made up of the results of their choices.
What if everything that happened in the play was fate?
+If it’s fate that everything that happens was destined, then it’s not Macbeth’s fault that he murders Duncan.
+If free will exists, then Macbeth’s own choices lead to his downfall.
What does the play raise a lot of?
+The play raises a lot of questions, but Shakespeare doesn’t make it clear whether it’s Macbeth’s fate to kill Duncan.
What could one say about Macbeth regarding his fate?
+You could say Macbeth was doomed from the start…
At times, what does Macbeth seem to believe in?
+At times, Macbeth seems to believe in fate - After he hears the Witches’ prophecy, he seems happy to let fate take its course - he believes that “chance may crown me, /Without my stir” so he’ll become King without doing anything to make it happen.
Characters - The Witches: It’s not clear whether the Witches are messengers of Macbeth’s fate or whether their prediction inspires Macbeth to make bad choices.
What does Lady Macbeth think about Macbeth becoming King?
+Lady Macbeth thinks that Macbeth is fated to be King - “fate and metaphysical aid doth seem/To have thee crowned withal”.
+Despite believing in fate, she decides Macbeth must act to make it happen.
+Character - Macbeth: You could say that Macbeth is doomed because of his “fatal flaw” - If he wasn’t so ambitious, he’d ignore the Witches and Lady Macbeth.
What does Macbeth say by the end of the play?
+By the end of the play, Macbeth says that life is “a poor player/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage” - He feels that people are no more than actors playing a part who aren’t in control of their lives.
What could one say that Macbeth acts out of?
One could say that Macbeth acts out of his own free will
At first, what does Macbeth make a deliberate choice not to do?
+At first, Macbeth makes a deliberate choice not to kill Duncan after he’s considered the options: “We will proceed no further”.
+He carefully weighs up the pros and cons, which suggests that he’s in control.
Later, what does Macbeth act on?
+Later, Macbeth acts on the Witches’ prophecies despite Banquo’s earlier warning that they’re “instruments of darkness”.
+Macbeth could do as Banquo does and accept the prophecies without acting.
How are some of the prophecies self-fulfilling?
+Some of the prophecies are self-fulfilling - Macbeth only acts because he hears his future, so he causes it to happen.
+This suggests that he has free will.
What does the Captain say that Macbeth was?
+Character - Macbeth: The Captain says that Macbeth was “Disdaining fortune” when he fought Macdonald - it shows that Macbeth killed Macdonald against the odds.
+It hints that Macbeth could have changed his actions if he’d wanted to.
What should you back up your arguments with?
+Back up your arguments with quotes and examples
+You could argue that Macbeth’s actions were determined by fate, or you could argue that he should have used his free will to do the right thing.
+Either way, use quotes from the play to back up your arguments.
