Macbeth key terminology and context Flashcards
Define eponymous
A fictional character named after someone
Define tyrant
A cruel and oppressive ruler
Define duplicitious
Deceitful
What was the great chain of being?
The great chain of being was the hierarchy in the Jacobean era, with god, angels and the king being at the top and peasants, animals and rocks being at the bottom. People were meant to keep their place in the chain of being and breaking it would be a sin.
Define regicide
Killing a king
Define hubris
excessive pride or self-confidence.
Define the purgatory
a place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to heaven
Define a tragic hero
According to Aristotle, tragic heroes start off as great or excellent, but they have a fatal flaw,
often pride. This leads to a reversal of fortunes and the heroes downfall.
Define a hamartia
A fatal flaw that leads to the downfall of a heroine
Who was King during the writing of Macbeth?
King James I
What book did King James write about witchcraft?
Daemonology
Explain gender roles in Jacobean times
Women were considered subordinate to men. They took status from men in society, and LM’s
role as a nobleman’s wife was to manage the household and entertain. For men, in Scotland especially, there was a warrior culture where men were seen to be bloodthirsty. Ultimately, women were seen to be weak bodied and men as powerful, dominant beings. It can be argued that Shakespeare uses Macbeth to subvert these traditional gender roles.
