POINTS Flashcards
Macbeth - points
Macbeth’s ruthless lust for power is addictive and, ultimately, self-destructive
Macbeth’s violent nature, as described by the injured captain in Act I, foreshadows what is to come
Shakespeare associates Macbeth with images of darkness and night to symbolise concepts of concealing one’s intent
Shakespeare’s decision to immediately show Macbeth’s guilt manipulates the audience to sympathise
Macduff - points
Whilst Macduff’s appearances in Act II are limited, their relevance sets him up as Macbeth’s nemesis
In Acts IV and V, Macduff’s very real masculinity exposes Macbeth’s perverted version of masculinity
Macduff’s emotional response to his family’s slaughter, and his subsequent resolve turn the audience further against Macbeth
The Weird Sisters’ warning ‘Beware Macduff’ prompts Macbeth to slaughter Macduff’s family, which in turn focuses Macduff’s vengeance
Lady Macbeth - points
Through Lady Macbeth, the audience is shown that equivocation can lead to guilt and self-ruin
Shakespeare represents evil in different ways according to gender: Macbeth (men) can be violent; Lady Macbeth (women), manipulative
Shakespeare associates Lady Macbeth with darkness and night to symbolise concepts of burying her feminine qualities
The early subversion of gender roles between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hints at the perversion of the natural order of the universe
Banquo - points
Banquo’s choice to remain loyal to Duncan’s name leads him on a very different path to Macbeth’s
Shakespeare manipulates history by casting Banquo in a positive light in order to please James I, who claimed to be Banquo’s descendant
Banquo shares Macbeth’s ambition; but it is less self-centred and tempered with his greater distrust of the ‘instruments of darkness’
Banquo is an ‘antithetical foil’ to Macbeth: his loyalty and resolve highlight Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s ‘vaulting ambition’ further
The Witches - points
Whilst being the ‘instruments’ of fate, the witches’ cause chaos through manipulating Macbeth’s tragic flaw (‘weird’ is the Anglo-Saxon for ‘fate’)
Macbeth’s hamartia – his ambition – ultimately seals the destiny outlined by the witches
The witches’ reality is questioned throughout the play, as a means of suggesting Macbeth only has himself to blame
The witches embody a key Jacobean debate as to whether the fate of the soul was predestined before birth
Duncan - points
Duncan epitomises good kingship in terms of the way he treats his thanes, subjects and family
Duncan’s regicide symbolises the perversion of natural order which can only be restored once the rightful heir – Malcolm – is crowned
Duncan’s ‘meek’ nature highlights the pathos of his violent murder, which only serves to increase Macbeth’s feelings of guilt
Duncan is also shown to be naïve: he built an absolute trust in the traitor Cawdor, and does the same with Macbeth
Ambition - points
Blind ambition compels Macbeth to see what he wants to see, rather than what is actually before him
Macbeth’s ruthless lust for power is addictive and, ultimately, self-destructive
Macbeth’s ambition increasingly isolates him and leads to paranoia
Banquo is an ‘antithetical foil’ to Macbeth: his loyalty and resolve highlight Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s ‘vaulting ambition’ further
Good vs Evil - points
Through Macbeth, Shakespeare shows the audience that evil can infiltrate the noble and loyal - if they give in to their ‘black desires’
Shakespeare uses physical battles in the play to represent the ultimate battle between good and evil
Shakespeare represents evil in different ways according to gender: Macbeth (men) can be violent; Lady Macbeth (women), manipulative
Throughout the play, stability is shown to rest on the natural balance between good and evil
Order vs Disorder - points
Throughout the play, stability is shown to rest on the natural balance between good and evil
Whilst being the ‘instruments’ of fate, the witches’ cause chaos through manipulating Macbeth’s tragic flaw
Duncan’s regicide symbolises the perversion of natural order which can only be restored once the rightful heir – Malcolm – is crowned
The early subversion of gender roles between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hints at the perversion of the natural order of the universe
Fate vs Freewill - points
The witches embody a key Jacobean debate as to whether the fate of the soul was predestined before birth
Macbeth’s hamartia – his ambition – ultimately seals the destiny outlined by the witches
Banquo’s choice to remain loyal to Duncan’s name leads him on a very different path to Macbeth’s
Whilst being the ‘instruments’ of fate, the witches’ cause chaos through manipulating Macbeth’s tragic flaw
Appearance vs Reality - points
Shakespeare shows us that blind ambition compels Macbeth to see what he wants to see, rather than what is actually before him
Through Lady Macbeth, the audience is shown that equivocation can lead to guilt and self-ruin
Shakespeare uses extensive imagery of darkness and night to symbolise the obscuration of one’s desires
The witches’ reality is questioned throughout the play, as a means of suggesting Macbeth only has himself to blame
Violence
Jacobean concepts of what is acceptable in terms of violence vary with modern ones, although some aspects remain constant
Shakespeare represents evil in different ways according to gender: Macbeth (men) can be violent; Lady Macbeth (women), manipulative
Macbeth’s violent nature, as described by the injured captain in Act I, foreshadows what is to come
Violence is shown as something which is cyclical in the play’s structure; but violence in the name of honour is replaced by tyrannical violence by the final act
