Topic 1: Macbeth Flashcards
Themes present in the play:
Masculinity, femininity, Great Chain of Being, supernatural, ambition, violence, gender
Hubris definition:
An over-weening ambition
Tragedy definition:
A story of exceptional suffering and calamity, leading to the death of a man of high estate
Tragic hero definition:
Only great men qualify as tragic heroes, peasant do not inspire pity. Must rise above average humanity, he must be great but he must not need to be good (in other words he can be inspiring but evil)
Fatal flaw definition:
The heroes fate is not the result of chance, but a fatal flaw in the heroes own character
Hamartia definition:
The fatal flaw of the hero
Perpeteia definition:
A sudden change in fortune or change of events
Anagnorisis definition:
The moment in a play when a character makes a critical discovery
Great Chain of Being:
God, Cherubs, Archangels/Angels, Star controllers of destiny, Moon King, Church, Princes, Nobles, Man Lion, other animals Oak/Rose, other plants Gold, other minerals
People higher up looked after people down lower/People lower down respected people higher up
The King was God’s representative and any act against the King was a sin against God
Any attempt to break the chain would unbalance the universe
Vocal communication:
Pace, pausing, phrasing, pitch, inflection, emphasis, projection, resonance, articulation
Non-vocal communication:
Posture, facial expressions, movement, gestures
STAGE: levels, space, props, setting, lighting
Masculinity:
Shown through Lady Macbeth questioning Macbeth’s masculinity when he cannot take someone’s life
Femininity:
Shown through Lady Macbeth refusing to conform to gender roles and taking the powerful side of her and Macbeth’s relationship. Also shown through her quote “unsex me here”.
Great Chain of Being (theme):
Shown through the social status of Macbeth and then his followers and then peasants
Supernatural:
Shown through the witches
Ambition:
Shown through Lady Macbeth’s ambition to claim the throne
Violence:
Just all the violence in the play, like literally the play is about killing heaps of people how can it not be violent
Gender:
Shown through both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth being the opposite of what society told them they should be based on their genders
Quote 1:
“Come to my woman’s breasts, and take my milk for gall, you murderous ministers”
Quote 2:
“Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and like a coward in thine own esteem, letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’”
