Macbeth Lecture Notes

Macbeth Lecture Notes

Main Plot: Rise and fall of a man

Beginning: Everyone like Macbeth and respected him

End: completely alone, no friends, wife dead, and hated

·         He caused his own death and tragedy by making the decisions he did

·         The story continues to worsen and then reaches a tragic end

Characteristics: ambitious, not happy, doesn’t make excuses about life or his decisions

·         Banquo questions/doubts what the witches say opposed to what Macbeth does

·         Macbeth tends to look at both the pros and cons about life

Lady Macbeth:

·         Doesn’t go by many morals

·         Willing to do anything to ger things her way

·         Urges Macbeth to be more “manly”

·         Aminus (Masculine)

*Macbeth hesitates to kill Duncan, questions himself constantly

As King:

·         He can’t stop killing people

·         Does anything to gain more power

·         Suffers from his conscious (feels bad)

Wife:

·         Can’t take all the torments and guilt and commits suicide

·         Bad things always happen when she is around

Lady Macbeth:

·         Evil, manipulative, self-centered

·         Drives Macbeth to Power

·         Her guilt drives her crazy

*Macbeth knows and acknowledges what he has done while his wife thing thery can pretend like nothing happened

Marriage:

·         Their relationship is descent at the beginning but after crowning they do their own things

Macbeth:

·         Hasn’t lost sense of right and wrong

·         Thinks of the world’s future

·         Worried about maintaining all the power he has killed for

*murders his way to power

·         Gets what he prays for

*When he finds out his wife died he has a low key response (Weird)

Witches:

·         Symbolize bad things that can happen in life

·         Give Macbeth ideas and he forms his own future

·         Represent Faith

Role of witches:

·         Why are the witches always woman?

·         Are both natural and unnatural characters