Alexa Campbell Macbeth notes
*THE RISE AND FALL OF A GREAT MAN*
CHARACTERS
Scotland Military
- King Duncan - Macbeth - general
- Malcolm [oldest son; prince of Cumberland] - Protagonist; ambitious
- Donalbain [youngest son] - Lady Macbeth
- Banquo - general
Noblemen - Son Fleance
- Macduff [lord of fife]
- Lennox - Three witches
- Ross
- Angus
CONTEXT
The renaissance
16th century
Middle ages = closed rigid and stable world gave way to restless curiosity and questioning of the universe,
society, religion and man
Chain of being
The cultural focus shifted to man as an individual and mans position = everything is dictated/orderly
Universe is ranked - god at the top
Each closely related - has duties and obligations
Eg. Macbeth kills a king - does something to make it out of order - the Universe responds to get it back in
order
Shakespear concerned himself with hierarchy in human society
Macbeth = ambitious and wants to be king (flaw)
Passion- don’t have control over
THEMES
Tragedy
Tragic hero = good person = heroic but humanly fallible (fail) character
Debate of tragedy = look at personal responsibility eg. Romeo needed to wait for the message but someone
told him Juliet was dead and he believed it.
= Chance eg. Tybalt saw Mercutio and he was in a bad mood
= Malicious conspiracy
Assessing personal responsibility of tragic hero - have to assess capacity for misjudgement (HAMARTIA)
and his overweening pride in the face of God (HUBRIS) = problem with humanity
Emphasis that tragic hero is architect of his own downfall
Tragic hero is trapped and downfall is inevitable
Usually ends in death
Plot ends = Catharsis (relief + enlightened effect)
, Alexa Campbell Macbeth notes
QUOTABLE QUOTES
I, V, 9 I, III, 107
“My dearest partner of greatness” “What! Can the devil speak true?”
Macbeth to his wife Banquo to Macbeth
I, V, 38 I, VII, 60
“Your spirits “Screw your courage to the sticking-place,
That tend on mortal thoughts” And we'll not fail.”
Lady Macbeth says to MB Lady Macbeth to Macbeth
I, VI, 27 I, VII, 65
“Vaulting ambition” “Memory, the warder of the brain.”
Only thing motivating Macbeth Lady Macbeth to Macbeth
I, I, 12 I, VII, 82
“Fair is foul and foul is fair” “False face must hide what the false heart doth
Witches chant know.”
Macbeth to Lady Macbeth
V, V, 30
“It is a tale I, VII, 46
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, “I dare to all that may become a man,
Signifying nothing” Who dares do more, is none.”
Macbeth after LMB dies MB response to LMB’s emasculation
I, I, 1 I, IV, 50
“When shall we three meet again “Stars hide your fires! Let not light see my deep
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” and dark desires”
Weird Sisters Macbeth after Mal announced successor
I, II, 40 I, VI, 12
“They doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe: “He’s here in double trust”
Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds, [kinsman and subject]
Or memorize another Golgotha, MB soliloquy about killing Duncan
I cannot tell.”
Captain to Duncan II,II, 67
“A little water clears us of this deed
I, III, 38 How easy tis then”
“So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” Lady Macbeth
Macbeth to Banquo
II, III, 82
I, III, 83 “For from this instant
“Were such things here as we do speak about? There is nothing serious in mortality”
Or have we eaten on the insane root Macbeth
That takes the reason prisoner?”
Banquo to Macbeth
*THE RISE AND FALL OF A GREAT MAN*
CHARACTERS
Scotland Military
- King Duncan - Macbeth - general
- Malcolm [oldest son; prince of Cumberland] - Protagonist; ambitious
- Donalbain [youngest son] - Lady Macbeth
- Banquo - general
Noblemen - Son Fleance
- Macduff [lord of fife]
- Lennox - Three witches
- Ross
- Angus
CONTEXT
The renaissance
16th century
Middle ages = closed rigid and stable world gave way to restless curiosity and questioning of the universe,
society, religion and man
Chain of being
The cultural focus shifted to man as an individual and mans position = everything is dictated/orderly
Universe is ranked - god at the top
Each closely related - has duties and obligations
Eg. Macbeth kills a king - does something to make it out of order - the Universe responds to get it back in
order
Shakespear concerned himself with hierarchy in human society
Macbeth = ambitious and wants to be king (flaw)
Passion- don’t have control over
THEMES
Tragedy
Tragic hero = good person = heroic but humanly fallible (fail) character
Debate of tragedy = look at personal responsibility eg. Romeo needed to wait for the message but someone
told him Juliet was dead and he believed it.
= Chance eg. Tybalt saw Mercutio and he was in a bad mood
= Malicious conspiracy
Assessing personal responsibility of tragic hero - have to assess capacity for misjudgement (HAMARTIA)
and his overweening pride in the face of God (HUBRIS) = problem with humanity
Emphasis that tragic hero is architect of his own downfall
Tragic hero is trapped and downfall is inevitable
Usually ends in death
Plot ends = Catharsis (relief + enlightened effect)
, Alexa Campbell Macbeth notes
QUOTABLE QUOTES
I, V, 9 I, III, 107
“My dearest partner of greatness” “What! Can the devil speak true?”
Macbeth to his wife Banquo to Macbeth
I, V, 38 I, VII, 60
“Your spirits “Screw your courage to the sticking-place,
That tend on mortal thoughts” And we'll not fail.”
Lady Macbeth says to MB Lady Macbeth to Macbeth
I, VI, 27 I, VII, 65
“Vaulting ambition” “Memory, the warder of the brain.”
Only thing motivating Macbeth Lady Macbeth to Macbeth
I, I, 12 I, VII, 82
“Fair is foul and foul is fair” “False face must hide what the false heart doth
Witches chant know.”
Macbeth to Lady Macbeth
V, V, 30
“It is a tale I, VII, 46
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, “I dare to all that may become a man,
Signifying nothing” Who dares do more, is none.”
Macbeth after LMB dies MB response to LMB’s emasculation
I, I, 1 I, IV, 50
“When shall we three meet again “Stars hide your fires! Let not light see my deep
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” and dark desires”
Weird Sisters Macbeth after Mal announced successor
I, II, 40 I, VI, 12
“They doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe: “He’s here in double trust”
Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds, [kinsman and subject]
Or memorize another Golgotha, MB soliloquy about killing Duncan
I cannot tell.”
Captain to Duncan II,II, 67
“A little water clears us of this deed
I, III, 38 How easy tis then”
“So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” Lady Macbeth
Macbeth to Banquo
II, III, 82
I, III, 83 “For from this instant
“Were such things here as we do speak about? There is nothing serious in mortality”
Or have we eaten on the insane root Macbeth
That takes the reason prisoner?”
Banquo to Macbeth
