One of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies

about murder, greed, and the corruption of

power.
 Think About It…
Consider the following statements and rate them on a scale from 1-3.
1 = disagree 2 = neutral 3 = agree

• People who are striving to get ahead often step on other people
• Being powerful is the same thing as being happy
• Too much ambition can be dangerous
• We all have the power to control our own destiny
• Murder is wrong, no matter the circumstances
Introduction to Macbeth:
The Elizabethan Era,
Tragedy, and the Tragic
Hero
The Elizabethan Era: Queen
Elizabeth
• Queen Elizabeth is credited for transforming England into a
superpower
• She was never married. She was a strong, independent
female figure, which was significant in this period because
women were not considered powerful or capable of military
feats
• Queen Elizabeth was important to the development of
Shakespeare’s works and fame
• She supported arts such as theatre and drama, and was a
strong supporter of Shakespeare’s work
• While Shakespeare’s Macbeth was not directly connected to
the reign of Queen Elizabeth, her love for the arts helped
Shakespeare’s future as a legendary writer
King James and Macbeth
• King James has direct links to Shakespeare’s
Macbeth
• Shakespeare catered to the beliefs of the
reigning monarch, King James, and to the
idea that there is a divine right of kings, and
that to usurp the throne is a crime against
all humanity
• King James was extremely superstitious, and
greatly feared witchcraft (a central
component in Macbeth)
 The Chain of Being
• Elizabethans believed in a chain, or
•GOD
“order” of being in the universe.
Everyone and everything fit onto a •ANGELS – pure spirit
chain •HUMANS
• When there was a disturbance in the - Kings/Queens, royalty
cosmic order, absolute chaos and - Nobility, wealthy
turmoil followed • - Men
• Unnatural and strange things would • - Women and children
happen if there was a change in the •ANIMALS
order
•PLANTS – trees, flowers
• It’s only through the restoration of
order that chaos will subside •MINERALS – rocks, stones,
Shakespearean Tragedy
• The hero is always an extraordinary and admirable
man. He is usually good and noble, but even when he
is evil, he has contrasting traits such as strength,
courage, or ambition
• The hero is a person of high rank, whose fate affects
the destiny of his country, city, or family
• The hero has a basic flaw that leads to his demise
• A dual conflict generates the plays action: the
external conflict between people and groups, and the
internal conflict of the hero himself
• Good always triumphs in the end
• There is a period of false hope in the play, where it
looks like everything will turn out alright
• Other elements of tragedies include the use of the
supernatural, the use of coincidence and luck, and
the abnormal
Shakespearean Tragedy

• TRAGEDY: a tragedy is a drama in which the

protagonist or hero fails or is destroyed. It
contains incidents which arouse feelings of pity
of fear, and it leads to a catharsis of these
emotions

CATHARSIS: In a tragedy, the audience should

feel pity, fear, or sympathy for the characters. A
catharsis is a purging or cleansing of the mind
of these feelings. It was felt that one could
cope with everyday problems better after
seeing a tragedy.

• TRAGIC FLAW: the tragic flaw is the moral

weakness or error of judgement which causes
the tragic hero to fail. It is often connected to a
character trait (like too much self-confidence)
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Elements of Shakespearean Tragedies
1. Pathetic Fallacy: when nature reacts to characters or conflicts in the story through
unnatural happenings
Ex: When the weather reflects the mood of the play. When an actor is
angry, the weather turns stormy.

2. Fate: Intervention of some force over which humans have no control. May complicate
the plot but does not bring about the downfall of the hero (he ultimately does this himself
through his actions)

3. The Supernatural: the appeal of using ghosts, witches, premonitions, and other
supernatural events to entice the audience

4. Catharsis: by experiencing events which arouse pity and fear, we achieve a purging
(catharsis) of these emotions, leaving us calmer in the end

5. Soliloquy: a speech made by a character when he/she is alone on the stage that reveals
the innermost thoughts of a character while they are talking to themselves
Elements of Shakespearean Tragedies
6. Monologue: a speech from a single character is presented in order to
express their thoughts out loud

7. Aside: comments intended only for the audience without other actors
hearing it. It reveals the private opinions and reactions of the character to
the audience

8. Dramatic Irony: the audience knows more about the situation than the
characters do
9. Paradox: a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement that is found to
be true

10. Foil: a character who contrasts the main character in order to highlight
specific qualities of the character
 The Tragic Hero
• The tragic hero has the potential for
greatness but is doomed to fail. He is a
trapped in a situation where he cannot
win. He has a “tragic flaw” that causes
his downfall.
• The tragic hero is a mixture of good and
evil, and a person with whom the
audience can identify.
• The audience feels sorry for the
character, since he or she is not
inherently evil, and their misfortune is
often greater than they deserve.
• A tragic hero makes the audience
consider the potential for their own
downfall
 The Tragic Hero
1. Is of high stature (King, Nobleman, etc.)
2. Must be a good person.. but not TOO good!
3. Because of his position in society, his actions have far-
reaching effects
4. He must have a quality that is considered a virtue, but under
the circumstances of the play, his virtue becomes his fatal flaw
5. He frequently makes errors in judgement
6. He is ultimately at fault for the deed that begins his downfall
7. He suffers both outwardly (isolation, alienation) and inwardly
(tortured conscience)
8. He must elicit pity and fear from the audience (catharsis)
9. He ultimately goes through some sort of recognition of his
mistakes
10. He must die
Characters
in Macbeth
Macbeth: brave general
under King Duncan who
becomes too ambitious after
three witches prophesize
that he will be King of
Scotland

Lady Macbeth: vicious wife

of Macbeth, even more
ambitious than her husband
Characters in
Macbeth
Macduff: A general who believes that
Macbeth killed the King

Banquo: Macbeth’s best friend and

general; suspects Macbeth killed the
King

Fleance: Banquo’s son who survives

Macbeth’s attempt to murder him
 Characters in Macbeth
King Duncan: King of Scotland,
murdered by Macbeth who was one of
his generals whom he just promoted

Malcolm: Duncan’s oldest son, runs

away to England after he learns of his
father’s murder in order to escape the
same fate

Donalbain: Duncan’s youngest son,

runs away to Ireland after he learned
of his father’s murder in order to
escape the same fate
 Characters in Macbeth

The Three Witches: they tell Macbeth

that he is to become King. They also tell
him that he will be defeated, but they
disguise it in a way as to give him false
hope

Hecate: moon goddess and goddess of

the witches, directs supernatural
occurrences
 Characters in Macbeth
Ross: Macduff’s cousin, messenger who carries news to people like Macbeth and Macduff throughout
the play

Lennox: a nobleman, suspicious of the murder of the King

Seyton: Macbeth’s lieutenant

Porter: watches Macbeth’s castle

Old Siward: Earl of Northumberland, ally of Malcolm and Macduff, against Macbeth

Young Siward: Old Siward’s son

The Murderes: a group of ruffians hired by Macbeth to murder

Lady Macduff: Macduff’s wife; she and her home serve as a foil to Lady Macbeth and the hellish world
of Inverness
 Themes in Macbeth
• Ambition – The Corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition
- Destruction occurs when ambition goes unchecked by moral
constraints
• Manhood/Masculinity – The Relationship Between Cruelty and
Masculinity
- Masculinity is equated with aggression and violence
• Corruption/Power – The Difference Between Kingship and Tyranny
- Distinguishing between the rightful king and a tyrant leader
(Duncan vs. Macbeth). Who uses their power wisely?
• Fate and Free Will
- Is it destiny or choice that determines one’s future? Is it
Macbeth’s decisions or the witches’ prophesies?
• Illusion vs. Reality
- nothing is as it seems... often characters have secret motives
Imagery/Symbols in
Macbeth
• Blood: It’s everywhere! Generally it
represents violence, bloodline, or guilt
• Weather: Unnatural things happen after
the murders occur and nature and
weather reflect them (pathetic fallacy)
• Clothing: Works as metaphors and is used
to foreshadow future events
• Light/Darkness: Reflects changes in
Change of Being, good and evil
• Sleep: represents a clear conscience,
peace, and innocence (or lack thereof)
• Birds and Animals: bad omens,
foreshadowing future events