An introduction to

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An introduction to
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Ask yourself the following

• Have you ever given in to temptation?
• Do you believe in prophecies?
• How do you personally decide what is good and
  what is evil?
• What is the difference between greed and
  ambition?
• Do you believe you reap what you sow?
• Do you believe our lives are lead by fate or our
  actions alone?

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Rate each statement on a scale of 1-10.1
disagree completely to 10 agree
wholeheartedlyBe prepared to explain your
reasoning.

• 1. People who are striving to get ahead often
  step on other people.
• 2. Being powerful usually is the same thing as
  being happy.
• 3. One mistake can often lead to another.
• 4. Everyone is capable of murder under the right
  circumstances.
• 5. People who are involved in criminal activities
  can still feel love, fear, and concern for other
  people.

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Macbeth The Quick Summary
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Macbeth is a dark, relentless tale of a good and
brave Scottish general who, encouraged by the
dark prophesies of three evil witches and by his
own wife, murders Duncan, king of Scotland.
Macbeth then becomes king and brings about his
own destruction. Shakespeare wrote the play for
James I, England's new king, who had been king of
Scotland. To please James, Shakespeare set the
play in Scotland, used many characters who were
James' ancestors, and included witches, a subject
that James had written about. The play is
Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, probably because
King James often fell asleep during performances.
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Macbeth The Historical Background
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The King of England in 1606 was James I, a
Stuart.

• There was no Tudor successor to the throne of
  England. Therefore, Elizabeth I chose James VI
  of Scotland to succeed her. After her death in
  1603, James VI of Scotland became James I of
  England.
• Elizabeth I had been instrumental in the death of
  her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, who was beheaded.

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• On her deathbed, Elizabeth wanted to ease her way
  into Heaven, so she chose Marys son James to
  become the next King of England.
• The appointment of James I was a good political
  move, unifying England and Scotland under one
  King.

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Macbeth an appeal to Elizabethan peoples
interests

• Shakespeare demonstrated the Elizabethan belief
  that the country is stable only if the King is
  good and virtuous.
• Elizabethans believed that evil occurs in
  darkness, which is a recurring theme in Macbeth.
• Shakespeare included a lot of blood and murder,
  which the Elizabethans expected to see in a play.
  
• The play was considered a thriller a threat to
  an anointed King and the perceived evil behind
  the threat

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What is a tragedy you ask?

• Definition a drama in which a character
  (usually a good and noble person of high rank) is
  brought to a disastrous end in his or her
  confrontation with a superior force (fortune,
  gods, social forces, universal values), but also
  comes to understand the meaning of his or her
  deeds and to accept an appropriate punishment.

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Tragic Hero

• The tragic hero is a man of noble stature. high
  position usually means a king, duke, prince,
  company owner, etc.
• He is not an ordinary man, but a man with
  outstanding quality and greatness about him.
• He is good but not too good so the audience
  can relate to him.
• His own destruction is for a greater cause or
  principle he proves a point.
• It should be noted that the heros downfall is
  his own fault as a result of his own free choice,
  but his misfortune is not wholly deserved.
• Usually his death is seen as a waste of human
  potential.

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Tragic Flaw

• The flaw in the character is a defect which
  keeps him/her from being aware of the situation
  around him/her. The character doesnt understand
  (for much of the story) his/her part of creating
  the situation.

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Examples of tragic flaws

• Pride
• Greed
• Obsession of one thing
• Mistrust
• Hesitation
• Selfishness
• Ambition

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Shakespearean Tragic Plot

• Act I Exposition
• This is where the setting,
• characters, and conflicts are
• introduced.
• Act II Rising Action
• Act III Turning Point (Climax)
• This is where the reversal of fortune occurs and
  it all starts to go badly for the tragic hero.
• Act IV Falling Action
• Act V Catastrophe/Resolution
• The conflicts are resolved chaos returns to
  order.

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Before the Curtain Opens

• When the play begins, there are two wars in
  progress
• Civil War - King Duncan vs. Macdonwalds rebels
• National War - Scotland, led by King Duncan,
  against invading Norway, led by King Sweno

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Setting

• King Duncan is the King of Scotland.
• Edward the Confessor is the King of England.
• The time period is the eleventh century
  (1000-1099).
• Shakespeare used poetic license to bend some of
  the historical information with his fictional
  play.

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Macbeth The Characters
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Macbeth brave general under Duncan who
becomes too ambitious after three witches
prophesy that he will be King of Scotland. Lady
Macbeth vicious wife of Macbeth, even more
ambitious than Macbeth. She convinces Macbeth to
murder the King. Macduff general, suspicious of
Macbeth and his quick rise to power.
Macbeth Characters
Banquo Macbeths friend and general, who meets
the 3 witches with Macbeth and later suspects
Macbeth of killing the King. King Duncan King
of Scotland, murdered by Macbeth who was one of
his generals whom he had just promoted.
Malcolm Duncans eldest son, runs away to
England after he learns of his fathers murder in
order to escape the same fate.
Donalbain Duncans youngest son, runs away to
Ireland after he learns of his fathers murder in
order to escape the same fate.
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The three witches They tell Macbeth that he is
to become King, leading him to evil. They also
tell him that he will be defeated, but they
disguise it in a way as to give him false
confidence.
Hecate moon goddess and goddess of the witches,
directs supernatural occurrences. Makes plan to
give Macbeth false security.
Fleance Banquos son.
Ross Macduffs cousin, messenger who carries
news to people like Macbeth and Macduff
throughout the play. Lennox nobleman,
suspicious of the murder of the king.
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• Seyton Macbeths lieutenant and assistant.
• Porter watches Macbeths castle when drunk,
  thought that he was the keeper of Hells Gates
  and that sinners were knocking at the door to be
  admitted. Used to insert some comedy into the
  tragic events.
• Lady Macduff Macduffs wife.

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Macbeth The Plot Overview
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So what really happens?

• Good guy goes bad
• Guy wants power
• Married to a pushy control freak
• She wants power
• Kills people- LOTS of people
• Gets power
• Gets paranoid (a.k.a. goes crazy)
• Ticks off a lot of people
• Wants even more power! Kill! Kill!
• Gets whats coming to him in the end

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Macbeth The CURSE!!
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You Decide

• 1606 First production. The boy playing Lady
  Macbeth became feverish and died backstage.
  Rumor has it that Shakespeare himself played the
  role.
• 1672 Amsterdam. The actor playing Macbeth
  substituted a real dagger for the stage dagger
  and killed the actor playing Duncan, in full view
  of the audience.
• 1703 Opening day. England was hit with one of
  the most violent storms in its history. 500
  seamen died.
• 1849 a riot in which more than 30 people died
  at the Astor Place Opera House
• April 9, 1865 Abraham Lincoln was reading
  passages from Macbeth (scenes following Duncans
  assassination) aloud to some friends. Within a
  week, Lincoln was himself assassinated

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During a wartime production

• The third witch fell ill and died of a heart
  attack during the final rehearsal.
• The actor playing King Duncan died of angina.
• A witch was dancing around the cauldron, but
  would not maintain the tempo of the music. She
  collapsed and died on stage.
• The set designer committed suicide

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1937 London Production

• The director was nearly killed in a car crash.
  Lady M was badly bruised as well.
• Laurence Olivier lost his voice and almost died
  when a weight from the stage lights came tumbling
  down.
• The founder of the theater had a heart attack and
  died on opening night.
• A member of the audience was hit by a fragment of
  Oliviers sword and then died of a heart attack.

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Is it really true today?

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v2LKMktAN4hc
• History of the Curse (2 minutes)
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vDaz_OpMfBmg
• One mans story (1 minute)

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Witches Scene opening of play

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vclG8ha2D26g
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vZ1_I36qHDts
• https//www.youtube.com/watch?vclG8ha2D26g
• As you watch the video clips, make notes about
  what is going on in each of the scenes and decide
  which version is your favorite (the best). Be
  able to explain WHY