Macbeth

1
Macbeth

• By William Shakespeare

2
About Macbeth

• Macbeth is one of Shakespeares most famous
  plays.
• It is speculated that Shakespeare wrote Macbeth
  between 1603 and 1606.
• Macbeth is a tragedy.
• It is Shakespeares shortest tragedy.

3
Who was Macbeth?

• Macbeth becomes king of Scotland, according to
  Shakespeare.
• Macbeths friend, Banquo, who was not king, was
  the ancestor of James I of England.
• Macbeth was a real person he is not a fictional
  character.

4
The Three Witches

• Very similar to the three fates in Greek and
  Roman mythology
• Macbeth and his friend Banquo consult the witches
  throughout the play.

5
King Duncan of Scotland

• Duncan is king of Scotland when the story begins.
• He is murdered, and Macbeth succeeds him as the
  king.
• His two sons (Malcolm and Donalbain) flee to
  England and Ireland, respectively.

6
Banquo and the Line of Kings

• Macbeths friend, Banquo, is predicted by the
  witches to be the father of a line of kings.
• He has only one son, Fleance.
• Banquo is murdered, but his son, Fleance,
  escapes.
• Banquo is believed to be the ancestor of James I
  of England (James VI of Scotland).

7
Macduff

• A nobleman, the Thane of Fife, and friend to
  Duncans children.
• He is exiled to England based on a prediction by
  the Three Witches.
• He joins Duncans son, Malcolm, in England.
  Together they begin to raise an army.

8
Tragedy or Comedy (or maybe History)?

• Macbeth, though based on a historical character,
  is not a history the story is fictional.
• It is not a comedy not many spectators leave
  Macbeth smiling and laughing (if you do, you may
  be morbid)!
• It is a tragedy, plain and simple.

9
The Scottish Play

• There has been a lot of superstition surrounding
  the use of the name Macbeth while in a theater.
• This has led patrons to refer to it as The
  Scottish Play.
• The rumor is that Shakespeare used the spells of
  real witches in the play, and therefore real
  witches cursed the play.

10
The Scottish Play

• The belief is that to say the name of the play
  while viewing it will doom the production to
  failure.
• Some believe it will simply cause the play to be
  a failure.
• Others believe it may cause physical harm or
  death to a cast member during the production.

11
The Scottish Play

• Ironically enough, there have been several
  reports of accidents, misfortunes and even deaths
  that have taken place during Macbeth.
• But who believes in curses?

12
Macbeth in the Future

• Since its first production in 1608, Macbeth has
  been performed many times (some tragically, pun
  intended).
• Several film versions of the famous play have
  been recorded as well.
• 1948 Starring Orson Wells as Macbeth
• 2006 An Australian film with Macbeth set to a
  modern gang violence theme.