Gaiety School of Acting - Macbeth - Student Workbook
The Characters in Words
Macbeth
Appears brave and powerful, but is easily influenced. His ambition turns him into a murderer and a tyrant, but the emotional weight of his crimes haunt him.
“Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.” (Act 2, Scene 1)
Lady Macbeth
Macbeth’s ambitious, manipulative and clever wife. She is the stronger on in the couple at the beginning of the play, but her guilt drives her mad and she dies by suicide.
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” (Act 5, Scene 1)
Banquo
Noble general. Ambitious but virtuous. His ghost visits Macbeth, constantly reminding him of the path he could have taken rather than becoming a tyrant. “If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which gain will grow and which will not, Speak, then to me, who neither beg nor fear, / Your favors nor your hate.” (Act 1, Scene 3)
King Duncan
King of Scotland whom Macbeth murders in order to take the crown. Duncan is a good and kind king and his death symbolizes the destruction of order in Scotland.
“What bloody man is that? He can report, As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt / The newest state.” (Act 1, Scene 2)
Macduff
Scottish nobleman who eventually leads a crusade against Macbeth with the goal of restoring Malcolm to the throne. He also wants revenge against Macbeth who killed his wife and children.
“Despair thy charm, And let the angel whom thou still hast served / Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb, Untimely ripped.” (Act 5, Scene 8)
Malcolm
The son of Duncan who flees Scotland after his father is murdered. His restoration to the throne symbolizes Scotland’s return to order after Macbeth’s evil reign.
“We will perform in measure, time and place: So, thanks to all at once and to each one, / Whom we invite to see us crown’d at Scone.” (Act 5, Scene 7)
Lennox
Lennox is a young Thane who allies himself to whoever is in power. First he is “loyal” to Duncan, then Macbeth and finally, Malcolm.
“My young remembrance cannot parallel A fellow to it” (Act 2, Scene 3)
The Three Weird Sisters
Appearing in many ways to be witches, they remain a mystery throughout the play. They use charms, spells and prophecies to plot against Macbeth. Their predictions about his future prompt him to commit his crimes.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair; Hover through the fog and filthy air.” (Act 1, Scene 1)
Cultural Context
Shakespeare didn’t write his work in a vacuum, he was, as all writers continue to be, influenced by the social, political and philosophical thinking of the age. To gain a deeper understanding of the text we must understand the culture in which Shakespeare lived.
Political Situation During the Writing of Macbeth
Queen Elizabeth died in 1603 and having no children, nieces or nephews the throne was offered to James Stuart otherwise known as James VI of Scotland. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606 which was the year after the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 where Guy Fawkes tried to blow up King James and Parliament. It is clear that Shakespeare was writing at a period of immense change in England. England was transitioning from the Elizabethan Age to the Jacobean period. Macbeth is a cautionary tale warning any other potential regicides (King Killers) of the awful fate that will inevitably overtake them, thus reflecting the treatment of Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators.
Philosophical Thinking during the Elizabethan and Jacobean Age
Macbeth’s audience lived at a time when authority, order and hierarchy were implicit in day to day life. The main hierarchy of society and beliefs was the Great Chain of Being - which was Universal. The order of this was’ God, angles, demons, man, woman, animals, plant and mineral. The greatest authority in this society was the Monarchy.
It is important to note the overthrow or death of a King would not have the same impact on audiences today as it would have in the 17th century. At that time it was considered an offence against God for anyone to try to alter their station in life. After death, however, all would be raised in the Kingdom of Heaven, if they respected God’s will. Since royal rank was bestowed by God, it was therefore a sin to aspire to it.
Historical Basis of Macbeth
Macbeth’s plot
Shakespeare and the Court
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