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Macbeth

Macbeth. Characters Guide and Introduction. Instructions for Character Guide. Take your paper and fold it long ways. Take the folded paper and on the outside make 16 sections. Make the same sections on the inner fold just beneath.

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Macbeth

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  1. Macbeth Characters Guide and Introduction

  2. Instructions for Character Guide • Take your paper and fold it long ways. • Take the folded paper and on the outside make 16 sections. • Make the same sections on the inner fold just beneath. • You will flip up the name of the character and see the important characteristics beneath.

  3. Duncan • King of Scotland • Model of the virtuous ruler

  4. Malcolm • Son of Duncan • Rightful heir to Duncan’s throne • More cunning than his father

  5. Donalbain • Son of Duncan, younger brother of Malcolm

  6. Macbeth • Thane of Glamiswith more titles to come. • Scottish General • Easily tempted but later plagued by guilt

  7. Lady Macbeth • Macbeth’s wife • Deeply ambitious • Loyal to her husband • Also affected by guilt

  8. Porter • Drunken doorman who works at Macbeth’s castle • Provides comic relief

  9. Seyton • An officer serving Macbeth

  10. Gentlewoman • Serves Lady Macbeth

  11. Banquo • A Scottish Thane • Brave and noble general • Represents the path Macbeth could have taken

  12. Fleance • Banquo’s son • Presumed to eventually fulfill the witches predictions to Banquo • Like his father, an ancestor of King James I

  13. Macduff • Thane of Fife • Opposes Macbeth’s treachery

  14. Lady Macduff and Son • Wife and son of Macduff • Lady Macduff serves to contrast Lady Macbeth

  15. Lennox, Ross, Mantieth, Angus, & Caithness • Thanes

  16. Siward and Young Siward • Siward is Earl of Northumberland, is Duncan’s brother, and has a son, Young Siward

  17. The Weird Sisters • 3 Witches • Plot mischief through predictions of the future • Allude to the three Fates of Greek mythology • Followers of Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft

  18. Historical Context • Written in England in 1606 for King James I. • James I was a strict Protestant who believed, amongst other things, that: • God had a supernatural influence on human affairs • Witches and magicians were agents of the devil, working to punish sinners and tempt the virtuous • God distinguished kings from ordinary men

  19. Historical Context continued • To please James I, Shakespeare set the play in Scotland, used many characters who were James' ancestors (including Duncan and Banquo), 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.

  20. Historical Context continued • Shakespeare's source for the story of Macbeth was The History and Chronicles of Scotland (1526), written by Hector Boece, a Scottish historian and humanist. • (Many scholars question the factual reliability of Boece's work, and point out that Shakespeare took liberties with Macbeth's history for dramatic purposes.)

  21. Setting • 11th century Scotland • Hereditary succession to the throne was only three generations old • Duncan is king; he has two sons, Malcolm and Donalbain • He is supported by a number of noblemen as they battle Norse invaders • Macbeth is a General in the king’s army

  22. Great Chain of Being People in Shakespeare's time didn't think like us. We live in the post Darwinian age. Things are supposed to improve over time as the weak die out. Before Darwin, people assumed that the further we lived after the date of Creation the worse things got, because we lived more distantly from the “perfect time”. http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~maggieoh/Macbeth/chain1.html

  23. Macdonwald’s rebellion & the invasion of Sweno took place at different times—Shakespeare combined them Duncan is supposed to have been killed by four hired servants—Shakespeare has Macbeth commit the murder History represents Banquo as equal in guilt with Macbeth—Shakespeare whitewashes Banquo’s character as a compliment to King James History vs. Macbeth

  24. History makes no mention of Lady Macbeth—her character is almost wholly the creation of Shakespeare In history, Macbeth fled before Macduff—Shakespeare shows Macbeth bravely fighting

  25. Great Chain of Being GodAngelsKings/QueensDukes/Duchesses/ThanesBishopsEarls/CountessesKnights/Local OfficialsLadies-in-WaitingPriests/MonksSquiresMessengersMerchants/ShopkeepersTradesmenYeomen FarmersSoldiers/Town WatchHousehold ServantsBeggarsActorsThieves/PiratesGypsiesAnimalsPlantsRocks http://arnoldit.com/wordpress/2008/09/20/search-moving-up-the-buzzword-chain-of-being/

  26. Disruption in the Chain could cause anything from storms to deaths to absolute chaos.

  27. Motifs and Imagery to look for . . . • supernatural • blood • sanity / insanity • order / disorder • light / darkness

  28. Soliloquy and Aside • Soliloquy – a speech that a character makes while alone on stage to reveal his or her thoughts to the audience. • Aside – remark a character makes in an undertone to the audience or another character.

  29. What is a tragedy? • A tragedy is adrama in which the fortunes, misfortunes, and disasters befall human beings of title, power, and position. • A tragedy inevitably ends in the ruin or demise of the hero, contains an element of fate with the façade of free will and acts as a cry against the tragic situation unfolding. • A tragic hero is the main character of the play and must submit to six basic characteristics.

  30. #1: Noble Stature • Since tragedy often involves the “fall” of the hero, he or she must have a high position to fall from, or else there is no tragedy. • People who fall from a high position in society, such as king, affect the lives of others.

  31. #2: Tragic Flaw • The hero must “fall” due to something wrong his or her personality. One of the most common flaws is hubris (too much pride). • In Greek mythology, this is seen when mortals think they can do better than the gods. • In Shakespearean drama, it is seen when characters think they can avoid or change their fate.

  32. #3: Free Choice • The hero falls because he chooses one course of action over the other. In other words, he has made a life-changing mistake. • Look for warnings from other characters that go unheeded, for example.

  33. #4: Punishment Exceeds the Crime • The audience has to feel sorry for the tragic hero. They must feel that he did not get what he deserved. • Death is the most common punishment that cannot be reversed AND seems the harshest.

  34. #5: Increased Awareness • The hero must come to some sort of an understanding of what went wrong or what was really going on before he dies. He must come to accept a truth.

  35. #6: Produces Catharsis for Audience • The audience must not feel guilty for what happened to the tragic hero. They must feel emotionally drained, but happy. The ending must leave them satisfied that all has happened for a reason, and all characters have had life-altering realizations.

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