Themes and Motifs in Macbeth

1. Themes and Motifs in Macbeth Theme: a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work * a thought or idea the author presents to the reader that may be deep, difficult to understand, or even moralistic Generally, a theme has to be extracted as the reader explores the passages of a work

2. Fate and Free Will Fate and Free Will and the extent to which we control our own destinies. Act I, iii Act II, i Act VI, i

3. Ambition and Blind Ambition (Power Corrupts) Ambition and the devastation which follows when ambition oversteps moral boundaries. Act I, v Act I, vii Act III, i

4. Superstition and Affects on Human Behavior EVERYWHERE! Give a few examples citing the Act and scene.

5. Appearance and Reality (Things are not always as they seem) Appearance and Reality and how people and events are often not as they seem. Act I, i and ii Act I, iv Act I, vi

6. Motifs Motifs (recurring elements and patters of imagery which support the play’s themes)

7. Nature/The Natural World Nature/The Natural World and its disruption when the bounds of morality are broken. Act I, iii Act III, i Act III, iv Act IV, iii

8. Light and Darkness Light and darkness representing innocence and evil. Act I, iv Act IV, ii Act III, ii

9. Children Children representing the future and highlighting evil when they are abused. Act I, iii Act I, vii Act I, vii Act IV, iii

10. Blood Blood representing evil plans and consequences of overreaching ambition. Act I, v Act II, i Act II, i Act V, i

11. Sleep Sleep, a natural process and its disruption as caused by the fracture of the moral order. Act II, i Act II, ii Act II, ii Act III, vi Act V, i

12. Visions Visions, representing the extensions of a guilty conscience. Act II, i Act III, iv Act V, i Act V, vii