These English notes contain Macbeth quotes and a detailed analysis worth grade 9. Colour coded by each theme in the play. Also an overall Macbeth document talking in depth about each theme and character. The exact same format used for a Christmas Carol. Biology paper 1 notes that apply to triple sc...
english literature paper 1 aqa quotes and analysis
biology paper 1 gcse triple
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Macbeth
CONTEXT:
- Macbeth is a dramatic tragedy.
- Hamartia means fatal flaw. This leads to a character’s ultimate downfall which
in Macbeth’s case it is his ambition and lust for power that led to his inevitable
downfall.
- The Jacobean era was ruled by King James 1. He believed in the divine right of
kings, so he believed that he was chosen by God to be the king of England and
the righteous judge of England. Also in the Great Chain of being, the king is the
closest being to God on Earth so it was the role of the king to enact the will of
God - which he believed was to get rid of witchcraft and witches.
- Divine right of Kings: this is the belief that God chose specific monarchs so an
attempt to kill the one God had chosen would be a sin against God. Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth then sinned against God, for which the punishment is
eternal damnation. Macbeth can be seen as a warning against regicide.
LORD BANQUO:
- At the beginning of the play we learn from the Witches' prophecy that his
children will inherit the Scotish throne.
- Banquo is similar to Macbeth in that they both have ambitious thoughts,
however Banquo demonstrates restraint as he doesn't act upon these desires.
- Banquo is portrayed as Macbeth's foil and is therefore symbolic of man's ability
to resist temptation. (foil is a character with qualities that are in contrast with
another character)
- Banquo’s role as foil emphasised by the juxtaposition of his prophecies with
Macbeth’s "lesser" and "greater", with "happier" and "not so happy". This
suggests Banquo is a morally strong and virtuous character who resists evil,
providing a contrast to Macbeth, who is a morally weak, innately flawed and
evil character who gives into temptation.
- When Banquo finds that the prophecy is coming true he responds with "what,
can the devil speak true". This implies that he views them as agents of the
devil and sees them for what they are. This supports James I’s view that
witches are controlled by the devil.
- Banquo’s death marks the breakdown in Macbeth’s marriage, and Lady
Macbeth’s mental deterioration increases. They start to distance from one
another after this point as Lady Macbeth disapproves of Banquo’s murder “you
must leave this”.
- Lady Macbeth has lost her reason to be evil and powerful – she can’t support
her husband. She gives in to her guilt as her conscience starts to take over
and she goes insane.
- After being killed by Macbeth in the scene before, Banquo reappears as a ghost
at a Banquet held by Macbeth and his wife; however, he is only visible to
Macbeth. This, along with the floating dagger, enables Macbeth’s paranoid mind
, even more. Banquo’s ghost appears and disappears three times, increasing the
chaotic state of Macbeth’s thinking.
Lady Macbeth:
- Lady Macbeth can be viewed as an antagonist because of how she drives her
husband, Macbeth, towards murder and bloodshed despite his protests.
Alternatively, she can be viewed as a tragic heroine, meaning she starts out in
a position of glory and success but falls from grace due to an error in judgment
of her own.
- After receiving a letter from Macbeth that informs her of the Witches’
prophecies, she is determined for Macbeth to become king. She worries that
Macbeth is too tame and hesitant to do it himself, so commits to mocking and
tempting him until he gives in. After Duncan’s murder, she grows more anxious
and blunt but is kept out of most of her husband’s actions and plots.
Ultimately, she is broken by grief and guilt and takes her own life.
- Lady Macbeth and the story of Eve from Genesis are quite similar as Eve was
the one who was tempted by the devil and convinced her husband to do the
same. This is very similar to the Genesis story as Lady Macbeth was the one
who manipulated her husband to do whatever it took to be King and has been
interpreted as being the root of Macbeth’s evil.
- In the Jacobean Era, women had no legal rights in society, and this meant that
when they married, they became the property of their husbands. Their role was
to have children and run the household. Domestic abuse, and even domestic
murder, was extremely common. A woman’s destiny was to get married and
have children. In ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare allows us to see how Lady Macbeth
copes with these aspects of life for women in the Middle Ages. Within her
marriage, she is a dominant figure with her own clear identity and purpose.
Outside of her marriage, she is viewed only as Macbeth’s wife and a good host.
Her relationship with motherhood is much more complicated. It seems like, at
some point, she had children, but they must have died, as there are no signs of
children when the play unfolds. She tries to banish all her reproductive organs
from her body, rejecting the role of mother altogether.
- By losing her femininine identity, she loses her humanity. Alternatively, if we
still view her as a female character, her acts of manipulation and seduction
portray women as deceitful, wicked beings. She also plays a pivotal role in
Macbeth’s perception of his own gender. Her highly critical attacks on his
manhood, and her perception of masculinity as violent, drives Macbeth to
murder and tyranny. This adds to Shakespeare’s exploration of manliness.
- Lady Macbeth is a very unconventional female character by traditional and
Jacobean standards. She is given multiple soliloquies - something that usually
only male characters were allowed. When Shakespeare first introduces her to
us, she has the dominant role in her marriage, which would have been unheard
of.
- Shakespeare suggests through her character that giving women power is
dangerous and unnatural. It also appears that the only way for a woman to be
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