Macbeth Introduction

Macbeth Introduction

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

• Queen Elizabeth I - James I
• Time of national strength
• Age of exploration
• Attitude that life was exciting

English Renaissance - Influence on Macbeth

• Humans had great potential.
• Medieval Christianity was questioned.
• Heroes - ideal Elizabethan man.
• Marriages often arranged for money.
• Women held low social status.

ENGLISH RENAISSANCE - INFLUENCE ON MACBETH

• Concern over the order of things
• Plato's "great chain of being"
• Rulers were God's agents
• Killing a king was an awful crime

Macbeth - Review of Relevant Literary Terms

• Blank Verse
• Imagery
• Figurative language
• Motif
• Dramatic devices

Characteristics of Shakespearean Tragedy

• Origins from Ancient Greece and Aristotle
• Tragedy should cause pity and fear
• Unfolding tragedy leads to catharsis
• Hero faces downfall with courage

CHARACTERISTICS OF SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY

• Protagonist (tragic hero) comes to a miserable end
• Tragic hero is generally a person of importance
• Tragic hero shows extraordinary capabilities and a tragic flaw
• Tragic flaw - fatal error in judgment or weakness in character that leads to downfall
• In Greek tragedy this flaw was often hubris

CHARACTERISTICS OF SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY

• Unlike Greek tragedy, Shakespeare uses comic relief
• Outside forces may contribute to hero's downfall
• Events lead to catastrophic conclusion
• This conclusion usually involves death
• Tragic hero usually recognizes his/her flaw

MACBETH IN HISTORY

• First performed in 1606 for James I
• James I was Shakespeare's patron
• Based on a real Scottish King
• King James believed in witchcraft

MAJOR PATTERNS IN IMAGERY

• Birds
• Unclean hands / hand washing
• Sleep / sleeplessness
• Blood
• Clothing
• Stars
• Darkness