This document provides an overview of key elements in Shakespeare's play Macbeth, including important characters (Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo, Macduff), major themes (fate, appearance vs reality, ambition), aspects of Shakespeare's language used (rhythm, imagery, metaphor), and potential ways to stage and interpret three important scenes in performances.

1. ENGLISH
Macbeth

2. Who are the characters?
There are lots of characters
in Macbeth, but it is okay to
concentrate on the ones that play the
biggest part in the story. You just
need to know what their relationship
is to Macbeth and the important parts
they play in the story.
The Scottish noblemen are called
Thanes, this is a Scottish word, which
means Lord.
The four most important characters
are:
vMacbeth
vLady Macbeth
vBanquo
vMacduff

3. What are the themes?
Themes are the main ideas that keep appearing in
a play. The important themes in Macbeth are:
vFate
vAppearance and Reality
vAmbition

4. Language overview
The way we write and speak has changed a lot
over the past 400 years since Shakespeare wrote
his plays, so don’t be put off if you find
Shakespeare’s words difficult.
Shakespeare used the following aspects of
language in Macbeth to grip and terrify his
audience:
vRhythm and Rhyme
vImagery and Metaphor

5. Performance Analysis
Macbeth is a play full of violence, magic and illusion.
In Shakespeare’s day, the stage would have been bare,
the props few, and the lighting would depend upon the
weather. Theatres were open air and the plays were held
in daylight.
Nowadays, Shakespeare’s plays are interpreted in many
different ways on stage and screen. Directors and their
production teams make choices on how they want to stage
the play and how the characters will deliver their
lines. The decisions they make can often change how the
audience think and feel about the play and the
characters in it.
Let’s look at three scenes and explore the possibilities
for an exciting and unforgettable performance
of Macbeth.
vAct 2 Scene 1 – Staging the dagger scene
vAct 3 Scene 4 – Rehearsing the ghost of Banquo
vAct 1 Scene 3 – Casting the Witches

6. Performance Analysis
Macbeth is a play full of violence, magic and illusion.
In Shakespeare’s day, the stage would have been bare,
the props few, and the lighting would depend upon the
weather. Theatres were open air and the plays were held
in daylight.
Nowadays, Shakespeare’s plays are interpreted in many
different ways on stage and screen. Directors and their
production teams make choices on how they want to stage
the play and how the characters will deliver their
lines. The decisions they make can often change how the
audience think and feel about the play and the
characters in it.
Let’s look at three scenes and explore the possibilities
for an exciting and unforgettable performance
of Macbeth.
vAct 2 Scene 1 – Staging the dagger scene
vAct 3 Scene 4 – Rehearsing the ghost of Banquo
vAct 1 Scene 3 – Casting the Witches