The tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare tells the story of the Scottish general Macbeth, who is convinced by the prophecies of three witches and his ambitious wife Lady Macbeth to murder King Duncan and take the throne. This disrupts the natural order and leads to chaos. As Macbeth commits more murders to hold onto power, he becomes increasingly troubled. In the end, Macduff helps Malcolm defeat Macbeth and restore order, demonstrating that power does not necessarily lead to happiness.

1. MACBETH
KEY IDEAS:
Temptation; superstition; good vs evil; greed and ambition
Are our lives dominated by FATE or by OUR ACTIONS?
Does POWER bring HAPPINESS?
The TRAGEDY of MACBETH was written by Shakespeare
around 1605-06 for KING JAMES I

2. King James I
● Came to the throne in 1603 (after Queen Elizabeth’s death)
● James Stuart , king of Scotland
● James I unified England + Scotland
● He was an expert on witchcraft and believed in witches
● He believed in the “Divine Right of the King” (Absolutist
king)
● Banquo : was an ancestor of James I
(King from 1603 to 1625)

3. MACBETH story is about….
● A good and brave Scottish general, Macbeth, who,
encouraged by the dark prophesies of three evil
witches and urged by his wife, murders Duncan, the
King of Scotland.
● Macbeth becomes king but has to face Malcolm’s
revenge . He has become now a murderer, and he brings
about his own destruction.
● The Murder of a king means the disruption of the
Elizabethan order and the beginning of Chaos.

4. THE ELIZABETHAN IDEA OF ORDER:
THE CHAIN OF BEING
✗ Elizabethans believed that everything
had a specific place where it should be
✗ They believed that the universe was
ordered by rank and superiority
✗ This rank was called THE CHAIN OF
BEING : a hierarchy
✗ This tragedy reflects the Elizabethan
order and its consequences when the
order is disrupted Chaos is
found both in Natural and Human
world

5. Disorder and its consequences in Natural and
Human world...
✔ A break in the hierachy creates s disorder in
the NATURAL WORLD
✔ Chaos in the Natural World resulted in the
disruption of the behaviours of ANIMALS
✔ When the order is broken , absolute
disorder happen in the HUMAN WORLD
Balance and order can be restored only
when Malcolm (right heir) becomes King
➢
After Duncan was killed, the weather
of the Universe became chaotic :
rain, thunder, …
➢ Horses turn wild,…
➢
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS are
disordered (Macbeth vs Lady M. ;
Macbeth vs Banquo)
➢
SOCIAL HIERARCHY: During
Duncan’s reign: balance. After his
murder: Scotland was dominated by
struggles

6. CHARACTERS AND PLOT
● Macbeth: brave and good general. As a tragical hero his FLAW is his AMBITION
to POWER
● Macbeth and Banquo : 2 brave soldiers who have defeated their enemies in
battle.
● King Duncan of Scotland: he gives the title of “Thane of Cawdor” to Macbeth
(but Macbeth doesn’t know it yet)
● 3 chanting witches : speak to Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor; tell Banquo that he
will beget kings (i.e. his sons will be kings)
● Lady Macbeth: urges her husband to kill the king. She blames the King’s guards
(putting dagger and blood on their hands)
● Macbeth: after killing Duncan starts to be troubled (has visions and dark feelings)

7. ….CHARACTERS AND PLOT….
● King’s sons (also Malcolm) : are fearful and run away from Scotland
● Banquo: when Macbeth is crowned King, he starts to be suspicious
● Banquo and Fleance, his son: Macbeth sends men to kill them . Banquo is
killed but Fleance escapes
● Ghost of Banquo: he appears to Macbeth at his ball
● Macduff: friend to Malcolm. Macduff’s family is murdered. He believes
Macbeth killed Duncan.
● Macduff and Malcolm : come back from England and try to kill Macbeth,
taking revenge
● Macbeth’s ambition makes him more determined but leads him to evil. He
visits again the three witches who give him false hope. Their prophesies
are:

8. ….CHARACTERS AND PLOT
➔ None of woman born shall harm Macbeth
➔ Macbeth will not be conquered until Birnam Wood comes to the hill of
Dunsinane
• Lady Macbeth: gets insane, starts sleepwalking and confesses her crime.
Eventually she commits suicide
• The witches’ prophesies come true:
➔ Invaders from England come to defeat Macbeth and they carry boughs and
leaves from the wood in order to camouflage
➔ Macbeth faces Macduff, who was born with caesarean section, and
Macduff beheads Macbeth
• Malcolm is crowned King of Scotland: order in the universe is re-
established.

9. THE MOVIE
Macbeth is a 2015 British-French film tragedy based on
William Shakespeare's play. The film was directed by
Justin Kurzel . It stars Michael Fassbender in the title role
and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth.
It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015
Cannes Film Festival.

10. Superstitions in Shakespeare’s time...
Visit these links to get more info:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zmjnb9q/revision/3
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/dramamacbeth/4drama_macbeth_