The document outlines the elements and characters of Shakespeare's tragedy 'Macbeth.' It explores themes such as ambition, the supernatural, and the characteristics of a tragic hero, emphasizing Macbeth's fatal flaw of ambition. Additionally, it discusses the structure of a tragedy based on Gustav Freytag's five-act model.

1. This page is intended to be blank. Please, don’t read it.

4. Playwright
Play/Drama
(comedy/
tragedy)
Script
dialogue
Audience Stage
Actors
characters

5. Playwright
…………
(………/
tragedy)
………
dialogue
Audience Stage
Actors
………………

6. Introduction to Drama

9. Thane of Cawdor was captured and executed for
treason against King Duncan.

11. Thane of Cawdor……………………..

16. Shakespeare's Tragedy

17. Playwright
…………
(………/
tragedy)
………
dialogue
Audience Stage
Actors
……………

18. What is a Witch’s favourite
subject at school?

19. Spelling

20. Why do witches wear name tags?

21. So they know which Witch is
which

22. SETTING
Macbeth takes place during the 11th century in both
England but mainly Scotland

23. OPENING SCENES
• Scotland is at war with Norway

24. MACBETH
• Main character and title of
the play
• When the play begins, he is a
great war general and his
title is the Thane of Glamis (
a military nobleman with his
own land)

25. KING DUNCAN
• As the play begins, Duncan is the
King of Scotland
• kind, generous and
trusting..perhaps a bit too
trusting...
• He adores Macbeth and quickly gives
Macbeth a new title of honor known
as the Thane of Cawdor in exchange
for Macbeth’s battle accomplishments.

26. BANQUO
• Macbeth’s best friend.
• Also a great war general;
fought with Macbeth by his
side.
• Wants the best to Macbeth

27. 3 WITCHES
• These three women are the
supernatural element of the
play.
• Tell Macbeth multiple
prophecies.
• They speak in riddles.
Double, doubletoilandtrouble
FireburnandcauldronBUBBLE!

31. LADY MACBETH
• Lady Macbeth is a frightening female
character.
• When we first see her, she is already
plotting Duncan’s murder, and she is
stronger, and more ambitious than her
husband.
• She seems fully aware of this and knows
that she will have to push Macbeth into
committing murder.

33. •Themes:
• Ambition and the pursuit of power
causes downfall
• King vs. Tyrant (What’s the difference?)
•Symbols
• The supernatural (ghosts, witches)
• BLOOD
• Weather (Hurly-burly)

34. Elements of Tragedy:
• Protagonists die
• Bloodbath
• Who doesn’t gets killed off?
• Catharsis (e.g. Hollywood movies vs. independent films)
• Anti-hero
• Hamartia (a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero
or heroine.)
• Hubris (example of hamartia)

35. Characteristics of Tragedy
• Tragic hero must
begin the play as a
person of importance
• Someone looked up
to because of
position and/or
ability
• Cannot be an average
guy
• Never a woman 

36. Tragic Hero
• “Man of high standard who
falls from that high because of
a flaw that has affected many”
- Aristotle
• Macbeth is one of the most
famous examples of the tragic
hero.
• Just as other tragic heroes,
Macbeth has a “fatal flaw” or
hamartia
• In Macbeth’s case, it is
ambition and obsession

37. Characteristics of Tragedy
•Antagonist-
outside forces
with whom the
hero battles
•Pushes him
toward the
tragic ending

38. The idea of the five-act structure is a useful one, though, as it follows the model
designed by Gustav Freytag, a German author from the 19th-century. Having
carefully studied classical drama, he suggested there were five stages in a tragic
dramatic structure.
He named these stages: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and
catastrophe.

39. William Shakespeare
• What do you know about him?

40. Notes
• full title:
• genre:
• setting (time):
• setting (place):
• Characters > mention the names, jobs and their
personality traits