Exploration Guide on Macbeth- Prof.

Lucila Blazquiz, IES en Lenguas Vivas Juan Ramn Fernndez

Exploration Guide on Macbeth

This guide is meant to provide you with reading tools which you can apply later on to
other Shakespearean dramatic texts.
The headings below correspond to some of the constituents which shape the overall
meaning of Macbeth as dramatic text.
1) Structure of the play: Bearing in mind the tragic plot structure described by
Freytag (Freytags pyramid), can you determine where you find the following in
Macbeth?
triggering event
climax
tragic heros lowest downfall point
anagnorisis (Gk. recognition: the point in the plot when the protagonist recognises his
or her or some other character's true identity or discovers the true nature of his or her own
situation)
catastrophe
catharsis
restoration of order

2) Themes
These are some of the themes literary criticism has traditionally associated with
Macbeth:
Fate vs. Free Will: Below is a text describing how fate and hamartia were
regarded by the Greeks and how they are presented in Shakespeares tragedies.
Do you think that Macbeths fate was to become a traitor and a regicide? Or is
he alone responsible for his actions?

A study of the tragedies written by Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus, shows that ancient
Greek tragedy is basically modelled upon an essentially religious weltanschauung (worldview).
Accordingly, Greek tragedy represents the philosophy of mens puny insignificance in the face
of a colossal divine power that controls and mostly destroys human life. The emphasis here is
laid upon the inscrutable power of Fate (fatum) or Destiny, capable of bringing about havoc
and ruin to human life. The utter helplessness of men in their struggle against such a
malevolent and uncontrollable divine power is the substance of classical Greek tragedy. The
most obvious example is that of Oedipus in Oedipus Rex, who commits a sin in such ignorance
that the impression of an overwhelming sinister destiny that rules and destroys his life is
paramount. Similar examples are Sophocles Antigone or Aeschylus Agamemnon.
The most striking contrast in this fatalistic world view of the Greeks is found in Shakespearean
tragedy where the entire emphasis is laid upon the responsibility of the individual in bringing
about his ruin. Though Aristotle has pointed out that the Greek tragedies also portrayed the
mistaken actions of the hero and therefore the Greek tragedies also showed an element of
awareness of tragedy resulting from human flaws, the error of judgment of the hero or his
hamartia is always conditioned by Destiny. That is, however much the hero makes mistakes,
the overall impression is that he is led to committing those errors under the snares and pitfalls
of Destiny. In Shakespearean tragedy the emphasis, however, is upon human action
independent of Destiny where, however, the impression of fate working upon man is also not
totally negated. (Source: Rees, R.J. History of English Literature).
Exploration Guide on Macbeth- Prof. Lucila Blazquiz, IES en Lenguas Vivas Juan Ramn Fernndez

Ambition:
o What compels Macbeth to murder Duncan? Is it only ambition or can
you think of any other motivation(s) for his murder?
o Lady Macbeth describes her husbands nature as being too full
othmilk of human kindness (I, v, 15). Later on, this description will be
completely contradicted by Macbeths evil deeds. What is the function
of Lady Macbeths description of her husband at the beginning of the
play and at the end, (when you realise how mistaken this has been)?
o Look for lines/passages in the text dealing with the theme of ambition.
Who is speaking (to whom)? How is ambition presented?
o Power:
The play presents a dichotomy between legitimate and illegitimate power: regicide
is unnatural but tyrannicide (killing a tyrant king) is approved of.
o How are King Duncan and Malcolm portrayed through their actions and
speech? How are these characters contrasted with Macbeth? (provide
quotes from the text)
o Does the play ever portray an ideal monarch?

o Appearance vs. Reality:

The line uttered by the weird sisters, fair is foul and foul is fair, perfectly
summarises the idea that appearances can be deceitful. Find more instances in the
play where this theme is presented.
o Gender:
o How does the play define manhood? What is that makes one to be a
man in Macbeth?
o List the women that appear in the play. How are they portrayed? What
similarities and differences do you find between them?
o The Supernatural
o How is the supernatural presented in the play?
o Give examples of supernatural elements in the play. What is their effect
on the audience?
o Why is the supernatural crucial to the play as a whole? What does it
mean? Does the supernatural affect us in real life?
So far weve dealt with the plays most central or obvious themes. But, are there
any other themes which stand in the margins of the text, subtly implied but
lurking in a way beneath the surface?
Consider the following quotes. Which theme(s) do you think they are dealing with?
a) Upon my head they [the witches] placed a fruitless crown,
And put a barren sceptre in my grip,
Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand
No son of mine succeeding
Macbeth in III, i, 62-65
b) I have given suck, and I know
How tender tis to love the babe that milks me,
Exploration Guide on Macbeth- Prof. Lucila Blazquiz, IES en Lenguas Vivas Juan Ramn Fernndez

I would, while it was smiling in my face,

Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn
As you have done to this.
Lady Macbeth in I, vii, 54-59
c) Finger of birth-strangled babe,
Ditch-delivered by a drab*,
Make the gruel thick and slab.
Add thereto a tigers chawdron
For thingredience of our cauldron.
Third witch in IV, i, 30-33
*drab: a prostitute
d) Out, out, brief candle,
Lifes but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
Macbeth in V, v, 22-27
3) Characterization
o Which characters undergo changes in their personality/character as the play
moves on?
o Take a look at Macbeths soliloquies in the play? How do they reflect Macbeths
inwardness throughout the play? What effect do these soliloquies have in the
audience?

Soliloquy 1 = I, iii, 127-141 Two truths are told...

Soliloquy 2 = I, vii, 1-28 If it were done when tis done, then twere well
Soliloquy 3 = II, i, 33-64 Is this a dagger which I see before me?
Soliloquy 4 = III, i, 49-73 To be thus is nothing/ but to be safely thus.
Soliloquy 5 = IV, i, 144-155 Time, thou anticipatst my dread exploits
Soliloquy 6 = V, iii, 22-29 I have lived long enough
Soliloquy 7 = V, v, 16-27 She would have died hereafter

o How would you describe the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?
Is it the same at the beginning, in the middle and towards the end of the play?
o Do you consider Macbeth to be a tragic hero or a villain? Justify your answer.

4) Features of Language: How does language shape meaning?

Although plays are written for performance, they are written in words that have been
chosen by the playwright to evoke emotions, convey thought or present character.
Consider the following questions:
o What type of unusual words are used and by which characters?
o What type of imagery is used?
Exploration Guide on Macbeth- Prof. Lucila Blazquiz, IES en Lenguas Vivas Juan Ramn Fernndez

o Can you spot any motifs*, symbols in the play? What is their thematic
relevance? (E.g. daggers, blood, etc.)
*motif: any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story
o Are there any passages in prose? (N.B: remember that in Shakespeares plays
prose is often assigned to the speech of low-comedy characters and the insane.

o Metre in Macbeth:
How would you describe metre in this play? Would you say it is regular
or irregular? (Is it all composed in iambic pentameter?)
Verse: there are two types of verse in the play:
a) Blank verse: unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter. E.g.:
But gt/ thee bck/, my sul/ is to/ much chrged.
V, viii, 5
b) Rhymed lines. They can be divided into:
Heroic couplets: two rhyming iambic pentameter lines. E.g.:
Awy,/ and mck/ the tme/ with firest/ shw
False fce/ must hde/ wht/ the false hart/ doth knw
I, vii, 82
Rhymed lines but not specifically in iambic pentameter. Eg:
Whn/ shll we/ thre /met/ agin?
In thnder/, lghtning/, or in rin?
I, i, 1-2.
Note that the lines above are in (irregular) trochaich (first
syllable stressed) tetrameter (4 feet per line)

o Considering the explanation above, can you spot instances of blank verse in
Macbeth? Can you spot any heroic couplets? Try to speak them out loud. What is
their effect in the listener?