Macbeth+4A

toc =Act One=

__**Act 1 Scene 1 - Dylan Atkin**__
See Macbeth 2A for the line by line analysis
 * Synopsis:** Despite being a very short act, less than fifteen lines, Act 1 scene 1 is still a very important one. We are introduced to the three witches and start to learn a little about them. They are personified as sinister and mysterious through the use of rhyming verse and iambic tetrameter rhythm, which will set them apart from the rest of the characters in the play. It also gives us a feeling of foreboding. As the play starts in a sinister tone, it seems that there is not going to be a happy ending and that the witches sinister presence is going to be felt throughout. Also, they are made sinister through pathetic fallacy and mysterious through paradoxes, however this will be explained in more detail later.

Witch 1-3: This passage sets out to introduce us to the witches and suggests they will be significant in later stages of the play.
 * Characters:**

The theme of deceptive appearences is introduced here and will be explained more in act one scene two. This theme occurs throughout a lot of shakespeares plays and is very important in macbeth. The theme is introduced through the paradox "fair is foul, and foul is fair" (12), which suggests that things are not always what they seem. This alludes to macbeth, who seems fair, but will turn out to be foul at the end.
 * Themes:**

Also, in the case of the witches, they seem foul to the audience, however they like to think themselves as fair, showing that they look at a different perspective to humans and their reactions and decisions are different to that which a mortal would make.

** Paradox (taken from literary terms, thanks Janina) ** Definition: A statement that is obviously self contradictory or absurd but really has a possible truth do it. Example: Caesars speech from Shakespeares Julius Caesar: Cowards die many times before their deaths. Effect: A paradox is used to make a reader consider a point of view in a new, sometimes unexpected way.
 * Literary Terms:**

Example in Act 1 scene 1: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." "When the battle's lost and won" Effect: It gives the reader a taste of the future direction of the play. It also gives the witches a sense of prophecy and mysteriousness and makes them sound genuine and sets them apart from ordinary humans.

**Pathetic fallacy (Taken from literary terms thanks Akshay)**

Definition: Pathetic Fallacy is giving weather human characteristics aka personification of weather Example: Jane Eyre: Nature must be gladsome Effect: Helps create a mood and set the tone of the story

Example from act 1 scene 1: "Thunder and lightning. Enter three witches" Effect: It associates the weather with the witches and with "when shall we meet again? in thunder lightning or in rain" gives the audience belief that the witches have supernatural abilities and are able to control the weather.

__**Act 1 Scene 2 - Akshay**__
Synopsis: In this scene the King receives great news- he won the battle! Thanks to noble Macbeth and his friend Banquo the army vanquished several armies including from Norway. It is revealed the Thane of Cawdor betrayed them and now his head will be put on a platter- and his title will go to Macbeth. Characters:King Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Lennox and bleeding captain, later Ross, Angus. This scene introduces people who are considered to be "important" in the setting of the play such as the King, but not exactly central to the play. Analysis: This portion of the text shows Macbeth as a Hero to the audience. It establishes the hero of the story to the audiences by showing his bravery, and using vivid language to describe the extent he had to fight and win the battle. The imagery in some scenes is very strong when the captain describes the battle and Macbeth's beheading of the enemy. Its in some ways a red herring when Macbeth goes anti-hero. Themes: The themes of this scene are established to be loyalty and masculinity. The bravery of Macbeth and his soldiers is shown in the Captain's blood stained shows the bloody masculinity. It foreshadows the events to come. Loyalty is another theme, with betrayal of several Thane's shown and in a way foreshadowed. Another thing that is paralleled and foreshadowed is when the Thane of Cawdor betrays Duncan. Macbeth also gains the title of Cawdor and then happens to betray the King, showing a circular repetition.

__Act 1 Scene 3 - Robert__
Synopsis: The scene opens with, again, the three witches. The second witch has been out “killing swine”., specifically a sailor’s wife because she refused to give the witch any of her chestnuts, as she was a witch. She then describes how she plans to take revenge upon them, the other two witches give her the wind to do so. The first witch then shows the pilot’s thumb to the other two showing what she has done. They then dance in a circle, with drums beating, chanting in rhyming verse, explaining that “Macbeth doth come.” Macbeth and Banquo then arrive, and the witches make their three predictions about Macbeth. “Thane of Glamis”, “Thane of Cawdor” and “King hereafter”. Banquo then asks them of his future, him seeming that they can predict what will happen. Macbeth then asks them to explain what they mean but they “vanish”. Banquo and Macbeth then discuss whether or not what they think they have seen is real or not. Ross and Angus then enter and Ross exclaims that Macbeth is now Thane of Cawdor. They then all discuss what has happened and what will become if the witches have spoken true.

Analysis: Characters: Witches 1 2 & 3: In this scene the witches are again related to the thunder, how they are not from the human world. You realize that they will go to extreme measures to get what they want, an example being what they did just for from chestnuts. When making the predictions the witches foreshadow what is to become of Macbeth and of Banquo.

Macbeth: This is the first scene where we meet Macbeth, the main character. Macbeth can be seen as honorable, intelligent, loyal, courageous and questioning throughout the scene. He is also used to being in charge, as shown when he commands the witches to speak. Banquo: This is also the first time we meet Banquo as a character in the play. He is a strong, independent, courageous character. He is not afraid of when the witches appear but is also greedy to find out what the witches know about his future, showing that a part of him considers witchcraft and spells to be real. A loyal companion of Macbeth.

Ross: He is the messenger to Macbeth and Banquo of the news and the king’s decisions. He is loyal to his king and does exactly what the king as told him to do. He is also polite and friendly to both Banquo and Macbeth.

Angus: In this first we first hear Angus speaking, even though he made an appearance in act two he didn’t speak. He seems to play a less important role in the play.

Plot: This scene adds to the plot by introducing more new characters, specifically the main characters, and foreshadows the witch’s predictions of what is to come. Language: The language used by the witches is the same as act one scene one, speaking in unison and incantation. Shakespeare does this to set the witches apart from the rest of the characters. A strong metaphor is used by Banquo on page 17 when describing what path people’s lives take, saying which seeds will grow. Describing time as a garden where individual seeds grow, this is also beautiful imagery. On page 21 dramatic irony is used so that the audience are the only people who know what is about to happen. “Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?” This is a image pattern.

Setting: The scene starts out with the thunder signifying that the witches are here, with the chanting and speaking in rhyming verse the scene is back to that of scene one act one. As Macbeth and Banquo enter, the witches and their worlds collide creating a tense feeling. After the witches leaving the setting begins to calm with Ross and Angus entering, a sense of realization of what has just happened sets in.

Literary Terms: Blank verse- unrhymed verse, that is usually in iambic pentameter. Euphemism- an inoffensive expression used in place of a harsh one that is felt to be disagreeable or embarrassing, such as “pass away” instead of “die”. Tetrameter- a verse line having four metrical feet. Rhyming verse- is a verse with end rhyme, usually having a regular meter. Aside- Dramatic irony- irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play.

__**Act 1 scene 4 - Spencer**__
Synopsis: Malcolm tells Duncan the Thane of Cawdor was executed. Duncan thanks Macbeth and Banquo for their loyalty. Duncan then announces his son Malcolm will take his position and Macbeth shows his jealousy of Malcolm and wants to kill Duncan. Characters: Duncan, Malcolm, Macbeth, Banquo, Ross and Angus Analysis: Shakespeare’s characters express a sense of moral absolute, which are neither good nor bad. As the thane of Cawdor is executed, he asks for forgiveness, but not for his life in the eyes of Malcolm, “That frankly he confessed his treasons, implored your highness’ pardon, and set forth a deep repentance.” He is recognized as a man who made a mistake but who is willing to pay for his fault. Malcolm and Duncan both show respect for the thane of Cawdor, as he is able to follow justice and accept his punishment. Metaphor-A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison Imagery-** descriptive language; when the writer uses language that appeals to the sense (senses: tactile, gustatory, olfactory, aural, visual) ** Soliloquy- A device often used in drama whereby a character relates his or her thoughts and feelings to him/herself and to the audience without addressing any of the other characters. Dramatic Irony- ** where the audience knows something that [at least] one of the characters in a narrative is unaware of. ** Themes: Appearances cannot be trusted. “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.” Duncan expresses his trustworthiness towards the Thane, even though he was a criminal. Light vs. Dark. (motif?) “Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires.” Dark is representing the dirty duties that are committed throughout this play. While light is used to cover up the darkness so the characters that do not see what they are actually doing. Questions: What is the function of this scene? This act is important because it sets unity, order, and justice in the play. Which allows for the audience to feel a real live performance. For example, Malcolm is rewarded king succeeding Duncan, and the Thane of Cawdor is punished for his crime. It can also be said that formal language is used, allowing the audience to see a sense of order as well. What is the meaning of the plant metaphor and the references to stars and darkness? The plant metaphor in act 1 scene 4 by Duncan, “I have begun to plant thee and will labor to make thee full of growing,” expresses that Duncan sees potential in Macbeth as a possible successor. The stars and darkness represent similar to light and dark, as noted before from, “Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires.” The light is covering up the dark to keep the characters from seeing their dirty deeds.

__Act 1 Scene 5 -Ragna__
Synopsis This scene is set in Macbeth's castle and it opens with Lady Macbeth (who is shown for the first time in this scene) opening a letter received from her husband concerning his meeting with the witches and their predictions. She becomes immediately aware that her husband is going to be crowned King. She knows that the current royal King (Duncan) will be visiting them that evening for a stay in their castle and starts to plan out how they (Her and Macbeth) will overtake power and kill the King. From this scene we are able to see Lady Macbeth's true inner power, and we see that she is the clear driving force in the marriage.

As the scene continues we hear two great speeches by Lady Macbeth and how she feels about the situation. The use of various euphemisms, metaphors and descriptive language, Lady Macbeth presents herself as a strong willed, yet greedy, woman and all she wants is for her husband to be King and for her to be Queen.

Analysis: The first soliloquy that Lady Macbeth speaks out-loud describes how she is so proud and honored to be married to a true king. however she then continues to say that she does not think Macbeth is strong enough, and too weak to be a king. This first reveals her true character and helps the audience understand who is the more dominant character in their realtionship. When the messenger arrives and tells Lady Macbeth that King Duncan is going to spend the night, she wonders how everything could turn out so perfectly. As the second soliloquy commences Lady Macbeth begins by making a references to the witches by saying "Fatal entrance of Duncan, under my battlements. Come you spirits" (Line 46) alludes to the witches and their supernatural powers. (This also supports the theme of greater forces within the play)

Second Soliloquy : Lady Macbeth continues with descriptive words and metaphors such as "Take my milk from my gall" "Unsex me" all allude to the fact that she doesn’t want to feel any emotions towards Duncan when killing him. She wants to get rid of her womanhood and her femininity and how she wants to replace all the niceness inside her to turn into bitterness and boil. That way there are no consequences and there is no guilt inside of her. Another line which helps demonstrate that she does not want any consequences is "That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, nor the heaven peep through the blanket of the dark" (Line 60).

Darkness à covering up your evil with darkness, How he is going to have absolute power which appeals to her a lot. And makes it more romantic. She has planned everything out and he just has to do it. She wishes for them to do it together and as a couple, and wants to get rid of her feminitely because she doesn’t want guilt. “come, make, come, peep, stop” –verbs add urgency, she is calling on her spirits to get rid of her womanhood, good replaced by evil.

The scene ends with Macbeth arriving at the castle, and Lady Macbeth immediately tries to convince Macbeth to help her with her genius plan on murdering Duncan. He is very hesitant and does not give in right away, alluding to his feelings of doubts towards murdering the innocent king. The line that reads "Your hand, your tongue. Look like th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under't" (line 77) reinforces this theme of disguising your true identify and how people are never as you perceive them.

More literary terms: “nights great buiness, must be provided for” euphemism for getting it done “providing” hosting and killing. (line 79)

**For the purposes of the play as a whole, why does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth as the dominant partner in the marriage, particularly in relation to be the murder of Duncan?**

One reason Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as the dominant partner in the marriage is because he wants to underpin his overreaching theme that people are never as you perceive them. More than most of the time in Shakespearean times the man was meant to be the dominant and influential one in the marriage, however Shakespeare breaks these norms and demonstrates that people, and relationships are not always as perfect as they look from the outside. Another reason Lady Macbeth is shown as such a cruel, dominant and cold hearted woman is to support the theme of "Foul is fair and fair is foul". While Lady Macbeth is described as a fair woman and physically beautiful her actions say otherwise. Taken from insights of the 2A wikispace, Brenda also mentioned that: Furthermore, this provides insight into how Macbeth is easily controlled by outside forces, whether it is the witches’ prophecy or his wife.

Nicely said!

__Act 1 Scene 6 - Karen__
Act 1 Scene 6 Before · Important= last time we see Duncan · Rides to Macbeth’s castle · Sound- oboes, evening time (lit torches) · Battle is over · Still suspenseful- not sure if Duncan dies Banquo: Dramatic irony for the audience · Martlet= birds make nest out of spit= king (gullible) · Nesting on the castle · Although it seems that lady Macbeth and Macbeth are very welcoming to their home, they are deceiving, wants to kill (the theme that appearances are deceiving) Lady Macbeth · Hypocrisy, artificial sentiments Lady Macbeth and Duncan’s conversation Duncan’s words: love, thank, honor, hostess Lady Macbeth: guest, dignities, servants · Gratefulness, thankfulness, love, respect · Duncan is genuinely grateful (love, thankful) · Lady Macbeth (servants, service) à fake, hypocrisy, duplicitous Responsibilities of a host · Universal law · Murder- breaks the social order and unspoken agreement that as a host it is your job to protect the guest. More horrific and stronger impact/irony. This scene might be described as rich in irony because of Duncan’s sincerity and Lady Macbeth’s artificial welcoming. Their juxtaposing attitudes toward one another convey an ironic situation. Moreover, Duncan’s role as a guest and Lady Macbeth’s role as a hostess contradicts the actions Lady Macbeth carries out. Lady Macbeth is supposed to protect her guest (Duncan), but instead, she plans to kill him instead. The significance of the language referring to hosts and guests reflect the irony of this scene. The words Lady Macbeth says (look above) exposes her hypocrisy and duplicitous personality. This is contrasted to the diction of Duncan (look above), who portrays him to be genuinely grateful and sincere. The role that Lady Macbeth plays as a hostess contradicts her diction; she doesn’t seem welcoming. Instead, her language shows her of her true intentions.
 * Why might this scene be described as rich in irony?**
 * What kind of man does Duncan seem, and why is this poignant?** Duncan seems very grateful and thankful of the Macbeth’s for taking him in as a guest. However, his naivety is poignant because he has done nothing wrong, nor does he know Lady Macbeth’s true intentions. Moreover, it is the last time we see him in the play.
 * What is the significance of the language referring to hosts and guests?**

**__Act 1 Scene 7 - Dion__**
Synopsis: This is probably one of the most important scenes in this play. In this scene, Macbeth expresses doubt over whether he should kill Duncan. He cannot stomach the idea that he is going to kill Macbeth. However, Lady Macbeth comes along and manages, successfully, to persuade Macbeth to carry out the murder.


 * __Essential Questions:__**

__What doubts does Macbeth express in this scene?__

In his monologue, Macbeth expresses several doubts about killing Duncan. He wishes that it could be done without consequences (lines2-5). He wishes that it could be done on an faraway tiny island (bank and shoal of time, line 6), and after that he could jump of the island return to reality as if nothing had happen.

However, he is aware that that is not possible. Vengeance is always around (bloody instruction, which being taught, return to plague th’ inventor, lines 9-10). The murder would come back to haunt him. (Divine retribution = formal word for karma)

He is being trusted by Duncan on two levels, which prevents his conscience from killing Duncan. He is his “kinsman”, cousin of Duncan, and his “subject”, thane of Crawdor, killing Duncan would be against all social norms and would not be justified is any level. Macbeth is also Duncan’s host. Logically, he should take care of Duncan to the fullest extend, instead of trying to plot his death. He should “shut the door” “against [Duncan’s] murder”, and “not bear the knife [himself]” (lines 15 -16).

Macbeth further adds that Duncan is such a gentle (“meek”) and competent man, that killing him would be unjustifiable. He personifies virtues as angels, and that they will plead against his death. Pity is also personified as a little innocent baby or cherubin (fat baby angels) that will cry if Duncan were to be killed. Their tears would land on everyone’s eyes, alerting them to the murder of Duncan by Macbeth.

Macbeth expresses that his “vaulting ambition” is the only thing that motivates him. Yet he does not have the ‘spur’ to make his ambition gallop and overleap his doubts and fears.

__How does the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth develop in this scene?__

At first, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are presented as two different entities with two different ideas: one unsure of the murder, the other determined to make it happen. However, Lady Macbeth manages to convince Macbeth to carry out the act.

Throughout the act, Lady Macbeth taunts Macbeth to do the act. She mocks that his agreement to do the act is now “green and pale” (line 41). She mocks that he is as courageous and manly as he is in bed – “Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire?” (lines 43 – 45)

We see Lady Macbeth dominating the conversation, while Macbeth wishes to back off and avoid this conversation with Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth goes on to taunt Macbeth, mocking him that he is not a man if he went back on his word and decide against killing Macbeth.

Lady Macbeth is in control. She offers Macbeth a plan that she insists would not fail. She is persuasive – “what cannot you and I perform upon/Th’ unguarded Duncan? What not put upon/His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt/Of our great quell” (lines 79 – 82)

At the end of the scene, we see that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have reached a consensus. They decided to kill Macbeth. Macbeth resumes control of their relationship as he commands “I am settled and bend up/ Each corporal agent to this terrible feat/ Away, mock the time with fairest show/ False face must hide what the false heart doth know” (Lines 91-95)

We final see Macbeth and Lady Macbeth unite in action and in thought, set on killing Duncan. Evil couple, muahaha.


 * __Setting:__**

Aside from the banquet. Due to his fears, he is unable to stay at the banquet and play host. As the host, Macbeth is not at the banquet. This enforces the idea that Macbeth is not being a good host, and breaking social norms. (Also, he kills his guest later.)


 * __Character:__**

Macbeth

We see that Macbeth cannot decide if he wishes to kill Duncan. He is aware of the ties between him and Duncan that forbid him from doing so.

Lady Macbeth

Merciless. She desperately wants to be Queen.


 * __Action__**

Pivotal point in the novel. Macbeth’s doubts give us the sense that he is aware of the morality of the issue. Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill Duncan. Macbeth is easily influenced by Lady Macbeth; Lady Macbeth is the ‘spur’ he needs to carry out the murder.


 * __Style__**

Dramatic Monologue – Insight to Macbeth’s thoughts

Sexual References – Undermines male dominance as Lady Macbeth mocks Macbeth/Reversal of roles: like how Macbeth(host) is going to kill Duncan(guest)


 * __Themes:__**

The deceitfulness of appearance (Pretend to be nice, and we are going to kill Duncan at night)

Reversal of Roles (host killing guest, woman in control)


 * __General:__**


 * // Euphemism –(thanks to Brenda) //**
 * definition – substituting offensive and impolite words with a more polite and agreeable termEffect on the text:The speaker sounds much more ‘politically correct’ and can add humor to the passage if used in place of something widely recognized as inappropriate.Example 1: ‘Adult entertainment’ is a euphemism for pornography, or having a ‘bun in the oven’ is a euphemism for being pregnantExample 2: A prison is often called a ‘correctional facility’, which is also a euphemism, and ‘comfort women’ might be a euphemism for a prostitute. **


 * Macbeth is afraid of killing Duncan. He is afraid of the act. Throughout the scene, he does not refer to the killing as murder, but uses euphemisms such as “it”, “the deed”, “his taking-off”, “this business”, “terrible feat”. **

We see that Macbeth is really easily influenced by his wife. This might be one of his major weakness.

= **Act Two** =

__Act 2 Scene 1 - Dylan Atkin__

 * __Synopsis__**

The scene starts off with Banquo and Fleance talking and then Macbeth and a servant enter. Banquo gives Macbeth a diamond as a gift from the king. Banquo and Macbeth then talk a little about the wierd sisters and choose to discuss the issue later. Banquo and fleance and servant then exit, leaving Macbeth on his own. He starts seeing an imaginary dagger which leads him to duncan and he asks mysterious forces such as hecate for the burden of what he is about to do to be taken off of him. At the end of the scene, the bell rings, signalling that Lady Macbeth's preparations for the murder are complete and he exits to kill the king.


 * __Line By Line analysis:__**

Line 1: Banquo and Fleance enter in the middle of the night onto the stage. We learn in the first few times that it is very late at night and possibly midnight - the witching hour. The time is significant as it suggests what macbeth and lady macbeth are about to do is unnatural. Line 8: We hear that Banquo, despite being tired, is having trouble sleeping. This further suggests the influence of the witches and the supernatural in the play Line 9: Banquo prays to "merciful powers", which I think means God, to get the "cursed thoughts" out of his mind. This is in juxtaposition to macbeth, who will later pray to hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. Line 11: Macbeth enters, however Banquo cannot see him at first and gets a sword off fleance. Line 15: Banquo says that the king is asleep and that Macbeths have treated him well, this is ironic because it further emphasizes the false hospitality of the macbeths towards King Duncan. Line 18: To thank the macbeths for the hospitality, banquo, on command of the king, gives lady macbeth a diamond as a gift. This shows us not only duncans kindness but also shows his trusting of the Macbeths hospitality. It also makes the murder/betrayal that more gruesome when it happens, because Duncan is portrayed as extremely kind to macbeth and lady macbeth. Line 25: Banquo tells macbeth that he has been dreaming of the wierd sisters, part of a reoccuring theme of the supernatural in this scene. Line 26: He states to macbeth that his future came true, suggesting that Macbeth's future as king will come too. Line 27: Macbeth lies right to Banquos face when he says "I think not of them" ( 27). He thinks about the witches all of the time. Line 34: Macbeth tests banquo's loyalty to him by saying "if you shall cleave to my consent, when tis, It shall make honour for you". Basically this means that "if you will follow me, I will make you powerful". Line 36: Banquo replies with a very diplomatic answer which basically means that he will follow macbeth if it doesnt go against Duncans will. This tells macbeth that Banquo will probably not be on his side after duncans death because banquo, having heard the witches prediction will immediately suspect macbeth of the killing. Line 41: Banquo and fleance have exited. Macbeth tells the servant to tell lady macbeth to ring on the bell when the drink (the preparations for the murder) are ready. Line 44: Macbeth sees a dagger before him. macbeth is hallucinating and it seems that the power of the witches at play again, trying to urge macbeth to kill Duncan. Line 45: reference to killing: "fatal vision" and reference to the senses: "feeling" "sight". Line 47: Macbeth asks himself whether the vision is real or just a false creation of the mind. The fact that he is thinking rather than acting suggests that macbeth is still sane and in control of his mind. Line 53: Macbeth, drawn on by the ghostly dagger draws his own dagger. This is stated when he says "thou marshalst me the way that I was going." (54). The word marshalled suggests that someone or something else is leading macbeth on. Line 56: "Mine eyes are made fools o' th' other senses" (56). This means that macbeth doesnt want the eyes to see what the hands are about to do. He doesnt want to see duncan dead. This shows that he is still guilty about what he has done. Another reference to the senses Line 57: References to "blood" and "blade" and "dungeon" "gouts of blood", emphasizing the goriness of the future killing. Line 60: Macbeth calls the murder "bloody buisness" suggesting that he still doesnt want to take out the murder. Line 61: References to nature, or the lack thereof. It suggests the existance of two worlds, the one that beings such as the witches and hecate belong to and the other where the humans and nature belongs. Macbeth's castle seems to be in the first, as there is a lack of natural presense in the murder. Line 63: Macbeth talks about witchcraft and hecate, further showing the influence of the supernatural. Line 64: Macbeth says hes being summoned by the wolf sentinel/guard. The wolf has connections to the supernatural and the witches. Macbeth states that he wants to act like the wolf in his murder. Line 67: He compares his murder to an infamous roman rapist raping someone. Line 69: mentions "ghost" to further repeat to the reader that macbeth does not want to be seen (by God) doing this murder. Line 70: "hear not my steps" (see line 69...) Line 74: the bell rings, indicating that the preparations for the murder are complete Line 76: The traditional end of shakespeare scenes with a couplet. It basically says that duncan is going to get summoned to heaven or hell tonight.


 * __Essential Questions:__**

(will update when I find them)


 * __Setting:__**

The setting is dark, the only things that should be seen in the setting is that illuminated by the torches. This creates the effect that no-one can see macbeth doing the deed as well as a general mysteriousness and sinister feel towards this scene as a whole. The suspense in this scene is amazing, Macbeth is just about to murder duncan, the setting needs to reflect that.


 * __Character:__**

Macbeth

Most of the scene is about him embracing the supernatural, in juxtaposition to banquo and about his underlying guilt of what he is just about to do. He asks his eyes not to see what hes about to do and asks the supernatural to cover it up to everyone, possibly most importantly God. Macbeth hallucinates in this scene, possibly predicting his turn to madness in the future.

Banquo

Most important thing about banquo in this scene is that hes having dreams of the witches, followed closely by his choosing to embrace god instead of the witches to solve his problems. He is willing to discuss with macbeth about the witches however macbeth is unwilling to reciprocate. Banquo states to macbeth where his loyalties lie.

Fleance

This is the first time we see him. It reminds the reader, and macbeth about the prophecy.


 * __Action__**

Pivotal point in the play. Macbeth is getting prepared to kill the king. The gory dagger is shown. Most of the action however is offstage at the end of the scene where macbeth kills duncan. Does this make the murder even worse than it is already by making it sinister instead of just gory and does it show that macbeths wishes about the murder have come true (that no-one can see it?)


 * __Style__**

Dramatic Monologue – Insight to Macbeth’s thoughts


 * __Themes:__**

The deceitfulness of appearance - Macbeth lies to Banquo about the witches and also duncan gives macbeths the diamond, with no idea what the macbeths are going to do

Supernatural - The supernatural is ever present in this scene, where as all natural is not present. Even banquo feels the influence of the witches on this scene. Macbeths talks about the supernatural further emphasize the supernatural's role in the play.


 * __Definitions:__**

__Act 2 Scene 3 - Charlotte__
**Commentary**: This scene starts off as comic relief. Critics argue that the beginning of the scene was not written by Shakespeare, but rather added in by an editor later on, or added in by a theatre company to give their ‘comedian’ something to do throughout this play. **Setting:** The Macbeth’s Castle. A drunk porter walking towards the door to let Macduff and Lennox in. It seems to happen all in one room, although people exit and enter frequently. The weather is bad. **Characters:** Porter, Macduff, Lennox, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo, Donalbain and Malcolm **Action:** - //A drunken Porter performs a monologue// o Serves as comic relief (to break the tension) - //Porter lets Macduff and Lennox in, who have come to wake Duncan// o They have a short conversation (still serving to break the tension) - //Macbeth enters:// o They discuss the King and whether he is awake or not o Macbeth acts innocent, shows no sign of knowing that Duncan is dead o Leads Macduff to King Duncan’s room - //Macduff finds King Duncan dead:// o Macbeth remains calm – still no sign of him having killed Duncan o They find out it seems that the guards have killed him - //Macbeth and Lennox exit:// o They go to kill the guards - //Lady Macbeth enters:// o They don’t want to tell her that Duncan has been killed (to keep her safe from the horror – because she is a woman) o Finds out that Macbeth has killed the guards o She faints (this could be because she is genuinely scared to get caught, or because she wants to take the attention away from Macbeth’s irrational decision) - //The men “put on their manliness”// o They all have to take a minute to grief for King Duncan and then they will investigate his death further - //Malcolm and Donalbain leave// o They are afraid of being accused of their father’s murder **Style:** __//The Porter’s monologue://__ It serves mainly to break the tension, as it is very comical. Although some critics say that Shakespeare himself did not write it, it is a nice addition to the scene. It let’s the audience relax and takes their mind off the horror of Duncan’s death for a while. On the other hand, it also gives the actors time to change their costumes. __//Equivocator://__ Someone who speaks with deliberate ambiguity; the witches do this. Even in a scene where the witches do not appear, the audience is reminded of their prevailing power throughout the play. __//Pathetic Fallacy://__ Line 61-69: Lennox talks about how bad the weather was at night “the night has been unruly”. The death of Duncan has disturbed nature. The bad weather was the natural, physical embodiment of the murder. Macbeth has killed not only Duncan, but his ability to have faith, his ability to dream, innocence, and the order of society. When Macbeth replies to this “‘Twas a rough night”, this serves as comic relief, as it is clearly an understatement of Macbeth’s night. __//Diction related to Duncan’s death://__ Through the diction we can clearly see how distressed the characters are by Duncan’s death. “O, horror, horror, horror” shows Macduff’s surprise. “sacrilegious murder”, “Gorgon” (a mythological creature that could blind you), “murder and treason”, etc. are used to describe how horrible Duncan’s death is. It also shows that they are panicking about it. Emphasizes how greatly respected King Duncan was, and makes his murder even more horrid. __//Lady Macbeth (hiding the murder from her + fainting)://__ Macduff tries to hide the murder from her, because she is a “gentle lady”. Obviously, this is ironic because Lady Macbeth was behind the whole murder. Lady Macbeth acts surprised and outraged at the fact that Duncan was killed in her house. When Macbeth comes back and tells them he has killed the guards, Lady Macbeth faints. This could be because she is genuinely surprised at his rather independent actions. However, it could also be because she is trying to cover up his irrational decision, and wants to take attention away from him. __//Macbeth://__ He seems to have pulled himself together throughout this scene. Although he may never dream again, he acts independently (killing the guards) and makes decisions for himself. He is acting, and manages to cover up his guilt and regret for killing Duncan. “Had I but died an hour befor this chance” – he sounds sincere about wishing he had died before Duncan. //__Duncan’s sons leave__:// Although this seems like the most logical decision, they are later thought to have possibly killed the king. In Act 2 scene 4, Macduff and Ross go after them. **Themes:** __//“let’s briefly put on manly readiness”(line 158)://__ The theme of appearances is continued throughout the play. Macbeth suggests that they all leave their grieving till later, but right now they must “put on manliness’ and investigate the murder further. __//Bravery vs. Treachery://__ Although Macbeth is the one who has betrayed the social order of things and the government, he is also the one who kills the guards. The killing of the guards may have been irrational, but it is brave.

__Act 3 Scene 1- Robert__
**Synopsis**: Banquo suspects that Macbeth killed Duncan in order to become king, “As the Weird Women promised”. Macbeth invites Banquo to a feast that night. Banquo promises to return in time. Macbeth, fearing that Banquo’s child, not his own, will be the future kings of Scotland, seizes upon the opportunity, of him going out on a ride with his son, returning after dark, to arrange for his murder. To carry out the crime, Macbeth employs two men whom he has persuaded to regard Banquo as an enemy.

** Analysis: ** **Characters:** **Banquo:** Banquo appears only in the start of this scene. On stage alone, he suspects that Macbeth killed Duncan so that he can become king. He thinks about the witches’ predictions and refers to them as the “Weird Women”. He also asks himself why nothing good has happened to him, but then hushes himself. He agrees to come to the feast at Macbeth’s later that night after his ride.

**Macbeth:** Macbeth starts to take actions into his own hands in this scene; he realizes that Banquo’s son might become king over his children and plans to hire murders to kill them. He doesn’t tell Lady Macbeth of what he plans to do, showing that he is strong, independent character again. You also learn that he has spies because he knows where the cousins are hiding, “In England and in Ireland”. On page 85, we learn how Macbeth feels, his fear of Banquo, that he know he has given his soul to the devil. Macbeth has become more realistic in his actions. When talking to the murders, we learn that Macbeth values the men as dogs, saying that if you are dogs then be the best dog that you can be. He doesn’t want loyal loyalty but rather fearful loyalty. He also express that he has the power to send Banquo away but he doesn’t he want people to see him that way. Here he is hiding his true emotions.

**Murderers:** The murders seem to be easily persuaded by Macbeth to commit the murder. They are persuaded to regard Banquo as an enemy, and what they are going to do is the right thing to do.

**Plot:** This scene explains what is going to happen with Banquo. It also shows a character change in Macbeth. It adds to the idea that darkness will cover the eye from what bad deeds the hand is doing. Banquo also brings up the question of how much the witches are influencing what is happening.

**Setting**: The scene starts out with Banquo questioning everything. Then a sennet sounds enter: Macbeth as King, Lady Macbeth Lennox, Ross, Lords and Attendants. Banquo after accepting the feast invite, leaves and shortly after everyone else leaves too. The murders then enter and Macbeth takes charge of the situation. The last lines of the scene,” It is concluded. Banquo, they soul’s flight, If it find heaven, must find out tonight.” Summing up all that has been decided.

** Themes: ** -Bravery vs. Treachery -The eye not seeing what the hands does. Darkness

=__ Act 4 Scene 1- Jeffrey Chen __=

Verse means writing arranged with a metrical rhythm, typically having a rhyme. Macbeth is for the most part written in blank verse. The basic unit of blank verse is a line in iambic pentameter without necessarily a rhyming pattern. It would have ten syllables with the stress falling on the even syllables for example : And it **wakes** it **now** to **look** so **green** and **pale** (Act 1 Sc 7 line 37). The use of the iambic pentameter gives a sense of evenness and regularity in blank verse.

Sometimes Shakespeare uses rhyme to set apart characters from each other, which explains why the Witches are always talking in rhyme. They talk in shorter lines and stresses words with trochaic tetrameter to sound like they are making incantations or some strange ritual. Shakespeare wants to make them look like beings from another world.

Prose means written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure. Prose is usually used for characters with a low social rank or in a situation where something abnormal happens in the play. Two examples of a prose would be Act 2 Scene 3 the porter scene and Act 5 Scene 1 where Lady Macbeth is overwhelmed by her guilt for killing Duncan and sleepwalks.The porter can ramble on with no regularity because he is drunk. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth has lost her ability to talk coherently because she has gone mentally unstable hence she no longer speaks in verse.

= Act 5 Scene 1 - Charlotte = =Setting: = The Macbeth’s Castle. A hallway/room in the castle. The Doctor and Gentlewoman are discussing Lady Macbeth. ** Characters: ** Doctor, Gentlewoman, Lady Macbeth ** Action: ** - Doctor asks the Gentlewoman about what has been happening with Lady Macbeth - The Gentlewoman explains that Lady Macbeth has been sleepwalking - Doctor asks the gentlewoman what Lady Macbeth says while she sleepwalks - The gentlewoman refuses to tell the Doctor - Lady Macbeth comes out, sleepwalking. She indirectly confesses every crime her and Macbeth have committed throughout the play - Lady Macbeth tries to wash a “spot of blood” off her hand ** Style: ** - Important lines in the play: o // A great perturbation of nature // line 10 § Lady Macbeth’s nightly adventures disturb nature. Sleep is a natural thing, and hers has been interrupted because of all the bad things she’s done. o // She has light by her continually. It is her command // line 25 § Lady Macbeth is the darkness.  o // You see her eyes are open / ay, but their sense are shut // line 26-27  § Lady Macbeth cannot see physically, but she can see psychologically. She is finally seeing the horror of the sins she committed. Allusion to Oedipus, blinded himself to see clearly.  o // Out damned spot, out, I say! // Line 37  § Allusion to the spot God left on Cain when he killed Abel. Lady Macbeth cannot wash the blood off her hands. - Flashbacks  o “One, two” – line 38:  § flashback to the bells that went off right before Duncan’s death  o “Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard?” – line 39:  § Lady Macbeth manipulating Macbeth when he didn’t want to kill Duncan  o “The thane of Fife had a wife / where is she now?” – line 44:  § the murder of Macduff’s wife  o “I tell you, Banquo’s buried” – line 66:  § Banquo’s ghost that Macbeth saw at the Banquet <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> o “There’s knocking at the gate” – line 69: <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> § the knocking they heard after Duncan’s murder. It frightened Macbeth and Lady M.

** Themes: ** // Sleep: // “Her eyes are open, but their sense shut” - Macbeth doth murders sleep - Act 2 Scene 2 o Macbeth’s bad dead killed his own ability to sleep. Now Lady Macbeth is suffering from the same symptoms. - The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures o Lady Macbeth mocked Macbeth, but is now showing the same sleeplessness

// Light and darkness: // “She has light by her continually. Tis her command.” - Be bright and jovial – pg 93 o Pretend - Murderers kill Banquo in the dark – pg 97 o Many scenes occur in the dark. Performing bad deeds should be done in the dark, so that the light and good of day will not see their badnes s   - Shall sun that morrow see – pg 35 <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> o All deeds will be performed in the dark - Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here – pg 33 <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> o Irony. Lady Macbeth wants to be rid of her emotions, but now her emotions are haunting her in her sleep.

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">// Blood: // “The old man to have had so much blood” - Bloody Captain – Act 1 Scene 2 <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> o Blood in battle – starts and ends the play - Bloody business <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> o Macbeth is engaged in  - Smear the guards with blood after Duncan’s death <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> o Showing their guilt, not Macbeths - Banquo’s ghost is bloody – Act 3 Scene 4 - Macbeth stepped in a lake of blood – Act 3 scene 4 <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> o Macbeth says this, implying he can’t come out anymore - Blood = the mark of guilt, this play is “seeped in blood”

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">// Disease: // “This disease is beyond my practice” - implying Lady Macbeth needs a priest, not the doctor - confessing guilt will make her feel better - witches talk about disease – body organs

= = = = = Act 5 Scene 5 Class Paragraphs: =

=Lines 1-8= Macbeth starts with an imperative command "hang out our banners on the outside walls", adding the overall imperative tone of his speech. The alliteration of B sounds from like 7-8 are harsh, and build onto his commanding voice. Macbeth personifies his castle as an army, implying his castle is his protection, as he is preparing for siege. His shelter/castle is personified as being really strong. He uses pronouns "ours" and "we", signifying that he is still completely confident in his power. Using "they" to separate the enemies. His confidence shows when he implies that he is larger than famine, and will not suffer, unlike his enemies. In line 5-6 he says that "those that should be ours" would have helped him win. He believes that those who left him were wrong, and he is right. He has a hint of fear in his tone, yet speaks with bravado to convince both himself and his army he can defeat the enemy.

Karen, Ashley, Janina, Charlotte

Lines: 9-21

Within these short but powerful 11 lines, Macbeth is portrayed as a man who has consumed only evil and is now immune and numbed to feel any really emotions, yet alone fear. This is demonstrated when the audience, along with Macbeth hear the woman’s scream and he states “I have almost forgot the taste of fear” indicating that he has become unaffected by something that would have ordinarily scared him, and “hair would at a dismal rouse and stir” where as now he is cold and numb to these emotions. Through the shriek we are reminded about the murders he has committed in the past such as Banqou. These indications allow us to see that Macbeth has fully detached himself from his conscience, “Would at a dismal treatise “ (sad stories) help support the fact that is a spectator of his own life. Furthermore the reaction he gives when he finds out about the death of his wife implies that he lacks emotion, when he says, “She should have died hereafter”. Signaling that she would have died eventually and thus supporting the claim again that Macbeth has become a cold ghost of his former self.

Anna, Abie, Ragna.

Lines 22 - 31

This paragraph is a lament not only for Macbeth’s wife, but also for mankind. Macbeth laments that despites the lavish nature of life, it is void of meaning. From the start, Shakespeare uses repetition to show how Macbeth dreads his life. The sound of “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” and “day to day” is slow and featureless and it seems to signify that to Macbeth, life is dragging on. The irregular meter and long vowel words slows the pace of speech. It has 10 syllabuses then 11. The diction of “creeps”, “struts”, and “frets” has the connotations of slow and worrisome. This is Macbeth’s interpretation of life. Life is tedious. He no longer sees hope, after the death of Lady Macbeth. There is, however, strong contrast in this speech. The elongated day is contrasted with the Macbeth thoughts that life is short. When he says “Out, out, brief candle!”, he suggests that life is like a candle, delicate and fragile. As a candle is easy to blow out, life is easy to end. It is short and brief. Macbeth despair at both the length and brevity of life at the same time.

“Life’s but a walking shadow” is a beautiful transition used by Shakespeare. “Shadow” has two meanings: the literal meaning and actor in Elizabethan time. This mirrors the pattern of light and darkness throughout the play. If it is used to mean actor, it provides a transition to the idea of stage play being life. The stage is a metaphor for life. As a play production, in life, we put up a facet of appearance desiring grandeur and lavishness. However, in the end, there is no meaning to life, as no one will remember the actors of a play. When an actor “struts and frets”, he is performing boastfully, putting on a role that isn’t him, pretending to be someone he is not. This adds to the theme of reality and appearances throughout the play. Since his has only an “hour upon the stage”, Macbeth again laments at the brevity of life. This actor is then “heard no more”. This means that life is finished. There is no hope. What Macbeth has accomplished in his life, as soon as he is dead, there is nothing left, there is no meaning.

The phrase “tale told by idiot” adds on to the absurdity of life. We think that life is important, and Macbeth comes to the realization that it is not. The last two words: “signifying nothing” is an oxymoron. Signifies means that something is of certain importance, but when we are told that is means nothing, it adds on to the idea that, everything seems importance, and nothing is truly important.

Akshay, Dylan, Jeffery, Dion