The following article is part of a series called “German A-Levels/Abitur 2005 English”. In Germany you have your a-levels after the 13rd year in school. Pupils are usually between 17 and 18 years when they have their exams. In the compulsory schools you a broad variety of courses: From German, English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Greek to Science, Maths, Geographics, Physics, Literature, Arts and Sports etc. I prepared myself in 2005 for my a-levels by writing everything down. May these articles help anyone. Enjoy! This part about Macbeth is especially long and detailed, hope anyone can use it!
Macbeth
Short characterizations:
Macbeth:
- a good vassal
- obedient general
- brutal
- courageous
- brave
- merciless
(changing in the course of the play)
Macbeth’s character changes from the beginning of the play to the end as at first he is presented as a noble, honorable and good vassal.
In the on going story he is a coward at one point and his manhood is questioned by his wife. He is lead by his fears, visions and prophecies.
In the end he has become a brutal, reckless and violent ruler “the tyrant” of Scotland. Both the witches and Lady Macbeth have a heavy influence on him and his personality.
In both cases this influence is negative, as for the witches and their prophecy he becomes narrow-minded and reckless and for his wife he turns into a violent beast.
He is more or less the witches’ toy.
Duncan:
- a good king
- gracious
- generous
- fair
- humane
- respectful
They are equally good men with opposing qualities.
Witches:
- supernatural beings: foresee the future, curse people, cast weather spells, ability to disappear
- human beings: human desire for sleep, exposed to the weather, depended on nutrition, reckless
- visions: invisible, outer appearance seems unreal, bubble-like, melting
Opening scenes in Macbeth:
- introducing the reader to a world of disorder
- the nature which is in uproar is matched by the society at war
- traitors and invaders have upset peace
Contrasts:
The atmosphere:
outside: thunderstorm, foggy
inside: warm
A summary of Macbeth:
King Duncan hears how Macbeth has been a brave warrior whilst fighting the Norwegians. Duncan gives Macbeth the title Thane of Cawdor as reward for his valour.
The old Thane of Cawdor is sentenced to death for being a traitor.
On their way back from battle, Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches who tell Macbeth that he will become the new Thane of Cawdor and also the new king of Scotland. The weird sisters tell Banquo that his descendants will be the future kings of Scotland. Macbeth is not sure whether this is true, but he soon told by a messenger that he is now the new Thane of Cawdor. This seems like the first part of the prophecy has come true.
Macbeth sends a letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth, about the witches predictions. She is excited about becoming queen, but fears that Macbeth is not ambitious enough to kill Duncan. When Macbeth arrives home she tries to persuade him to kill Duncan.
Macbeth eventually agrees with her.
Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s castle and is greeted by the hosts. They hold a feast and most people get drunk. Macbeth is unsure about killing Duncan and decides to abandon his plan. Macbeth believes that Duncan is a good king and he comments that Duncan has said many good things about him. Lady Macbeth is angry that he has abandoned his plan and calls him a coward. Macbeth decides to go through with the plan to murder the king.
Later that night, whilst approaching Duncan’s room, he sees an imaginary dagger before his eyes. He follows the dagger to Duncan’s room. Macbeth creeps into his king’s room and murders him in cold blood. Lady Macbeth sees the daggers in Macbeth’s hands and rushes back to plant them on the servants.
Macduff arrives at the castle and discovers Duncan’s corpse and raises the alarm. Duncan’s sons, Malcom and Donalbain, quickly leave Scotland, because they might be suspected of killing their father. Macduff does not trust Macbeth and suspects that he might have something to do with it.
Macbeth has become the king of Scotland. The witches’ prophecy makes Macbeth believe that he must kill Banquo and his son Fleance, because Banquo’s descendants might become kings of Scotland. Macbeth orders two henchmen to carry out the job. However, Fleance escapes and this makes him very angry and also concerned that the witches’ predictions could become true.
Macbeth has a banquet and sets a place at the table for Banquo, knowing full well that he is dead. However, he sees the gory ghost of Banquo in the seat left for him and he shouts in horror at the ghost. His guests suspect that he has a guilty conscience.
Macbeth decides to pay the witches another visit and the show him the apparitions. The first is a head with armour on (this represents Macbeth’s own severed head, later), the second is a bloody child (who is likely to be Macduff torn from his mother’s womb), and the third is a crowned child with a tree in its hand (this is meant to represent Malcom and Birnam Wood). The first apparition tells Macbeth to beware of Macduff, the second that he will never be defeated by anyone born of a women, and the third tells Macbeth that he will never be beaten until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane.
Macduff is sure that Macbeth has murdered Duncan and decides to join Malcolm and Donalbain in England. He raises an army of 10000 Englishmen in order to kill Macbeth and reclaim the throne.
In rage that Macduff has fled the country, Macbeth orders his henchman to kill Macduff’s wife and children. This act disgusts his followers, who start to desert him.
Lady Macbeth has gone mad and talks in her sleep about washing blood from her hand.
A messenger tells the king that the wood is on its way to Dunsinane and Macbeth is worried.
When the army arrives at the castle, Macbeth recklessly attacks and kills many men because he believes that no one can kill him. However, Macduff tells Macbeth that he was not born of a woman, because his mother gave birth to him by cesarean. They start to fight and Macduff kills Macbeth. He takes his head with him, so that it is displayed for everyone to see.
Themes within Macbeth:
- goodness and evil
- loyalty and hypocrisy
- love and deception
- justice and retaliation
- kingship
- corruption
- supernatural
- ambition*
* driving force of Macbeth’s life. It is his ambition that leads the witches to Macbeth, and it is ambition which leads Macbeth to murder, treason, hypocrisy, corruption and deepest evil.
Theatre in the times of Shakespeare
groundlings:
- can’t attend plays very often due to lack of money
- admission cost 1 penny
- close to the stage, just below the actors
actors / play:
- performances took place in day light
- roofed stage
- always sold out theatres
nobility:
- smoked tobacco pipes
- comfortable seats
- good view towards the stage
- shilling rooms
There was no class distinction in theatres, because members of all social classes were allowed to visit the theatres. That means the working, middle and upper class.
Shakespeare and his time
- plague also called “black death”
- sailors sail around the world for the first time
- England defeats the Spanish Armada
- people believed that the sun turned around the earth
- Monarchy (the country is ruled by a king/queen)
- law and order was maintained by the landowners and enforced by their deputies
- the average man had no vote
- women had no rights at all
- England was a Christian country in which every child was baptized
- The church was very important in England at that time
- Absence at divine service was punished by fines
- Bible was only available in Latin, later in English, that is the reason why the Christian religion spread so well in England
- School education reinforced the Church’s teaching
- School started at the age of four
- School cost money, fees had to be paid if you wanted further education
- Only few students proceeded to university (either clever boys or sons of noble man)
- Girls stayed at home and acquired domestic skills such as cooking, sewing or sometimes music, only a few learnt how to read or write
- The language “English” is partly based on Latin resources.
- English is a language rich of synonyms, word-plays such as puns and infinite variety of expressing certain things.
The feudal pyramid
God
King
Vassals
Nobility / clergy
Peasants / servants / women / serfs
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