Notes on Macbeth

Jacob Vargas

Period 4

Notes on Macbeth.

·        Macbeth story of sadness, murders, plot schemes, witches etc.

·        Very gory and full of horrendous views of death, the witches of course being a good source of that. You wonder why Shakespeare made this story with imagery that if you know what is going on is disgusting.

·        There is a lot of death in the book, Lady Macbeth goes psychiatric (definitely) and commits suicide (maybe). Hearing of this, Macbeth just says "She should have died hereafter", meaning "She should have picked a different time to die."

·        Macbeth's head ends up on a stick. Macduff at birth was the cause of his mothers death.

·        Shakespeare got his story from Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles

·        In a barbaric era, population pressures made war and even the slaughter of one community by another a fact of life. Survival depended in having a capable warlord to protect life and property, prevent infighting, and protect from distant enemies. Groups of warlords would unite under the nominal leadership of one king to promote their common interests and war on more distant nations. While people pretended to believe in "the divine right of kings" and "lawful succession", continuing effective leadership was assured by warlords killing off the less capable family members.

·        Macbeth may have gotten his cousin killed so he could rule. Then took his wife and raised his son.

·          Shakespeare shows the predictions about the future of Scotland coming from demonic witches

MacDonwald is egged on by his wife, who is very ambitious.

b.)    MacDonwald had just been rewarded by King Duff for helping to subdue rebels; nevertheless, MacDonwald murders him.

c.)    The king's grooms or bodyguards were drugged before the murder.

d.)    Subsequently MacDonwald killed the grooms to hide his own guilt.

e.)    When the murderer protested his own innocence, the other thanes began to suspect him.

f.)      The murder of Duff was followed by violent storms and horses that ate each other. All were included in MACBETH.

·        the focus is on the psychological effect of the crimes upon Macbeth and the nature of the relationship between Macbeth and his wife

·        Deceptiveness and hiding the truth are key in the story.

·        Qualities of Macbeth that make him a national hero: loyalty, bravery and skill in battle.

·        There were three battles to start, Macbeth a warrior in all of them. He killed the traitor Macdonwald by and upperthrust through his genitals to the throught.

·        The witches are two different cultures one usually kills a lot (English witch) and the other Scottish. Witches magic sets the un reality in the reality of whats going on in the play.

·        Witches tell and shock Macbeth with his future, and discuss a lot. Macbeth and Banqou assume that the things Macbeth has received like income estate etc was a satanic giving.

·        Banquo warns there is danger here, that evil may tells us minor truths to make us do something seriously wrong "In deepest consequence."  And, of course, that's exactly what Macbeth does.  Banquo may not entirely trust the witches, but Macbeth does.

·        Thane of Cawdor = Macbeth.

·        Duncan trusts Macbeth completely, which makes Macbeths murder of him more heinous

·        Lady Macbeth reveals what she does best in the relationship.  She accurately describes her husband's limitations, has no qualms about what has to be done, and provides the necessary incentive for her husband to do what he must do.  And Macbeth writes the letter because he knows exactly how she will react and he wants her to do exactly what she does to motivate him.

·        Lady Macbeth, She wants to be like Macbeth, to be an unthinking, unfeeling killing machine like her husband,

·        Both Lady and Macbeth feel as if the night shades there morality in commiting the murder.

·        As the two plot the murder, they have a large argument. Macbeth shows sign of weakening and his wife shows how she has already fell to the evil ways and is more than ready to murder.

·        Macbeth is convinced in a flash after the argument.  This is what he wanted his wife to do for him from the beginning, figure out a plan and give him some reassurance about its success.  He indicates his acceptance by praising her

·        Macbeth kills Duncan and couldn’t return to leave blade at chamberlains sides so his wife has to do it for him.

·        Duncans sons considered suspects after fleeing the scene when their father was killed.

·        Macbeth kills Bonque and his son escapes the assassination.

·        Macbeth gets many visions that trouble him throughout the play.

·        Macbeth kills Macduffs wife and son.

·        Witches predict Macbeths future. Telling him he cant die by a man from a woman

·        Lady Macbeth starts to lose her mind, and sees blood on her hands as permanent.

·        Enraged Macduff takes soldiers of England to fight Macbeth. The battle happens. Macbeth when finding out Macduff isn’t from a woman but a womb fears his life.

·        Macduff enters castle in Scotland after the battle holding the head of Macbeth.