T he features of this unabridged text will help readers ...perfectionlearning.com/images/products/pdfs/drash/drash.mac.se.pdf · there are stylistic devices that can help you understand

he features of this unabridged text will helpreaders truly understand Macbeth and his world.

• Students become members of the Macbeth, Macduff,Stuart, and Canmore clans and gather to witness andparticipate in the tragedy of Macbeth as it unfolds.

• Improvisations before each scene help students seeconnectons between the events in the play and theirown lives.

• Plot summaries on each page aid comprehension.

• Notes at the bottom of most pages provide fascinatinghistorical, literary, and cultural enrichment.

• Images from a wide variety of theatrical productionsand films illustrate the text.

As they read, students will find answers to:• How details of The Gunpowder Plot, which occured

just before Macbeth was written, mirror today’spolitical events.

• Why actors refuse to say the name of the play out loud.

• The difference between the real Macbeth and thecharacter created by Shakespeare.

For information about other excellent Shakespeare editionsfrom Perfection Learning, call 1-800-831-4190.

Perfection Learning® CorporationLogan, Iowa 51546-0500perfectionlearning.com

Printed in the U.S.A.

#38590 ISBN

0-7891-5687-3

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38590.DRASH.Macbeth.QX.doc 7/12/02 2:07 PM Page 1

Table of Contents

Introductory Material

About This Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 006The Gunpowder Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 007The Story of Macbeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 008Working with Shakespeare’s Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 010Strategies for Reading Shakespeare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 013Frequently Used Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 014Preparing for Speaking Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 016How to Have a Shakespeare-ience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 017Choosing Your Persona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 018Understanding Improvisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 019A Gathering of the Clans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 020

The Play\

Act I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 021Cast of Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 022Scenes i and ii or Who’s Fair, Who’s Foul? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 023Scene iii or Strange Predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 029Scenes iv and v or The Plot Thickens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 038Scenes vi and vii or Decisions, Decisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 046Reacting to Act I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 054

Act II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 055Scenes i and ii or The Deed Is Done. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 056Scene iii or Whodunit? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 066Scene iv or The King Is Dead, Long Live the King! . . . . . . . . . . 076Reacting to Act II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 080

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Act III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81Scenes i and ii or Banquo Must Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82Scenes iii and iv or A Ghostly Visitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Scenes v and vi or Discontent Grows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Reacting to Act III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Act IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Scene i or The Future Foretold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Scene ii or Macduff’s Punishment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Scene iii or Who Do You Trust? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Reacting to Act IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Act V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Scene i or Deep Sleep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Scenes ii, iii, and iv or Branching Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Scenes v and vi or How Does Your Battle Grow? . . . . . . . . . . . 159Scenes vii and viii or End Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164Reacting to Act V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Reacting to the Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Background Information

Life in 11th-Century Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175Shakespeare’s Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178Shakespeare’s Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180Shakespeare’s Sources: The Legend of Macbeth . . . . . . . . . . . . 183Of Witches and Witchcraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186Themes and Imagery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188Image Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

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Dr. Robert D. Strickland is Executive Director in the Division of LifeSkills and Special Projects for all of the arts disciplines in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. He received a BS in Music Educationfrom the University of Tennessee, a MA and MFA in Theatre fromthe University of Miami, and an Ed.D in Educational Leadershipfrom Nova Southeastern University. He is a past President of theFlorida Association for Theatre Education and a member of theFlorida Department of Education writing team for the theatreteacher certification examination, theatre curriculum frameworks/standards, and theatre course descriptions. He was a seniorconsultant for developing and writing a high school textbook thatreceived the 1999 Distinguished Book Award from the AmericanAlliance for Theatre Education.

Dr. Strickland has taught at the elementary, secondary, college,and university levels. He received the 1997 Administrator of the Yearawards from both the Florida Association for Theatre Education andthe Dade Association for Theatre Education. In 2000, Dr. Stricklandwas awarded the Herbert A. Drew, Jr., Memorial Award forExcellence in Education from Nova Southeastern University.

Dr. Strickland participated in the conceptualization ofShakespeare-ience, as well as the writing and editing of the program.

Wim Coleman, a freelance novelist and playwright, has frequentlywritten about Shakespeare for students. Mr. Coleman holds a MA inTeaching in both English and education from Drake University.Coleman has worked as an actor, director, set designer, and sceneshop manager. He has taught, directed, and performed in numerousShakespeare productions and has edited several Shakespeare plays inPerfection Learning’s popular Parallel Text series. His most recentbook for Perfection Learning is Nine Muses, a collection of one-actplays based on classical mythology.

Mr. Coleman wrote several background essays for Macbeth as wellas the informational notes found at the bottom of most pages.

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About This Program

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This program was designed to help youdiscover the world of Shakespeare and inparticular the story of Macbeth.Shakespeare’s plays were meant to be seenand heard. In his day, rowdy audiencesresponded to them withapplause, tears, and jeers.Playwrights were moreinterested in audiencesthan in readers, so studentsdid not study the plays asthey do today.

This book takes the fearout of studying Shakespeareand puts back the fun. Ourapproach to Macbeth isdifferent in severalimportant ways.

• First, you will create acharacter or persona thatwill live within thecontext of the play. Youwill participate every day,not just on the days youare reading the part ofone of the characterswith lines in the text.

• You will find that Shakespeare is not thatdifficult, contrary to what you might haveheard. We have provided you with a

number of guiding features, such as on-page plot summaries, word and phrasedefinitions, and historical insights, to helpyou with the places that might betroublesome.

• By examining thethoughts of the charactersthrough improvisationand then applying yourunderstanding of thecharacter’s actions to thescript, you will speak andhear the words ofShakespeare as heintended. You’ll find thatthe words on these pagescome to life when the artof theatre is used to studythem.

Have fun with thisprogram. While you probablywon’t mount a full productionof Macbeth, you will learn touse hand and body gestures,expressive speech, and

blocking (stage movements) as you read. Ifyou trust yourself and jump into examiningthis world through the eyes of Shakespeare’scharacters and your own personas, you willtruly have a Shakespeare-ience.


Imagine a plot to blow up the Capitolwhile the president makes a speech to bothbranches of Congress. Then suppose that thepresident himself foils the conspiracy.Americans would breathe a huge sigh ofrelief — but fear of terrorists would linger.According to historian Garry Wills, Macbethwas influenced by a similar situation, knownas the Gunpowder Plot.

In 1605, conspirators planned to blowup the English Parliament when allof its members and the royalfamily were inside.

English Catholics hadhoped that King James Iwould remove the ban onpracticing their religion.Instead, restrictions onCatholics were tightened.Catholics who refused toattend the Church of Englandservices were fined. Skippingchurch could cost as much as 20pounds — a whole year’s wages forsome families. Continued refusal toparticipate in the official state religion result-ed in jail sentences. This ongoingpersecution fueled the Gunpowder Plot.

Before this plot could be carried out, amysterious letter fell into the King’s hands.The letter warned its recipient (a member ofParliament) to stay away from the House ofLords on November 5. According to legend,the letter’s deeper meaning was revealed toJames in a flash of divine inspiration. Thewould-be assassin, Guy Fawkes, was captured

in the cellar below the House of Lords as hewaited to ignite a barrel of gunpowder.

As details of the plot were revealed, thewhole business seemed increasingly mon-strous. For example, the conspirators hadparticipated in a Black Mass (a ceremonyused to summon Satan) to ensure the suc-cess of their plot. This news intrigued theKing, who was fascinated with witchcraft.

Like any good politician, KingJames turned his brush with

disaster into a public relationscoup. And he was in need of

good public relations. SinceJames was not comfortablewith large crowds, he was notas popular a ruler as his aunt,and predecessor, QueenElizabeth I.

Macbeth makes many flat-tering references to the King,

who was considered a hero forthwarting the conspiracy. The

noble Banquo (who historicallynever existed) is presented as the

King’s direct ancestor. And in Act IV, KingEdward miraculously heals people by thetouch of his hand — a feat which James I wasalso reputedly able to perform.

Macbeth is clearly one of the most power-ful of a group of plays in which Shakespeareexplores the nature of evil. In these plays, heappears to be seeking some answer to theancient riddle of why there is so much evil inthe word and why even good people fall preyto it.

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The Gunpowder Plot


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When you first begin reading Shakespeare, you may find hislanguage intimidating and confusing. You will discover, however, thatthe more Shakespeare you read and the more you know about hiswriting, the easier it becomes.

Keep in mind that language is a living thing, constantly growing andchanging. New words are invented and new definitions for old words areadded. Since Shakespeare wrote over 400 years ago, it is not surprisingthat his work seems challenging to today’s readers. To help you with themeaning of the text, unfamiliar words and phrases have been definedfor you in the side margins of this book. You may also find a dictionaryhelpful for this purpose. Beyond the meaning of the words, however,there are stylistic devices that can help you understand Shakespeare.

Blank Verse and Iambic PentameterLike most dramatists of his time, Shakespeare frequently used blank

verse in his plays. In blank verse, the text is written in measured linesthat do not rhyme. Look at the following example.

Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee?But yet I’ll make assurance double sureAnd take my bond of fate. Thou shalt not live,That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies …

Then LIVE MacDUFF what NEED I FEAR of THEE?

But YET I’ll MAKE asSUR ance DOU ble SURE …

The length of a line of verse is measured by counting the stresses.This length is known as the meter, and when there are five stresses, asin the preceding lines, the pattern is known as pentameter. When therhythm follows an unstressed/stressed pattern, it is called iambic. Muchof Shakespeare’s work is written in iambic pentameter.

Of course, Shakespeare was not rigid about this format. Hesometimes varied the lines by putting accents in unusual places, byhaving lines with more or fewer than ten syllables, and by varying wherepauses occur. An actor’s interpretation can also add variety. (Only aterrible actor would deliver lines in a way that makes the rhythm soundobvious or repetitious!)

U / U / U / U / U /

U / U / U / U / U /

Working with Shakespeare’s Language


ProseIn addition to verse, Shakespeare wrote

speeches in prose, which is language withoutrhythmic structure. Look at the Porter’sspeech on page 67. If you try beating out aniambic rhythm to this and the Porter’s otherlines, you’ll discover that it doesn’t work atall, because they’re in prose. But onceMacbeth enters on page 69, everybody startsspeaking iambic pentameter again, andyou’ll be able to find that rhythm.Shakespeare often uses prose for comicspeeches, to show madness, and forcharacters of lower social rank such asservants. His upper-class characters generallydo not speak in prose. But these weren’thard-and-fast rules as far as Shakespeare wasconcerned. Many of his servants speak inverse, and some of his noble characters(Hamlet, for example) occasionally speak inprose.

ImageryImagery refers to vibrant, colorful

language that allows readers or listeners topicture things in their mind’s eye and tomake an emotional connection with thewriting. This highly descriptive languageappeals to one or more of the five senses—touch, taste, hearing, smell, and sight. Howmany sensory images can you find in thefollowing speech?

Come, thick night,And pall thee in the dunnest smoke

of hell,That my keen knife see not the wound

it makes,

Nor heaven peep through the blanketof the dark,

To cry ‘Hold, hold!’

In addition to sensory words, images areoften conveyed through the use of figures ofspeech such as simile, metaphor, orpersonification.

A simile is a comparison between twounlike things that uses the words like or as.Look at the following examples.

Now does he feel his titleHang loose about him, like a giant’s robeUpon a dwarfish thief.

Your face, my Thane, is as a book wheremen

May read strange matters.

In the first quote, Macbeth’s title of kingis compared to a loose-fitting robe upon a“dwarfish thief.” In the second, LadyMacbeth compares Macbeth’s face to a book,too easily read by the people around him.

A metaphor is also a comparison betweentwo unlike things, but the words like or as areleft out. In the following quotes, eyes arefools, an owl is a bellman [town crier], andlife is wine.

Mine eyes are made the fools o’ th’ othersenses

Or else worth all the rest.

It was the owl that shriek’d, the fatalbellman,

Which gives the stern’st good-night.

The wine of life is drawn …

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Another type of imagery used extensivelyby Shakespeare is personification, or givinghuman qualities to inanimate objects orideas. In the following lines, earth ispersonified as being able to hear; a bell“invites” Macbeth; and sleep “knits” a skeinof cloth.

Thou sure and firm-set earth,Hear not my steps, which way they walk,

for fearThy very stones prate of my whereabout …

The bell invites me.

Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave ofcare …

ContractionsAs you know, contractions are words that

have been combined by substituting anapostrophe for a letter or letters that havebeen removed. Contractions were ascommon in Shakespeare’s time as they aretoday. For example, we use it’s as acontraction for the words it is. InShakespeare’s writing you will discover that’tis means the same thing. Many otherexamples can be found in the list ofFrequently Used Words on pages 14-15.

Shakespeare often used the apostropheto shorten words so that they would fit intothe rhythm pattern of a line. This isespecially true of verbs ending in -ed. Notethat in Shakespeare’s plays, the -ed at the endof a verb is pronounced as a separate

syllable. Therefore, walked would bepronounced as two syllables, walk•ed, whilewalk’d would be only one. We have addedaccent marks (walkèd) to help youremember to pronounce -ed aloud.

You will learn about other elements ofShakespeare’s language such as puns andirony as they occur in the text.

Finally, if you can’t figure out every wordin the play, don’t get discouraged. Thepeople in Shakespeare’s audience couldn’teither. At that time, language was changingrapidly and standardized spelling,punctuation, grammar, and even dictionariesdid not exist. Besides, Shakespeare loved toplay with words. He made up newcombinations, like fat-guts and mumble-news.He often changed one part of speech foranother, as in “cursing claims and deepexclaims.” To make matters worse, the actorsprobably spoke at a rate of 140 words perminute. But the audience didn’t strain tocatch every word. They went to aShakespeare play for the same reasons we goto a movie—to get caught up in the storyand the acting, to have a great laugh, anexciting adventure, or a good cry.

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Strategies for Reading Shakespeare

You will find many features in this bookdesigned to help you understandShakespeare’s language. In addition, thereare some basic reading strategies that activereaders use for all types of text. As youprepare to read Macbeth, you may find thefollowing strategic plan useful.

Preview. First, to get a general idea ofthe events in the play, “read the edges” ofthe text. Read the summaries at the top ofeach page. Then skim the definitions andquestions in the side margins and examineany images that appear. This will give you ageneral idea of what the text is about beforeyou actually begin to read it.

Visualize. Try to put yourself into theworld of the play by picturing the setting inyour mind’s eye. Envision how the charactersmight look and sound as they move withintheir surroundings. Studying images andreading through the setting and stagedirections will help to fire up yourimagination.

Read. Read a page using the side notesto help with difficult words and phrases. Goback and reread the page a second time oras many times as necessary until you canunderstand the text without using the sidenotes. This may be more difficult in thebeginning and take more time than reading

modern writing, but don’t be discouraged.Most students find that comprehensionbecomes easier and easier as the play goes on.

Connect. Active readers often makeconnections with the text. An event in theirreading might remind them of somethingthat happened to them or a friend, or theymight see similarities between the text and amovie, book, or TV show they have seen.Also, because Shakespeare is quoted sofrequently, readers are likely to come acrossfamiliar phrases and sayings.

Evaluate. As you read, evaluate thecharacters’ words and actions and formopinions about them. Do you approve ordisapprove of how they act? What are theirmotives? What are their strengths andweaknesses? Do certain actions make youchange your mind about a character?

Enrich. Surround your study of Macbethwith humor and high-interest material. Thenotes at the bottom of most pages and theessays in the front and back of the bookprovide background information. The Talesfrom the Stage feature contains colorfultheatrical anecdotes. The suggestions forprops and in-class staging will also help toimmerse you in Shakespeare’s world.


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afore . . . . . . beforealack . . . . . . expression of sorrow or

regretalas . . . . . . . expression of unhappiness,

pity, or concernanon . . . . . . at once, immediatelyan’t . . . . . . . if itart . . . . . . . . areay, aye. . . . . . yes

bawdy . . . . . . indecentbeseech . . . . . begbetimes . . . . . at times, occasionally bid . . . . . . . ask by my troth . . . truly

coz . . . . . . . cousin; relative

dost . . . . . . . you do (second-person singular of the verb “do”)

doth . . . . . . . he, she, it does (third person singular of the verb “do”)

e’en . . . . . . . evene’er . . . . . . . ever

enow . . . . . . enoughere . . . . . . . beforeexeunt . . . . . theatre term meaning

“everyone leaves the stage”

fain . . . . . . . willinglyfay. . . . . . . . faithfie . . . . . . . . Oforesworn . . . denied

hadst . . . . . . you had (second personsingular past tense of theverb “have”)

hap . . . . . . . perhapshark you . . . . listenhast, hath . . . . you have; he, she, it has

(second and third personsingular of “have”)

hence . . . . . . away from this placehie. . . . . . . . hurryhumor . . . . . moodhumour . . . . . liquid

is’t . . . . . . . . is it

knave . . . . . . rascal

The following words and phrases are found frequently in Shakespeare’s plays. The more ofthem you know, the easier your reading will be.

Frequently Used Words


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late . . . . . . . recently

marry . . . . . . I swearmine . . . . . . my

nay . . . . . . . none’er . . . . . . never

o’er . . . . . . . overoft . . . . . . . . often

perchance . . . perhapspray . . . . . . . invite

rest you merry . have a good day

saucy . . . . . . rudescurvy . . . . . . disgustingshalt . . . . . . . you shall (second-person

singular of “shall”)shrift . . . . . . confession of sins sirrah . . . . . . sir (a form of address

implying inferiority)soft . . . . . . . wait spake . . . . . . saidstay . . . . . . . stopstraight . . . . . at oncesup . . . . . . . to eat (often the evening

meal)

thee, thou . . . youthence . . . . . from that time (or place)

onthine . . . . . . yours thither . . . . . there; to that placethrice . . . . . . three timesthy. . . . . . . . your’tis . . . . . . . . it istut, tush. . . . . mild expression of

disapproval’twixt . . . . . . between

wast, wert . . . . werewhence . . . . . where (from what place)wherefore . . . whywhither . . . . . where (to what place)wilt . . . . . . . will, mustwrit . . . . . . . written

ye . . . . . . . . youyea . . . . . . . yesyon, yond . . . . that


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At least once during your study ofMacbeth, you will be assigned a speaking partto perform for an upcoming class. In orderto feel comfortable in this role and torespect the efforts of other students readingwith you, you will need to preparebeforehand. If you are unsure about how todo this, try using the following plan.

Comprehend. Make sure you understandthe meaning of what your character says. Ifyou are unsure, use the reading strategies onpage 13.

Analyze. Determine your character’sattitude during the scene. What mood is hein? Does this mood change during thescene? Are her thoughts and what she saysthe same? Or does she say one thing andmean another? What is your character’smotivation? What does he want? What is hisattitude toward other characters in thescene? Is there a conflict? What is it?

Plan. Decide how you will use your bodyand voice to create your character. Whatgestures will you use? Where and when willyou move? How will you use your voice?Changes in the tempo (fast, slow); pitch(high, low); and quality (nasal, raspy, etc.) ofyour voice can help the audience understandyour character. If needed, you can put stickynotes in your text to remind you of whereyou want to change your voice or move.

Practice. You probably won’t have achance to rehearse with others in your scene,but you should still practice your own part.Ask a friend or family member to read lineswith you and/or videotape you. You can alsopractice reading your part into a taperecorder.

Warm Up. Here are a few exercises tomake your voice and body more flexible andresponsive.• Stand tall and inhale on a count of four;

hold your breath for a count of four; andthen exhale on a count of eight. Makesure that your shoulders are relaxed anddo not rise up as you breathe. Your lowerstomach area should be slowly moving outas you inhale, and in as you exhale.

• Next, repeat the same exercise and whileyou are exhaling, hum the letter M. Youwill feel a tingle in your face from thevibration of the sound. After you havedone this several times, try a few tonguetwisters. Here is one to start with:

Amidst the mists and coldest frosts,With stoutest wrists and loudest boasts,He thrusts his fists against the postAnd still insists he sees the ghosts.

• Stand tall with your feet shoulder-widthapart. Bend over slowly and reach for ortouch the floor. Relax and breathe. Bendyour knees more and then straighten yourlegs slowly. Slowly round up your body to astanding position. Repeat the wholeexercise twice.Act and React. As you present your scene,

remember to face the audience and speakloudly enough to be heard throughout theroom. Holding your book and your head upas you read will help your voice project out tothe audience. Finally, listen, really listen, towhat the other characters are saying so thatyou can respond realistically and pick upcues promptly.

Preparing for Speaking Parts


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There is an old saying that to reallyunderstand someone you need to walk amile in his or her shoes. This study ofMacbeth borrows from that old adage byasking you to study the play by becoming acharacter from 11th-century Scotland. Youwill “walk” for many days in that person’s“shoes.”

By seeing the world of 11th-centuryScotland through eyes other than your own,you will gain a new perspective and interactwith other characters that shape that world.Not all of the characters that you createactually speak within the text of the play, butall are affected by the circumstances andactions of the speaking characters. So youmay not be Macbeth, but you may be hisattendant or one of his spies. You may not beLady Macbeth, but you may be a cook or oneof Lady Macbeth’s waiting gentlewomen.

Each of you will be part of the action ofthe play, and from time to time will be calledupon to be one of the traditional speakingcharacters as well. In addition, you will becreating events and situations that are onlyimplied by the action of the play. Forexample, there is a banquet to honor KingDuncan at Macbeth’s castle. If you were aservant to the Macbeth’s, what would yourduties be in preparing for the festivities?And if you were to create a scene thathappens just before or just after the banquetwith the other servants, what do you think

would be the focus of that scene? And, as thestory of the play unfolds, how do the variousevents that take place affect you and yourworld?

You will be discovering what life was likein Scotland hundreds of years ago. Thecreation of your character, or persona, as wewill call it throughout the rest of the book,will be based on elements in the text,historical information, human nature, andyour imagination. You will discover theevents that influenced the lives of the peoplein Macbeth’s Scotland and ultimately playedimportant roles in the unfolding of thisstory. By being immersed this way in thestory and the play, you will be experiencingMacbeth as if you were there. This is what wemean by having a Shakespeare–ience.

How to Have a Shakespeare-ience


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Choosing Your Persona

As you can see by the following list, therewere many kinds of people that made up thepopulation of 11th-century Scotland. Yourteacher will either assign one of thesepersonas to you or ask you to chose one fromthe list. In either case, you will begin with onlya name or occupation. It will be your job todevelop your persona and turn him or herinto a complete character. You will begin byanswering questions and developing apersonality profile. As the play progresses, youwill find questions and directions, labeledPersona Journal and Persona Action, whichwill guide you. Remember that you are alwaysto respond and react as your persona would.

Your stay in 11th-century Scotland will be

ruled by the following assumptions. 1) Assumethat almost all characters listed below can beeither male or female. Therefore, it is notnecessary to limit persona choices totraditional gender roles. 2) Assume that allmembers of a clan travel with their leader orsomeone appointed by him. 3) To avoidcrowding the acting area, some PersonaAction directions will call for representativesfrom clans. Either in a clan meeting, or asyour teacher directs, decide howrepresentatives can be chosen so that everyonehas equal time on stage. 4) Some directionswill call for “in place” reactions which meansthat you will react, but stay in your “clanhomeand.”

Citizens of 11th-Century Scotland

Cook GuardWatchmanAttendantMessengerSecretaryCopyistMaidPhysicianSeamstressLaundressWeaverEmbroidererMusicianArtistInk Maker

Wine MakerStable KeeperPotterFarmerOx-goadMule Train DriverTailorFurrierShoemakerTannerMill WorkerAle/Mead MakerRooferStone MasonIron/Lead WorkerWood Carver

Candle MakerSerf/Peasant/SlaveCarpenterBlacksmithBeekeeperShepherdHunterTax CollectorRent CollectorJewelerGoldsmithScribeSoap MakerFishmongerFishermanCabinet Maker

MerchantDye WorkerHosierOar & Boat MakerCraftsmanBakerSoldierOfficerLordNoblemanNoblewomanSheriffServantPriestAbbessNun

MonkAbbotClerkLandownerGrain DealerArmor MakerCooperButcherPorterEstate ManagerPloughmanReaper


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Understanding Improvisation

It is possible that you have heard the wordimprovisation in connection to theatre, music,stand-up comedy, or dance. Improvisation maysometimes be referred to as role-playing. In thisstudy of Macbeth, improvisation exercises beforeeach scene will be used as a discovery tool toexplore the characters and the events in theplay.

Literally, to improvise is to speak or act outa situation without a script or preconceivedway of presenting the scene. You are given theframework of the situation such as the conflictand the characters, and without advancedplanning, you make up the scene’s dialoguespontaneously. You must find a way to resolveconflicts and overcome obstacles in order toaccomplish the objectives of the characters.Direct your concentration toward the situationand the other participants while keeping anopen mind about what your character isexperiencing. In addition, be receptive to anynew information introduced by yourpartner(s). React honestly.

Improvisation trains people to think ondifferent levels. It helps develop imagination,concentration, self-esteem, self-confidence,observation skills, listening skills, problem-solving skills, and thinking skills.

The following exercises will introduce youto the process of improvisation.

Partner Activities• A fortune teller says that you are going to

achieve great things; try to get him/her totell you more.

• You think your husband/boyfriend could bemore of an achiever by breaking some rules;try to convince him of this.

• Try to persuade someone you know that it’sin his/her best interests to betray a mutualacquaintance.

• You’ve committed a crime, and a policedetective seems to suspect you; try toconvince him/her of your innocence.

• You’re a wartime general. Someone wants tojoin your army, but you think he/she mightbe a spy for the other side; test his/herloyalty.

Group ActivitiesWith a group of seven to ten students,

improvise waiting in an express checkout line(only ten items) at a grocery store. Onecustomer has more than ten items, andhis/her friend keeps bringing more items asyou wait. This is the checkout person’s first dayafter completing training.

With a group of ten to fifteen students,improvise a situation where a local radio stationis doing a remote location set-up, and as apromotion is giving away tickets to an upcomingconcert. There are only three pairs of tickets togive away, and more than ten people show up towin them. Each person must convince the DJ togive him or her the tickets.

Macbeth Warm-ups • Macbeth and Lady Macbeth talk for the first

time about their desire to be King andQueen—and how they might achieve this.

• Just before his execution, the Thane ofCawdor confesses his treachery and asks theKing’s forgiveness.

• Banquo confides in his son, Fleance, that hethinks Macbeth might be a murderer.

• Malcolm, son of the slain King Duncan, asksthe King of England for help inoverthrowing Macbeth.

• Macduff turns down Macbeth’s invitation tohis banquet.

• A messenger brings Lady Macbeth news ofthe slaughter of Macduff’s family; what isher reaction?


Just as Shakespeare took liberties withhistorical facts to write Macbeth (see Life in11th-century Scotland, page 175), the follow-ing improvisation takes historical liberties toestablish an environment for this introducto-ry exercise. These conditions will allow youto experience as a group, certain aspects oflife in Scotland during the 11th-century.Before the exercise, your teacher will assignyou to one of four clans – Clan Macbeth(headed by Macbeth), Clan Macduff (head-ed by Macduff), Clan Stuart (headed byBanquo), or Clan Canmore (headed by KingDuncan). You will also receive a clan historyand current status report.

Scotland is at war with the King ofNorway as well as the traitorous Macdonwaldand his clan. The other Scottish clans havegathered in Forres at the command of KingDuncan. It is a cloudy, overcast late morningas you enter the large courtyard of the castle.Keep in mind the occupation and/or socialstatus of your persona, and remember, thatalthough you have joined forces to fight acommon enemy, as a rule, each clan is highlyindependent, territorial, and suspicious ofother clans. In fact, the word clannish means“tending to associate only with a select groupof similar background or status.” As the clansbegin to gather and talk, a series of fourmessengers arrive with news from the battle-front. (The messages will be supplied by yourteacher.)

As you hear the news from each messen-ger, improvise a reaction and enter into con-versations with other members of your clanas well as people from other clans. You lookaround to see what is taking place, and “inpersona,” you begin to move and join withyour specific clan members to celebrate.Gradually, four distinct groups begin to form– Clan Macbeth moves to the side of theclassroom closest to the door, Clan Canmoregoes to the opposite side of the room, ClanMacduff groups at the back of the classroom,and Clan Stuart locates at the front of theclassroom. Finally, the King arrives. Safewithin the protection of your clan, you hearwhat the King says, and you talk with othermembers of your clan—commenting on howthe news impacts you.

When the activity ends, answer the followingquestions in your Persona Journal.

• How did you react to the news from thefirst three messengers?

• How does the King’s message impactyou and your clan?

• Which other clan do you now feel closest to and why?

Were you surprised by the reactions of othersin your clan? In the other clans?

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A Gathering of the Clans


23

Setting the Scene

macbethAct I, scenes i and ii or Who’s Fair, Who’s Foul?

Critical Query: What do you learn about Macbeth in these scenes?

Warm-up Improv 1

You and a friend decide to call a futurepredicting hotline for advice. You are givenvery good news, but your friend is given verybad news. Help him/her deal with this news.

Warm-up Improv 2

(Use after page 24) You are a member of asports team or squad. During the event youare injured and helped to the locker room.Several members of your team bring you thenews that your team has won.

From the Prop Box

• “Blood-stained” rag forCaptain’s head

• Crown for Duncan

• Swords (plastic or foam — ingeneral main actors will bearmed throughout the play)

• Ribbons of four differentcolors (plaid if possible).Each clan wears its owncolor.

• Beards and/or fright wigs forthe witches

• Clan banners on poles

(NOTE: All props areoptional, based on yourteacher’s instruction.)

Behind the Scene:The Tragic Hero

A tragedy is a serious workof literature that narratesthe events leading to thedownfall of a tragic hero,who is usually of noble birthand in almost every waydisplays noble qualities. Hisdownfall is a result of atragic flaw or fatal characterweakness. As the playprogresses, considerwhether Macbeth fits thisdefinition and what his fatalflaw might be.

• Thunder• Lightning• Call to Arms

SpecialEffects

Classroom Set Design

Move desks back to allow spacefor an acting area. The classroomshould be divided into foursections, one for each clan.These clan “homelands” shouldremain the same throughout theplay. Clan banners may becreated and put on the walls toidentify each area.

Acting AreaDesk

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Witches’ “Familiars” witches were said to keep “familiars”—animal companions that helped themwith their magic. The first witch’s familiar is “Graymalkin”—a gray cat. The second witch’s is“Paddock”—a toad. Later in the play we learn that the third witch’s familiar is named Harpier. Somescholars believe that Harpier is an owl, others a raven.

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Act I Scene iThree witches gather amidst the crack of thunder and the flash oflightning. A fierce battle rages nearby. The witches plan to seek outone of the generals, a Scottish nobleman named Macbeth. They exitmuttering ominous chants.

1-2 When…rain: Witches werethought to have been more activein stormy weather.3 hurlyburly: commotion or turmoil

5 ere: before

7 heath: barren land, covered withsmall shrubs

9 Anon: right away

Assume that you have seen thewitches previously. Tell where yousaw them and what they lookedlike. What were they doing?

5

10

*

*

ACT I.

Scene i. Scotland. An Open Place

[Thunder and lightning. Enter three WITCHES.]

FIRST WITCH. When shall we three meet againIn thunder, lightning, or in rain?

SECOND WITCH. When the hurlyburly’s done,When the battle’s lost and won.

THIRD WITCH. That will be ere the set of sun.

FIRST WITCH. Where the place?

SECOND WITCH. Upon the heath.

THIRD WITCH. There to meet with Macbeth.

FIRST WITCH. I come, Graymalkin!

SECOND WITCH. Paddock calls.

THIRD WITCH. Anon.

ALL. Fair is foul, and foul is fair,Hover through the fog and filthy air.

[Exeunt.]


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Act I Scene ii

Representatives from the Canmoreclan enter with Duncan. All otherCanmores stand and react to eventsin this scene.

1-3 He can…state: He can tell usthe latest news (newest state)from the battlefront.

3 sergeant: soldier or officer, dur-ing this time period meaning thesame as captain

6 broil: battle

How serious are the captain’sinjuries? How would you conveythis to the audience?

8 spent: tired

9 choke their art: prevent eachother from swimming

10-19 Macdonwald was well suitedfor the role of traitor because of hisevilness (multiplying villainies).His troops consisted of lightinfantry (kerns) and more heavily-armed soldiers (gallowglasses)recruited from Ireland and theHebrides (Western Isles). At first itseemed that luck smiled on hiscause, but then, like a ficklewoman, luck abandoned him. AndMacbeth, waving his blood-stainedsword, fought his way through tothe front and challengedMacdonwald.

What do you know about the battle?

King Duncan enters a military camp with his two sons, Malcolm andDonalbain. The King asks for a battle report from a wounded soldierwho tells of the intense fighting between the rebellious forces of thetraitor Macdonwald and the brave Macbeth.

SCENE ii. A Camp Near Forres

[Alarum within. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENNOX, withATTENDANTS, meeting a bleeding CAPTAIN.]

DUNCAN. What bloody man is that? He can report,As seemeth by his plight, of the revoltThe newest state.

MALCOLM. This is the sergeantWho like a good and hardy soldier fought’Gainst my captivity.—Hail, brave friend!Say to the King the knowledge of the broilAs thou didst leave it.

CAPTAIN. Doubtful it stood,As two spent swimmers that do cling togetherAnd choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald—Worthy to be a rebel, for to thatThe multiplying villainies of natureDo swarm upon him—from the Western IslesOf kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;And fortune, on his damn’d quarrel smiling,Show’d like a rebel’s whore. But all’s too weak;For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel,Which smoked with bloody execution,Like valour’s minion carved out his passage

5

10

15

Stratford Festival (Canada) production of Macbeth,

1983


Analysis1. Do you believe some things are fated to

happen, no matter what? Or do youbelieve that your actions can change thecourse of your life? Explain your answer.

2. If you were having your fortune told, whatquestions would you ask the teller?

3. Why do you think Shakespeare used ascene with three witches to begin thisplay? How might this beginning preparethe audience for what is to come?

4. Why do you think Macbeth and Banquodo not seem afraid of the witches?

5. In your opinion, what is Lady Macbeth’sattitude toward her husband? Giveexamples from the text to support youranswer.

6. What is Macbeth’s opinion of Banquo?

7. Do you agree with King Duncan that youcannot tell what people are really like justby looking at them? Reread King Duncan’sspeech in Act I, scene iv, lines 11-21, anddiscuss why you think Shakespeare hadDuncan say this just before Macbethenters.

8. Using a Venn diagram, select a majorcharacter from the first act and compareyour persona to that character.

9. Using a graphic organizer like the one atthe top of the next column, list the stepsof Lady Macbeth’s plan to kill KingDuncan and blame it on someone else.

The first step has been done for you. Nextto each step, write possible things thatcould go wrong.

Literary Elements1. Shakespeare allows his characters to reveal

their innermost thoughts and feelings tothe audience through speeches calledsoliloquies. Find an example of this inAct I. Explain why you think Shakespearewrote the soliloquy for this character inthis particular location of the text.

2. Images of blood and darkness runthrough the entire play of Macbeth. Findas many examples of this imagery aspossible in Act I.

Writing1. Write a news report about the recent

battles. Refer to the information that waspresented to King Duncan by the Captainand Ross.

2. Imagine that you are the sailor’s wife orthe sailor that the witches refer to in Act I,scene iii. Write your version of the eventsthe witches speak about.

3. Act I, scene v begins with Lady Macbethreading the ending of a letter from herhusband, Macbeth. Keeping true to all ofthe information you have from the play sofar, write the beginning of the letter.Remember to tell Lady Macbeth about therecent battle.54

Reacting to Act I

Character PersonaTraits

inCommon

Steps in the Plan What Could Go Wrong

Greet Duncan and provide a great banquet.He will sleep well after alarge meal with drink.

Duncan decides not todrink.


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Analysis1. Why do you think the witches chose

Macbeth for their victim? Would Banquohave served their purpose just as well?

2. Throughout the text, there are referencesto double meanings and opposites. InAct I, scene i, the witches say “Fair is foul,and foul is fair.” In Act I, scene iii,Macbeth echoes that with “So foul and faira day I have not seen.” Find moreexamples of double meanings andopposites in the text. Why do you thinkShakespeare carefully weaves thesereferences throughout the play?

3. If Macbeth had not killed Duncan, do youthink that he would still have becomeking?

4. Did the Macbeths really care for eachother or were they only interested inthemselves? Defend your answer withexamples from the play.

5. Where is Fleance? What do you thinkhappened to him?

6. Review your answer to the first writingactivity on page 144. By the end of theplay, do you think that Scotland is beingruled by the person best suited to be king?Explain your answer.

7. What do you think was Macbeth’s biggestmistake?

8. In your opinion, who or what is ultimatelyresponsible for Macbeth’s death?

9. Identify some situations in today’s worldwhere the struggle for power has led toviolence. Can you name some worldleaders, past or present, that resembleMacbeth in their methods to gain controland remain in power?

Literary Elements1. What do you think is the overriding

message, or theme, of the play?

2. Along with blood and darkness, whatother strands of imagery do you find inthe play? Give examples to support youranswer.

3. Review the definition of the tragic hero onpage 23. How does Macbeth fit thisdefinition? What is his tragic flaw?

Writing1. Write a short parody of Macbeth.

2. Choose one scene from the play andrewrite the dialogue in modern English.

3. Who is the stronger character, Macbeth orLady Macbeth? Write an opinion essay thatexplains your choice.

4. Who would get your vote to be the nextKing of Scotland after Macbeth? Write anessay explaining your preference.

5. Examine Macbeth’s downfall by writing anessay comparing Macbeth’s reputation inAct I with his reputation at the end of theplay.

Reacting to the Play


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Life in 11th-Century Scotland

Shakespeare played fast and loose withhistorical facts in Macbeth. Almost nothing inthe “Scots tragedy” actually happened asShakespeare wrote it. Still, the realScotland of Macbeth’s timewas as troubled,violent, andfascinating asanything the Barddreamed up. Thefollowing account ishow things reallyoccurred.

Scotland isdivided into threemain regions—therocky, mountainousHighlands to the north,the hilly SouthernUplands, and theLowlands betweenthem. Macbeth himself was aHighlander, possibly of Viking(Scandinavian) ancestry. AsKing, he completed the job ofuniting these regions into asingle Scottish nation.

If you lived in any ofthese regions duringthe 11th century, youwouldn’t havespokenShakespeare’sEnglish. Youprobably wouldhave spokenGaelic, a language

that came to Scotland from Ireland. A fewScottish Highlanders still speak Gaelic today.

Some of today’s English wordscome from Gaelic—includingbog, slogan, and whisky.

Since the Romans hadbrought Christianity to Scotland

many centuries before, you wouldprobably have been a Christian—a

member of the Celtic Christianchurch. On the other hand,you might have believed in apagan religion instead.Macbeth himself worshipped

the gods of Scandinaviabefore he converted to

Christianity.In Macbeth’s

Scotland, you wouldhave belonged to one ofseveral classes. Nobleswere divided in familygroups called clans.The highest nobles,of course, were theking and queen.Next in line werelords calledmormaers, whoruled vastterritories.

Macbeth was themormaer of theprovince of Moraybefore he became

king.

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Ranking below the nobility were freecommoners and people who lived in virtualslavery.

Being the King of Scotland was adangerous job. During one period beforeMacbeth was king, seven Scottish kings in arow were murdered. When a king died(rarely of natural causes), the new king waselected by a rather confusing custom calledtanistry. In order to be elected king undertanistry, a nobleman had to be liked andrespected by his peers. It helped to be agood warrior. A reputation for ruthlessnessdidn’t hurt either.

For example, Macbeth is thought to haveavenged his father’s murder by burning atreacherous cousin to death. He later slewKing Duncan in battle (not in his sleep) inorder to get himself elected king. Suchviolent deeds were considered quite properin 11th century Scotland. In fact, Macbethwas regarded as a just and peaceable king.

Even so, King Macbeth had plenty ofworries. Scotland was constantly under threatof invasion from Norsemen, Danes, and theEnglish. Macbeth also lived in danger ofrebellion among his own subjects—aquarrelsome mix of peoples that includedPicts, Scots, and Celts.

So kings and nobles always had to beready to fight. Medieval warfare requiredphysical strength as well as skill. Soldierswore heavy suits of mail—flexible, cloth-likearmor made from tiny loops of iron. Theycarried massive, double-edged, iron swordsperfected by the Vikings. These swords wereused for slashing, not thrusting or

stabbing—which was a good thing, sincemail was easily pierced by a direct stab.

Bagpipes, which had been played formany centuries before Macbeth’s time, weregreat spirit-raisers for Scottish warriors. Thepipes’ shrill martial music stirred the bloodand readied men for battle. In fact, thebagpipe itself has sometimes been called aweapon of war.

If you were a commoner or peasant, youhad other things to think about than war.Just surviving in the rugged Scottishcountryside was no easy task. People mined,did metalwork and blacksmithing, fished,and raised large flocks of sheep and cattle.

If you were a woman, you would havespent a lot of your time spinning threadfrom wool or linen. Since spinning wheelshad not yet come to Scotland, you wouldhave used a tool called a drop spindle. First,you would pull out strands of wool or linen,then attach them to the spindle. Then youwould drop the spinning spindle so that thestrands twisted together into thread.

This was a time-consuming task becausea lot of thread was needed. Miles of it wereused to make even a simple jacket. Sospinning was an important activity thatwasn’t restricted to women or commoners.Even some noblemen are said to have doneit.

The Scottish were also skilled weaversand embroiderers, and made attractive,patterned clothing from the thread theyspun. Not much is known about Scottishclothing of this period, since no exampleshave survived. Nobles of the time might have


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worn plaid to show what clan they belongedto. But the famous Highland kilt would notappear for several more centuries.

Jewelry, very important in Scottish life,was made by both male and femalecommoners. Handsome brooches were usedto fasten clothing, and both men and womenwore necklaces.

Along with semi-precious jewels,necklaces were strung with amber, bits ofbone, and glass beads. Depending on yourreligion, you might have worn either aChristian crucifix or the image of a Norsegod on a necklace. You might even haveworn both if you believed in both theChristian and Norse religions—as Macbethhimself may have done during part of hislife.

If you were a commoner, making clothesand jewelry could be a source of income. Butyou wouldn’t sell your wares for money.Coins wouldn’t be used in Scotland until the12th century. Instead, you would have tradedor bartered your crafted goods.

You also would have done most of yourcooking out-of-doors. A cauldron of potteryor metal (not unlike the one used by thewitches in Macbeth) was held by chains over abed of embers. To adjust the heat, you raisedor lowered the cauldron.

You could cook several things at once ina cauldron. While you were boiling orroasting meat, you could also cookvegetables—either by putting them in a clothbag and into the cauldron, or by steamingthem above the cauldron.

Commoners’ ovens were also out-of-doors. The walls of these ovens were made ofstones, with a single slab of rock across thetop. Grassy soil was piled around the stonewalls for insulation. The top slab was eithercovered with soil or left bare for use as astove. Kings and nobles had similar ovensinside their castles.

Despite all his historical inaccuracies,Shakespeare did get one thing right. At theend of Macbeth, he hints that Scotland is infor some serious changes now that Malcolmhas become king. Indeed, Scotland changeda great deal after Macbeth’s death.

Macbeth’s successor, Malcolm III, hadlived for many years in England and wasmarried to an English princess namedMargaret. Even though Malcolm frequentlyraided and invaded England, Malcolm andhis queen began to bring English ways andcustoms to Scotland. Little by little, Englishwould replace Gaelic as Scotland’s firstlanguage. As the centuries passed, Scotlandwould struggle and often fight to maintainits separate identity—both culturally andpolitically.

By Shakesepare’s time, Scotland andEngland were coming closer together—especially when a Scotsman named Jamesbecame King of England in 1603. In 1707,after centuries of war and bloodshed,Scotland, England, and Wales all becamepart of a single nation called the Kingdom ofGreat Britain. Scottish independence hadcome to an end.


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The overwhelming presence of evil inMacbeth raises an interesting question:Just how wicked was the historicalMacbeth? Shakespeare was not a writer tolet the facts stand in the way of a goodstory; the real Macbeth was not themurderous tyrant portrayed in his play.

According to less biased accounts,Macbeth ruled Scotland wisely andeffectively from 1040 to 1057. His people

prospered duringhis reign, andhe broughtan end to a

long conflictbetween the

Scottish Church andthe Pope. Macbeth and

his wife generouslysupported monasteries, andhe even made a pilgrimage to

Rome. Perhaps most significantly, he wasthe last Scottish king to devote himself tothe language and traditions of the Celts,a people who periodically dominated theBritish Isles throughout antiquity.

Macbeth did kill his predecessorDuncan. But he did so in open combat,not while Duncan lay asleep. Moreover,Duncan was not the pious and kind rulerShakespeare made him out to be. Heruled for only six years, and according tocontemporary accounts, he did so verybadly. He was cruel and aggressive,involving Scotland in a long war thatcaused his people great suffering.

Perhaps worst of all, he was simply notvery capable. When Macbeth defeatedDuncan and assumed the throne, theScottish people rightly expected bettertimes.

So Shakespeare did with Macbeth ashe had already done with Richard III—hetook a basically decent ruler anddemonized him. But Shakespeare did notcreate this murderous, tyrannicalMacbeth from scratch. Much of thelegend had been around for many years.Why and how did it come about?

According to a familiar saying, historyis always written by victors. WhenMacbeth was killed by Malcolm, Duncan’sfamily was permanently restored to thethrone. Not surprisingly, this line ofroyalty was anxious to have its legitimacyhonored. Any kind words historians hadto say about Macbeth were repressed.Even Shakespeare had political reasonsfor giving a negative portrayal ofMacbeth. King James I traced his lineageback not only to the mythical Banquo butalso to Duncan himself.

Ornament from a Celtic illuminatedmanuscript

The story of Macbeth’s meeting with the threewitches was probably invented by the historianHector Boece (ca. 1465–1536). By Shakespeare’stime, the story was accepted as historical fact.

Holinshed’s Chronicles(1577)

Shakespeare’s Sources:The Legend of Macbeth


Three centuries after Macbeth’s reign, ahistorian named Hector Boece describedMacbeth as a bloodthirsty monster. Thisaccount was largely accepted by RaphaelHolinshed in his 1587 book Chronicles ofEngland, Scotlande, and Ireland.

Shakespeare used Holinshed’s Chroniclesas a source of information for all his playsdealing with British history, and Macbeth wasno exception. Holinshed told of the witches’prophecies and the accession of Banquo’sdescendants to the throne of Scotland. Butas dramatists will, Shakespeare took libertieswith his source. He combined Holinshed’saccount of Macbeth’s rise to power with thestory of Donwald, an earlier Scottish tyrantwho murdered King Duffe.

There Shakespeare found some of themost gripping elements of his drama. LikeShakespeare’s Macbeth, Donwald committed

his initial crime by night while the King wasa guest in his castle—a violation of thesacred rules of hospitality. Like Macbeth,Donwald was goaded to action by hisambitious and iron-willed wife.

However freely Shakespeare may haveplayed with historical facts, he wasreasonably faithful to the feudal, Celticpolitics of Macbeth’s time. Today’s audiencesmay be surprised by Macbeth’s alarm in Act Iwhen he hears Duncan declare his owneldest son, Malcolm, the heir to the Scottishthrone. We are used to royal succession byprimogeniture. This system automaticallymakes the eldest child (typically a male) theheir to all of a parent’s property—includinga crown. So why wouldn’t Malcolm rule afterhis father’s death?

In Scotland, the kingship was elective. Agroup of nobles (called thanes) were eligibleto rule because they were descendants ofKenneth Mac Alpine. This was the man who,

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Macbeth Timeline1039 King Duncan marches north

to put down Tofin’s rebellion;Macbeth kills Duncan atBothgowanan

1050 Macbeth and his wife are thefirst Scottish rulers to make alarge gift to the Church

1054 Siward defeats Macbeth inbattle; Macbeth flees to thenorth

1056 Macduff slays Macbeth1057 Malcolm Canmore becomes

King of Scotland

A Scottish king is crowned at Scone, wherethe country’s Celtic ruler traditionallyassumed the throne.

Holinshed’sChronicles (1577)


in the 9th century, united Scotland andbecame its first king. When a king died, anew ruler was elected from among thethanes. This system, while simple, seldom ransmoothly. Rebellion and assassination werecommon. Few Scottish kings died of old age.

So when Shakespeare’s Duncan namesMalcolm the Prince of Cumberland, heignores the normal process of succession.According to both history and legend,Macbeth had a stronger claim to the thronethan young Malcolm. Assassination wouldhave been an acceptable means of correctingthis wrong—although the deceitful murderin Shakespeare’s play would certainly haveoffended the Celtic warrior spirit.

Shakespearewas also correct insuggesting that anera of Scottishhistory ended withMacbeth’s death.His successorMalcolm III waseducated inEngland andsought militaryalliances with theEnglish. After

England was defeated byNormandy’s William the Conqueror

in 1066, Malcolm replaced the old Celticways with the new Anglo-Norman culture.Eventually, his successors thought ofthemselves as more French than Celt. Andwith the accession of James I to the Englishthrone in 1603, Scotland finally became partof Great Britain.

Excerpt from Holinshed’s Chronicles

Meeting the Witches[It happened that] as Makbeth and Banquhojournied towards Fores, where the king[Duncan] then laie, they went sporting by thewaie togither without other company, saveonlie themselves, passing thorough thewoods and fields, when suddenlie in themiddest of a laund, there met them threewomen in strange and wild apparell,resembling creatures of elder world, whomewhen they attentivelie beheld, wooderingmuch at the sight, the first of them spake andsaid; All haile Makbeth, thane of Glammis(for he had latelie entered into that dignitieand office by the death of his father Sinell).The second of them said; Haile Makbeththane of Cawder. But the third said; All haileMakbeth that heereafter shalt be king ofScotland.

Murdering the KingDonwald…conceived such an inward malicetowards the king (though he shewed it notoutwardlie at the first), that the samecontinued still boiling in his stomach, andceased not, till through setting on of hiswife…hee found meanes to murther the kingwithin the forsaid castell of Fores where heused to sojourne. For the king being in thatcountrie, was accustomed to lie mostcommonlie within the same castell, having aspeciall trust in Donwald, as a man whom henever suspected.

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Scottish castle with moat,drawbridge, and towers


Poor King James had a lot of troublewith witches.

His first run-in was in 1590. He was thenScotland’s King James VI and hadn’t yetbecome England’s King James I. While hewas sailing home from Denmark with hisnew wife, Queen Anne, a group of witchessupposedly conjured up a storm to sink hisship. When he and the queen survived, thewitches allegedly used a wax doll to cast afatal spell on him. Again, they failed.

More and more plots against his lifefollowed—and most of them were said toinvolve witchcraft.

Things didn’t settle down when hebecame the king of England. In 1605 camethe notorious Gunpowder Plot. In it, Catholicconspirators almost succeeded in blowing upKing James and the entire Englishgovernment with explosives. (See page 7.)

Now, using gunpowder to commitassassination may not exactly soundsupernatural. But gunpowder itself wasbelieved to be invented by the devil. And theplot was said to be hatched during a BlackMass.

Small wonder that James I was obsessedby witchcraft. He even wrote a book about itcalled Demonology.

Witches were nothing new in the times ofKing James. Nor were they to be found onlyin the British Isles. Stories of people—especially women—with dangerous,supernatural powers can be found in allplaces and cultures. And they go all the wayback to ancient times.

The Ancient Greeks told the story of abeautiful witch named Medea. Medea used

magic against her own father and brothers tosave the life of her lover, the hero Jason.Later, when Jason wanted to marry anotherwoman, Medea slew his would-be bride witha magical dress and crown.

The Old Testament also contains manyreferences to witches. According to the bookof 1 Samuel, King Saul went to the Witch ofEndor to summon a spirit for advice. Andthe book of Exodus includes the famouscommandment, “Thou shalt not suffer awitch to live.”

But it was only with the coming ofChristianity that fear of witches becamewidespread. The leaders of the earlyChristian church assured their followers thatwitches were powerless and not to be feared.Even so, uneducated Christians grew moreand more fearful of witches as their religionspread through Europe. Between the 12thand 15th centuries, the church itself wasdetermined to stamp out witchcraft.

Accused witches were thought to commitall kinds of unholy crimes, including theworship of Satan and the practice ofnecromancy. Necromancy involved the useof human corpses or body parts to castspells.

King James wrote about necromancy inDemonology. He said that witchesdismembered “dead corpses…to makepowders thereof, mixing such other thingsthere-amongst as he gives unto them.”

Shakespeare had read James’ book andrefers to necromancy in Macbeth. On page 31the second witch boasts, “Here I have apilot’s thumb, / Wrack’d as homeward hedid come.” And of course, it was typically

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Of Witches and Witchcraft


witch-like behavior to hang around abattlefield, where human corpses were inhearty supply.

The very idea of such practices terrifiedordinary people. Unfortunately, theyresorted to equally terrifying practices to getrid of witches.

Imagine yourself a European peasantduring medieval times or the Renaissance.You’re walking down the road one day, and agrouchy old neighbor woman says somethingnasty to you. Then, a day or two later, one ofyour children takes sick. You come to theconclusion that the woman’s nasty remarkwas some kind of evil spell.

If you told all this to the properauthorities, the woman might very well becharged with witchcraft—and possiblytortured and executed.

Of course, she might first be tested forinnocence or guilt. But such tests were oftenquite horrible. In a trial by fire, a suspectedwitch had to walk a distance of nine feetwhile carrying a red-hot iron in her barehand. Her hand would then be bandaged,and the bandage removed after three days. Ifthe hand was badly scarred, this would beproof of witchcraft.

In a trial by water, a suspected witch wasbound hand and foot and thrown into ariver. Water was thought to be holy and pure.So if the suspect floated, it meant that thewater had rejected her as something evil.Therefore, she was truly a witch, anddeserved to be killed.

If she sank, it meant that the water hadaccepted her, which proved her innocence.

Of course, this wasn’t much help if thesuspect happened to drown.

Many people were executed forwitchcraft—sometimes by hanging,sometimes by burning at the stake. By far themajority of those were women.

Why were women so much more oftenaccused of witchcraft than men? “The reasonis easy,” wrote King James, “for as that sex isfrailer than man is, so is it easier to beentrapped in those gross snares of theDevil …”

The last great outburst of witch hysteriatook place in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692.This became the topic of another importantplay, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Thirtypeople were convicted of witchcraft, andnineteen were hanged.

During the three centuries since then,executions for witchcraft have becomealmost unheard-of. People tend to beincreasingly wary of weird accusations basedon superstitious beliefs.

Late in life, King James himself came todoubt the reality of witchcraft and blackmagic. Even so, he continued to believe thatthe very idea of witchcraft held tremendouspower over the human imagination. Today,we can still feel some of that awful power inShakespeare’s Macbeth.

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THEMES IN MACBETHA theme is an author’s ongoing topic,

idea, or concern. Below is just a sampling ofthree themes (the problem of evil; the powerof guilt and fear; illusion and reality) thatShakespeare deals with in this thematicallyrich play.

The Problem of EvilIn his four greatest tragedies—Hamlet,

Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth—Shakespeareseems obsessed with the problem of evil, andasks the sorts of questions we all ask about it:Why is there evil in the world? What drivespeople to commit evil deeds? Is goodstronger than evil? By taking us into themind of a murderer, Macbeth explores suchquestions with great intensity.

What starts Macbeth and Lady Macbethon their murderous careers? Ambition is thetrigger. Their dialogue hints that theydiscussed the possibility of killing Duncaneven before the action of the play began.

Macbeth may yield to evil, but he is not acompletely evil man. So before he killsDuncan, he hopes that one murder willfulfill his ambitions. Then he can be a goodking and a good man.

But evil doesn’t work that way. TheElizabethans believed in a “chain of vice,” bywhich crime leads to more crime, andmurder leads to more murder. Macbeth fullyrealizes this after he’s seen Banquo’s ghost:“It will have blood, they say; blood will haveblood” (III, iv).

From that time on, Macbeth’s evil deeds

seem to have a will of their own. He can’tstop himself from carrying out ever moremonstrous crimes: “I am in blood / Stepp’din so far that, should I wade no more, /Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (III,iv). And Macbeth’s crimes grow worse andworse. He begins by slaying a king in hissleep, and eventually orders the deaths ofwomen and children. Late in the play,characters hint that Macbeth has committedatrocities too horrible to describe: “Each newmorn / New widows howl, new orphans cry,new sorrows / Strike heaven on the face…”(IV, iii).

The Power of Guilt and FearElizabethans believed that the “chain of

vice” led to “remorse of conscience.” And it’ssomething of a scholarly cliché that Macbethis tortured by a bad conscience.

There can be no doubt that Macbeth istortured by his own evil deeds. He cannotsleep, and he becomes desperately lonely.Late in the play, he can trust no one, andcomplains that “honour, love, obedience,troops of friends, / I must not look to have…” (V, iii). He becomes increasinglyestranged even from his wife, until he finallylacks the capacity to even grieve at the newsof her death: “She should have diedhereafter” (V, v).

What of Lady Macbeth? As tough andruthless as she seems at the beginning of theplay, Macbeth’s wife is capable of genuinecompassion. In II, ii, she can’t bring herselfto murder Duncan because he looks like herfather. And as she slips into madness later in

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Themes and Imagery


the play, she is haunted by pity for herhusband’s victims: “The Thane of Fife had awife. Where is she now?” (V, i). Lessimaginative than her husband, LadyMacbeth is nevertheless more vulnerablethan he is to “remorse of conscience.”

Illusion and RealityIn life, things are often not what they

seem. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is one of theworld’s great artistic statements of this idea.

In the very first scene, the witches tell usexactly what to expect: “Fair is foul, and foulis fair…” Illusion and paradox will abound inthe world of this play. (A paradox is when astatement or idea seems contradictory andimpossible—and yet, somehow, might reallybe true.) Macbeth eerily echoes the witches’words with his very first line: “So foul andfair a day I have not seen.”

Illusions and deceptions keep piling upafter that. In Act I, King Duncan learns thathis trusted friend, the Thane of Cawdor, hasrebelled against him. “There’s no art / Tofind the mind’s construction in the face,”sighs Duncan (I, iv). Or as the old sayingputs it, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”Duncan doesn’t learn this lesson wellenough to save himself from the seeminglytrustworthy Macbeth.

Even Macbeth’s castle is deceptive inappearance. Far from being dank, gloomy,and forbidding (as it is often designed—incorrectly—in productions), it is actually acheerful place—at least at first. “This castlehath a pleasant seat,” (I, iv) observesDuncan.

Who would guess that those walls harbora diabolical plot? And who would guess thatMacbeth and his wife—the perfect host andhostess—are planning to murder their royalguest?

Even before he murders Duncan, thehyper-imaginative Macbeth has troubletelling illusion from reality, complaining that“nothing is but what is not” (I, iii). And isthat a real knife hovering in the air beforehe murders Duncan, or just a “dagger of themind” (II, i)? And is that really the slainBanquo at his feast, or just a hallucination?

Macbeth is goaded on by the witches,who are agents of illusion as well as evil.They assure Macbeth that his downfall willcome only with two miracles. They promisethat “none of woman born / Shall harmMacbeth”—and also, that “Macbeth shallnever vanquish’d be until / Great BirnamWood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall comeagainst him” (IV, i).

Neither of these “miracles” reallyhappens. Birnam Wood only appears tomove toward Dunsinane when Malcolm’ssoldiers carry branches from its trees. Andthe other prophecy is but a trick with words.Macduff, who kills Macbeth, is not theoffspring of some goddess or monster, butan ordinary mortal who was from his“mother’s womb / Untimely ripp’d” (V, vii).In our own time, countless babies come intothe world by cesarean section; nobody claimsthat they are not “of woman born.” Thewitches use illusions, half-truths, andoutright lies to spread evil in the world.

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By the end of the play, Macbeth is amystery even to himself. The one thing heknows for certain is that he is lost in a worldof lies and illusions: “Life’s but a walkingshadow, a poor player / That struts and fretshis hour upon the stage / And then is heardno more” (V, v).

IMAGERYImagery refers to sensory language.

Shakespeare often uses vivid imagery todevelop his thematic ideas. Consider howthe following images (night and darkness;sleep and death; clothing; violence andbloodshed) reflect on the themes discussedabove.

Macbeth is full of images of night anddarkness. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbethsummon darkness to hide their misdeeds.Upon receiving news of the witches’prophecies, Lady Macbeth exclaims, “Come,thick night, / And pall thee in the dunnestsmoke of hell, / That my keen knife see notthe wound it makes …” (I, v). “Stars, hideyour fires,” cries Macbeth, soon aftermeeting the witches—for he desperatelyhopes that darkness can hide his crimes evenfrom himself: “The eye wink at the hand, yetlet that be, / Which the eye fears, when it isdone, to see” (I, iv).

As if obeying Macbeth and his wife,darkness descends with a vengeance afterDuncan’s death. As Ross observes, “By th’clock, ’tis day, / And yet dark night stranglesthe travelling lamp” (II, iv). Scotland will notsee daylight again until Macbeth’s violentrule has ended.

Sleep and DeathUpon killing Duncan, Macbeth hears a

voice exclaim, “Sleep no more! / Macbethdoes murder sleep” (II, ii). And from thattime on, Macbeth sleeps little if at all, asLady Macbeth observes after the banquetscene: “You lack the season of all natures,sleep” (III, iv).

Like all insomniacs, Macbeth can’t stopthinking and talking about sleep. Perversely,he hopes that his next crime will make itpossible for him to sleep again. “Thou shaltnot live,” he says of Macduff, “That I may tellpale-hearted fear it lies, / And sleep in spiteof thunder” (IV, i).

The imagery of the play often links sleepwith death. After Lady Macbeth drugsDuncan’s guards, they sleep so soundly “Thatdeath and nature do contend about them /Whether they live or die” (I, ii). WhenMacbeth is afraid to return to the scene ofDuncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth scolds him,“The sleeping and the dead / Are but aspictures” (II, ii). And after finding Duncan’scorpse, Macduff cries out to everybody in thecastle, “Shake off this downy sleep, death’scounterfeit, / And look on death itself!” (II,iii).

ClothingMacbeth is a usurper and tyrant at heart,

even before he becomes king. So the titlesand honors that come to him during theplay don’t suit him well. Shakespearesuggests this with images of ill-fittingclothing.

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In I, iii, when Ross and Angus arrive totell Macbeth that he is now the Thane ofCawdor, Macbeth replies, “Why do you dressme / In borrow’d robes?” In the same scene,Banquo observes of Macbeth, “New honourscome upon him, / Like our strangegarments, cleave not to their mould / Butwith the aid of use.” And as the rebel armiesclose in on Macbeth, Angus observes, “Nowdoes he feel his title / Hang loose abouthim, like a giant’s robe / Upon a dwarfishthief” (V, ii).

In an odd episode late in the play,Macbeth has trouble deciding what clothesto wear. He asks an attendant bring him hisarmor so he can go into the battle, thenbegins to put it on over his regal clothing.But when he’s partly dressed in his armor, hecommands, “Pull’t off, I say,” then, “Bring itafter me” (V, iii). This indecision suggestsMacbeth’s discomfort with what he’sbecome—not a king or a soldier, but avicious killer.

Violence and BloodshedDuncan’s first line in I, ii (“What bloody

man is that?”) tips us off that Macbeth isgoing to be an unusually violent play.Indeed, starting with Duncan’s line, the word“blood” occurs in one form or another about40 times in the text.

Beginning with Duncan’s murder, sevencharacters die violent deaths—includingLady Macbeth, who commits suicide.Appropriately, much of the play’s imageryevokes violence and bloodshed.

To fill us with horror at Macbeth’s crimesagainst the innocent, violent imagery issometimes linked to images of children andbabies. For example, Lady Macbeth imagineskilling her own infant: “I would, while it wassmiling in my face, / Have pluck’d mynipple from his boneless gums / And dash’dthe brains out …” (I, vii).

Macbeth’s hyperactive imagination leadshim to envision truly apocalyptic bloodshedand violence. (Apocalyptic means having todo with the end of the world.) Were he to tryto wash his hands clean, he imagines that hewould fill the oceans with blood: “This myhand will rather / The multitudinous seas inincarnadine, / Making the green one red”(II, ii).

Near the end of the play, Macbeth isexhausted from his own reign of terror. “Ihave supp’d full with horrors,” he says (V, v).We in the audience may feel that we have,too.

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