Macbeth is one of the most studied of William Shakespeare's tragic plays and yet, despite its constant place in the school classroom, it still holds a power to harrow its audience. Based on the story of a historial warrior Scot--both his assasination of the king and ascension to the throne--it manages to balance both its supernatural elements with an extended and precise psychological study.
In it, Shakespeare examines the dangers of ambition, the means by which a country and an individual can disintegrate, and the great power of the human conscience. Representing the dangers of interrupting the natural progression of kingship, the play is also one of the most searing portrayals of evil ever written.
Overview: Macbeth
At the start of the play, Macbeth is a great general, who returns home from war. On his way across the heath he encounters three witches who tell him that he will be king one day. That night the rightful King sleeps as a guest in Macbeth's house. Urged on by his wife, Macbeth assassinates him, blaming the crime on his guards. Out of fear for their lives, the King's two sons flee and Macbeth is named King in their place.
From the moment that the crown is placed upon his head, however, Macbeth fears that his crime will be discovered and he acts to save his position. In the process, he kills his best friend, Banquo (among others). But, his final demise is already assured, as one of the princes flees to England, raises an army, and returns to Scotland. In the final battle, he beheads Macbeth, an act that returns the usurped royal crown to its rightful bloodline.
Overview: Macbeth
At the start of the play, Macbeth is a great general, who returns home from war. On his way across the heath he encounters three witches who tell him that he will be king one day. That night the rightful King sleeps as a guest in Macbeth's house. Urged on by his wife, Macbeth assassinates him, blaming the crime on his guards. Out of fear for their lives, the King's two sons flee and Macbeth is named King in their place.
From the moment that the crown is placed upon his head, however, Macbeth fears that his crime will be discovered and he acts to save his position. In the process, he kills his best friend, Banquo (among others). But, his final demise is already assured, as one of the princes flees to England, raises an army, and returns to Scotland. In the final battle, he beheads Macbeth, an act that returns the usurped royal crown to its rightful bloodline.
Who is to Blame?: Macbeth
Supernatural elements play a large part in the drama, but Shakespeare makes it quite clear that Macbeth is to blame for his descent into blood and tyranny. Although the famous witches scene sets the events of the play in motion, Macbeth (along with his wife) ultimately accepts the temptations of evil and the terrible fate that accompanies that choice. Mirroring the religious controversy of the time, Shakespeare puts Macbeth at the heart of the debate between pre-destination and free will, with the Scottish play placed firmly on the side of the latter.
Although some critics have called Macbeth a tragedy of ambition, the drama can be more aptly labelled one of the foremost treatments of fear in Western literature. Macbeth becomes King, but he is never content with his crown. Fear overshadows everything he does: fear for the continuation of his bloodline, fear that he will be disposed, fear that he will never again face the peaceful balm of sleep because of his evil acts.
With that terrible burden of fear, Macbeth slowly disintegrates as a man. The all-pervasive fear also affects Lady Macbeth who, in that famous scene, goes mad. Sleep-walking, she desperately tries to clean the imaginary blood from her hands.
Supernatural elements play a large part in the drama, but Shakespeare makes it quite clear that Macbeth is to blame for his descent into blood and tyranny. Although the famous witches scene sets the events of the play in motion, Macbeth (along with his wife) ultimately accepts the temptations of evil and the terrible fate that accompanies that choice. Mirroring the religious controversy of the time, Shakespeare puts Macbeth at the heart of the debate between pre-destination and free will, with the Scottish play placed firmly on the side of the latter.
Although some critics have called Macbeth a tragedy of ambition, the drama can be more aptly labelled one of the foremost treatments of fear in Western literature. Macbeth becomes King, but he is never content with his crown. Fear overshadows everything he does: fear for the continuation of his bloodline, fear that he will be disposed, fear that he will never again face the peaceful balm of sleep because of his evil acts.
With that terrible burden of fear, Macbeth slowly disintegrates as a man. The all-pervasive fear also affects Lady Macbeth who, in that famous scene, goes mad. Sleep-walking, she desperately tries to clean the imaginary blood from her hands.
Caution and Bloody Mayhem ... Power: Macbeth
Like all of Shakespeare's greatest plays, Macbeth looks outward to society as well as into the soul of its protagonist. It forms a cautionary tale, warning of the dangers when men break with the natural order of kingship.
The play's imagery is shot through with blood, (Macbeth at one point says, "I am in blood / Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more / Returning were as tedious as go o'er"). Shakespeare makes clear that the kingdom Scotland has been turned into a blood bath. The torment in Macbeth's mind is explicitly linked to the torment of the people who live under his rule; and his death finally promises a return to an era of peace.
Macbeth is a play of startling power, and probably the closest thing Shakespeare wrote to a modern work of art. The crispness of the language, the fast-moving pace of the plot make it feel, at times, like a modern political thriller. What's more, in Macbeth he has created a psychological study of a man tormented by his own propensity for evil, and in Lady Macbeth a character that has obdured in legend, and that actresses of all ages want most to play.
Like all of Shakespeare's greatest plays, Macbeth looks outward to society as well as into the soul of its protagonist. It forms a cautionary tale, warning of the dangers when men break with the natural order of kingship.
The play's imagery is shot through with blood, (Macbeth at one point says, "I am in blood / Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more / Returning were as tedious as go o'er"). Shakespeare makes clear that the kingdom Scotland has been turned into a blood bath. The torment in Macbeth's mind is explicitly linked to the torment of the people who live under his rule; and his death finally promises a return to an era of peace.
Macbeth is a play of startling power, and probably the closest thing Shakespeare wrote to a modern work of art. The crispness of the language, the fast-moving pace of the plot make it feel, at times, like a modern political thriller. What's more, in Macbeth he has created a psychological study of a man tormented by his own propensity for evil, and in Lady Macbeth a character that has obdured in legend, and that actresses of all ages want most to play.
