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Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 25, 2020 • ( 0 )

Macbeth . . . is done upon a stronger and more systematic principle of contrast than any other of Shakespeare’s plays. It moves upon the verge of an abyss, and is a constant struggle between life and death. The action is desperate and the reaction is dreadful. It is a huddling together of fierce extremes, a war of opposite natures which of them shall destroy the other. There is nothing but what has a violent end or violent beginnings. The lights and shades are laid on with a determined hand; the transitions from triumph to despair, from the height of terror to the repose of death, are sudden and startling; every passion brings in its fellow-contrary, and the thoughts pitch and jostle against each other as in the dark. The whole play is an unruly chaos of strange and forbidden things, where the ground rocks under our feet. Shakespear’s genius here took its full swing, and trod upon the farthest bounds of nature and passion.

—William Hazlitt, Characters of Shakespeare’s Plays

Macbeth completes William Shakespeare’s great tragic quartet while expanding, echoing, and altering key elements of Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear into one of the most terrifying stage experiences. Like Hamlet, Macbeth treats the consequences of regicide, but from the perspective of the usurpers, not the dispossessed. Like Othello, Macbeth centers its intrigue on the intimate relations of husband and wife. Like Lear, Macbeth explores female villainy, creating in Lady Macbeth one of Shakespeare’s most complex, powerful, and frightening woman characters. Different from Hamlet and Othello, in which the tragic action is reserved for their climaxes and an emphasis on cause over effect, Macbeth, like Lear, locates the tragic tipping point at the play’s outset to concentrate on inexorable consequences. Like Othello, Macbeth, Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, achieves an almost unbearable intensity by eliminating subplots, inessential characters, and tonal shifts to focus almost exclusively on the crime’s devastating impact on husband and wife.

What is singular about Macbeth, compared to the other three great Shakespearean tragedies, is its villain-hero. If Hamlet mainly executes rather than murders, if Othello is “more sinned against than sinning,” and if Lear is “a very foolish fond old man” buffeted by surrounding evil, Macbeth knowingly chooses evil and becomes the bloodiest and most dehumanized of Shakespeare’s tragic protagonists. Macbeth treats coldblooded, premeditated murder from the killer’s perspective, anticipating the psychological dissection and guilt-ridden expressionism that Feodor Dostoevsky will employ in Crime and Punishment . Critic Harold Bloom groups the protagonist as “the culminating figure in the sequence of what might be called Shakespeare’s Grand Negations: Richard III, Iago, Edmund, Macbeth.” With Macbeth, however, Shakespeare takes us further inside a villain’s mind and imagination, while daringly engaging our sympathy and identification with a murderer. “The problem Shakespeare gave himself in Macbeth was a tremendous one,” Critic Wayne C. Booth has stated.

Take a good man, a noble man, a man admired by all who know him—and destroy him, not only physically and emotionally, as the Greeks destroyed their heroes, but also morally and intellectually. As if this were not difficult enough as a dramatic hurdle, while transforming him into one of the most despicable mortals conceivable, maintain him as a tragic hero—that is, keep him so sympathetic that, when he comes to his death, the audience will pity rather than detest him and will be relieved to see him out of his misery rather than pleased to see him destroyed.

Unlike Richard III, Iago, or Edmund, Macbeth is less a virtuoso of villainy or an amoral nihilist than a man with a conscience who succumbs to evil and obliterates the humanity that he is compelled to suppress. Macbeth is Shakespeare’s greatest psychological portrait of self-destruction and the human capacity for evil seen from inside with an intimacy that horrifies because of our forced identification with Macbeth.

Although there is no certainty in dating the composition or the first performance of Macbeth, allusions in the play to contemporary events fix the likely date of both as 1606, shortly after the completion and debut of King Lear. Scholars have suggested that Macbeth was acted before James I at Hampton Court on August 7, 1606, during the royal visit of King Christian IV of Denmark and that it may have been especially written for a royal performance. Its subject, as well as its version of Scottish history, suggest an effort both to flatter and to avoid offending the Scottish king James. Macbeth is a chronicle play in which Shakespeare took his major plot elements from Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (1587), but with significant modifications. The usurping Macbeth’s decade-long (and largely successful) reign is abbreviated with an emphasis on the internal and external destruction caused by Macbeth’s seizing the throne and trying to hold onto it. For the details of King Duncan’s death, Shakespeare used Holinshed’s account of the murder of an earlier king Duff by Donwald, who cast suspicion on drunken servants and whose ambitious wife played a significant role in the crime. Shakespeare also eliminated Banquo as the historical Macbeth’s co-conspirator in the murder to promote Banquo’s innocence and nobility in originating a kingly line from which James traced his legitimacy. Additional prominence is also given to the Weird Sisters, whom Holinshed only mentions in their initial meeting of Macbeth on the heath. The prophetic warning “beware Macduff” is attributed to “certain wizards in whose words Macbeth put great confidence.” The importance of the witches and the occult in Macbeth must have been meant to appeal to a king who produced a treatise, Daemonologie (1597), on witch-craft.

The uncanny sets the tone of moral ambiguity from the play’s outset as the three witches gather to encounter Macbeth “When the battle’s lost and won” in an inverted world in which “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” Nothing in the play will be what it seems, and the tragedy results from the confusion and conflict between the fair—honor, nobility, duty—and the foul—rank ambition and bloody murder. Throughout the play nature reflects the disorder and violence of the action. Opening with thunder and lightning, the drama is set in a Scotland contending with the rebellion of the thane (feudal lord) of Cawdor, whom the fearless and courageous Macbeth has vanquished on the battlefield. The play, therefore, initially establishes Macbeth as a dutiful and trusted vassal of the king, Duncan of Scotland, deserving to be rewarded with the rebel’s title for restoring peace and order in the realm. “What he hath lost,” Duncan declares, “noble Macbeth hath won.” News of this honor reaches Macbeth through the witches, who greet him both as the thane of Cawdor and “king hereafter” and his comrade-in-arms Banquo as one who “shalt get kings, though thou be none.” Like the ghost in Hamlet , the Weird Sisters are left purposefully ambiguous and problematic. Are they agents of fate that determine Macbeth’s doom, predicting and even dictating the inevitable, or do they merely signal a latency in Macbeth’s ambitious character?

When he is greeted by the king’s emissaries as thane of Cawdor, Macbeth begins to wonder if the first predictions of the witches came true and what will come of the second of “king hereafter”:

This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, Why hath it given me earnest of success Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature? Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings: My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is But what is not.

Macbeth will be defined by his “horrible imaginings,” by his considerable intellectual and imaginative capacity both to understand what he knows to be true and right and his opposed desires and their frightful consequences. Only Hamlet has as fully a developed interior life and dramatized mental processes as Macbeth in Shakespeare’s plays. Macbeth’s ambition is initially checked by his conscience and by his fear of the unforeseen consequence of violating moral laws. Shakespeare brilliantly dramatizes Macbeth’s mental conflict in near stream of consciousness, associational fashion:

If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly. If th’assassination Could trammel up the consequence, and catch With his surcease, success: that but this blow Might be the be all and the end all, here, But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, We’d jump the life to come. But in these cases We still have judgement here, that we but teach Bloody instructions which, being taught, return To plague th’inventor. This even-handed justice Commends th’ingredients of our poison’d chalice To our own lips. He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been So clear in his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels trumpet-tongued against The deep damnation of his taking-off, And pity, like a naked new-born babe, Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubin, horsed Upon the sightless couriers of the air, Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself And falls on the other.

Macbeth’s “spur” comes in the form of Lady Macbeth, who plays on her husband’s selfimage of courage and virility to commit to the murder. She also reveals her own shocking cancellation of gender imperatives in shaming her husband into action, in one of the most shocking passages of the play:

. . . I have given suck, and know How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn As you have done to this.

Horrified at his wife’s resolve and cold-blooded calculation in devising the plot, Macbeth urges his wife to “Bring forth menchildren only, / For thy undaunted mettle should compose / Nothing but males,” but commits “Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.”

With the decision to kill the king taken, the play accelerates unrelentingly through a succession of powerful scenes: Duncan’s and Banquo’s murders, the banquet scene in which Banquo’s ghost appears, Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking, and Macbeth’s final battle with Macduff, Thane of Fife. Duncan’s offstage murder contrasts Macbeth’s “horrible imaginings” concerning the implications and Lady Macbeth’s chilling practicality. Macbeth’s question, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?” is answered by his wife: “A little water clears us of this deed; / How easy is it then!” The knocking at the door of the castle, ominously signaling the revelation of the crime, prompts the play’s one comic respite in the Porter’s drunken foolery that he is at the door of “Hell’s Gate” controlling the entrance of the damned. With the fl ight of Duncan’s sons, who fear for their lives, causing them to be suspected as murderers, Macbeth is named king, and the play’s focus shifts to Macbeth’s keeping and consolidating the power he has seized. Having gained what the witches prophesied, Macbeth next tries to prevent their prediction that Banquo’s descendants will reign by setting assassins to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. The plan goes awry, and Fleance escapes, leaving Macbeth again at the mercy of the witches’ prophecy. His psychic breakdown is dramatized by his seeing Banquo’s ghost occupying Macbeth’s place at the banquet. Pushed to the edge of mental collapse, Macbeth steels himself to meet the witches again to learn what is in store for him: “Iam in blood,” he declares, “Stepp’d in so far that, should Iwade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er.”

The witches reassure him that “none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth” and that he will never be vanquished until “Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill / Shall come against him.” Confident that he is invulnerable, Macbeth responds to the rebellion mounted by Duncan’s son Malcolm and Macduff, who has joined him in England, by ordering the slaughter of Lady Macduff and her children. Macbeth has progressed from a murderer in fulfillment of the witches predictions to a murderer (of Banquo) in order to subvert their predictions and then to pointless butchery that serves no other purpose than as an exercise in willful destruction. Ironically, Macbeth, whom his wife feared was “too full o’ the milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way” to serve his ambition, displays the same cold calculation that frightened him about his wife, while Lady Macbeth succumbs psychically to her own “horrible imaginings.” Lady Macbeth relives the murder as she sleepwalks, Shakespeare’s version of the workings of the unconscious. The blood in her tormented conscience that formerly could be removed with a little water is now a permanent noxious stain in which “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten.” Women’s cries announcing her offstage death are greeted by Macbeth with detached indifference:

I have almost forgot the taste of fears: The time has been, my senses would have cool’d To hear a nightshriek, and my fell of hair Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir As life were in’t. Ihave supp’d full with horrors; Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts, Cannot once start me.

Macbeth reveals himself here as an emotional and moral void. Confirmation that “The Queen, my lord, is dead” prompts only the bitter comment, “She should have died hereafter.” For Macbeth, life has lost all meaning, refl ected in the bleakest lines Shakespeare ever composed:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

Time and the world that Macbeth had sought to rule are revealed to him as empty and futile, embodied in a metaphor from the theater with life as a histrionic, talentless actor in a tedious, pointless play.

Macbeth’s final testing comes when Malcolm orders his troops to camoufl age their movement by carrying boughs from Birnam Woods in their march toward Dunsinane and from Macduff, whom he faces in combat and reveals that he was “from his mother’s womb / Untimely ripp’d,” that is, born by cesarean section and therefore not “of woman born.” This revelation, the final fulfillment of the witches’ prophecies, causes Macbeth to fl ee, but he is prompted by Macduff’s taunt of cowardice and order to surrender to meet Macduff’s challenge, despite knowing the deadly outcome:

Yet I will try the last. Before my body I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff, And damn’d be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!”

Macbeth returns to the world of combat where his initial distinctions were honorably earned and tragically lost.

The play concludes with order restored to Scotland, as Macduff presents Macbeth’s severed head to Malcolm, who is hailed as king. Malcolm may assert his control and diminish Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as “this dead butcher and his fiendlike queen,” but the audience knows more than that. We know what Malcolm does not, that it will not be his royal line but Banquo’s that will eventually rule Scotland, and inevitably another round of rebellion and murder is to come. We also know in horrifying human terms the making of a butcher and a fiend who refuse to be so easily dismissed as aberrations.

Macbeth Oxford Lecture by Emma Smith

Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Plays

Macbeth Ebook pdf (8MB)

Introduction to Macbeth

Macbeth is one of the well-known tragedies of William Shakespeare that was performed with the full title of The Tragedy of Macbeth. It is one of the plays written during the reign of James I to please him as he was the patron of Shakespeare’s acting troupe. The play was first performed in 1606. It was first published in the First Folio in 1623. Interestingly, Macbeth is also the shortest tragic play by Shakespeare, with no subplots . It was inspired by the story of Macbeth, King of Scotland, Macduff, and Duncan from the historical record found in Holinshed’s Chronicles, published in1587. The historical Macbeth is very different from Macbeth in the play. It dramatizes the psychological and physical impacts of the ambition a thane of Scotland harbors in his heart and then wreaks havoc with the appearance of order. Thus, creating chaos and disorder.

Summary of Macbeth

The play begins with the witches quickly appear and disappear. They plot and predict about meeting Macbeth, who would return after winning the battle against Thane of Cawdor.

King Duncan receives the testimonies of his conquering generals, Banquo and Macbeth, and the surrender of the rebel from a wounded soldier. His appreciation for both generals increase, and he decides to give all his land and the new title to Macbeth. As foretold in the beginning, after the battles, both the generals meet the witches when crossing the moor. Macbeth listens and believes when the witches predict that he will be the next Thane of Cawdor and eventually become the king. They address Macbeth Glamis, Cawdor, and the King of Scots. They also prophesy that Banquo’s descendants will become future kings. Their prophecy is filled with a puzzle as they call Banquo ‘lesser than Macbeth and greater’ and confuse him further by saying ‘Not so happy, yet much happier’. Macbeth demands answers for their prediction because Thane of Cawdor and King Duncan were still alive who held the title. However, the witches disappear without answering.

When Macbeth and Banquo discuss these prophecies, King Duncan’s representatives, Ross and Angus, arrive with the news. They tell that Macbeth is given the title of the Thane of Cawdor as a reward for winning the battle. Banquo and Macbeth are stunned as they see the witches’ first prophecy come true and wonder about the rest.

Later, they meet King Duncan at his castle, who praises both Macbeth and Banquo for their courage and devotion. King Duncan informs Macbeth about his plans to stay at his place at Iverness and also proclaims his son Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland. King Duncan, at that time, indirectly declares Malcolm as the next king of Scotland. Macbeth’s loyalty is replaced with the greed for the crown as he recalls the prophecies of the witches. He excuses himself to make arrangements for King Duncan’s visit Iverness.

Before King Duncan’s visit, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, learns about the prophecy. She resolves to be the queen and recalls the idea of killing King Duncan. She disapproves of Macbeth’s gentle nature and loyalty as a weakness. However, she does understand that Macbeth has always been ambitious with the desire to be the king. His mind is filled with excitement at the thought of killing the king. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth begin to plot, and she decides to murder King Duncan believing that Macbeth does not have enough courage.

King Duncan arrives with his sons, Banquo, Macduff, Lennox, and few more envoys. Banquo senses the ‘ moral decay’ at Macbeth’s place. Lady Macbeth greets the king and everyone else, and they hear King Duncan praise Macbeth once more. When Macbeth’s alone , he worries about his afterlife, wondering what kind of punishment he would receive for killing the king, who is a good man. At that moment, Lady Macbeth manipulates him emotionally and convinces him to murder King Duncan.

Surprisingly, Banquo feels uneasy during his stay. When he tries to talk to Macbeth about the witches’ prophecy, Macbeth refuses to discuss. Macbeth hallucinates a bloodied dagger as they drug the guards. While trying to commit the act, Lady Macbeth hesitates as King Duncan looks like her father. After killing the guards, Macbeth returns to kill the king. He hears someone cry out these final words ‘ Glamis hath murther’d sleep: and therefore Cawdor/Shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more! ‘. Though restless, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth pretends to sleep.

The next morning, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are composed and come to greet the others as if nothing happened. Macduff goes to the king’s chamber first and tells the others. Macbeth kills the guards before they can speak to maintain his innocence and push the blame on them. However, King Duncan’s sons Malcolm and Donalbain, know that their lives are in danger and run away from Scotland. Later, Malcolm goes to England and Donalbain goes to Ireland. Surprisingly the others believe that King Duncan’s sons were behind the murders as they have fled the crime scene. At the end of Act 2, Macbeth is crowned as the king.

After the coronation, Macbeth still lingers to the witches’ prophecies. He remembers that Banquo’s sons or descendants were meant to be the future kings. So, Macbeth hires assassins to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. Now , Macbeth has completely become evil by nature and willing to do anything to secure the throne. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth is overcome with guilt over the murders. When the assassins return, they inform him that Banquo is killed when but his son had escaped.

During a banquet, Banquo’s ghost appears to Macbeth, leaving him startled. The guests see Macbeth talking to an empty chair. Lady Macbeth tells the guests that he is suffering from a lack of sleep. Macbeth is back to self once the ghost disappears. However, during the stay, Banquo’s ghost reappears, making Macbeth hallucinate again. Lady Macbeth believes, Macbeth is going insane. There is a brief reappearance of witches where they further plot to fool Macbeth. They want him to be overconfident and proud of his evil nature.

Meanwhile, Lennox, one of the thanes under King Duncan and the lord, begins to suspect that Macbeth had murdered the king and Banquo. He, Macduff, along with King Edward, decides to support Malcolm.

The witches summon Macbeth and show him the future again. At first, they warn him about Macduff returning to Scotland. Next, they tell him that only a child not born from a woman can kill him. Finally, they show him a child wearing a crown and holding a tree. They tell him that unless the Great Birnam wood (forest) moves, Macbeth will not be killed. Though Macbeth’s confidence is restored, he asks the witches about the prophecy on Banquo’s descendants. During his confrontation with the witches, Banquo’s ghost is present, and the witches leave without giving him the answer. Lennox meets Macbeth at the cave and informs the alliance between Malcolm and Macduff with the English. Macbeth, in the fit of rage, decides to kill Macduff himself. Though the messenger tries to save Macduff’s family, at Macduff’s castle, Lady Macduff is killed, and his son tries to escape. Ross, one of the noblemen, informs Macduff about his family’s murder. As Macduff grieves over the death of his family, Malcolm, King Duncan’s son, asks Macduff to turn his sorrow into revenge.

Macbeth begins to prepare for the battle. Lady Macbeth is left alone and hallucinates, filled with guilt. Her maid brings a doctor, who advises her to get divine help. While Macbeth is prepared at the royal palace for the attack, Lennox rebels against him and waits for the English army.

Macbeth believes in the witches’ prophecy and remains overconfident. Recalling the first apparition shown by the witches, that nobody born of a woman could kill him, he remains anxious but unmoved. He worries about his wife, Lady Macbeth’s failing mental health.

On the other side, Malcolm asks the soldiers to cut the branch from the Birnam Wood to hide themselves. Later, Macbeth comes to know that the forest is moving towards his fort. Despite the growing tension, Macbeth remains arrogant and unmoved. Lady Macbeth commits suicide (which is shown off-stage).

Now , Macbeth heads to the battle with no choice. He learns that Macduff that he was born early by cesarean birth instead of natural birth. Hence the witches’ prophecies flash before his eyes. He realizes that the witched deceived him and doomed his life. He resolves to die and his beheaded by Macduff. In the end, Malcolm declares himself the king and invites the nobilities to Scone to crown him.

Major Themes in Macbeth

Ambition: At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is loyal. However, his over-ambitious nature leads him to lust for power . Macbeth, along with his wife, Lady Macbeth, murders King Duncan, Banquo, guards, and Macduff’s family. Their deaths are avenged by Malcolm and Macduff. So, they also lose their lives because of their ambition to take over the crown of Scotland. Shakespeare was inspired by 1605’s rebellion again King James 1 in England.
Supernatural Elements: The witches and their manipulating prophecies are the supernatural elements in Macbeth. The three witches are the harbinger of chaos and death. They corrupt overly ambitious Macbeth when they prophesy about him and Banquo. They declare that he will be king and Banquo’s descendants will be future kings. The prophecies change Macbeth and his wife and turn them into monstrous people. They kill the competitors for the throne. While the lead characters do not experience anything supernatural throughout the play, the incantation by witches sets the series of murders, suicide, and betrayals in the play.
Treachery and Betrayal: The play also displays betrayal and treachery. At first, Macbeth was a trustworthy general of King Duncan. He is corrupted by the witches and chooses to be treacherous and betrays King Duncan, who comes to Macbeth’s home as a guest. He kills the king and his friend, Banquo, as he gives in to the selfish desires. He betrays the family of Macduff too. Macbeth is also betrayed by his general, Lennox.
Crime: The witches’ prophecies manipulate Macbeth and his wife and turn them to criminals. Though they are bestowed with luxury and royalty, they commit heinous crimes because of their never-ending greed. Macbeth commits the first crime by killing his guest, King Duncan. Then he betrays his friend, Banquo, gets him killed and later target’s Macduff’s family. Hence, the play shows the world of crime until justice is done at the end, and Macbeth is beheaded.
Violence: The eerie atmosphere the play demonstrates, in the beginning, leads immediately to violence when Macbeth falls upon his guest, King Duncan, and then hires killers for his friend Banquo and his son. Even Lady Macbeth joins hands with him in these killings. The final assault of Macduff and Malcolm ends Macbeth and his treacherous fellows when he comes out of his fortress to fight them.
Conflict between Good and Evil: Macbeth and his wife represent evil, while King Duncan, his generals, Banquo, and Macduff represent the good. Shakespeare has shown that Lady Macbeth is schemer, just like the witches without magical powers. While her attempts to kill the king fails, Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to do the job by taunting him when he hesitates. However, ‘good’ is always victorious as the play ends when Macduff and his forces behead Macbeth as a punishment for his crimes.
Loyalty: When the play begins, Macbeth and Banquo show their loyalty to King Duncan by fighting for him. While Macbeth begins to corrupt his loyalty after the witches’ prophecies, Banquo resolves to ignore them to stay loyal to King Duncan. The play also shows Macduff’s and Malcolm’s loyalty to the people of Scotland and the dead king.
Guilt: Guilt is one of the major internal conflicts that move the play further. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suffer from guilt until their last breath. Lady Macbeth suffers from paranoia, hallucinations, and mental illness after King Duncan is murder. Macbeth feels guilty at first, and he is haunted by the past. He also sees Banquo’s ghost, which is the result of his guilt.
Statecrafts: It means government or control. The deaths of King Duncan, Banquo, guards, Macduff’s family were perfectly planned murders by power-hungry Macbeth and his wife. This shows that statecraft is an important theme of the play. Macbeth did not know the statecraft though he becomes a king. Hence he faced a rebellion by Lennox at the end. At the same time, Macduff and Malcolm, with the help of the King of England, defeat Macbeth and take over the kingdom.
Trust: In Macbeth, King Duncan trusts his generals, Macbeth, and Banquo. Sadly, his trust is broken when Macbeth and his wife plot and murder him. Banquo trusts Macbeth as they fought wars together. However, Macbeth kills him after he loses his mind over witches’ prophecies. On the other hand, Malcolm trusts Macduff, and together they win against Macbeth in the end.

Major Characters in Macbeth

Macbeth: At first, Macbeth, a Scottish army general. He and Banquo defeat the Thane of Cawdor. King Duncan bestows the title ‘Thane of Cawdor’ to Macbeth, just when he meets the three witches who cast a spell on him. The witches’ fake prophecies also turn him into a despicable person making him make terrible decisions to fulfill them. He is also manipulated by his wife and kills King Duncan. Once he becomes the king, he goes on a killing spree after revisiting the witches. As Macbeth was fooled and cursed by the witches, we can call him an anti-hero , with the qualities of both hero and a villain. At the end of the play, he receives the punishment for all the crimes he had committed when Macduff beheads him.
King Duncan: King Duncan is shown as one of the most generous kings. Sadly, King Duncan is stabbed to death by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth when they are cursed by the witches. He is a fatherly figure who was kind and caring for the Scottish. However, his gruesome murder shows his trusting nature cost him his life and many others.
Lady Macbeth: She is villainous by nature with immense strength. She mostly influences Macbeth’s decisions without worrying about the consequence. She also shows extraordinary femininity when she pushes Macbeth to kill anyone who comes in his ways of becoming the king. She even takes part in the killing of King Duncan. Eventually, she feels immense guilt for King Duncan’s death and becomes insane. She begins to sleepwalk and hallucinates bloodstains on her hand. When she could not bear the guilt, she commits suicide just before Macbeth is killed.
Malcolm and Donalbain: They are sons of King Duncan. They are forced to flee their separate ways after their father is murdered by Macbeth at his castle. At first, they do not retaliate immediately but suspect that Macbeth had intentionally killed their father. Since their life was also under threat, they leave Scotland, Malcolm goes to England and Donalbain takes refuge in Ireland.
Banquo: Banquo is a capable and trustworthy general of the Scottish army. He is also Macbeth’s friend, who fought with him against the Thane of Cawdor. Banquo is with him when the witches prophecy and curse Macbeth. Banquo discards his temptation of his descendants being the king and leaves the witches’ prophecies behind. He remains faithful to the kingdom. Sadly, Banquo is killed by the assassins hired by Macbeth. His Fleance escapes at the last minute.
Macduff: Macduff is one of Thanes of Scotland (Thane of Fife) and a loyal servant to King Duncan. He discovers King Duncan’s dead body and also suspects the foul play. Sadly, Macbeth kills his wife and son. He helps Malcolm get to reclaim the throne, along with Lennox and King Edward. Macduff reveals that he had a cesarean birth. Hence, as prophesied by witches, he kills Macbeth to avenge the deaths of his family and King Duncan.
Siward: Old Siward is the Earl of Northumberland, King Duncan’s brother, and Malcolm’s uncle. He lends his army to Malcolm to take the throne of Scotland back. Sadly, young Siward is killed by Macbeth just before the war ended.
Three Witches: The witches appear twice in the play to account for prophecies and set the ball of the action rolling. On both occasions, they have encouraged Macbeth to take the next step, involving him in a vicious cycle. This created mayhem in the orderly world of Scotland until Macbeth himself is killed.
Ross: He is Macduff’s cousin and a loyal noble of the Scottish Kingdom. Ross delivers Macbeth’s and Banquo’s victory of the war again, the King of Norway. After the witches’ first prophecy, Ross delivers the news of Macbeth’s new title. He is one of the thanes who leave Macbeth when Malcolm and Macduff arrive with the army.
Lady Macduff: Macduff’s wife, Lady Macduff, is the opposite of Lady Macbeth. She is loyal, kind, and has a family. When Macbeth becomes the king, he sends his army to kill her and her family. She displays her innocence by refusing to run away and is killed along with her son. Macduff avenges her death in the end.

Writing Style of Macbeth

The play, Macbeth, shows the language of magnificence, irony , and fluency through the dialogue of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. However, the language becomes mysterious, halting, and somewhat cryptic by the end of the play. When the play starts, the language is highly charged, and the readers/ audiences are given the foreshadowing of future events. Using diverse literary devices , Shakespeare has exquisitely demonstrated that even a villain could be win sympathy and become a hero of the play.

Analysis of Literary Devices in Macbeth

1. Alliteration : A play written in blank verse ; Macbeth shows many examples of the use of alliteration such as:

That will be ere the set of the sun. (Act-I, Scene-I, Line, 05)
That seems to speak things strange. (Act-I, Scene-II, Line, 46)
She should have died hereafter. (Act-V, Scene V, Line, 16)

The above lines taken from different acts show the use of alliteration, which means the use of consonant sounds in quick succession in a line. For example, /th/, /s/ and /s/ sounds are repeated in quick successions in the above lines.

2. Allegory : Macbeth is an allegory that shows how good and evil resides within men. It shows that when people believe in witchcraft or similar evil practices, they do not think about consequences. Here Macbeth shows that evil resides in man, and all he needed was a curse and a prophecy. Macbeth’s ambition turns to greed, and he kills King Duncan. However, goodness prevails by the end when Malcolm and Macduff kill Macbeth together with the assistance from England.

3. Assonance : The play, Macbeth, shows good use of assonance. For example,

Who like a good and hardy soldier fought (Act-I, Scene-II, Line, 4)
So well thy words become thee as thy wounds. (Act-I, Scene-II, Line, 44)
I’ll drain him as dry as hay (Act-I Scene-III, Lines, 19)

In the above examples, vowel sounds appear after some pauses in such a way that they create a sort of melodious impacts in the verses. The sounds of /oo/, /ee/ and /a/ are used in the above lines showing good use of assonance.

4. Antagonist : If Macbeth is taken as the protagonist , the play seems to revolve around him. Then every other character like Banquo and even Macduff are antagonists, stopping his progress. However, we see that Macbeth becomes an antagonist, the main villain of the play, after he is cursed by the witches.

5. Allusion : These lines show good use of allusions.

Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? . (Act-II, Scene-II, Lines, 78, 79)
Approach the chamber and destroy your sight With a new Gorgon. (Act-II, Scene-III, Lines, 82-83)

These lines show a reference to the earliest mythical figures. The first is a reference to Neptune, the Roman God of the seas, while the second refers to Medusa.

6. Conflict : There are two types of conflicts in Macbeth. The first one is the external conflict that goes on between Macbeth and his enemies, such as Fleance, Malcolm, and Macduff, after he murders King Duncan. The second is the internal conflict that goes on in the mind of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

7. Consonance : The play shows the use of consonance at various places such as;

Outran the pauser, reason. Here lay Duncan, his silver skin lac’d with his golden blood; and his gash’d stabs look’d like a breach in nature for ruin’s wasteful entrance. (Act-II, Scene-III, Lines, 114-116)
Fair is foul and foul is fair. (Act-I, Scene-I, Lines, 12)

In both examples, consonant sounds /s/ in the first and then /g/, /l/ and /f/ in the second reference has been repeated in the above lines.

8. Dramatic Irony : Dramatic Irony occurs at several places in Macbeth. For example, when Macbeth receives prophetic predictions from the witches, and King Duncan is unaware of this fact. Similarly, Macbeth is unaware that witches had cursed him and poured fuel to his greed.

9. Deus Ex Machina : Deus Ex Machina means the appearance of some supernatural elements. It happens at the beginning of the play that three witches appear to predict the future course of action for Macbeth. Later they prophesy about his death and defeat with strings of tricky conditions making Macbeth overconfident and a monster.

10. Foreshadowing: The first example of foreshadowing occurs in the very first action where the bloody battle continues. It shows that another somber murder is going to take place. Another example is when Macbeth hears some voices about losing his sleep when stabbing Duncan. It shows that he and his wife are going to face psychological issues.

11. Imagery : Imagery means to use vivid and descriptive language so that the reader can visualize the depth of the text. For example,

For brave Macbeth–well he deserves that name– Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution. . (Act-I, Scene-II, Lines 16-19)
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. (Act-IV, Scene -I, Line -I)
And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp. Is ’t night’s predominance or the day’s shame That darkness does the face of Earth entomb When living light should kiss it? (Act-II, Scene-IV, Lines 8-11)

These three examples show sensory images, showing the use of the sense of sight and sense of hearing.

12. Metaphor : Macbeth shows the regular use of various metaphors . For example,

“There’s nothing serious in mortality. All is but toys. (Act-II, Scene-III, Lines, 92-93)
The wine of life is drawn and the mere lees is left this vault to brag of. (Act-I, Scene-II, Lines, 192-5).

These are two beautiful metaphors among various other metaphors. The first one shows life compared with toys and second with wine.

13. Mood : The entire play of Macbeth shows different moods according to the situation. When the play opens, the appearance of supernatural elements and witches herald bloodshed and foul play. When it moves forward, it transforms into bloody fights and assassinations followed by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s psychological conflict that leads to suicide and death.

14. Protagonist: Macbeth is the main protagonist of the play as he causes not only envy for his position but also arouses pity and fear for his fall, though, he uses devious ways to achieve his goal.

15. Pun : Macbeth shows the use of the pun. For example,

We should have else desired your good advice, Which still18 hath been both grave and prosperous In this day’s council. (Act-III, Scene-I, Lines, 20-22)
Who did strike out the light? (Act-III, Scene-III, Line, 18)

In the first example, the king plays upon the word “grave” while in the second, the murderer plays upon “strike.”

16. Paradox : The play, Macbeth, also shows the use of paradoxes. For example,

When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain ? (Act-I, Scene-I, Lines, 1-2)
When the battle’s lost and won. (Act-I, Scene-I, Lines, 4)

Paradox means to use contradictory ideas in the same statement. For example, the first statement shows it in the second line as lightning and rain, and the second statement shows in using lost and won simultaneously.

17. Rhetorical Questions : The play, Macbeth, has several rhetorical questions. For example,

What, will these hands ne’er be clean?” (Act-V, Scene-I, Line, 46)
as the hope drunk Wherein you dressed yourself ? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale At what it did so freely?” (Act-III, Scene-IV, Line, 106)

These examples show the use of rhetorical questions mostly posed by the character of Lady Macbeth. They also show Shakespeare’s expertise in using rhetorical devices and couple them with other literary devices.

18. Simile : The play, Macbeth, shows the excellent use of various similes such as;

For brave Macbeth–well he deserves that name– disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution, like valor’s minion carved out his passage. (Act 1, Scene 2)

Here Macbeth’s ambitious character is compared to a puppet as he was cursed by the witches and did what they had been plotting before they curse him.

19. Soliloquy : The play shows some memorable soliloquies such as;

Two truths are told, As happy prologues to the swelling act Of the imperial theme. This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good: if ill, Why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor: (Act-I, Scene-III, Lines, 240-247)
If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly: if the assassination Could trammel up the consequence, and catch With his surcease success; that but this blow Might be the be-all and the end-all here, But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, We’ld jump the life to come. But in these cases We still have judgment here; that we but teach Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice Commends the ingredients of our poison’d chalice To our own lips.” (Act-I, Scene-VII, Lines, 474-485)
Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable As this which now I draw. (Act-II, Scene-I, Lines, 612-621)

These are some of the memorable soliloquies of Macbeth. The first two were delivered by Macbeth on different occasions to show how he is ready to act upon the prophecies. However, the third one sheds light on the Macbeth’s after he commits the crime of killing the king.

20. Verbal Irony : The play, Macbeth, shows verbal irony. For example,

There is no art To find the mind’s construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built An absolute trust. (Act-I, Scene-IV, Lines, 10-14)
Sirrah, your father’s dead. And what will you don now? How will you live?” (Act-IV, Scene-II, Lines, 30-31).

This use of verbal irony is apparent as the King says that he has absolute trust in Macbeth, and yet he has rebelled against him. In the second, Lady Macduff tells her son that her father is killed without showing that she has sensed the danger.

Macbeth Quotes
Macbeth Themes
Macbeth Characters
Macbeth Motifs
Song of the Witches: Double, Double Toil and Trouble
Speech: “Is this a dagger which I see before me
Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
10 Examples of Irony in Shakespeare
Twelfth Night Quotes
Twelfth Night Characters
Twelfth Night Themes
William Shakespeare
The Tempest Themes
The Tempest Quotes
The Tempest Characters
Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind
Sonnet 55: Not Marble nor the Gilded Monuments
Twelfth Night
Julius Caesar Quotes
Julius Caesar Themes
King Lear Characters
King Lear Themes
King Lear Quotes
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Taming of the Shrew
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Sonnet 11: As Fast As Thou Shalt Wane, So Fast Thou Grow’st
Sonnet 12: When I Do Count The Clock That Tells The Time
Sonnet 14: Not From The Stars Do I My Judgement Pluck
Sonnet 15: When I Consider Everything That Grows
Sonnet 10: For shame deny that thou bear’st love to any
Sonnet 16: But Wherefore Do Not You a Mightier Way
Sonnet 17: Who Will Believe My Verse in Time to Come

William Shakespeare

Literature Notes
Essay Questions
Macbeth at a Glance
Play Summary
About Macbeth
Character List
Summary and Analysis
Act I: Scene 1
Act I: Scene 2
Act I: Scene 3
Act I: Scene 4
Act I: Scene 5
Act I: Scene 6
Act I: Scene 7
Act II: Scene 1
Act II: Scene 2
Act II: Scene 3
Act II: Scene 4
Act III: Scene 1
Act III: Scene 2
Act III: Scene 3
Act III: Scene 4
Act III: Scene 5
Act III: Scene 6
Act IV: Scene 1
Act IV: Scene 2
Act IV: Scene 3
Act V: Scene 1
Act V: Scene 2
Act V: Scene 3
Act V: Scene 4
Act V: Scene 5
Act V: Scene 6
Act V: Scene 7
Act V: Scene 8
Act V: Scene 9
Character Analysis
Lady Macbeth
Character Map
William Shakespeare Biography
Critical Essays
Major Themes
Major Symbols and Motifs
Macbeth on the Stage
Famous Quotes
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Full Glossary
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Study Help Essay Questions

1. Agree or disagree with the following statement: " Macbeth is a play about courage, which asserts the triumph of good over evil." In answering this question, you should remember that courageous acts are not always motivated by virtue.

2. Examine to what extent Lady Macbeth is to blame for her husband's downfall. Discuss the relationship between the couple as the play develops.

3. Discuss whether Macbeth is truly a tragic figure.

4. Some people suggest that the porter scene is included only so that the actor playing Macbeth has time to wash the blood off his hands. Do you agree? Or do you think the scene serves other purposes? Explain your answer.

5. From your reading, explain what Shakespeare imagined to be the qualities of a good king. How do Duncan and Macbeth fit this role? How might Malcolm do so?

6. Consider the use that Shakespeare makes of supernatural elements in this play. Be sure to include the Witches, the dagger, Banquo's ghost, the apparitions, and the Old Man's observations in your assessment.

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The play examines the corrupting power of ambition. Whose ambition functions as the driving force of the narrative , Macbeth or Lady Macbeth? Why?

How do gender expectations and perceptions intersect with violence in the play? To what extent do characters play into or fight against gender roles?

The weather is an ever-present force in Macbeth. How does the weather reflect the emotional state of the characters? Of the trajectory of the play?

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Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Shakespeare's Macbeth . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Macbeth: Introduction

Macbeth: plot summary, macbeth: detailed summary & analysis, macbeth: themes, macbeth: quotes, macbeth: characters, macbeth: symbols, macbeth: literary devices, macbeth: quizzes, macbeth: theme wheel, brief biography of william shakespeare.

Historical Context of Macbeth

Other books related to macbeth.

Full Title: The Tragedy of Macbeth
When Written: 1606
Where Written: England
When Published: 1623
Literary Period: The Renaissance (1500 - 1660)
Genre: Tragic drama
Setting: Scotland and, briefly, England during the eleventh century
Climax: Some argue that the murder of Banquo is the play's climax, based on the logic that it is at this point that Macbeth reaches the height of his power and things begin to fall apart from there. However, it is probably more accurate to say that the climax of the play is Macbeth's fight with Macduff, as it is at this moment that the threads of the play come together, the secret behind the prophecy becomes evident, and Macbeth's doom is sealed.

Extra Credit for Macbeth

Shakespeare or Not? There are some who believe Shakespeare wasn't educated enough to write the plays attributed to him. The most common anti-Shakespeare theory is that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and used Shakespeare as a front man because aristocrats were not supposed to write plays. Yet the evidence supporting Shakespeare's authorship far outweighs any evidence against. So until further notice, Shakespeare is still the most influential writer in the English language.

by William Shakespeare

Macbeth essay questions.

Macbeth is often cited as a famous example of what the American sociologist Robert Merton called a “self-fulfilling prophecy.” Discuss how the mechanism of the witches’ prophecy works in terms of its self-fulfillment.

Macbeth Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Macbeth is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

The third which says that Banquo's sons shall be kings, Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none. So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!

Macbeth Act 1 Scene 3 questions

What is significant about the first words that Macbeth speaks in the play?

A motif or recurring idea in the play is equivocation. There is the balance of the dark and the light, the good and the bad. Macbeth's first line reflects this. It...

What news took the wind out of Macbeth's invincibility?

Macbeth rethinks his invincibility when MacDuff tells him that he was torn from his mother's womb.

Study Guide for Macbeth

Macbeth study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

About Macbeth
Macbeth Summary
Macbeth Video
Character List

Essays for Macbeth

Macbeth essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

Serpentine Imagery in Shakespeare's Macbeth
Macbeth's Evolution
Jumping the Life to Come
Deceptive Appearances in Macbeth
Unity in Shakespeare's Tragedies

Lesson Plan for Macbeth

About the Author
Study Objectives
Common Core Standards
Introduction to Macbeth
Relationship to Other Books
Bringing in Technology
Notes to the Teacher
Related Links
Macbeth Bibliography

E-Text of Macbeth

Macbeth e-text contains the full text of Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

Persons Represented
Act I, Scene I
Act I, Scene II
Act I, Scene III
Act I, Scene IV

Wikipedia Entries for Macbeth

Introduction
Sources for the play
Date and text

30 Macbeth Essay Topics

Most commonly assigned as required reading for high school and college students, Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. The play is set in medieval Scotland and chronicles the rise and fall of its eponymous protagonist, Macbeth, who murders his way to the throne but is ultimately undone by his ambition and paranoia.

While Macbeth can be a challenging read, it is also one of the most rewarding, offering a complex and multi-layered exploration of themes like ambition, morality, and fate.

If you are tasked with writing an essay on Macbeth, there are many possible essay writing formats you can use to analyze, compare, summarize, and discuss the play. This guide will walk you through writing a Macbeth essay and provide 30 Macbeth essay topics to get you started on your next writing assignment.

Argumentative Essay Writing for Macbeth

An argumentative essay is a type of essay that asks you to take a position on a given issue or question. Argumentative essays are common assignments in high school and college, especially in literature courses.

In an argumentative essay about Macbeth, you will take one position on one of the play’s many themes and argue for your interpretation using specific evidence from the text.

Argumentative essay topics for Macbeth need to include both sides of the argument and should be framed as a question. For example, “Is Macbeth a tragic hero?” or “What is the role of gender in Macbeth?”

Once you have chosen your topic, you will need to find evidence from the play to support your position. Be sure to cite specific lines and passages from the text as evidence in your essay.

Comparative Essay Writing for Macbeth

Comparative essays ask you to compare and contrast two or more things such as characters, themes, motifs, plot elements, etc. A comparative essay about Macbeth can take many different forms, but one common approach is to compare the characters of Macbeth and Banquo.

When writing a comparative essay about Macbeth and Banquo, you will want to consider how they are similar and different. What motivates them? How do they react to the events of the play? Are they good or evil? You can also compare and contrast other pairs of characters, such as Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff or Duncan and Malcolm.

Persuasive Essay About Macbeth

In a persuasive essay, your goal as the writer is to convince your reader to agree with your position on a given issue or question. Like an argumentative essay, you will want to use evidence from the play to support your claims.

When writing a persuasive essay about Macbeth, you can take a position on anything from whether or not Macbeth is a tragic hero to what motivates the characters in the play.

Unlike an argumentative essay on Macbeth, a persuasive essay about the play will need to be heavily opinionated to make a convincing argument. Be sure to take a clear and definitive stance on your chosen topic, and use specific evidence from the play to support your claims.

Narrative Essay About Macbeth

A narrative essay is a type of essay that tells a story. In a narrative essay about Macbeth, you will be asked to recount and describe an event or series of events from the play. Your goal in a narrative essay is not to take a position or argue a point but simply to tell the story in an engaging and interesting way.

Formatting Citations for a Macbeth Essay

Since you will need to cite directly from the play to back up the arguments and comparisons drawn from the play, it’s essential to understand the correct formatting for quotations from Macbeth.

If you are asked to write in MLA formatting (standard at most educational institutions), each quotation will need to be ended with the speaker’s name in italics, followed by the act, scene number, and line number(s) in parentheses.

For example:

“…Creeps in this petty pace from day to day” ( Macbeth 5.5.17-28).

If the quoted text is more than one line, be sure to separate each verse with a forward slash as follows:

“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day” ( Macbeth 5.5.17-28).

If the quoted text is part of a conversation, use block quotations by indenting each line of the quoted text 1″ from the left margin (hit the TAB button twice). Additionally, you’ll need to capitalize all of the letters in the name. End the quote with the plays name, act, and scene number as follows:

HAMLET. To be, or not to be–that is the question:

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them… ( Hamlet 3.1.56-60)

You’ll notice that after the initial 1″ margin, each subsequent line will also need an additional indentation. If quoting dialogue from two or more people, each person should start with capital letters and an indented 1″ margin:

FIRST WITCH. When shall we three meet again?

In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

SECOND WITCH. When the hurlyburly’s done,

When the battle’s lost and won . ( Macbeth 1.1.1-4)

With the vast amount of information and things to discuss in the play Macbeth, it can be hard to narrow it all down to one topic. But, with this list of 30 Macbeth essay topics, you should have no trouble coming up with an essay to fit your needs.

How does Macbeth’s character change throughout the play?
Is Macbeth a tragic hero? Why or why not?
Who is most responsible for Macbeth’s downfall?
Discuss the role of gender in Macbeth.
Is ambition a positive or negative trait? Use examples from Macbeth to support your claim.
How does Shakespeare use the supernatural in Macbeth?
Discuss the role of fate in Macbeth.
Compare and contrast Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship.
Discuss the role of deception in Macbeth.
What motivates the characters in Macbeth?
Is violence ever justified? Use examples from Macbeth to support your claim.
Discuss the theme of ambition in Macbeth.
Compare and contrast the characters of Macbeth and Banquo.
Discuss the theme of power in Macbeth.
Discuss the theme of loyalty in Macbeth.
What is the significance of the witches in Macbeth?
How does Shakespeare use foreshadowing in Macbeth?
Discuss the role of greed in Macbeth.
What is the significance of Macbeth’s soliloquies?
Discuss the theme of betrayal in Macbeth.
Compare and contrast Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s attitudes toward power.
Discuss the theme of sanity vs. insanity in Macbeth.
Discuss the theme of appearance vs. reality in Macbeth.
How does Shakespeare use irony in Macbeth?
What is the significance of blood in Macbeth?
Discuss the theme of corruption in Macbeth.
What is the significance of nature vs. nurture in Macbeth?
Discuss the theme of good vs. evil in Macbeth.
What is the significance of the title “Macbeth”?

With these Macbeth essay topics, you should have no trouble coming up with an essay to fit your needs. Remember to cite all quotes and paraphrases from the play Macbeth and use MLA format.

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129 Macbeth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best macbeth topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on macbeth, 📌 most interesting macbeth topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about macbeth, ❓ macbeth essay questions.

Writing an essay on Shakespearean tragedies may be tricky for some students. There are a lot of ideas to put in your paper, and that may puzzle you. That’s why we’ve prepared a short guide on how to write Macbeth essay.

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare based on the true story of Scottish king Macbeth. The play tells us about a Scottish general who heard a prophecy from a trio of witches and decided to bring predictions to fulfillment. This is a drama about the jeopardy of excessive lust for power and betrayal of friends.

Some researchers state that William Shakespeare adopted the plot from Holinshed’s Chronicles, a popular history of England, while others argue that the plot of the play was borrowed from George Buchanan. Before you start your Macbeth essay, you should do thorough research on facts and fiction around the play.

To give you ideas on how and what to write in your essay, check the tips below:

Check our Macbeth essay samples to acquire knowledge on characters: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, King Duncan, Banquo, Malcolm, Macduff, Three Witches, and others. Each character is unique, and it’s quite easy to write a paper on each of them. Make a meticulous analysis of each of them, if you decide to write an essay on Macbeth characters. Use dialogues and monologues as supporting arguments to your ideas.
In your Macbeth essay introduction provide readers with the thesis statement and a summary you’re going to discuss in the paper. Specify what exactly you will depict or analyze. Sometimes, you may need to write the intro after you finish the body and already have done an in-depth analysis of text and critique materials.
When writing body paragraphs, describe the essay topic in detail. Start each section with a short statement, provide a supporting quote, explain it, and make a conclusion. You can always analyze IvyPanda Macbeth essay titles to learn various points of view on each character and event.
In the Macbeth essay conclusion, reiterate a topic and your analysis. You should not only summarize the information you’ve gathered and analyzed in the paper body. You have to get back to the intro and provide clear and extensive answers on the questions you raised. Try not to leave any further questions for your readers. Here’s the secret: some professors read the conclusion first. So make it persuasive and give a complete portion of information.

You may be wondering how to use essay examples that you may find on our website. It is super easy. First of all, look through the titles to get some topic ideas.

Then, look through the sample and learn how to create your outline. Think about what you can write in your essay. Check the bibliography: there you can find useful sources for the research.

Indeed, any paper on Shakespeare’s play may concern a variety of topics. So check out our Macbeth essay examples and think of the topics which you can choose.

Dramatic Irony in Macbeth Essay Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to amuse the audience and to show the level of deception developed by the main character. The porter gives a clear picture of what is about to happen.
Betrayal in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” The betrayer, Macbeth betrays the King, friend and other subjects in the kingdom. However when Macbeth is told he has just been chosen as the Thane of Cawdor, scenes of the possibilities of him as […]
The Use of Hands as a Motif in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” The play presents readers with the world of royalty and the well-knit state; the world of Duncan, his two sons, Banquo, Macbeth and the whole of Scotland and England.
William Shakespeare: Hamlet and Macbeth It is important to examine the role that the setting plays in Hamlet and Macbeth in relation to the tragic flaw and developments of the plot.
Unchecked Ambition in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” However, in Act 1, scenes 1 to 4, the audience is introduced to Macbeth’s increasing fear and the developing desire to be the king. It appears that the desire to be the king overrides his […]
Supernatural Elements of Act I and II in Macbeth In the play, the supernatural things are central to the plot of the play as they provide a basis for action as Shakespeare meant them to fit in putting the play together.
Concept of Power in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” While The government is the system that makes laws and ensures that they are followed, it is the person who wields power who is responsible for the equality and impartiality of its enforcement.
Macbeth & Frankenstein: Compare & Contrast In the being of the play, we assume that Macbeth is akin to the king, a loyal soldier, and a person “full of the milk of human kindness”.
The Downfall of Macbeth Nonetheless, he goes on to murder the king and his character takes a turn for the worst as he kills the chamberlains who would give witness of the king’s death and he claims he killed […]
British Literature: Beowulf vs. Macbeth They are as follows: the presentation of the heroes, the consideration of the ethical themes, and the final stages of the plays the latter help to draw some ethical conclusions based on the peculiarity of […]
“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare: Language and Tropes Typically, ‘the end of something means the onset of another.’ Using this as a viewpoint that provides a lead to what Macbeth is all about, the fact that ‘we will proceed no further in this […]
Comparison of the Opening Scene of Macbeth by Orson Welles and The Tragedy of Macbeth by Roman Polanski The opening scene of The Tragedy of Macbeth starts with the words “fair is foul and foul is fair” that Polanski takes from the end of the Shakespeare’s scene.
Literary Character Analysis of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” The very reason that made me write about this character was how he is depicted as a hero in the opening pages of the play, and only to learn how weak he is from his […]
The “Macbeth” Film by Rupert Goold While Shakespeare’s play happened in the 11th century in Scotland, the movie’s design is more similar to the events of the 20th century. Corresponding to the era of the first half of the 20th century, […]
Macbeth and Hamlet Characters Comparison The queens in Hamlet and Macbeth play a pivotal role in the life of the heroes of the play. She is portrayed as a mother who, in her awareness of Hamlet’s crisis, feels guilty and […]
Omens in The “Macbeth” Play by William Shakespeare The supernatural was an aspect of the plot structure used to add tension and drama to the occurrences and situations and manifested in various ways. To conclude, the owl and raven were utilized as omens […]
Shakespeare Tragedies: Macbeth and King Lear At the beginning of the play, he decides to abdicate his throne and divide his kingdom among his three daughters. This choice eventually undermines the ethical integrity of this character, and he murders murder to […]
Emotions and Outward Actions in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” In this regard, in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the relationship of inward emotions and outward actions is relevant in fully conveying the interplay of themes in this tragedy.
Character Analysis of “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare The unplanned overnight stay of King Duncan and his entourage at Macbeth’s castle precipitates Macbeth’s first fateful decision: to murder King Duncan and clear the way for the witches’ prophecy to come true.
The Life and Work of William Shakespeare: His Contribution to the Contemporary Theater In addition, the plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare continue to set the standard for the study of the English language in its dramatic context in institutes of higher learning and performance training.
Macbeth Versions Comparison Film Analysis The use of classic settings in the design of the play helps in portraying the role that gangsters play in the original play of Macbeth and helps present it in the modern world.
Characters’ Traits in Shakespeare’s Macbeth As weird as it might sound, Lady Macbeth is very emotional; as a matter of fact, the crimes that she committed can be attributed to her emotionality rather than her greed, though the latter has […]
Drama Macbeth: Shakespeare’s Play and Wells’ Film However, the play communicates the meaning of the text in a better way as compared to the film by Orson Wells.
Supernatural in “Macbeth” Play by Shakespeare The supernaturally manufactured predictions lure Macbeth and Banquo with the idea of power, leading Macbeth to plot the cruel murder of Duncan.
The Play “Macbeth” by Shakespeare and the Film “Maqbool” by Bhardwaj Bhardwaj’s Maqbool is a great example of how the weather sets the tone for the story, it is not the backdrop in the film, but an active force expressing the psychological state of the characters.
Jeffrey R. Wilson: Macbeth and Criminology The genre of tragedy used in Macbeth poses the question to the reader: who is responsible for committing a crime – the individual or the society?
Intro to Theatre: “Macbeth” Shakespeare’s theatrical performances are widespread all over the world and do not lose their relevance, both due to the problems raised by the playwright and the various interpretations of his works. One of such plays is the production of Macbeth directed by Bodinetz (2020) and created by the troupe of Digital Theater +. The performance […]
The Story of Macbeth by W. Sheakspeare: Relationship and Strengths Between Macbeth and His Wife Lady Macbeth reads a letter her husband had written about the witches’ prophecy and manipulates him to kill King Duncan and take over the kingdom.
Analyzing the Adaptation of the Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” Furthermore, the names of all the characters in both films are the same except for a little twist in the spelling of names like Mcbeth and Mcduff.
Shakespeare and His View on Kingship: Macbeth, King Lear and Othello At the same time, it is beyond doubt in the basement Macbeth’s character is clean and as a soldier, he is true to his job and his king.
Representing the Heroic: Macbeth and Odysseus In Homer’s Odyssey, the noble nature of the hero is made clear in the way that his servants speak of him and strive to behave as he would expect.
Analysis of Characters in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” The witches’ predictions spark Macbeth’s ambitions and then hearten his violent performance; Lady Macbeth offers the brains and the will behind her husband’s intrigues; and the only heavenly being to emerge is Hecate, the divinity […]
Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Macbeth The world of Macbeth is a world of contradiction. Already a successful soldier in the army of King Duncan, Macbeth is informed by Three Witches that he is to become “Thane of Glamis!”, “Thane of […]
Shakespearean Macbeth as a Tragic Hero In addition to fighting for his king, Macbeth is quickly and well rewarded for his efforts as King Duncan makes him the new Thane of Cawdor in addition to his already holding the title of […]
Shakespear’s “Macbeth”: Main Character Change Analysis Macbeth is essentially the story of a character who lives his life in a state of confusion to the degree that the only constant in his life changes.
Chaucer’s ‘Miller’s Tale’ and Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ Chaucer’s The Miller’s Tale and in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, to be more exact, we will find out how the notion of poetic justice is represented by examples of the main characters of the works mentioned.
An Explication on Shakespeare’s Macbeth However, Macbeth’s wife is murdered and the news is broken to him, and he is drifted into a life of futility and remorsefulness.
Literary Elements in “Macbeth” Poem In addition, use of Symbolism imagery and symbolism creates a better picture in audience mind, concerning the themes that the play covers; such as where dark is used to represent evil.
King Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Play and History He proved to be a courageous man and ambitious because he wanted to become the king, and the only way he could do it was by killing the king.
Themes in the Tragedy of Macbeth by Shakespeare The character of Macbeth is used by Shakespeare to illustrate a man who lacks the strength of moral fiber under the affection of guilt and ambition.
Macbeth: An Analysis of the Play by Shakespeare Macbeth’s treachery springs from his reliance to the witches who gave him prophecy that results in his endless creation of enemies.
Oedipus King vs. Macbeth: Drama Comparison The concept reflects the foundation of the decent authority through showing the tendencies of power both in the ancient times and in the period of Renaissance.
Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Sophocles’ “Oedipus” The idea of a person being in the center of the action and trying to overcome some problems connected with doom, fate and some other supernatural forces become peculiar to this kind of art.
Macbeth by Shakespeare and Oedipus by Sophocles Comparison In Act 1 Scene 3 of Macbeth, we have the three witches who greet him and inform him that he is to become the “Thane of Cawdor,” the title that he will receive that evening, […]
Shakespeare Literature: Prophecy and Macbeth Morality The divination made by the witches pushes Macbeth further into immorality as he is made to believe that he deserves the position of king. In addition, Macbeth abandons reason and morality so as to make […]
Power and Evocation of Horror: The Macbeth Witches’ Chant Among them are the rhymes, the rhythm of the words, the interpolation of a chorus, the increasing complexity of the lines as the poem progresses, and the vivid and horrifying imagery.
Philosophy of Literature: Shakespearean Tragedy In addition, it is also an indication of the facts that human beings are always nosy and ready to participate in other people’s issues.
The Ambitions and Immoral Decision in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Analyzing Macbeth’s Conscience Throughout Shakespeare’s Play “Macbeth”
Murder and Power in William Shakespeare’s Play “Macbeth”
Unprincipled Ambition in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Use of Supernatural to Create Suspense in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Psychological Victimization of William Shakespeare’s Protagonist in “Macbeth”
Responsibility for Planning to Kill Duncan in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Dramatic Techniques to Create a Sense That Macbeth Is Not in Control of His Own Thoughts and Deeds
An Analysis of Jam-Packed With Malfeasance and Darkness in the Play “Macbeth” by Shakespeare
The Application of Imagery in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Witches, Supernatural, and Evil in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
The Banquet Scene of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Analyzing Macbeth’s Weak Character in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Ambition Often Results in Greed as Portrayed in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Psychoanalytical Criticism of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Women as The Driving Action of the Play in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare’s Manipulation of the Audience Through “Macbeth”
Suspense and the Supernatural in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Sharing the Blame in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Macbeth’s Tragic Downfall in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
The Characterization of Macbeth in Relation to the Development of Scotland in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Role Reversal in William Shakespeare’s Play “Macbeth”
The Butcher and His Fiend Like Queen in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Supernatural Forces Create a Suspense Atmosphere in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
The Archetypal Tragic Hero Characteristics of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Sophocles’ “Oedipus”
An Analysis of Macbeth as a Victim of Circumstances in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Power, Ambition, and Treason in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
The Breakdown of Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Unbridled Ambition in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
The Art of Appeasement and the Political, Religious, and Social Issues Reflected in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Parallels Between Macbeth and Satan in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Some of the Ways in Which Shakespeare Portrays an Atmosphere of Evil in “Macbeth”
An Analysis of Lady Macbeth’s Character in “Macbeth” by Shakespeare
The Blood Imagery in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Macbeth’s Representation of Ambition in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
The Attract of Wicked in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
The Manipulations, Greed, and Guilt in William Shakespeare’s Play “Macbeth”
Stereotypical Images of Women in “Macbeth” by Shakespeare
Symbolism and Imagery in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Subjective Reality to the Viewer in the Play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
The Betrayal of Human Nature in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Treatment of Gender Disruption in William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” and “Macbeth”
Significance of Act Four Scene One in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Role of Women in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Recurring Images in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Similarities Between the Philosophies From Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
The Aristotelian Standards of a Tragic Hero in the Tragedy of “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Struggles of the Conscience in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
The Battle Between Good and Evil in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
Sleep and Its Meaning in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
Relationship Between Spouses in “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
A Musical Analysis of “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
What Did Macbeth’s Character, Words, and Actions Show About Changes in His Character?
Who Are the Women in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”?
When Power Falls Into the Wrong Hands in “Macbeth”?
Why Are the Period and Place Important in “Macbeth”?
What Makes William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” a Pessimistic Play?
How Ambitions and Immoral Decision Play a Part in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”?
How and Why Does Macbeth Turn a War Hero Into an Evil Murderer?
Did the Three Witches Push Macbeth to Kill Duncan?
What Are the Attitudes Towards Gender Can Be Seen in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”?
What Part Does the Supernatural Play in “Macbeth”?
Was Macbeth Responsible for His Downfall?
Does Shakespeare Present Lady Macbeth as Good or Evil?
Can One Feel Pity for Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”?
What Dramatic Techniques Are Used in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”?
How Did Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s Relationship Change Throughout the Play?
What Did Macbeth Say About Good and Evil?
Does Shakespeare Present Lady Macbeth as Fiend-Like?
Does Macbeth Have Power?
How Did Macbeth Turn From “Nobel Macbeth” to “A Bloody Butcher”?
What Does Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” Have to Say About Kingship?
Did Macbeth Suffer From Fate?
What Are the Character Traits of Lady Macbeth?
Does Macbeth Have Free Will?
What Are the Influences of the Witches’ Prophecies on Macbeth’s Actions?
How Are the Themes of Appearance and Reality Presented in “Macbeth”?
How Are Characters Presented as Disturbed in “Macbeth”?
Was Macbeth Considered the Tragic Hero of the Play?
How Did Lady Macbeth and Witches Change?
What Are the Differences and Similarities Between “Medea” and “Macbeth” Plays?
What Factors Lead Macbeth to Kill Duncan?
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Macbeth Essays

There are loads of ways you can approach writing an essay, but the two i favour are detailed below., the key thing to remember is that an essay should focus on the three aos:, ao1: plot and character development; ao2: language and technique; ao3: context, strategy 1 : extract / rest of play, the first strategy basically splits the essay into 3 paragraphs., the first paragraph focuses on the extract, the second focuses on the rest of the play, the third focuses on context. essentially, it's one ao per paragraph, for a really neatly organised essay., strategy 2 : a structured essay with an argument, this strategy allows you to get a much higher marks as it's structured to form an argument about the whole text. although you might think that's harder - and it's probably going to score more highly - i'd argue that it's actually easier to master. mainly because you do most of the work before the day of the exam., to see some examples of these, click on the links below:, lady macbeth as a powerful woman, macbeth as a heroic character, the key to this style is remembering this: you're going to get a question about a theme, and the extract will definitely relate to the theme., the strategy here is planning out your essays before the exam, knowing that the extract will fit into them somehow., below are some structured essays i've put together., macbeth and gender.

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Macbeth: Suggested Essay Topics
5. Is Macbeth a moral play? Is justice served at the end of the play? Defend your answer. 6. Discuss Shakespeare's use of the technique of elision, in which certain key events take place offstage. Why do you think he uses this technique? Suggestions for essay topics to use when you're writing about Macbeth.
Macbeth: Critical Essays
Get free homework help on William Shakespeare's Macbeth: play summary, scene summary and analysis and original text, quotes, essays, character analysis, and filmography courtesy of CliffsNotes. In Macbeth , William Shakespeare's tragedy about power, ambition, deceit, and murder, the Three Witches foretell Macbeth's rise to King of Scotland but also prophesy that future kings will descend from ...
Analysis of William Shakespeare's Macbeth
By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 25, 2020 • ( 0 ) Macbeth . . . is done upon a stronger and more systematic principle of contrast than any other of Shakespeare's plays. It moves upon the verge of an abyss, and is a constant struggle between life and death. The action is desperate and the reaction is dreadful. It is a huddling together of fierce ...
Macbeth Suggested Essay Topics
Suggested Essay Topics. 1. Macbeth struggles with his conscience and the fear of eternal damnation if he murders Duncan. Lady Macbeth's conflict arises when Macbeth's courage begins to falter ...
Macbeth
Introduction to Macbeth. Macbeth is one of the well-known tragedies of William Shakespeare that was performed with the full title of The Tragedy of Macbeth. It is one of the plays written during the reign of James I to please him as he was the patron of Shakespeare's acting troupe. The play was first performed in 1606.
Macbeth: Study Help
Get free homework help on William Shakespeare's Macbeth: play summary, scene summary and analysis and original text, quotes, essays, character analysis, and filmography courtesy of CliffsNotes. In Macbeth , William Shakespeare's tragedy about power, ambition, deceit, and murder, the Three Witches foretell Macbeth's rise to King of Scotland but also prophesy that future kings will descend from ...
Macbeth Essay Topics
Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Macbeth Essay Topics
5) The sleepwalking scene in Act V is one of the most memorable in all of drama. Relate this scene to the overall play and examine what makes Lady Macbeth's revelation so provoking. 6) Choose two of the minor characters in Macbeth and examine how they contribute to the play's action. 7) The witches tell Banquo that he will be the father of ...
Macbeth Critical Essays
Macbeth's. Topic #3. A motif is a word, image, or action in a drama that happens over and over again. There is a recurring motif of blood and violence in the tragedy Macbeth. This motif ...
How to Write an Essay on Macbeth
As you get started on an essay about Macbeth, you will want to reflect on the major characters, themes, and quotations that stand out and make the play the tragedy that it is. The major characters ...
Macbeth Study Guide
When Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, King James of Scotland became King of England. James almost immediately gave his patronage to Shakespeare's company, making them the King's Men. In many ways, Macbeth can be seen as a show of gratitude from Shakespeare to his new King and benefactor. For instance, King James actually traced his ancestry back ...
Macbeth Study Guide
Macbeth study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes.
Macbeth Essay Questions
Macbeth Essay Questions. Macbeth is often cited as a famous example of what the American sociologist Robert Merton called a "self-fulfilling prophecy.". Discuss how the mechanism of the witches' prophecy works in terms of its self-fulfillment. The question may be approached by examining the psychology behind Macbeth's character and his ...
PDF Essay Questions on William Shakespeare's Macbeth
9) 'She should have died hereafter'. The relation between Macbeth and his wife stands as long as they have a common aim. 10) Macbeth is too weak for the part he has chosen to play. (September 1992) 11) 'Life .... is a tale /Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing.'.
30 Macbeth Essay Topics
30 Macbeth Essay Topics. Most commonly assigned as required reading for high school and college students, Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies. The play is set in medieval Scotland and chronicles the rise and fall of its eponymous protagonist, Macbeth, who murders his way to the throne but is ultimately undone by his ambition ...
Macbeth: Full Play Analysis
Full Play Analysis. Macbeth is a tragedy that tells the story of a soldier whose overriding ambition and thirst for power cause him to abandon his morals and bring about the near destruction of the kingdom he seeks to rule. At first, the conflict is between Macbeth and himself, as he debates whether or not he will violently seize power, and ...
Macbeth: Mini Essays
After Duncan's death, the nobles of Scotland begin to grumble among themselves about what they perceive as Macbeth's tyrannical behavior. When Macduff meets Malcolm in England, Malcolm pretends that he would make an even worse king than Macbeth in order to test Macduff's loyalty to Scotland. The bad qualities he claims to possess include ...
129 Macbeth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples
Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare based on the true story of Scottish king Macbeth. The play tells us about a Scottish general who heard a prophecy from a trio of witches and decided to bring predictions to fulfillment. This is a drama about the jeopardy of excessive lust for power and betrayal of friends.
Macbeth Essay Topics
These prompts require students to compare and contrast important aspects or characters from Macbeth. Each prompt is appropriate for high school or college students writing 4-6 page essays.
PDF Six Macbeth' essays by Wreake Valley students
In Act 5. 1 Lady Macbeth starts to sleep walk because she can't deal with the fact that her husband killed King Duncan and that it's all her fault and she says "My bloody hands". This shows she's saying it's her fault and she holds the guilt. This leads to her committing suicide in Act 5.5. Level 5 essay.
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! 4! Activity:(FolgerPre^Performance!#4)!Shakespeare!introduces!the!Porter!in!2.3.!Read!the! Porter'spartaloudbyhavingeachstu dent!readtoanendmarkof!punctuation ...
AQA English Revision
Strategy 2: A structured essay with an argument. The key to this style is remembering this: You're going to get a question about a theme, and the extract will DEFINITELY relate to the theme. The strategy here is planning out your essays BEFORE the exam, knowing that the extract will fit into them somehow. Below are some structured essays I've ...
Macbeth Essay Prompts Teaching Resources
Lead your students through a literary analysis essay in one week with this Macbeth Essay Pack. Shakespeare's classic becomes even more powerful as students develop thesis statements, draft complete essays, revise, edit and present their writing to the class! All student materials are writeable in Google Slides.
Macbeth Analytical Essay
Macbeth Analytical Essay. 768 Words4 Pages. Many people believe the past will not catch up to them in the future, but this will prove just how quickly it does. The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare represents a classic tragedy that dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power.

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129 Macbeth Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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Macbeth essay prompts

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