Macbeth Notes Act One

Beginning of Macbeth

 - based on a true story 

the real Macbeth was a Scottish King who rules in the eleventh century (1040ish) 

 - written around 1600

not necessarily history, based on true facts, but is fiction

- Shakespeare made up many words and phrases used in the English language today 

- women weren't allowed to act (men played females)

- plays were considered anti-religious and low class

- yet they were very exciting (nothing else to do but work) 

Scene One

- witches (supernatural)

- power of women

- Shakespeares knowledge: you are how you look

witches - evil = ugly = disease = contagious = repulsing (ugliness is often created by disease)

looks = value

taking away looks is taking away value

- feminism (theme)

- they are the (greek) 3 fates (past, present, future) aka 3 Norns 

- "Fair is foul and foul is fair/ Hover through the fog and filthy air"

witches cast a spell

people, potions, environment, spirit (witches power)

spell inverts EVERYTHING

motif of inversion, things are reversed 

Scene Two 

- Macbeth killed everybody and killed the leader of the battle (rebels)

- he beats Norway as well

- Macbeth with become thane of Cawdor as well (currently thane of Glamis)

- Macbeth is incredible, powerful, loved, superman,  

- he is a tragic hero (starts high, ends low)

hubris: suffering is all his own fault, brought on by sin (sin or ambition and overconfidence)

Scene Three

- witches cast a spell to punish a sailor

- they have beards ( ugly = no power)

- witches tell Macbeth his past (thane of Glamis), his present (thane of Cawdor), and his future (king)

- put it in his head that he'll be king

- contrast ( not happy yet happier)

- what we think is what we do

 self fulfilling prophecy 

- tells Banquo that his children will be King

- Ross is everywhere (with whoever is highest 

- Ross tells Macbeth that he is now the thane of Cawdor 

- the witches were right

- Banquo says that sometimes evil gives us a small truth to create a bigger problem

- Macbeths's first soliloquy "two truths are told"

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Scene Four

- placebo effect *

- self fulfilling prophecy

- Thomas theorum 

-Duncan rewards Macbeth and goes to his house

- Macbeth is sinner (through thoughts)

- tragic hero (he's at high, but already falling due to his own flaws, brought on by hubris

- insecurities of Macbeth (ego)

- is Macbeth being manipulated by spells and magic or what he was told?

- as humans, we like to see the strong fall, this is why it is in movies and books so much 

- root of evil: perhaps not money but ego, and the root of that is insecurity?

Scene Five

- in a way, Macbeth is appealing to his wife

- Macbeth loves her 

"my dearest partner of greatness"

women were considered lesser at the time, property, yet he considers her his partner

rule of thumb (thoughts on women at the time) 

Shakespeare might not have meant anything by the word partner but we can pull more out

partner means equal 50/50

she is his equal

- Lady Macbeth says he has potential but is too nice to get what he wants 

you have to cheat to get what you want 

its already decided so i'll help you get it 

persuasion 

poison is a woman's weapon

- Macbeth: violence 

Lady Macbeth: persuading, manipulating, secret, trickery, seductive, more layers 

Lady Macbeth is the first one to actually say that the King must be killed 

shes gets the last words

this scene shows her power

against natural order

-should be: guest>host, men>women, king>people

due to inversion in Scene One's spell?

line 30: is she a witch? casting a spell?

Scene Six

- "This castle hath is a pleasant seat"
dramatic irony: king says the castle is a nice place, readers/viewers know that it's not, he'll be murdered

comparison: Friday the 14, hears a noise, goes outside, we know Jason's there, they do not

 Scene Seven 

- inversion: she's aggressive, he's resistant 

-goes against the common thought that women are fragile, shes doing more than expected

small fragile woman bossing around huge muscular husband

she strips away his manhood (calling him weak, not a man)

is also stripping away her womanhood (has a huge hunger for power, says she’d bash a baby’s head in)

Lady Macbeth makes the plan to kill the King

vacillation: going back and forth: bipolar: psychosis

being suggestive or easily manipulated can be a sign of mental problem: suggestibility