macbeth foreshadowing essay

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Foreshadowing Setting in Macbeth

Categories: Macbeth William Shakespeare

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Published: Mar 20, 2024

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The physical setting, the psychological landscape, the impact of foreshadowing through setting.

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King James I, who in 1603 became the primary patron of Shakespeare's theater company, is well known for commissioning a new translation of the Bible. Perhaps as a nod to his benefactor's interest in Christian theology, Shakespeare's Macbeth contains numerous biblical allusions.

Some lines in the play directly paraphrase passages in the Bible. "The near in blood, / The nearer bloody" alludes to Matthew 10.36: "And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household." Macduff's son's proclamation that he will live "As birds do" refers to Matthew 6.26: "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them." Even Macbeth's statement about "dusty death" is a reference to Genesis 3.19: "for dust thou art , and unto dust shalt thou return."

Many allusions are to Christ, like this one in Act 1, Scene 2:

Captain: Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds Or memorize another Golgotha Cite this Quote

In the Bible, Golgotha was a location outside Jerusalem referred to as the "Place of a Skull," where Jesus was said to be crucified. By alluding to this site, the captain foreshadows the unholy and murderous acts that Macbeth will later commit.

Macbeth's soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 7 uses the imagery of angels to emphasize Duncan's holiness:

Macbeth: [H]is virtues Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against The deep damnation of his taking-off Cite this Quote

Lady Macbeth's line in Act 2, Scene 2 compares Duncan to Christ and herself to Pontius Pilate:

Lady Macbeth: A little water clears us of this deed. Cite this Quote

Pilate was a Roman official who presided over the trial of Jesus and ultimately condemned him to crucifixion. The Bible has Pilate wash his hands before giving the order, symbolically absolving himself of guilt. Like Pilate, Lady Macbeth must wash her hands to remove evidence of the deed she has committed.

In Act 4, Scene 3, Malcolm draws a parallel between himself and the "Lamb of God," a title that the Bible gives to Jesus:

Malcolm: To offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb T' appease an angry god. Cite this Quote

While Duncan and Malcolm are both associated with Christ, Macbeth is identified with Satan. In Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth encourages her husband to behave as treacherously as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, who tempted Eve and brought about the fall of humankind:

Lady Macbeth: Look like th’ innocent flower, But be the serpent under ’t. Cite this Quote

The gatekeeper of Macbeth's castle at Inverness imagines himself as the porter of hell, which would make "Beelzebub"—or Satan—his employer. Macbeth later laments that he has given his soul "to the common enemy of man," i.e. the devil.

In Act 4, Scene 3, Malcolm observes that, just as Macbeth was the most esteemed of Duncan's thanes, Satan was once the greatest of God's angels:

Malcolm: Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell. Cite this Quote

Malcolm calls Macbeth "Devilish," while Macduff refers to him as the "fiend of Scotland."

Macbeth also contains several references to the apocalypse, when, according to Christian doctrine, the dead will resurrect to face final judgement before God. In Act 2, Scene 3, Macduff emphasizes the horror of Duncan's murder by alluding to doomsday:

Macduff: Up, up, and see The great doom's image. Malcolm, Banquo, As from your graves rise up and walk like sprites To countenance this horror. Cite this Quote

All these biblical allusions, especially those that associate Malcolm with Christ and Macbeth with the devil, elevate Macbeth from an earthly tragedy to an epic battle between good and evil.

In Act 1, Scene 3, Banquo warns Macbeth to be wary of the Weird Sisters' prophecy:

Banquo: And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray ’s In deepest consequence. Cite this Quote

Banquo is paradoxically suggesting that, although the prophecy itself is genuine, the witches' intentions in delivering it may be dishonest. They have accurately predicted that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, but Banquo reasons that this prediction may be an "honest trifle" intended to win Macbeth over so that he takes the rest of the prophecy at face value without considering its possible consequences.

This warning echoes the Weird Sisters' earlier paradoxical statement, "Fair is foul and foul is fair." Although the witches seem to be telling the truth and foresee mainly positive events, Banquo argues that they may be attempting to manipulate Macbeth toward some unfavorable end. The witches notably do not specify whether the events they predict will come to pass no matter what, or whether Macbeth must actively participate in their fulfillment.

Banquo, of course, is eventually proven right, and his words foreshadow the events that occur later in the play, when Macbeth fails to consider that the Weird Sisters' prophecies may have a hidden meaning. The promises that no man of woman born can harm Macbeth and that Macbeth will never be vanquished until Birnam Wood walks to Dunsinane are technically "honest," in that they are not untrue, but their ambiguous wording makes them easy to misinterpret. Macbeth, who is by this point paranoid and desperate, fails to think critically about the wording of these prophecies and falsely believes that he is invincible, even though the Weird Sisters are actually predicting his destruction.

When Ross and Angus greet Macbeth with the title of Thane of Cawdor in Act 1, Scene 3, they foreshadow the fact that, like the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth will eventually become a traitor to the crown. In Act 1, Scene 4, Duncan laments that the Thane of Cawdor, whom he regarded as a loyal friend, was able to deceive him:

Duncan: There’s no art To find the mind’s construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built An absolute trust. Cite this Quote

Macbeth similarly exploits Duncan's trust in him, pretending to welcome him to his castle at Inverness while simultaneously plotting to assassinate him.

In Act 1, Scene 3, Angus explains how the Thane of Cawdor was ultimately revealed as a traitor. Then, in Act 1, Scene 4, Malcolm describes the Thane of Cawdor's execution, unknowingly foreshadowing his own eventual fate:

Malcolm: He died As one that had been studied in his death To throw away the dearest thing he owed As ’twere a careless trifle. Cite this Quote

Like his predecessor, Macbeth's treachery also eventually proves to be his undoing, and he too develops a rather apathetic outlook on life. Cawdor betrayed his country to aid the invading Norwegian forces, but this act of betrayal was rendered meaningless when the Norwegian army was defeated. Likewise, Macbeth's poor performance as king and his lack of heirs to carry on his legacy eventually convinces him that Duncan's murder was pointless.

Macbeth is a play that explores the nature of free will and fate, so it should come as no surprise that prophecies appear frequently in the text. Although the play leaves it ambiguous as to whether these prophecies merely predict the future or actually shape it, they always foreshadow what is to come.

The motif of prophecy is introduced in Act 1, Scene 3, when the Weird Sister's refer to Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor and tell him that he shall become king.

Second Witch: All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! Cite this Quote

Third Witch: All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!

Macbeth, of course, does eventually become king, but it is unclear whether this event was actually fated to occur. Macbeth becomes Thane of Cawdor without any action on his part, but he needs to kill Duncan in order to become king, suggesting that him hearing the prophecy has changed the course of events.

Banquo is skeptical of the witches' prophecies and warns Macbeth not to take them too literally:

This warning foreshadows a moment later in the play, when Macbeth fails to notice the ambiguity of the Weird Sisters' other prophecies.

In Act 4, Scene 1, and apparition summoned by the witches foreshadows the fact that Macduff will be the one to kill Macbeth:

First Apparition: Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff! Beware the Thane of Fife! Cite this Quote

Another apparition foreshadows that fact that Macduff, who was born via caesarean section, will be able to kill Macbeth:

Second Apparition: Laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth. Cite this Quote

Macbeth erroneously believes that this prophecy means he is invincible, when it actually foreshadows the fact that Macduff was not born of woman. Otherwise, why would Macbeth have cause to beware the Thane of Fife?

A third apparition foreshadows the fact that the English army will use branches Birnam Wood to conceal their numbers:

Third Apparition: Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him. Cite this Quote

Ignoring Banquo's earlier warning, Macbeth believes that the events described in the prophecy are impossible. He interprets the prophecy literally and fails to consider that it may have a figurative meaning.

The conversation that the Weird Sisters have in Act 1, Scene 3 about the sailor and his wife foreshadows events that occur later in the play:

First Witch: I’ll drain him dry as hay. Sleep shall neither night nor day Hang upon his penthouse lid. He shall live a man forbid. Weary sev’n nights, nine times nine, Shall he dwindle, peak, and pine. Though his bark cannot be lost, Yet it shall be tempest-tossed. Look what I have. Second Witch: Show me, show me. First Witch: Here I have a pilot's thumb, Wrecked as homeward he did come. Cite this Quote

The witches' plan to curse the sailor with sleeplessness foreshadows how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will have their sleep disturbed: Macbeth will suffer from terrible nightmares that make it impossible for him to rest, and Lady Macbeth with sleepwalk while reliving the ghastly deeds she has committed.

The first witch explains that she cannot wreck the sailors ship, but she can cause storms to hamper his voyage. Likewise, the Weird Sisters never force Macbeth to act, but their prophecies influence his behavior, and just as the sailor does eventually end up shipwrecked, Macbeth is ultimately doomed by his own actions.

Macbeth's soliloquy in Act 2, Scene 1 demonstrates his feelings of guilt and self-loathing and foreshadows the madness that will consume him and Lady Macbeth in the aftermath of Duncan's murder.

This soliloquy includes various types of sensory imagery. Macbeth's senses become muddled, and he struggles to determine whether the dagger that he sees pointing the way to Duncan's chamber is real or illusory:

Macbeth: 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-oppressèd brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable As this which now I draw. Cite this Quote

This confusion of visual and tactile imagery echoes the Weird Sisters' claim in Act 1, Scene 1 that "Fair is foul and foul is fair." Although the dagger appears to be "fair" or real, the fact that Macbeth cannot touch it makes him suspicious that his guilt and anxiety about Duncan's murder are causing him to hallucinate:

Macbeth: Mine eyes are made the fools o’ th’ other senses Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still, And, on thy blade and dudgeon, gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There’s no such thing. It is the bloody business which informs Thus to mine eyes. Cite this Quote

In addition to this uncertainty regarding the reliability of his senses, Macbeth also worries that the ground itself, having heard him entering Duncan's chamber, will be able to reveal his crime to the world:

Macbeth: Thou sure and firm-set earth, Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear Thy very stones prate of my whereabouts Cite this Quote

Macbeth's paranoia regarding sound foreshadows the moment in Act 2, Scene 2, when he thinks he hears a voice say "Sleep no more!"

The soliloquy also contains several allusions to mythology and history, which help demonstrate how Macbeth views the act he is about to commit. Macbeth references Hecate, the ancient Greek goddess of witchcraft, as well as the Roman prince Sextus Tarquinius:

Macbeth: Witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate’s off’rings, and withered murder, Alarumed by his sentinel, the wolf, Whose howl’s his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design Moves like a ghost. Cite this Quote

The reference to Hecate suggests that Macbeth views the murder of Duncan as an act that, like witchcraft, goes against the natural order of things. By mentioning Sextus Tarquinius, who famously raped a Roman noblewoman, Macbeth also suggests that the murder of Duncan is an act of defilement as morally repugnant as sexual assault.

Upper-class men of Shakespeare's time were often educated in Greek and Latin, and Macbeth contains several allusions to Roman history that this portion of his audience would have appreciated. In Act 2, Scene 1, Macbeth makes a reference to an event that catalyzed the creation of the Roman Republic:

Macbeth: [A]nd withered murder, Alarumed by his sentinel, the wolf, Whose howl’s his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, With Tarquin’s ravishing strides Cite this Quote

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, also known as Tarquin the Proud, became king of Rome in 534 BCE after assassinating his predecessor, Servius Tullius. Like Macbeth, he did so at the urging of his wife and became known as a tyrannical monarch who often had his political opponents put to death.

In this passage, Macbeth is actually making a reference to Tarquin's son Sextus, who famously raped a Roman noblewoman named Lucretia in her own bed. By personifying murder as a man who walks "with Tarquin's ravishing strides," Macbeth suggests that the murder of Duncan, like the rape of Lucretia by Sextus, is an act of violation that scorns the rules of hospitality.

Macbeth's allusion to this event is also an instance of foreshadowing. Lucretia's rape and subsequent suicide so outraged the people of Rome that it led to the overthrow of Tarquin and the establishment of the Roman Republic. Like Tarquin, Macbeth is ultimately overthrown, and the ascension of Malcolm to the throne marks a change in the nature of Scottish rule characterized by a new alliance with England.

In Act 3, Scene 1, Macbeth compares himself to the Roman general Mark Antony and Banquo to Julius Caesar:

Macbeth: There is none but he Whose being I do fear; and under him My genius is rebuked, as it is said Mark Antony's was by Caesar. Cite this Quote

After Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE, Mark Antony butted heads with Caesar's adopted son Octavian. In 31 BCE, Octavian declared war against Antony's lover, the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, and declared Antony a traitor. After his forces were defeated in battle, Antony committed suicide, and Octavian became emperor of Rome.

This passage is also a self-reference to Antony and Cleopatra, another play by Shakespeare, in which a soothsayer predicts that Mark Antony's fortunes will be less than Julius Caesar's. The Weird Sisters in Macbeth predict, in quite similar fashion, that Banquo will be both lesser and greater than Macbeth.

Both these prophecies prove true. Although Julius Caesar is assassinated, his heir becomes the emperor of Rome, while Antony is disgraced. Despite the fact that Macbeth has him murdered, Banquo's descendants still become kings of Scotland, and Macbeth dies in ignominy.

In Act 5, Scene 10, Macbeth seeks to distance himself from Antony and from other Roman generals who famously committed suicide:

Macbeth: Why should I play the Roman fool and die On mine own sword? Cite this Quote

Cato the Younger was a Roman senator who killed himself rather than ask for a pardon from Caesar, and Marcus Junius Brutus, the Roman statesman who famously aided in Caesar's assassination of Caesar, took his own life after being defeated by Caesar's successor. His story parallels that of Macbeth, who kills Duncan but is later defeated by forces under the command of Duncan's son. Like Brutus, who decided to die by suicide rather than live under Octavian's rule, Macbeth refuses to serve Malcolm and instead chooses to die in battle, insisting that he won't "yield / to kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet."

Literary Theory and Criticism

Home › Drama Criticism › Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

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)

Character Analysis

In “Macbeth,” Shakespeare presents a cast of complex characters, each contributing to the depth and moral lessons of the tragedy . Here’s a closer look at the main characters and their development throughout the story:

Macbeth — Initially a valiant and loyal Scottish general, Macbeth’s character undergoes a dramatic transformation. Seduced by the prophecy of becoming king and spurred by his wife’s ambitions, he descends into paranoia, tyranny, and madness. His journey from hero to villain is marked by his increasingly reckless attempts to secure his power and his descent into guilt and despair.
Lady Macbeth — A pivotal figure, Lady Macbeth is the ambitious wife who challenges Macbeth’s hesitation and steels him to murder Duncan. Her initial strength and cold calculation eventually give way to guilt, leading to sleepwalking episodes and her eventual suicide. Her tragic arc highlights the destructive power of ambition unchecked by moral considerations.
Banquo — Macbeth’s friend and a fellow general, Banquo’s character serves as a moral foil to Macbeth. He is also prophesied great things by the witches, yet he does not act dishonorably to achieve future greatness. His murder by Macbeth’s order marks a turning point , showing Macbeth’s willingness to kill friends to secure his power.
King Duncan — The benevolent and virtuous king of Scotland, whose murder by Macbeth sets off the tragic events of the play. Duncan’s trusting nature and untimely death underscore the betrayal and the unnatural upheaval of order within the kingdom.
Macduff — Thane of Fife, Macduff emerges as the hero who challenges Macbeth’s tyranny. His loyalty to Scotland and his quest for vengeance after Macbeth has his family murdered highlight themes of justice and retribution. His confrontation with Macbeth leads to the tyrant’s death, restoring order.
The Three Witches — Mysterious and supernatural, the witches instigate the central conflict by prophesying Macbeth’s rise to power. Their ambiguous and manipulative predictions play a crucial role in Macbeth’s decisions, symbolizing the forces of fate and the dark side of ambition.

Character Analysis Summary

This array of characters, each with their distinct traits and arcs, weaves a complex narrative about ambition, morality, and the human condition.

Themes and Symbols

“Macbeth” is rich with themes and symbols that resonate through its dark narrative , offering insights into human nature and the consequences of ambition. Here’s an exploration of the major themes and symbols in the play:

Ambition and Power — The driving force of the play, ambition, is portrayed as a potent and dangerous desire. Macbeth’s ambition to become king leads him down a dark path of murder and tyranny, illustrating the corrupting influence of unchecked power.
Fate vs. Free Will — The witches’ prophecies spark the central conflict of the play, blurring the line between destiny and choice. Macbeth’s actions raise questions about whether characters are fated to follow their paths or if they have the agency to change their destinies.
Guilt and Conscience — The psychological torment of guilt haunts both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, serving as a constant reminder of their heinous acts. Their descent into madness reflects the heavy toll of a guilty conscience and the inescapable nature of their crimes.
The Supernatural — Witches, visions, and ghostly apparitions infuse “Macbeth” with an eerie supernatural element that drives the plot and symbolizes the disruption of the natural order. The supernatural acts as both a catalyst for action and a reflection of the characters’ inner turmoil.
Order and Chaos — The murder of King Duncan disrupts the natural and social order, plunging Scotland into chaos and tyranny. The restoration of order with Malcolm’s ascension to the throne underscores the play’s concern with the importance of rightful rule and stability.
Blood — Symbolizing guilt and murder, blood is a recurring motif that visually represents the violence and guilt that stain Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. “Blood will have blood,” Macbeth remarks, indicating the inevitable consequences of their actions.
The Dagger — The vision of a bloody dagger that Macbeth sees before killing Duncan symbolizes the act of murder that sets off the tragic events of the play. It serves as a tangible manifestation of Macbeth’s guilt and ambition.
Darkness — Predominant scenes of darkness in “Macbeth” symbolize evil, fear, and the unknown. Darkness envelops the characters’ deeds and the moral decay of Scotland under Macbeth’s rule.
The Weather — Stormy and unsettling weather mirrors the tumultuous events of the play and the chaos that engulfs Scotland. It also reflects the witches’ malevolent influence over nature and the fate of the characters.

Through these themes and symbols, Shakespeare crafts a timeless narrative that explores the depths of human ambition, the complexities of morality, and the eternal struggle between order and chaos.

Writing Style and Tone

William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” is a brilliant showcase of his literary genius, characterized by its distinctive writing style and tone that contribute significantly to the mood and atmosphere of the play. Here’s a breakdown of key aspects of Shakespeare’s style and tone in “Macbeth”:

Dramatic and Poetic Language — Shakespeare employs a mix of prose and verse, with the noble characters generally speaking in iambic pentameter, which adds a rhythmic and elevated quality to their speech. This poetic form enhances the dramatic intensity and emotional depth of the dialogue .
Imagery and Symbolism — Vivid imagery and symbolic elements run throughout “Macbeth,” creating a rich tapestry that evokes strong visual and emotional responses. From the bloody hands representing guilt to the dark and stormy landscapes mirroring the turmoil within Scotland and its characters, Shakespeare’s use of imagery and symbolism deepens the play’s themes and mood.
Contrasts and Paradoxes — The play frequently employs contrasts and paradoxes, such as “fair is foul, and foul is fair,” to highlight the blurring of moral boundaries and the inversion of the natural order. These elements add complexity and nuance to the narrative , challenging the audience to question appearances and truths.
Atmospheric Tone — The tone of “Macbeth” is overwhelmingly dark and foreboding, reflecting the moral decay and chaos that ensue from Macbeth’s actions. Shakespeare masterfully creates a sense of unease and impending doom through his choice of language, setting , and the supernatural elements, drawing the audience into the tragic world he constructs.
Psychological Depth — Shakespeare delves deep into the psyches of his characters, particularly Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, providing insights into their motivations, fears, and internal conflicts. The soliloquies, in particular, offer a glimpse into the characters’ minds, revealing their vulnerabilities and the torment of their guilt-ridden consciences.
Use of Irony — Dramatic irony is a significant stylistic device in “Macbeth,” with the audience privy to information that the characters are not. This technique heightens the tension and tragedy , as viewers witness characters unknowingly seal their fates.

Through these stylistic choices and the tone he employs, Shakespeare crafts a work that is not only a compelling drama but also a profound exploration of the dark facets of human nature and the consequences of unchecked ambition. “Macbeth” remains a masterpiece of English literature, captivating audiences with its intricate narrative , psychological depth, and poetic brilliance.

Literary Devices used in Macbeth

Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” is a masterclass in the use of literary devices, each serving to enhance the drama , themes, and emotional impact of the play. Here are the top 10 literary devices used in “Macbeth,” showcasing Shakespeare’s skillful craftsmanship:

Foreshadowing — This device is used to hint at future events, creating anticipation and building suspense. The witches’ prophecies are prime examples, setting the stage for Macbeth’s ascent to the throne and subsequent downfall.
Symbolism — Objects, characters, and actions in “Macbeth” are imbued with deeper meanings. Blood symbolizes guilt and violence, while darkness represents evil and chaos, contributing to the play’s thematic complexity.
Irony — Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something the characters do not, heightening the tragic tension. For example, Duncan speaks of the treacherous former Thane of Cawdor not knowing Macbeth, his successor, will betray him too.
Imagery — Vivid, descriptive language is used to create mental images that appeal to the senses. The “dagger of the mind” soliloquy evokes a powerful visual of Macbeth’s turmoil and the lure of power.
Metaphor — Shakespeare uses metaphors to draw comparisons between unrelated things without using “like” or “as,” such as referring to life as a “brief candle” or a “walking shadow” to convey the transient nature of existence.
Allusion — References to well-known cultural or historical events, figures, or other works of literature are used to add deeper significance. The play contains allusions to Greek mythology and Biblical imagery, enriching its narrative layers.
Personification — Giving human traits to non-human entities or abstract concepts, such as when Lady Macbeth calls on spirits to “unsex” her, imbuing the night and the act of murder with malevolent human characteristics.
Paradox — A statement that contradicts itself but holds a truth, like the witches’ chant, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” reflects the moral inversion and the theme of appearance versus reality in the play.
Soliloquy — These are speeches delivered by a character alone on stage, revealing their inner thoughts and feelings. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s soliloquies are crucial for understanding their motivations and psychological states.
Alliteration — The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words close to each other, used for emphasis or to create a rhythmic effect. The witches’ speeches, such as “Double, double toil and trouble,” employ alliteration to enhance their eerie, chant-like quality.

Each of these literary devices weaves together to form the rich tapestry of “Macbeth,” showcasing Shakespeare’s unparalleled ability to engage, provoke, and move his audience through the power of language.

Literary Devices Examples

Each of the top 10 literary devices used in “Macbeth” plays a crucial role in building the play’s atmosphere , developing its themes, and deepening the characters. Here are examples and explanations for each device:

Foreshadowing

Example : The witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will become king. Explanation : Sets the stage for Macbeth’s ambition and subsequent actions to seize the throne.
Example : Banquo’s warning to Macbeth, “The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s In deepest consequence.” Explanation : Hints at the future betrayals and consequences of the witches’ prophecies.
Example : Macbeth’s vision of the dagger leading him to Duncan’s chamber. Explanation : Foreshadows the imminent murder of King Duncan by Macbeth.
Example : Blood as a symbol of guilt. Explanation : After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth says, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” indicating his overwhelming guilt.
Example : The weather (thunder and lightning) symbolizing ominous events. Explanation : The play opens with a storm, setting a foreboding tone that mirrors the chaotic events that follow.
Example : Darkness as a symbol of evil and concealment. Explanation : Darkness covers the evil deeds committed throughout the play, such as the murder of Duncan.
Example : Duncan’s trust in Macbeth, calling his castle “pleasant.” Explanation : Dramatic irony, as the audience knows Macbeth plans to murder Duncan in that very castle.
Example : Macbeth’s title of Thane of Cawdor, a traitor’s title, before becoming a traitor himself. Explanation : Highlights the irony of Macbeth’s transformation from hero to traitor.
Example : Lady Macbeth’s eventual madness, despite her initial strength. Explanation : Ironically, she who instigated the murder succumbs to guilt, while initially, she chastised Macbeth for his weakness.
Example : The “bloody hands” imagery. Explanation : Represents Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s guilt and the direct consequence of their murderous actions.
Example : “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” by Lady Macbeth. Explanation : Visual imagery of bloodstains she cannot remove, symbolizing her guilt.
Example : The “dagger of the mind” scene. Explanation : Creates a powerful image of Macbeth’s internal conflict and the allure of power driving him to murder.
Example : Life referred to as a “walking shadow” and a “poor player.” Explanation : Conveys the fleeting, insignificant nature of human life and achievements.
Example : Macbeth describes sleep as “the death of each day’s life.” Explanation : Highlights the restorative power of sleep and the consequences of its absence, reflecting his and Lady Macbeth’s insomnia and guilt.
Example : “The crown” representing power and the burden of guilt. Explanation : The crown symbolizes Macbeth’s kingship but also the heavy guilt and fear that accompany his ill-gotten power.

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Personification

Example : “The night is long that never finds the day.” Explanation : Personifies night and day to illustrate the idea of hope and redemption after prolonged suffering and darkness.
Example : “Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care.” Explanation : Sleep is personified as a healer of mental anguish, highlighting its absence in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s lives due to guilt.
Example : Lady Macbeth’s invocation to the spirits to “unsex” her. Explanation : Personifies murderous intent and the stripping away of feminine qualities for cruelty, illustrating her ambition and desire to aid Macbeth’s rise to power.
Example : “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” Explanation : This paradox sets the tone for the play, highlighting the theme of appearance versus reality and the moral confusion faced by Macbeth and others.
Example : “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.” Explanation : Refers to Banquo, suggesting his lower status than Macbeth but greater in moral standing and the legacy of his descendants.
Example : “Not of woman born.” Explanation : Refers to Macduff, born via caesarean section, a paradox that plays a crucial role in Macbeth’s downfall, as he misinterprets the witches’ prophecy.
Example : Macbeth’s “Is this a dagger which I see before me” soliloquy. Explanation : Reveals his inner turmoil and moral conflict prior to Duncan’s murder, illustrating his descent into madness.
Example : Lady Macbeth’s “Out, damned spot!” soliloquy. Explanation : Showcases her guilt and descent into madness, revealing her inner conflict and remorse.
Example : Macbeth’s “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” soliloquy. Explanation : Reflects on the futility and transient nature of life, showcasing his existential despair following Lady Macbeth’s death.

Alliteration

Example : “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.” Explanation : The witches’ chant uses alliteration to create a rhythmic, incantatory effect, enhancing the supernatural atmosphere .
Example : “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” Explanation : The alliteration emphasizes the play’s theme of the inversion of moral values and the blurring of lines between good and evil.
Example : “Full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife.” Explanation : Macbeth uses alliteration to convey his mental torment and paranoia, highlighting his descent into madness.

These examples showcase how Shakespeare’s use of literary devices in “Macbeth” not only enriches the text’s thematic depth and emotional resonance but also underscores his mastery of language and storytelling.

Macbeth – FAQs

What is the main theme of Macbeth? The main theme of “Macbeth” is the destructive nature of unchecked ambition and power. Shakespeare explores how ambition can corrupt individuals, leading to moral decay and the downfall of both the individual and those around them.

Who are the three witches in Macbeth? The three witches, also known as the Weird Sisters, are supernatural beings who prophesy Macbeth’s rise to power and his downfall. Their ambiguous and manipulative predictions play a crucial role in the play, symbolizing fate and the dark forces that influence human behavior.

What role does Lady Macbeth play in Macbeth’s downfall? Lady Macbeth is a pivotal figure in Macbeth’s downfall. Her ambition and determination to see Macbeth become king drive her to manipulate and encourage him to commit regicide. Her initial strength and resolve gradually give way to guilt and madness, highlighting the psychological consequences of their actions.

How does Macbeth change throughout the play? Macbeth transforms from a valiant and loyal soldier to a tyrannical ruler consumed by guilt and paranoia. His ambition, spurred by the witches’ prophecy and Lady Macbeth’s urging, leads him to commit heinous acts. This change reflects the corrupting influence of power and ambition.

What is the significance of the prophecies in Macbeth? The prophecies in “Macbeth” are significant as they set the play’s events into motion and influence Macbeth’s actions. They also raise questions about fate vs. free will, as Macbeth chooses to act on these predictions, leading to his eventual downfall.

How does Shakespeare use supernatural elements in Macbeth? Shakespeare uses supernatural elements, such as the witches and their prophecies, visions, and ghostly apparitions, to create an atmosphere of mystery and foreboding. These elements underscore the themes of fate, ambition, and the moral inversion within the play.

What does blood symbolize in Macbeth? Blood is a powerful symbol in “Macbeth,” representing guilt, violence, and the consequences of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s actions. It visually manifests the psychological burden of their crimes and the pervasive stain of their guilt.

What is the tragic flaw of Macbeth? Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his overwhelming ambition and desire for power. This flaw, combined with the influence of the witches’ prophecies and Lady Macbeth, drives him to commit regicide and other atrocities, leading to his downfall.

Can Macbeth be considered a tragic hero ? Yes, Macbeth can be considered a tragic hero . He possesses noble qualities and initially earns the audience’s sympathy. However, his tragic flaw—ambition—leads him to make choices that result in his moral decline and ultimate demise, fitting the classical definition of a tragic hero .

This quiz covers a range of topics from plot details and character roles to themes and symbols in “Macbeth,” offering a comprehensive test of comprehension for the play.

Spot the Literary Device

Read the following paragraph from “Macbeth” and identify the literary devices used. Then, check your answers below.

“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?”

Metaphor – The “dagger of the mind” suggests the dagger is not real but a product of Macbeth’s tormented thoughts, symbolizing his guilt and ambition.
Imagery – Vivid imagery is used to describe the dagger, making the audience visualize the hallucination that Macbeth experiences.
Personification – The dagger is given qualities of being “sensible to feeling as to sight,” even though it is a figment of Macbeth’s imagination.
Alliteration – “fatal vision,” “false creation” – These phrases use the repetition of initial consonant sounds to emphasize Macbeth’s turmoil.
Questioning the self – Macbeth’s questioning of his own senses and sanity reflects his inner conflict and foreshadows his descent into madness.

This exercise demonstrates the depth of Shakespeare’s use of literary devices to convey complex themes and character emotions in “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. 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
Speech: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
10 Irony Examples in Shakespeare
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
All the World’s a Stage
Fear No More the Heat O’ the Sun
Once More unto the Breach, Dear Friends, Once More
Romeo And Juliet, Act I Prologue
Sonnet XXXVIII
Act I Scene 5 from Romeo and Juliet

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