Macbeth

First half- Macbeth the tragic hero

Second half- Macbeth the butcher

To Be a tragic hero one has to be: Noble, excessive disrespect of natural order, a fatal flaw, reversal in fortune, moment of realisation of downfall, cause sympathy and fear in audience

What others say:

'Brave Macbeth- well he derserves that name'

'Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution'

'Like valours minion carved out his passage'

'O valient cousin, worthy gentleman'

too full o'th'milk of human kindness'

'art bot without ambition, but without the illness to attend it'

Macbeth's conflict

reason not to murder Duncan

He might receive justice and get killed himself

'our poisoned chalice to our own lips'

He has a duty to protect king

''I am his kinsmen and subject'

He is duncan's host

'who should against his murderer shut the door'

Duncan is a good king

'his virtues will plead like angels'

Heaven will cry out

'shall blow the horrid dead in every eye'-'cherobin'

Understands the natural order will be broken

'deep damnation of his taking off'

'tears shall drown the wind'

The angels are crying and teh situation is hellish shwoing the divine right of kings has been distrupted

Macbeth's horror

'But wherefore could not I pronounce Macbeth'-questioning his sanity

'Methought I heard a voice cry 'sleep no more: Macbeth does murder sleep''

'will all great neptunes ocean...'

Macbeth's fatal flaws

ambition

'insecurity

arrogance

love for LM

reliance on supernatural

as the play progresses, macbeth becomes further embroiled in cruelty and embraces the chaos of his villainy, a stark contrast to his uncertainty at beginning of play

Banquo's murder-3.1

Banquo demonstartes his anxiety and feeling of insecurity to Macbeth and also his suspicion of the prophecies and this causes Macbeth to be enrged and have to murder Banquo to keep his secret

Comparison with Duncan's murder

We dont see Macbeth reflect deeply on whether he should kill or not he seems much faster and starightforward as he descends into brutality

With Duncan M relies on LM but macbeth is far more independant in the murder of Banquo

With Duncan's he killed him himself but with Banquo he hired murderers in an attempt to avoid the trauma and guilt as well as fear of discovery and wanting to exert his power as king

Macbeth's speech to murderers

Friendly

anxious

exerting power

Insulting

'was it not yesterday we spoke together?'

'Do you find your patience so predominant in your nature, that you can let this go?'

'with barefaced power sweep him from my sight'

comparing them to dogs

4.1 talk to witches

Macbeth says that he wants to know the future form the witches no matter how they come to know it and doesnt care of teh chaos consequences

Macbeth is desperate

Destructive speech about nature-get quotes

supernatural

twisted world

destruction of natural order

Macbeth repsonds to teh prophecies and plans to kill macduffs family and seal his own fate- he doesnt question the humanity of the murder

He wants to deal with consequences later and act before he changes his mind- impulsive and unkingly

He admits its cruel and heartless to kill innocentgs off a prophecy

assertive and confident and sure

Reputation as a tyrant

'this tyrant'

'black macbeth'

'Not in the legions of horride hell can come a devil more damned in evils to top Macbeth'

'devilish macbeth

'the devil himself could not pronounce a title mroe hateful to mine ear'

'dead butcher'-'hell hound'

The queen's death

Macbeth hears women's screams and becomes numb to all horror and emotion.

he reflects on the nature and futility of life

Becomes depressed and self-reflective

slow meter

sees life as worthless and decietful

relative to a shadow

Ironic

self evaluative