The eNotes Blog Macbeth Unlocked

Macbeth Unlocked William Shakespeare remains, hands down, one of the most well-known and influential writers  in recent history. Throughout his career, he published a truly impressive library of sonnets, poems, verses, plays, and tales. Among  these works, Shakespeare is credited with the writing of four major tragedies:  Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and, of course,  Macbeth.   Macbeth is, in addition to being a fabulous drama, an incredibly dark, dramatic story.  To very briefly summarize, the story goes  (spoilers!):  one day a man gets very cocky. A magic lady tells this cocky man that  hell be king. He gets cockier still and commits some murders. People get very angry, and this leads these angry people to kill the cocky man. Now, tell me that isnt a heavy storyline. (Heres a full summary of the play  and,  if you havent read the story, heres a free digital etext- because you really should read this story in full). No  matter how wonderful the story may be, we understand it can sometimes be difficult to get through Shakespearian literature. Slogging through the storm of verily and doth often gets confusing, and it can be invaluable to have someone explain the story in plain English and, better yet, tell you what the most important take-aways are. Well, youve come to the right place! Weve gathered together some of the most important bits and pieces of Macbeth and put them together right here in this post. Read on and follow links to anything that interests and/or confuses you! Macbeth As a character, this guy is actually pretty difficult to get a read on. At the beginning of the story, he seems like a decent guy, fighting for his country and whatnot,  but before you know it hes turned around and killed half of Scotland* (and that is what we call a hyperbole). So what happened? How many people does Macbeth kill in his play? Answers  Ã¢â€ â€™ Macbeths downward spiral as a character isnt as fast of a decline as I may have said before, but the man  certainly undergoes a  devolution as a moral being. Clearly spurred by his own ambition and the urging of his wife, Macbeth steps into the shoes of a murderous tyrant-to-be and descends into psychopathy. With  the modifications to Macbeths  personality, we see corresponding changes in the role and personality of Lady Macbeth. At the plays outset, Lady Macbeth is the aggressor, encouraging her unwilling husband to follow his ambitious inclinations and kill the king for the advancement of their status. As the story continues, however, we see Lady Macbeth beginning to take more of a backseat role, watching her husband commit these horrible murders and taking no part in them herself. Instead, Lady Macbeth appears to go mad with guilt- constantly washing her hands to wash away blood that isnt there. So what happened between Macbeth and his wife?  Heres a comprehensive look at their intertwined character development. Lady Macbeth Weve already talked a little bit about how Lady Macbeth evolves as a character, but it remains valuable to look at  her character in isolation from Macbeth as much as it is important to look at the two together. First, from a historical perspective, we have to acknowledge the fact that Lady Macbeth is a woman- and women in this time period really had nothing going for them but what their husbands were able to boast.  Lady Macbeths station in life is  entirely dependent on that of her husband. That isnt to say she isnt a terrible person- murder is murder, but she only encourages him so that she can move up in the world. Okay, that sounds even worse. Regardless, Macbeths willingness to listen to his wifes advice says something about the relationship between the two. As the story  progresses, we begin to see more guilt wracking the Ladys conscience. It seems she reaches a moral breakthrough so powerful that it leads to her suicide. How does Lady Macbeth change  throughout  the play? Answers  Ã¢â€ â€™ Quotes Lets face it: Shakespeare is a quotable guy. So many little idioms that we have floating around, even today, have origins in Shakespeares work (thats one reason its worth it to get  through his writing- its likely youll find a little hidden gem, which  is  quite exciting!). Macbeth undoubtedly includes  some of those sayings we use in everyday conversation, but there are also a whole bunch of deeper, beautiful, and somewhat mystifying quotes in the play that are actually pretty important to the overall story. Here are some quotes and links to thorough explanations: Fair is foul and foul is fair. Act 1, Scene 1 Lifes but a walking shadow. Act 5, Scene 5 Out, brief candle Act 5, Scene 5 False face must hide what the false heart doth know. Act 1, Scene 7 Theres daggers in mens smiles.  Act 2, Scene 2 Tragedy First, we should discuss what makes a play a tragedy, because its too easy to say that a tragic play is a play in which something sad happens. Sad things do happen in tragedies, but theres more to the definition than that. Tragedy  is defined as a branch of drama that treats sorrowful or terrible events in a serious and dignified manner. Further, these unfortunate events are encountered or caused by  the tragic hero. Now, the tragic hero is another figure that seems fairly self-explanatory, but well highlight it anyway: a tragic hero is a character who makes an error in judgment which ultimately leads to his or her destruction. (*link to HH question about what is a tragic hero). We can easily surmise that Macbeth is a tragedy due to its dramatic depictions  of murder and an eventual suicide. Again, that is a greatly summarized and simplified explanation of a complicated description, so  heres  further reading about what makes  Macbeth a tragic play. Now that we have come to the conclusion that  Macbeth  is a tragedy, it follows that the main character, Macbeth, is a tragic hero. It is true that Macbeth really does cause his own problems from the get-go. If he hadnt been inspired to murder his kindly King, he wouldnt have ended up dead by the hand of a former ally. I hope that doesnt give away the whole play, but just in case, I will leave the rest of the analysis of Macbeth as a tragic hero to . Summation Identifying a concrete theme of  any work is a difficult task;  identifying the theme of a work more than four hundred years old is even more difficult. That being said, there are many assertions to be made as to the overarching theme of Macbeth. In determining a theme, you have to look for recurring aspects with analyzable elements. When talking about Macbeth, a few  words may jump out at you, such as  greed or  ambition or, I dont know,  murder. All of these concepts work together to form  a cohesive and grizzly theme in the play, along with smaller pieces of the puzzle like insanity, fear, and matters of the supernatural. What are the specific names of the 3 witches? Answers  Ã¢â€ â€™ *Bonus Fun Fact:  Macbeth  was written in an attempt to please the new King of England, King James I. This new king originally hailed from Scotland before ascending the English throne and had a distinct interest in supernatural happenings- thus the plays setting and inclusion of witches. Further, it is a  fact that the throne of England was one that saw a lot of bloody turnover, so it was likely an interest of both James and Shakespeare to comment on Jamess rise to power, like Malcolm in  Macbeth, as a wise and just monarch. Why did Shakespeare write Macbeth? Answers  Ã¢â€ â€™