Macbeth 2

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Fate and Macbeth's Ambition

As Macbeth becomes more ambitious, his acceptance of fate changes:

'Without my stir'

'If chance will have me king, why then chance may crown me, / Without my stir' (1,3)
Towards the beginning of the play, Macbeth decides that if fate has said he will be king, then that will happen without him interfering.

'Not born of woman?'

'What's he / That was not born of woman? Such a one / Am I to fear or none.' (5,7)
Macbeth is still thinking about the prophecies, even when trapped in the castle
Macbeth thinks he can't be harmed by anyone that a woman gave birth to.
Siward's son is the first to fight Macbeth, but he loses. Macbeth believes that the prophecy is protecting him. He does not fear anyone: 'But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn, / Brandished by man that's of a woman born.'

Macbeth - Loving and Submissive Husband

In Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's relationship, Macbeth seems kinder and more caring, whereas Lady Macbeth appears to have more control.

Illustrative background for <b>'My dearest love'</b> (1,5)

Illustrative background for <b>'My dearest love'</b> (1,5) ?? "content

'My dearest love' (1,5)

Macbeth uses loving language towards his wife, when they are first together on the stage.
Macbeth writes to his wife and tells her about the witches. Many men would not talk such things with their wives.
He seems to treat her more equally, maybe because he cares about her, or he values her opinion. Perhaps she has helped him with decisions in the past?
- It might give the audience a clue about why he lets her influence him in the way that she does at the start of the play.

Illustrative background for <b>'Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor'</b> (1,5)

Illustrative background for <b>'Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor'</b> (1,5) ?? "content

'Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor' (1,5)

Instead of loving language, Lady Macbeth greets her husband by flattering his status
Lady Macbeth dominates the conversation. Macbeth hardly speaks.
He seems the more caring of the two here.
Lady Macbeth decides the plan for them. Macbeth tells her they will speak more later, but Lady Macbeth seems to interrupt him.
This makes us question things about his character – is he desperately in love with her and keen to please? Or is he really weak mentally?
Does Macbeth kill King Duncan to please his wife?

Illustrative background for <b>‘We will speak further—’ </b> (1,5)

Illustrative background for <b>‘We will speak further—’ </b> (1,5) ?? "content

‘We will speak further—’ (1,5)

Macbeth doesn’t speak much in this scene. Lady Macbeth seems to have power over him.
He tries to put her off with those words but the dash shows that she interrupts him. She tells him to worry about how he comes across and that she will sort everything out.
She is immediately shown to be a manipulative character, almost overpowering her husband.

Lady Macbeth's Treatment of Macbeth

Lady Macbeth seems to view Macbeth as weak and controls him accordingly.

'Milk of human kindness'

'I fear thy nature, / It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way' (1,5).
Shakespeare uses this metaphor to suggest that Macbeth is a good man. But milk, a substance that mothers make to feed to their young, might also suggest that Lady Macbeth sees his kindness as weakness.
In this way, as is the case with many Shakespearian plays, the male character seems to have more stereotypically feminine traits (i.e. Macbeth seems kinder and more caring).

'Screw your courage'

'But screw your courage to the sticking-place, / And we'll not fail' (1,7).
This is what Lady Macbeth says when her husband asks what would happen if they fail on their plan to kill the king.
Macbeth is very torn about whether he should kill the king. He decides not to go on because he does not think ambition alone is a good enough reason to want the crown.
He seems to fear people retaliating, but his wife quickly persuades him to continue with the plan. This suggests that she has power over her husband.

Illustrative background for <b>'Are you a man?'</b> (3,4)

Illustrative background for <b>'Are you a man?'</b> (3,4) ?? "content

'Are you a man?' (3,4)

This is what Lady Macbeth asks when Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost.
This suggests that a lack of courage makes him less of a man.
People often saw mental disturbances as a female problem.

1Literary & Cultural Context

1.1Context

1.1.1Tragedy

1.1.2The Supernatural & Gender

1.1.3Politics & Monarchy

1.1.4End of Topic Test - Context

2Plot Summary

2.1Act 1

2.1.1Scenes 1 & 2

2.1.2Scene 3

2.1.3Scenes 4-5

2.1.4Scenes 6-7

2.1.5End of Topic Test - Act 1

2.2Acts 2-4

2.2.1Act 2

2.2.2Act 3

2.2.3Act 4

2.3Act 5

2.3.1Scenes 1-3

2.3.2Scenes 4-9

2.3.3End of Topic Test - Acts 2-5

2.3.4Diagnostic Misconceptions - Ambiguous Ending

2.3.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Jacobean

3Characters

4Themes

4.1Themes

4.1.1Power & Ambition

4.1.2Power & Ambition HyperLearning

4.1.3Violence

4.1.4The Supernatural

4.1.5Masculinity

4.1.6Armour, Kingship & The Natural Order

4.1.7Appearances & Deception

4.1.8Madness & Blood

4.1.9Women, Children & Sleep

4.1.10End of Topic Test - Themes

4.1.11End of Topic Test - Themes 2

4.2Grade 9 - Themes

4.2.1Grade 9 - Themes

4.2.2Extract Analysis

5Writer's Techniques

5.1Structure, Meter & Other Literary Techniques

5.1.1Structure, Meter & Dramatic Irony

5.1.2Pathetic Fallacy & Symbolism

5.1.3End of Topic Test - Writer's Techniques

6Recap: Main Quotes

6.1Characters Quotes

6.1.1Macbeth

6.1.2Macbeth 2

6.1.3Macbeth 3

6.1.4Macbeth 4

6.1.5Lady Macbeth

6.1.6Lady Macbeth 2

6.1.7Banquo

6.1.8Banquo 2

6.1.9The Witches

6.1.10King Duncan

6.1.11Macduff

6.2Text Structure - Quotes

6.2.1Violence

6.2.2The Supernatural

6.2.3Ambition

6.2.4Armour, Kingship & the Natural Order

6.2.5Appearances & Deception

6.2.6Lady Macbeth's Masculinity

6.2.7Madness & Blood

6.2.8Men, Children & Sleep

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