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Profielwerkstuk Engels Shakespeare
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Contents
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Pagenumber
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Front Page
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Contents
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Introduction
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Shakespeare - Biography
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Shakespeare – Last Will and Testament
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Hamlet - Bookreport
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MacBeth - Bookreport
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MacBeth - annotations
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MacBeth - Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair
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Logbook
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Once upon a time, April, 23, 1564 to be exact, ‘ere was a man born from a woman. A
man so powerful in writing he would stop the literary world in its tracks and lift it to a
whole new level. A man that could unsex the play and make kings die. A man who
would change not only the life of his peers, but also the lives of us and many
generations to come. This blessed man was called William Shakespeare. A name never
to be forgotten, for it has brought us joy and sadness for centuries.
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The main reason I chose Shakespeare is the amount of influence this man has had on the
way we speak English and indirectly the way people speak in other countries as well (as
many words are derived from the English language). William has shown us a new way
of speaking and opens up a new way of thinking with it. Thinking out of the box is
something one could easily connect with Shakespeare. As such did I.
Shakespeare is in my opinion the heart of modern day English.
In this project you will see two classic Shakespeare plays, MacBeth and Hamlet. I found
it fulfilling to make this project and I hope those reading it will see this. Furthermore I
wish you fun and success as there is enough to be read. Have fun!<br clear="all" />
Shakespeare – Biography
For all his fame and celebration, William Shakespeare remains a mysterious figure with
regards to personal history. There are just two primary sources for information on the
Bard: his works, and various legal and church documents that have survived from
Elizabethan times. Naturally, there are many gaps in this body of information, which
tells us little about Shakespeare the man.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, allegedly on April 23, 1564.
Church records from Holy Trinity Church indicate that he was baptized there on April
26, 1564. Young William was born of John Shakespeare, a glover and leather merchant,
and Mary Arden, a landed local heiress. William, according to the church register, was
the third of eight children in the Shakespeare household—three of whom died in
childhood. John Shakespeare had a remarkable run of success as a merchant, alderman,
and high bailiff of Stratford, during William's early childhood. His fortunes declined,
however, in the late 1570s.
There is great conjecture about Shakespeare's childhood years, especially regarding his
education. Scholars surmise that Shakespeare attended the grammar school in Stratford.
While there are no records extant to prove this claim, Shakespeare's knowledge of Latin
and Classical Greek would tend to support this theory. In addition, Shakespeare's first
biographer, Nicholas Rowe, wrote that John Shakespeare had placed William "for some
time in a free school." John Shakespeare, as a Stratford official, would have been
granted a waiver of tuition for his son. As the records do not exist, we do not know how
long William may have attended the school, but the literary quality of his works
suggests a solid educational foundation. What is certain is that William Shakespeare
never proceeded to university schooling, which has contributed to the debate about the
authorship of his works.
The next documented event in Shakespeare's life is his marriage to Anne Hathaway on
November 28, 1582. William was 18 at the time, and Anne was 26—and pregnant.
Their first daughter, Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. The couple later had twins,
Hamnet and Judith, born February 2, 1585 and christened at Holy Trinity. Hamnet died
in childhood at the age of 11, on August 11, 1596.
For the seven years following the birth of his twins, William Shakespeare disappears
from all records, finally turning up again in London some time in 1592. This period,
known as the "Lost Years," has sparked as much controversy about Shakespeare's life as
any period. Rowe notes that young Shakespeare was quite fond of poaching, and may
have had to flee Stratford after an incident with Sir Thomas Lucy, whose deer and
rabbits he allegedly poached. There is also rumor of Shakespeare working as an
assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire for a time, though this is circumstantial at best.
It is estimated that Shakespeare arrived in London around 1588 and began to establish
himself as an actor and playwright. Evidently Shakespeare garnered some envy early
on, as related by the critical attack of Robert Greene, a London playwright, in 1592:
"...an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a
player's hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of
you: and being an absolute Johannes fac totum, is in his own conceit the only
Shake-scene in a country."
Greene's bombast notwithstanding, Shakespeare must have shown considerable
promise. By 1594, he was not only acting and writing for the Lord Chamberlain's Men
(called the King's Men after the ascension of James I in 1603), but was a managing
partner in the operation as well. With Will Kempe, a master comedian, and Richard
Burbage, a leading tragic actor of the day, the Lord Chamberlain's Men became a
favorite London troupe, patronized by royalty and made popular by the theatre-going
public.
Shakespeare's accomplishments are apparent when studied against other playwrights of
this age. His company was the most successful in London in his day. He had plays
published and sold in octavo editions, or "penny-copies" to the more literate of his
audiences. Never before had a playwright enjoyed sufficient acclaim to see his works
published and sold as popular literature in the midst of his career. In addition,
Shakespeare's ownership share in both the theatrical company and the Globe itself made
him as much an entrepreneur as artist. While Shakespeare might not be accounted
wealthy by London standards, his success allowed him to purchase New House and
retire in comfort to Stratford in 1611.
William Shakespeare wrote his will in 1611, bequeathing his properties to his daughter
Susanna (married in 1607 to Dr. John Hall). To his surviving daughter Judith, he left
£300, and to his wife Anne left "my second best bed." William Shakespeare allegedly
died on his birthday, April 23, 1616. This is probably more of a romantic myth than
reality, but Shakespeare was interred at Holy Trinity in Stratford on April 25. In 1623,
two working companions of Shakespeare from the Lord Chamberlain's Men, John
Heminges and Henry Condell, printed the First Folio edition of his collected plays, of
which half were previously unpublished.
William Shakespeare's legacy is a body of work that will never again be equaled in
Western civilization. His words have endured for 400 years, and still reach across the
centuries as powerfully as ever. Even in death, he leaves a final piece of verse as his
epitaph:
Good
friend, for Jesus' sake forbeare
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.
Source:
http://www.bardweb.net/man.html
Shakespeare’s Last Will and Testimony
After some research I found what seems to be Shakespeare’s last will and testimony. I
thought it would be a much needed variation and addition to this work.
Vicesimo Quinto die Januarii
Martii Anno Regni Domini nostri Jacobi nucn Regis Angliae etc decimo quarto &
Scotie xlixo Annoque Domini 1616
Testamentum
Willemi Shackspeare
Registretur
In the name of god Amen I William Shackspeare of Stratford upon Avon in the countrie
of Warr' gent in perfect health and memorie god by praysed doe make and Ordayne this
my last will and testament in manner and forme followeing that ys to saye first I
Comend my Soule into the hands of god my Creator hoping and assuredlie beleeving
through thonelie merittes of Jesus Christe my Saviour to be made partaker of lyfe
everlastinge And my bodye to the Earthe whereof yt ys made.
Item I Gyve and bequeath unto my sonne in Law and
Daughter Judyth One Hundred and fyftie pounds of lawfull English money to be paied
unto her in manner and forme follewing That ys to saye One Hundred Poundes in
discharge of her marriage porcion within one yeare after my deceas with consideracion
after the Rate of twoe shillinges in the pound for soe long tyme as the same shalbe
unpaid unto her after my deceas & the fyftie pounds Residewe therof upon her
surrendering of or gyving of such sufficient securitie as the overseers of this my will
shall like of to Surrender or graunte All her estate and Right that shall discend or come
unto her after my deceas or that she nowe hath of in or to one Copiehold tenemente with
theappertenances lyeing & being in Stratford upon Avon aforesaied in the saide countie
of warr' being parcell or holden of the mannor of Rowington unto my daughter Susanna
Hall and her heires for ever.
Item I gyve and bequeath unto my saied Daughter Judyth One Hundred and ffyftie
Poundes more if shee or Anie issue of her bodie Lyvinge att thend of three yeares next
ensueing the daie of the date of this my will during which tyme my executors to paie her
consideracion from my deceas according to the Rate afore saied. And if she dye within
the saied terme without issue of her bodye then my will ys and and I doe gyve and
bequeath One Hundred Poundes therof to my Neece Eliabeth Hall and ffiftie Poundes to
be sett fourth by my executors during the lief of my Sister Johane Harte and the use and
proffitt therof cominge shalbe payed to my saied Sister Jone and after her deceas the
saied L li shall Remaine Amongst the childredn of my saied Sister Equallie to be
devided Amongst them. But if my saied daughter Judith be lyving att thend of the saeid
three yeares or anie issue of her bodye then my will ys and soe I devise and bequeath
the saied Hundred and ffyftie poundes to be sett out by my executors and overseers for
the best benefit of her and her issue and the stock not to be paied unto her soe long as
she shalbe marryed and Covert Baron by my executors and overseers
but my will ys that she shall have the consideracion yearelie paied unto her during her
lief and after her deceas the saied stock and condieracion to bee paid to her children if
she have Anie and if not to her executors or Assignes she lyving the saied terme after
my deceas provided that if such husbond as she shall att thend of the saied three yeares
by marryed unto or attain after doe sufficiently Assure unto her and thissue of her bodie
landes answereable to the portion gyven unto her and to be adjudged soe by my
executors and overseers then my will ys that the saied CL li shalbe paied to such
husbond as shall make such assurance to his owne use.
Item I gyve and bequeath unto my saied sister Jone XX li and all my wearing Apprell to
be paied and delivered within one yeare after my deceas. And I doe will and devise unto
her the house with thappurtenances in Stratford where in she dwelleth for her naturall
lief under the yearelie Rent of xiid
Item I gyve and bequeath unto her three sonnes William Hart—Hart and Michaell Harte
ffyve pounds A peece to be payed within one yeare after my decease to be sett out for
her within one yeare after my deceas by my executors with thadvise and direccons
of my overseers for her best proffitt untill her marriage and then the same with the
increase thereof to be paied unto her
.
Item I gyve and bequath unto her
the said Elizabeth Hall All my Plate (except my brod silver and gilt bole) that I now
have att the date of this my will.
Item I gyve and bequeath unto the Poore of Stratford aforesaied tenn poundes; to Mr
Thomas Combe my Sword; to Thomas Russell Esquier ffyve poundes and to ffrauncis
collins of the Borough of Warr' in the countie of Warr' gent. thriteene poundes Sixe
shillinges and Eight pence to be paied within one yeare after my deceas.
Item I gyve and bequeath to mr richard
Hamlett Sadler Tyler thelder
XXVIs VIIId to buy him A Ringe; to William Raynoldes gent XXVIs VIIId to buy him
a Ringe; to my godson William Walker XXVIs VIIId in gold
and to my ffellowes John Hemynges, Richard Burbage and Heny Cundell XXVIs
VIIId A peece to buy them Ringes.
Item I Gyve Will Bequeth and Devise unto my Daughter Susanna Hall for better
enabling of her to performe this my will and towardes the performans thereof All that
Capitall Messuage or tenemente with thappertenaces in Stratford aforesaid called the
newe plase wherein I now Dwell and two messuags or tenementes with thappurtenances
scituat lyeing and being in Henley Streete within the borough of Stratford aforesaied.
And all my barnes, stables, Orchardes, gardens, landes, tenementes and herediaments
whatsoever scituat lyeing and being or to be had receyved, perceyved or taken within
the townes and Hamletts, villages, ffieldes and groundes of Stratford upon Avon,
Oldstratford, Bushopton and Welcombe or in anie of them in the saied countie of warr
And alsoe All that Messuage or tenemente with thappurtenances wherein one John
Robinson dwelleth, scituat, lyeing and being in the blackfriers in London nere the
Wardrobe and all other my landes tenementes and hereditamentes whatsoever. To Have
and to hold All and singular the saied premisses with their Appurtenances unto the saied
Susanna Hall for and during the terme of her naturall lief and after her deceas to the first
sonne of her bodie lawfullie yssueing and to the heiries Males of the bodie of the saied
Second Sonne lawfullie yssyeinge and for defalt of such heires Males of the bodie of the
saied third sonne lawfullie yssye ing And for defalt of such issue the same soe to be
Reamine to the ffourth sonne
, ffythe, sixte and seaventh sonnes of her bodie lawfullie issueing one after Another and
and to the heires Males of the bodies of the saied ffourth, ffythe, Sixte and Seaventh
sonnes lawfullie yssueing in such mamer as yt ys before Lymitted to be and remaine to
the first, second and third Sonns of her bodie and to their heires males. And for defalt of
such issue the saied premisses to be and Remaine to my sayed Neede Hall and the heires
Males of her bodie Lawfully yssueing for default of...such issue to my daughter Judith
and the heires of me the saied William Sahckspere for ever.
Item I gyve unto my wief my second best bed with the furniture; Item I gyve and
bequeath to my saied daughter Judith my broad silver gilt bole.
All the rest of my goodes Chattels, Leases, plate, jewles and Household stuffe
whatsoever after my dettes and Legasies paied and my funerall expences discharged, I
gyve devise and bequeath to my Sonne in Lawe John Hall gent and my daughter
Susanna his wief whom I ordaine and make executors of this my Last will and
testament. And I doe intreat and Appoint the saied Thomas Russell Esquier and
ffrauncis Collins gent to be overseers herof And doe Revoke All former wills and
publishe this to be my last will and testament. In witnes whereof I have hereunto put my
Seale
hand the Daie and Yeare first above Written.
Witness to the publishing hereof: Fra: Collyns, Juilyus Shawe, John Robinson, Hamnet
Sadler, robert Whattcott.
By me William Shakespeare
Probatum coram Magistro Williamo Byrde legum doctore Commissario etc xxiido die
mensis Junii Anno domini 1616 Juramento Jahannis Hall unius executorum etc. Cui etc
de bene etc Jurati Reservata potestate etc Sussane Hall alteri executorum etc cum
venerit etc petitur.
Inventarium exhibitum.
Source:
http://www.bardweb.net/will.html
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Bookreport
Name
student: Kevin van Baal
Author: William Shakespeare
Title: Hamlet
Year: 1600-1601
Novel – Story –
Play
<ol start="1">
<li>Motivation of the choice</li>
</ol>
I read this play, because:
It’s the kind
of book I would read;
the writer is known to me;
I have seen it in a movie/play
<ol start="2">
<li>Reading time</li>
</ol>
It took me about 18 hours to read this play.
<br clear="all" />
<ol start="3">
<li>Review</li>
</ol>
1 = not in
agreement with
5 = completely in agreement with
<ol start="1">
<li>The story is an exciting/fascinating
story
5</li>
<li>The story could have been
real
<li>There is humour in it, you can laugh about
it
3</li>
3</li>
<li>There is a clear storyline in the story, which you can
follow well
5</li>
<li>You emphasise with the feelings and problems of the
characters
5</li>
<li>The end is different from which you initially
thought
1</li>
<li>The story made you a little
sad
4</li>
<li>There are a lot of hard words in the
story
5</li>
<li>You like/are interested in the
subject
<li>The story is variably/ many different things
happen
5</li>
5</li>
<li>You can imagine the characters/events
well
5</li>
<li>There is love
involved
5</li>
<li>The story attracts me from the
beginning
5</li>
<li>The story is (quite)
sophisticated
<li>The story is about issues that still occur
presently
5</li>
3</li>
<li>The story speaks to my
imagination
5</li>
<li>You can learn something from the story/ the story makes you
think
4</li>
<li>You get a clear image of the characters and main
characters
5</li>
<li>In the story you have discovered something about
yourself
1</li>
<li>At the end all issues are
resolved
4</li>
<li>The story can be interpreted/explained in more than one
way
5</li>
<li>There are many long and difficult sentences in the
story
5</li>
<li>The story is an original, new, surprising
story
5</li>
<li>The end of the story is not finished: you have to come up with your own
ending
1</li>
<li>You have to reread certain parts of the story to understand
them
5</li>
</ol>
Your opinion on the book as a whole. I think
this work as a whole is:
Very good
The degree of difficulty of the used language.
I thought the English was not hard, nor was it easy.
<ol start="4">
<li>Motivation of your review</li>
</ol>
In part one you provided scores for 25 statements. Now choose from those
statements at least three (at most 5) to explain why you have chosen for that
particular score.
2.The story could have been real, but quite unlikely. This story is based on an old play.
One could imagine this to be real as there are no strange occurrences.
6. The end is different of which I thought, all but this is true. The end was predictable
for those who have read Shakespearian plays before. Shakespeare loves to end a play in
drama, but there was the slight surprise of the queen ending up dead. Furthermore
Horatio survives to tell the tale, which is strange for a Shakespearian ending. Normally
or everybody dies, or the hero dies. In this case everybody, but Horatio dies.
7. The story made me a little sad. Yes, this story made me a little sad, but sad in a The
Gladiator way. The hero dies in the end and of course (as mostly everybody does) I
hoped he would have survived. So that made me a little sad. The ending is best
described by a line in MacBeth: A Roman ending, the hero dying in the end or killing
himself due to the fact they lost a battle.
14. The story was quite sophisticated. Very much so, there were loads and loads of
twists, playing with words, using unknown adverbs and most of all the imagery was
huge. It took me quite some time to understand some of the imagery used.
25. You had to reread some parts before understanding them. Very true, as there was a
lot of imagery and lots of playing with words, I am still convinced I haven’t seen all of
the play. I can keep on reading this and find new information every time I reread it. It is
that kind of a story.
<br clear="all" />
<ol start="5">
<li>Summary of the play</li>
</ol>
Who do you think are the main characters of the story?
Hamlet
The son of Old Hamlet and Gertrude, thus Prince of Denmark. The ghost of Old Hamlet
charges him with the task of killing his uncle, Claudius, for killing him and usurping the
throne of Denmark. Hamlet is a moody, theatrical, witty, brilliant young man,
perpetually fascinated and tormented by doubts and introspection. It is famously
difficult to pin down his true thoughts and feelings -- does he love Ophelia, and does he
really intend to kill Claudius? In fact, it often seems as though Hamlet pursues lines of
thought and emotion merely for their experimental value, testing this or that idea
without any interest in applying his resolutions in the practical world. The variety of his
moods, from manic to somber, seems to cover much of the range of human possibility.
Old Hamlet
The former King of Denmark. Old Hamlet appears as a ghost and exhorts his son to kill
Claudius, whom he claims has killed him in order to secure the throne and the queen of
Denmark. Hamlet fears (or at least says he fears) that the ghost is an imposter, an evil
spirit sent to lure him to hell. Old Hamlet's ghost reappears in Act Three of the play
when Hamlet goes too far in berating his mother. After this second appearance, we hear
and see no more of him.
Claudius
Old Hamlet's brother, Hamlet's uncle, and Gertrude's newlywed husband. He murdered
his brother in order to seize the throne and subsequently married Gertrude, his erstwhile
sister-in-law. Claudius appears to be a rather dull man who is fond of the pleasures of
the flesh, sex and drinking. Only as the play goes on do we become certain that he is
indeed guilty of murder and usurpation. Claudius is the only character aside from
Hamlet to have a soliloquy in the play. When he is convinced that Hamlet has found
him out, Claudius eventually schemes to have his nephew-cum-son murdered.
Gertrude
Old Hamlet's widow and Claudius' wife. She seems unaware that Claudius killed her
former husband. Gertrude loves Hamlet tremendously, while Hamlet has very mixed
feelings about her for marrying the (in his eyes) inferior Claudius after her first
husband's death. Hamlet attributes this need for a husband to her lustiness. Gertrude
figures prominently in many of the major scenes in the play, including the killing of
Polonius and the death of Ophelia.
Horatio
Hamlet's closest friend. They know each other from the University of Wittenberg,
where they are both students. Horatio is presented as a studious, skeptical young man,
perhaps more serious and less ingenious than Hamlet but more than capable of trading
witticisms with his good friend. In a moving tribute just before the play-within-the-play
begins, in Act Two scene two, Hamlet praises Horatio as his soul's choice and declares
that he loves Horatio because he is "not passion's slave" but is rather good-humored and
philosophical through all of life's buffets. At the end of the play, Hamlet charges
Horatio with the task of explaining the pile of bodies to the confused onlookers in court.
Polonius
The father of Ophelia and Laertes and the chief adviser to the throne of Denmark.
Polonius is a windy, pedantic, interfering, suspicious, silly old man, a "rash, intruding
fool," in Hamlet's phrase. Polonius is forever fomenting intrigue and hiding behind
tapestries to spy. He hatches the theory that Ophelia caused Hamlet to go mad by
rejecting him. Polonius' demise is fitting to his flaws. Hamlet accidentally kills the old
man while he eavesdrops behind an arras in Gertrude's bedroom. Polonius' death causes
his daughter to go mad.
Ophelia
The daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes. Ophelia has received several tributes of
love from Hamlet but rejects him after her father orders her to do so. In general, Ophelia
is controlled by the men in her life, moved around like a pawn in their scheme to
discover Hamlet's distemper. Moreover, Ophelia is regularly mocked by Hamlet and
lectured by her father and brother about her sexuality. She goes mad after Hamlet
murders Polonius. She later drowns.
Laertes
Polonius' son and Ophelia's brother. Laertes is an impetuous young man who lives
primarily in Paris, France. We see him at the beginning of the play at the celebration of
Claudius and Gertrude's wedding. He then returns to Paris, only to return in Act Four
with an angry entourage after his father's death at Hamlet's hands. He and Claudius
conspire to kill Hamlet in the course of a duel between Laertes and the prince.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Friends of Hamlet's from the University of Wittenberg. Claudius invites them to court in
order to spy on Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are often treated as comic relief;
they are sycophantic, vaguely absurd fellows. After Hamlet kills Polonius, Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern are assigned to accompany Hamlet to England. They carry a letter
from Claudius asking the English king to kill Hamlet upon his arrival. Hamlet discovers
this plot and alters the letter so that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are put to death
instead. We learn that they have indeed been executed at the very close of the play.
Fortinbras
The Prince of Norway. In many ways his story is parallel to Hamlet's: he too has lost his
father by violence (Old Hamlet killed Old Fortinbras in single combat); he too is
impeded from ascending the throne by an interfering uncle. But despite their
biographical similarities, Fortinbras and Hamlet are constitutional opposites. Where
Hamlet is pensive and mercurial, Fortinbras is all action. He leads an army through
Denmark in order to attack disputed territory in Poland. At the end of the play, and with
Hamlet's dying assent, Fortinbras assumes the crown of Denmark.
Osric
The ludicrous, flowery, stupid courtier who invites Hamlet to fence with Laertes, then
serves as referee during the contest.
The gravediggers
Two "clowns" (roles played by comic actors), a principal gravedigger and his assistant.
They figure only in one scene -- Act Five scene one -- yet never fail to make a big
impression on readers and audience members. The primary gravedigger is a very witty
man, macabre and intelligent, who is the only character in the play capable of trading
barbs with Hamlet. They are the only speaking representatives of the lower classes in
the play and their perspective is a remarkable contrast to that of the nobles.
The players
A group of (presumably English) actors who arrive in Denmark. Hamlet knows this
company well and listens, enraptured, while the chief player recites a long speech about
the death of Priam and the wrath of Hecuba. Hamlet uses the players to stage an
adaptation of "The Death of Gonzago" which he calls "The Mousetrap" -- a play that
reprises almost perfectly the account of Old Hamlet's death as told by the ghost -- in
order to be sure of Claudius' guilt.
A Priest
Charged with performing the rites at Ophelia's funeral. Because of the doubtful
circumstances of Ophelia's death, the priest refuses to do more than the bare minimum
as she is interred.
Reynaldo
Polonius' servant, sent to check on Laertes in Paris. He receives absurdly detailed
instructions in espionage from his master.
Bernardo
A soldier who is among the first to see the ghost of Old Hamlet.
Marcellus
A soldier who is among the first to see the ghost of Old Hamlet.
Francisco
A soldier.
Voltemand
A courtier.
Cornelius
A courtier.
A Captain
A captain in Fortinbras' army who speaks briefly with Hamlet.
Ambassadors
Ambassadors from England who arrive at the play's close to announce that Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern are dead.
Where does this story take place?
Denmark
When does this story take place?
12th century
What happens throughout the story?
Something is amiss in Denmark -- for two successive nights, the midnight guard has
witnessed the appearance of the ghost of Old Hamlet, the former King of Denmark who
has recently died. The guards bring Horatio, a learned scholar and friend of Hamlet,
Prince of Denmark, to witness this apparition. Though skeptical at first, Horatio sees the
ghost and decides to report its appearance to Hamlet.
Meanwhile, a new king of Denmark has been crowned: Claudius, Old Hamlet's brother.
Claudius has taken Old Hamlet's widow, Gertrude, as his wife. We watch their marriage
celebration and hear about a threat from the Prince of Norway, Fortinbras, which
Claudius manages to avoid by diplomacy. Hamlet is in attendance at this wedding
celebration; he is hardly in joyous spirits, however. He is disgusted by his mother's
decision to marry Claudius so soon after his father's demise. Horatio tells Hamlet of the
appearance of the ghost and Hamlet determines to visit the spirit himself.
Meanwhile, the court adviser, Polonius, sends his son, Laertes, back to Paris, where he
is living. Laertes and Polonius both question Ophelia (sister and daughter, respectively)
about her relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia admits that Hamlet has been wooing her.
They tell her to avoid Hamlet and reject his amorous advances, emphasizing the
importance of protecting her chastity. Ophelia agrees to cut off contact.
That night, Hamlet accompanies the watch. The ghost appears once more. Hamlet
questions the ghost, who beckons Hamlet away from the others. When they are alone,
the ghost reveals that Claudius murdered him in order to steal his crown and his wife.
The ghost makes Hamlet promise to take revenge on Claudius. Hamlet appears to
concur excitedly. He has Horatio and the guards swear not to reveal what they have
seen.
Act Two finds us some indefinite time in the future. Hamlet has been behaving in a
most erratic and alarming way. Claudius summons two of Hamlet's school friends,
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, in order to discover the meaning of this strange behavior.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's attempts to discover the reason for Hamlet's madness
are met with evasion and witticism. Meanwhile, Polonius hatches a theory of his own:
he thinks that Hamlet is insane due to Ophelia's rejection of his love. He arranges to test
his theory by setting Ophelia on Hamlet when they are apparently alone and then
observing the proceedings with Claudius.
Hamlet's only consolation appears to be the coming of a troupe of players from
England. Hamlet asks the player's whether they could play a slightly modified version
of a tragedy. We realize that Hamlet plans to put on a play that depicts the death of his
father, to see whether Claudius is really guilty, and the ghost is really to be trusted.
In Act Three, Ophelia approaches Hamlet when they are apparently alone; Claudius and
Polonius hide behind a tapestry and observe. Hamlet behaves extremely cruelly toward
Ophelia. The king decides that Hamlet is not mad for love of her but for some other
hidden reason.
Hamlet prepares to put on his play, which he calls "The Mouse Trap." After instructing
the players in their parts, Hamlet retires to the audience, where Claudius, Gertrude,
Ophelia, and Polonius have gathered, along with many others. In the course of the play,
both Gertrude and Claudius become extremely upset, though for different reasons.
Gertrude is flustered by Hamlet's veiled accusation that she was inconstant and
hypocritical for remarrying after Old Hamlet's death; Claudius is shaken because he is
indeed guilty of his brother's murder. Claudius decides that he must get rid of Hamlet by
sending him to England.
Following the play, Gertrude calls Hamlet to her room, intending to berate him for his
horrible insinuations. Hamlet turns the tables on her, accusing her of a most grotesque
lust and claiming that she has insulted her father and herself by stooping to marry
Claudius. In the course of their interview, Polonius hides behind a tapestry; at one point,
he thinks that Hamlet is going to attack Gertrude and cries for help. Hamlet stabs
Polonius through the tapestry, thinking he has killed Claudius. When he finds that he
has merely killed a "rash, intruding fool," Hamlet returns to the business of "speaking
daggers" to his mother. Just as Gertrude appears convinced by Hamlet's excoriation, the
ghost of Old Hamlet reappears and tells Hamlet not to behave so cruelly to his mother,
and to remember to carry out revenge on Claudius. Gertrude perceives her son
discoursing with nothing but air and is completely convinced of his madness. Hamlet
exits her room, dragging the body of Polonius behind him.
After much questioning, Claudius convinces Hamlet to reveal the hiding place of
Polonius' body. He then makes arrangements for Hamlet to go to England immediately,
accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Claudius writes a letter to the English
court asking them to kill Hamlet immediately upon his arrival and places the letter with
his two cronies. On their way to the ship, Hamlet and his entourage pass Fortinbras'
Norwegian army en route to a Polish campaign.
Back at Elsinore (the Danish palace), Ophelia has gone mad following her father's
death. She sings childish and bawdy songs and speaks nonsensically. Laertes soon
returns to Denmark with a mob in tow, demanding an explanation of Polonius' death.
Claudius gingerly calms the young man and convinces him that Hamlet was the guilty
party.
Letters arrive attesting to a strange turn of fortunes on the sea. Hamlet's ship to England
was attacked by pirates, who captured Hamlet and arranged to return him to Denmark
for a ransom. Hamlet sends Claudius an aggravating letter announcing his imminent
return. Claudius and Laertes decide that Hamlet must be killed. They decide to arrange a
duel between Laertes and Hamlet in which Laertes' sword is secretly poisoned so as to
guarantee Hamlet's immediate death. As backup, Claudius decides to poison a cup of
wine and offer it to Hamlet during the contest.
Just as Act Four comes to a close, more tragic news arrives. Gertrude says that Ophelia
has drowned while playing in a willow tree by the river.
Act Five begins at a graveyard. Two gravediggers joke about their morbid occupation.
Hamlet and Horatio arrive and converse with them. Soon, Ophelia's funeral begins.
Because there are doubts about whether Ophelia died accidentally or committed suicide,
her funeral lacks many of the customary religious rites. Laertes bombastically
dramatizes his grief, prompting Hamlet to reveal himself and declare his equal grief at
the loss of his erstwhile beloved. After a short tussle, Hamlet and Laertes part.
Later, Hamlet explains to Horatio that he discovered Claudius' plot to have him killed in
England and forged a new letter arranging for the deaths of Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern. While they are conversing, Osric, a ridiculous courtier, approaches and
proposes the duel between Laertes and Hamlet. Hamlet eventually accepts this
challenge.
The duel begins with Osric as referee. Hamlet wins the first two passes, prompting
Claudius to resort to the poisoned drink. Hamlet refuses the drink. In his stead, Gertrude
drinks a toast to her son from the poisoned cup. After a third pass also goes to Hamlet,
Laertes sneak-attacks the prince and wounds him. A scuffle ensues in which Hamlet
ends up with Laertes' sword. He injures Laertes. Just then Gertrude collapses. She
declares that she has been poisoned. Laertes, also dying, confesses the whole plot to
Hamlet, who finally attacks Claudius, stabbing him with the poisoned sword and then
forcing the poisoned drink down his throat. Hamlet too is dying. He asks Horatio to
explain the carnage to all onlookers and tell his story. Hamlet dies.
Just then, Fortinbras arrives at the court, accompanying some English ambassadors who
bring word of the death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. With all the immediate
royalty of Denmark dead, Fortinbras asserts his right to the crown. He arranges for
Hamlet to receive a soldier's burial.
<ol start="6">
<li>Time in the play</li>
</ol>
In what amount of time does the play take place?
Unknown
Is the story told in a chronological order?
Yes
Are there any flashbacks/flashforwards? Give examples.
Yes, Hamlet gets visitations from ghosts/apparitions and throughout the story he refers
to them. They are the mainframe for this play.
Does the play have clear delays? If so, where exactly.
No, but it
does have clear skips in time. The rest of the story is told at the same pace.
Though Hamlet does have solitary moments in which he thinks to himself. But this is
not significant enough to be called a delay.
<br clear="all" />
<ol start="8">
<li>Historical or literary era</li>
</ol>
Is the era in which the play was written of influence to the story? If so what was
characteristic for this time and how can one find this back in the story?
Very much so, this was written in Elizabethan time. Shakespeare’s use of words are
very characteristic for Elizabethan times. Also the “godly” part in the play comes forth
very clearly. In those times . Furthermore his play on words and the creation of words
points out the era this play was written in. In Elizabethan times English spelling wasn’t
absolute, therefore there was a certain freedom of the creation of new/adjusted words.
<ol start="9">
<li>Depth analysis</li>
</ol>
Give an explanation for the title.
Hamlet is the name of the most important character. The story depicts his life, his perils
and grievances.
Which person did you find the most/least sympathetic and why?
Hamlet, as he has to protect himself and the greater good (as is usual for Shakespearian
plays) from an evil so horrible it might destroy a whole country (Denmark). The King of
Denmark is a corrupt and generally evil man, that thinks of nothing or no one but
himself. As is customary for the Shakespearian plays it should end in tragedy (the hero
mustn’t survive), but the greater good will benefit overall. Hamlet gave his life to
Denmark in service of the greater good, but one might doubt whether it was all for the
greater good, but instead it was to avenge his father.
What was the most important subject/theme of this play?
Murder and betrayal.
<br clear="all" />
Bookreport
Name student: Kevin van Baal
Author: William Shakespeare
Title: Macbeth
Year: Between 1603 and 1607
Novel – Story – Play
<ol start="1">
<li>Motivation of the choice</li>
</ol>
I read this play, because:
It’s the
kind of book I would read;
the writer is known to me;
I have seen it in a movie/play
<ol start="2">
<li>Reading time</li>
</ol>
It took me about 16 hours to read this play.
<br clear="all" />
<ol start="3">
<li>Review</li>
</ol>
1 = not in agreement with
5 = completely in agreement with
<ol start="26">
<li>The story is an exciting/fascinating
story
5</li>
<li>The story could have been
real
<li>There is humour in it, you can laugh about
it
5</li>
3</li>
<li>There is a clear storyline in the story, which you can
follow well
4</li>
<li>You emphasise with the feelings and problems of the
characters
4</li>
<li>The end is different from which you initially
thought
2</li>
<li>The story made you a little
sad
3</li>
<li>There are a lot of hard words in the
story
5</li>
<li>You like/are interested in the
subject
<li>The story is variably/ many different things
happen
5</li>
5</li>
<li>You can imagine the characters/events
well
5</li>
<li>There is love
involved
5</li>
<li>The story attracts me from the
beginning
5</li>
<li>The story is (quite)
sophisticated
<li>The story is about issues that still occur
presently
5</li>
4</li>
<li>The story speaks to my
imagination
5</li>
<li>You can learn something from the story/ the story makes you
think
5</li>
<li>You get a clear image of the characters and main
characters
5</li>
<li>In the story you have discovered something about
yourself
1</li>
<li>At the end all issues are
resolved
4</li>
<li>The story can be interpreted/explained in more than one
way
5</li>
<li>There are many long and difficult sentences in the
story
5</li>
<li>The story is an original, new, surprising
story
5</li>
<li>The end of the story is not finished: you have to come up with your own
ending
1</li>
<li>You have to reread certain parts of the story to understand
them
5</li>
</ol>
Your opinion on the book as a whole. I think this work as a whole is:
Very good
The degree of difficulty of the used language.
I thought the English was not hard, nor was it easy.
<ol start="4">
<li>Motivation of your review</li>
</ol>
In part one you provided scores for 25 statements. Now choose from those statements at
least three (at most 5) to explain why you have chosen for that particular score.
2. The story could have been real. This story is based on a true fact, but of course
dramatized.
It is partly based on the true historical fact of King Macbeth of Scotland, whom came on
the throne by killing King Duncan I of Scotland in 1040 at Elgin, Scotland.
6. The end is different of which I thought. Initially I would have given this a 5 as I first
thought Macbeth was good, but in the end you see the process of him turning evil and
getting killed, which happened to most of the characters gone evil or those who were
already evil. This made the end very predictable.
7. The story made me a little sad. Yes and no. As I said before Macbeth turns evil, I had
hoped for a less tragic end for him as his intentions were initially good. Too bad he had
to turn evil and had to be killed. Which was kind of sad I guess.
14. The story was quite sophisticated. Very much so, there were loads and loads of
twists, playing with words, using unknown adverbs and most of all the imagery was
huge. It took me quite some time to understand some of the imagery used.
25. You had to reread some parts before understanding them. Very true, as there was a
lot of imagery and lots of playing with words, I am still convinced I haven’t seen all of
the play. I can keep on reading this and find new information every time I reread it. It is
that kind of a story.
<br clear="all" />
<ol start="5">
<li>Summary of the play</li>
</ol>
Who do you think are the main characters of the story?
DUNCAN, King of Scotland
Duncan is a good king who his people like. By no fault of his own he is unable to
discern those who threaten his reign.
MACBETH, Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, a general in the King's army and LADY
MACBETH, his wife
Macbeth is a basically good man who is troubled by his conscience and loyalty though
at the same time ambitious and murderous. He is led to evil initially by the witches'
predictions and then by his wife's goading, which he succumbs to because he loves her
so. His obsession over the kingship shows a certain kind of egotism.Lady Macbeth is a
good wife who loves her husband. She is also ambitious but lacks the morals of her
husband. To achieve her ambition, she rids of herself of any kindness that might stand
in the way. However, she runs out of energy to supress her conscience and kills herself.
BANQUO, Thane of Lochaber, a general in the King's army
Banquo serves as a foil to Macbeth, showing an alternate react to prophecy. Banquo
retains his morals and allegiances, but ends up dying. He is brave and ambitious, but
this is tempered by intelligence.
MACDUFF, Thane of Fife, a nobleman of Scotland
Macduff shows early on a distrust of Macbeth. He also represents fate as when
knocking on the door. He thinks he can avoid having his family looking guilty and
getting killed by fleeing, but he overestimates Macbeth. Macduff then plays the
avenger.
MALCOLM, elder son of Duncan
Malcolm, as a good king, is everything that Macbeth is not. He uses deception only to
insure his personal safety.
HECATE, Queen of the Witches
Hecate is sometimes referred to as the queen of the witches. It is she who directs
supernatural happenings and appearances of the mystical apparitions.
The Three Witches
The three witches add an element of supernatural and prophecy to the play. They each
have a familiar, such as Graymalkin and Paddock, and are commanded by Hecate, a
Greek goddess of the moon and later witchcraft. The witches are based on a variety of
ideas about witches at the time. They can use sieves as boats, and they can assume the
shape of an animal, but with a defect, as with the tailless rat. The witches were also
thought to be able to control the winds. They are described as having beards but looking
human.
Where does this story take place?
Scotland
When does this story take place?
1030-1057 (1030 is a rough estimate as how long it took Macbeth to stray from the path
and assassinate Duncan)
What happens throughout the story?
Act I.
Also known as "The Scottish play", Shakespeare's dark, grim tragedy begins with Three
Witches in Scotland deciding to meet again after a battle being fought nearby. Thunder,
storms and the desolate heath paint a gloomy picture, setting the tone of this play and
defining an imagery of nature at war with itself, a recurring theme in this play...
Macbeth is introduced as the brave man who led King Duncan's forces to victory
against the traitorous Thane of Cawdor, Macdonwald and The King of Norway, in a
battle that could have gone either way were it not for Macbeth's leadership. We learn
that Macbeth killed Macdonwald himself in battle. King Duncan, overjoyed, decides to
make Macbeth his new Thane of Cawdor. The previous Thane of Cawdor will be
executed.
The Three Witches establish their malicious nature before meeting Macbeth and
Banquo. The Three Witches tell Macbeth that he will be "Thane of Glamis!", "Thane of
Cawdor!" and "king hereafter" or become the King of Scotland.
Banquo learns that his descendants shall be kings. Banquo is suspicious of the Three
Witches, remembering that they often trick men. Macbeth initially agrees but when
Ross and Angus tell him he has been made the new Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth in a
very important aside (soliloquy), remarks, "Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor: “The
greatest is behind."
Macbeth now first questions Banquo on his feelings about his descendants becoming
kings and then starts thinking of killing King Duncan to make this prophecy a fact, but
later hopes fate alone will spare him the need to kill...
Macbeth meets King Duncan, thanking him for his new title. The also loyal Banquo
receives nothing. King Duncan remarks how he completely trusted the previous Thane
of Cawdor.
King Duncan announces that his son, Malcolm will be the new Prince of Cumberland.
Macbeth sees Malcolm as a threat to what he now takes seriously as his destiny to be
king, a major turning point in Macbeth's changing morality. Macbeth makes this clear
by famously asking in an aside (private speech) for the stars to hide their fires least they
reveal his dark and deadly purpose or intention to kill King Duncan.
Lady Macbeth learns by letter from Macbeth of the Three Witches' prophecies for her
husband, eagerly embracing them as fact. Fearing Macbeth is too compassionate and
weak-willed to do what needs to be done (killing King Duncan), she famously asks the
gods to remove from her all signs of compassion and femininity, replacing these with
cold remorseless ruthlessness.
Learning from a messenger that King Duncan will stay at their castle, Lady Macbeth
enthusiastically greets this news, suggesting that she already has plans to kill King
Duncan. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth decide to speak again on the issue of the
prophecies, Macbeth still uncertain of the need to kill King Duncan.
At Macbeth's castle King Duncan arrives whilst Lady Macbeth plays the most perfect of
hostesses. King Duncan asks for the Thane of Cawdor (Macbeth) who is not yet present.
A guilt-ridden Macbeth wrestles with his conscience, certain that he should not kill
King Duncan yet guiltily having to remind himself of all the reasons why it would be
wrong. Macbeth decides against murdering his King but Lady Macbeth belittles him for
not being able to murder, threatening to take away her love for him if he does not. This
threat wins Macbeth over and Lady Macbeth outlines her plan to kill King Duncan in
his sleep while he is a guest at their castle.
Act II.
Banquo and son Fleance arrive at Macbeth's castle. Banquo is troubled by the Three
Witches' prophecy and tells Macbeth this. Macbeth pretends not to take the Three
Witches seriously.
Learning from Banquo that King Duncan is asleep, Macbeth, alone, follows an
imaginary dagger to King Duncan's bedchamber where he will kill him in his sleep...
Lady Macbeth has drugged King Duncan's guards, allowing Macbeth to kill King
Duncan unchallenged.
Lady Macbeth was to have killed the King but his resemblance to her late father means
Macbeth does the deed instead. A bell frightens Lady Macbeth and Macbeth too is
nervous, but he announces that he did indeed kill King Duncan.
Macbeth recounts that the two guards cried out "'Murder!'" and later "'God bless us!'",
Lady Macbeth telling her husband not to fret over such things and the fact that is
conscience prevented him from saying "'Amen,'" as one of the guards had done...
Lady Macbeth tells her husband a little water will wash away their guilt and the two
retire to their bedroom when knocking is later heard...
Macduff, Lennox, the source of the knocking in the last scene, arrive at Macbeth's
castle. News of King Duncan's death reaches all at Macbeth's castle. Lady Macbeth
faints and Macbeth in rage kills the two drunken guards after claiming that they
obviously killed their King.
These actions largely free Macbeth and Lady Macbeth from suspicion. King Duncan's
sons, Malcolm and Donalbain are introduced, both men wisely deciding to flee
Macbeth's castle as a precaution against their own murder. Malcolm will head for
England, Donalbain for Ireland.
Ross speaks with an Old Man who describes various unnatural acts happening in
Scotland, perhaps the single most significant scene for the theme of nature at war with
itself, which relates to the idea of a natural order being disturbed by the death of a king,
a prevalent theme throughout this play.
We learn that King Duncan's two sons have fled, leaving Macbeth to be crowned the
new King of Scotland. Macduff, who later becomes instrumental in Macbeth's downfall,
has significantly snubbed Macbeth's coronation at Scone to go to Fife instead. A tone of
increasing despair for Scotland begins in this scene...
Act III.
Banquo is fearful that the Three Witches' prophecies are becoming true, questioning
whether Macbeth played most foully for it, or killed King Duncan to make prophecy,
fact.
Meeting with Macbeth, Macbeth continuously asks Banquo of his travel plans and those
of his son. Alone, Macbeth fears that Banquo's sons will mean his dynasty will be
short-lived; only he will become King of Scotland and not his sons who will be replaced
by those of Banquo's lineage.
Macbeth arranges for several Murderers to discreetly kill Banquo and Fleance to ensure
his sons and not Banquo's become future kings...
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth speak in private. Macbeth is again plagued by a guilt we
thought may have vanished. Lady Macbeth attempts to strengthen Macbeth's resolve.
The Murderers kill Banquo but his son Fleance escapes and survives.
The Three Witches' prophecy of Banquo's sons becoming kings has not been thwarted
by Macbeth...
Macbeth and a lady are entertaining at their castle. The First Murderer arrives,
announcing that Banquo is dead but Fleance has lived. Macbeth immediately realizes
the consequences of this (his descendants may not become kings).
Macbeth famously sees Banquo's Ghost at his party, causing Lady Macbeth to finish
their party early to prevent further suspicions about Macbeth's sanity and about their
role in recent events (King Duncan's death whilst a guest at their castle). Macbeth
makes his famous speech about being too covered in blood to stop killing...
Hecate, clearly in a position of command over the Three Witches, scolds her
subordinates for helping an unappreciative Macbeth.
Hecate instructs the Three Witches to make preparations for her plan to use illusion and
the Three Witches' prophecies against Macbeth. The Three Witches, eager to placate
(please) their master, eagerly make preparations, doing as they are told...
We see Lennox and a Lord discuss affairs in their kingdom. We learn from their
conversation that an army is being formed in England to fight Macbeth.
Act IV.
A major turning point in the play. Just as the Three Witches prophesied Macbeth's
ascendancy to become King in Act I, Scene III, here they prophesies his downfall with
the Three Apparitions (visions / ghosts). The first Apparition tells an eager Macbeth that
he should fear Macduff, saying "beware Macduff; / Beware the Thane of Fife." The
Second Apparition reassures Macbeth that "none of women born shall harm Macbeth"
and the Third Apparition tells Macbeth he has nothing to fear until "Great Birnam
wood" moves to "high Dunsinane hill" near his castle.
Macbeth decides to kill Macduff to protect himself from him and takes the Apparition's
words to mean he is safe from all men since they are all born naturally and that only the
moving of a nearby forest to his castle, an unlikely event will spell his doom.
Next Macbeth demands to know about Banquo's descendants , learning to his anger that
they will still rule Scotland rather than Macbeth's descendants. Macbeth learns that he
cannot kill Macduff so instead has his entire family murdered...
Lady Macduff is greeted by Ross, Lady Macduff expressing her anger at being
abandoned by Macduff for little reason when in her eyes, Macduff has done nothing
requiring him to flee.
Ross leaves and after Lady Macduff tells her son that his father is dead and was a
traitor, a Messenger warns Lady Macduff to flee but Macbeth's Murderers succeed in
killing Lady Macduff's son. The scene ends with Lady Macduff fleeing for her life...
Malcolm and Macduff discuss how Scotland under Macbeth's rule has been plunged
into despair. Malcolm tests Macduff's integrity by describing himself as unfit to rule.
After Malcolm disgusts Macduff with increasingly sordid descriptions of his lust and
greed, Macduff tells Malcolm that like Macbeth, he too is not fit to rule Scotland. This
delights Malcolm who explains that he was lying; he described himself so negatively to
test Macduff's integrity. We learn that a large army is gathering to defeat Macbeth.
Act V.
Lady Macbeth's insanity becomes clear... First her Doctor and a Gentlewoman discuss
Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking and talking to herself and then we, the audience see this
for ourselves.
Lady Macbeth makes her famous speech that she cannot wipe away the blood on her
hands (or her guilt), indicating that her battle to suppress her guilty conscience has
failed completely...
Macbeth's enemies gather near his castle at Dunsinane as Macbeth strongly fortifies his
castle. We learn that Macbeth's hold on Scotland is less than absolute...
Macbeth prepares to defiantly fight his enemies armed with the prophecy that he will
only be defeated when the nearby Birnam Wood moves on his castle. Macbeth now
learns of the ten thousand strong army against him. Seyton confirms this bad news and
Macbeth donning his armor, prepares to fight his enemies recalling the Birnam Wood
prophecy once more as a source of comfort...
With his troops loyally around him, Malcolm orders each man to cut down a branch
from the nearby Birnam Wood as his army now camouflaged under an umbrella of
Birnam Wood, head towards Macbeth's castle at Dunsinane.
Macbeth laughs off his enemies' numbers, certain of the Birnam Wood prophecy and
equally certain that his fortifications should laugh off any attack.
We hear a women's cry later learning that Lady Macbeth is dead. Macbeth coldly shrugs
the news that his once "dearest chuck," is dead with complete apathy. Macbeth learns
that Birnam Wood or rather Malcolm's forces are moving on his castle. Realizing what
this means, Macbeth nonetheless defiantly sets off to meet his destiny...
Malcolm's men drop their leafy camouflage and the battle begins...
Macbeth fights Siward, killing him. Macbeth is now confronted by Macduff, a man he
has consciously avoided and one, he refuses to fight.
Macbeth famously exclaims that he has lived a charmed life and is unable to be killed
by a man, naturally born.
Macduff now explains that he was born by Caesarian section and the two men fight,
Macbeth dying and order being restored when Malcolm is hailed as the new King of
Scotland...
Why do you think the story ends as it does?
The story ended with the killing of Macbeth. It was inevitable as the king could not be
thrown of his throne until he was killed. Macbeth, not being the king he should have
been, is therefore killed. The story starts off with Macbeth being a decent person with
good ideas, but halfway the story you will experience Macbeth turning for the worst. As
he believed he could not be killed by a man who was born from a woman, he thought of
himself to be invincible. Macduff was born out of a cesarean and therefore not born
from a woman. Macbeth had not thought of that and this would be his ultimate demise.
<ol start="6">
<li>Time in the play</li>
</ol>
In what amount of time does the play take place?
About 25 years. According to Wikipedia referring to Macbeths date of death.
Is the story told in a chronological order?
Yes, it is. There is no stepping back in time (just flashbacks to the words of the
witches).
Are there any flashbacks/flashforwards? Give examples.
Flashbacks: Macbeth keeps on thinking about the words the witches uttered (you will be
king of Scotland and no man of a woman born will kill you).
Does the play have clear delays? If so, where exactly.
Yes, but not very clear. There are some jumps in time and some parts in which no detail
is left unturned. I.e. Act 5, Scene 9: the killing of Macbeth.
<br clear="all" />
<ol start="10">
<li>Historical or literary era</li>
</ol>
Is the era in which the play was written of influence to the story? If so what was
characteristic for this time and how can one find this back in the story?
Very much so, this was written in Elizabethan time. There were a lot of soliloquys
(monologues) during that era and Shakespeare has adapted to this. Luckily this play
wasn’t completely a soliloquy as he gives the other characters a voice as well.
Furthermore is his use of words very characteristic for Elizabethan times.
<ol start="11">
<li>Depth analysis</li>
</ol>
Give an explanation for the title.
Macbeth is the name of the most important character. The story depicts his life, his
perils and grievances.
Which person did you find the most/least sympathetic and why?
This would
be on and the same person, Macbeth.
At first he is a decent person, with dreams and nothing more than goodness for his king
and country. This is where he is the most sympathetic as he was
willing to give his life for his king and country.
But after some time you find out he isn’t who you think it is. He is a ruthless and
twisted murderer. He loses his mind in the end as he believes he is invincible (again
referring to the witches prophecies). Him turning bad feels like betrayal, which in my
book is one of the worst things someone can do.
What was the most important subject/theme of this play?
Murder and betrayal.
Mac Beth
Lines in the text which I found Important enough to point out, it also gives you
somewhat of an idea of what Shakespeare’s style of writing was and how different it is
from now. Keep in mind that many new words were “created” by Shakespeare himself.
This was the start of the new literary era known as the Shakespearian era.
Act 1, Scene 1
2 — In thunder, lightning, or in rain?: It was thought that witches could create their
own weather.
Act 1, Scene 2
* (stage direction)— Alarum within: An "alarum" is a trumpet call to arms, and "within"
means "offstage." We are given the impression that the battle is still going on, very
close by.
9 — choke their art: make useless their skill (in swimming)
10 — to that: to that purpose (Nature has given Macdonwald so many evil qualities
that he's a natural rebel.)
13 — Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied: is reinforced ("supplied") with lightly
armed soldiers ("kerns") and axe-wielding special forces ("gallowglasses")
15 — Show'd: appeared | all's too weak: (All — Macdonwald, his reinforcements of
kerns and gallowglasses, and the favor of Fortune — were too weak to defeat Macbeth.)
22 — unseam'd him from the nave to the chops: split him open from the navel to the
jaws
23 — fix'd: affixed (In Shakespeare's time the heads of traitors were "fix'd" to the
battlements of the London bridge. The heads were mounted on pikes, which is the same
thing that happens to Macbeth's head at the end of the play.)
26 — As whence the sun 'gins his reflection / Shipwrecking storms and direful
thunders break: just as storms and thunders break out from the direction of the sun as it
begins to return north (This is the first part of a simile which is completed in the next
two lines. The idea of the whole thing is that often just when you expect things to get
better, they get worse, as when the first hints of spring bring terrible storms.)
35 — as sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion: as much as sparrows dismay eagles, or
the hare dismays the lion
39 — Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds, / Or memorise another
Golgotha, / I cannot tell—: Unless they meant to bathe themselves in the blood spraying
from open wounds or make the field of battle as memorable as Golgotha ("the place of
skulls," where Christ was crucified), I cannot tell (how to account for the incredible fury
of their fighting)
49 — Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky / And fan our people cold: Where
the Norwegian battle-flags mock the sky and blow cold fear into our people (The use of
the present tense here is a little puzzling, since the rest of the speech makes it clear that
the Norwegians have been utterly defeated. I suppose that these two lines make a
dramatic and suspenseful opening to the account of how Macbeth turned the tide against
the Norwegians.)
51 — Norway himself, with terrible numbers: The King of Norway himself, with a
terrifying horde of warriors
54 — Bellona's bridegroom: i.e., Macbeth (Bellona was the Roman goddess of war.
Her name is derived from bellare, "to fight." She is associated with the Greek goddess
of war, Enyo, whose name translates as "horror.") | lapp'd in proof: wrapped in tested
armor (The choice of words suggests that Macbeth was invulnerable.)
55 — him: (By the rules of grammar, "him" ought to refer to the King of Norway, but
the word "rebellious" in the next line gives the impression that Macbeth fought the
thane of Cawdor, who is the rebel.) | self-comparisons: qualities which matched his own
(The point is that Macbeth's opponent had never before met anyone to equal him.)
62 — dollars: thalers (These Dutch and Spanish coins were first minted in
Shakespeare's time, not Macbeth's.)
Act 1, scene 3
7 Aleppo: (A trading city 90 kilometers inland from the far eastern end of the
Mediterranean Sea. The idea seems to be that it's at the other end of the world from
Scotland.)
the Tiger: (The name of the bark captained by the husband of the woman
who refused to give the witch chestnuts.)
9 like: in the shape of
a rat without a tail: (It was thought that witches could
take the shape of animals, but not perfect ones, so when this witch appears as a rat, the
rat will have no tail.)
11 I'll give thee a wind: (Folklore said that witches could make bad weather for
their victims.)
14 I myself have all the other, / And the very ports they blow, / All the quarters
that they know / I' the shipman's card: (The witch boasts that she has control of all the
other winds, their locations, and all their possible directions ["quarters that they know /
I' the shipman's card"]. Having this power means that she can prevent the Tiger from
ever coming into port. A "shipman's card" is now known as a "compass card.")
20 penthouse lid: eyelid (A "penthouse" is a lean-to structure. The half-shut eyelid
of a weary person resembles the roof of a penthouse.)
32 weird: (Shakespeare probably picked up the phrase "weird sisters" from
Holinshed, who writes, "the common opinion was, that these women were either the
weird sisters, that is (as ye would say) the goddesses of destinie, or else some nymphs
or feiries, indued with knowledge of prophesie by their necromanticall science."
However, in the First Folio (1623), where Macbeth was first published, the word is
printed as "weyward" or "weyard," as though it was thought to mean "wayward" —
wrongheaded, intractable, perverse.)
34 Thus do go about, about: (Perhaps the witches do a dance, in which they take
three steps one way ["thrice to thine"], then another way ["thrice to mine"].)
38 So foul and fair a day: (Evidently, it's a "foul" day because of the foul weather
indicated by the thunder with which the scene opens. It could be a "fair" day either
because the sun sometimes appears or because Macbeth and Banquo have just won a
great victory.)
45
you should be women:
i.e., "you look like women"
51
start: move suddenly and involuntarily; show signs of being startled
55
present grace: current honor [as Thane of Glamis]
56 noble having: acquisition of [another] honor [as Thane of Cawdor] royal hope:
hope of being "king hereafter"
57
That he seems rapt withal: so that he seems carried away by it
60 neither beg nor fear / Your favours nor your hate: neither beg your favors nor
fear your hate
70
Stay: stay here (It appears that the witches are already starting to vanish.)
71
Sinel: (Macbeth's father.)
76
Say from whence / You owe this strange intelligence: say where you got this
unnatural information
84 eaten on the insane root: eaten of the root which causes insanity (It's not known
what root is meant.)
91 Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight: your risk of harm in the fight against
the rebels
92 His wonders and his praises do contend / Which should be thine or his: His
[King Duncan's] amazement [at what you have accomplished] and his praises [of you]
compete over which one of them should be foremost (In other words, Macbeth has so
impressed King Duncan that the his words can hardly catch up with his thoughts.)
93 Silenced with that: At a loss for words because of that [his amazement at and
praise for Macbeth]
97 Strange images of death: astounding, unprecedented forms of death (It seems
that Macbeth has found new ways to kill many enemies.) As thick as tale / Came post
with post: as fast as could be counted came one messenger after another
102 Only to herald thee into his sight, / Not pay thee: only to call you—with great
honor—into his sight, not to reward you [for all you have done]
107 it: the title of "Thane of Cawdor" What, can the devil speak true?: It's
unlikely that Banquo lets Ross and Angus hear this. Maybe he says it to Macbeth,
maybe only to himself.
111
was combined / With those of Norway: fought alongside the Norwegians
112
line the rebel: assist the rebel [Macdonwald]
114 labor'd in his country's wrack: attempted to accomplish the wreck of his
country
115
treasons capital: acts of treason deserving of the death penalty
120 [Aside.]: (Editors usually put "Aside to Macbeth" here, but it seems to me that
Banquo wouldn't voice his suspicions about Macbeth to Macbeth anymore than he
would tell them to Ross and Angus. And Macbeth doesn't respond in any way to what
Banquo says here. — Note: All stage directions in square brackets are supplied by
editors.) trusted home: trusted completely
121
enkindle you unto: fire you up to pursue
125 Win us with honest trifles, to betray's / In deepest consequence: win us over
with unimportant truths, in order to betray us in the most serious matters that follow
127 Cousins, a word, I pray you: colleagues, a word with you, please (Banquo
goes from Macbeth's side to Ross and Angus.)
135
unfix my hair: make my hair stand on end
139
My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical: My thought, in which
murder is currently only imagined
140 single state of man: weak human condition function / Is smother'd in
surmise: the normal power of action is smothered in thoughts of imagined action
141
nothing is / But what is not: i.e., only the imaginary is real to me
145 Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mould / But with the aid of use:
like any new clothes, don't fit the body correctly without being worn for a while
147
Come what come may, / Time and the hour runs through the roughest day:
I'm not sure what Macbeth means here. He has just said that "chance" may crown him
without him doing anything, so he may mean "Whatever happens, time always goes
forward, so I'll just wait and see how things turn out." However, the word "hour"
suggests "opportunity" or "decisive moment," as in "now is the hour for action," so
maybe he's also thinking that "Whatever happens, there will always be another time to
make a decision and take action."
152 Are register'd where every day I turn / The leaf to read them: i.e., are recorded
in the book of my memory, and I will remember them every day
155
speak / Our free hearts: speak freely
Act 1, Scene 4
2
Those in commission: those delegated [to execute Cawdor]
19 proportion both of thanks and payment: balance of gratitude and reward (King
Duncan is saying that he wishes that Macbeth had deserved less, so that his thanks and
his rewards would equal [or maybe outweigh] what Macbeth deserves. Of course, he
doesn't actually mean that he wishes that Macbeth had deserved less; this is just his way
of saying that nothing he can say or do will match what Macbeth has done in battle.)
22 The service and the loyalty I owe, / In doing it, pays itself: doing my duty to
you is its own reward
37
establish our estate upon: settle the succession to the throne upon
39
The Prince of Cumberland: (The title of the Scottish heir apparent.)
42
Inverness: (The location of Macbeth's castle, Dunsinane.
44 The rest is labour, which is not used for you: Any leisure not used for your
service is wearisome
48 The Prince of Cumberland!: (Macbeth is dismayed that King Duncan has
named Malcolm as heir apparent. In Scotland the eldest son was not automatically heir
apparent; other persons of royal lineage (such as Macbeth, who is King Duncan's first
cousin) could hope to come to throne. In the previous scene Macbeth told himself that
"chance may crown me, / Without my stir." That could have happened if King Duncan
had died without designated a heir; the other thanes could have elected Macbeth to the
kingship. Now Macbeth's path to the throne is more difficult. However, Macbeth never
does make a plan to get Malcolm out of the way. After King Duncan is murdered,
Malcolm flees because he thinks he may be next to be killed, and afterwards Macbeth
promotes the idea that Malcolm plotted his own father's death, then ran away, which
showed his guilt.)
52
Let . . . / The eye wink at the hand: let the eye not see what the hand does
53
yet let that be: yet let that (the murder of King Duncan) be accomplished
54 True, worthy Banquo; he is full so valiant: (As Macbeth has been thinking hard
about killing King Duncan, the king and Banquo have been talking about what a
wonderful person Macbeth is. Banquo has just praised Macbeth as being very valiant,
and we hear the conversation as King Duncan is agreeing with Banquo.)
Act 1, Scene 5
2 perfect'st report: most accurate report (But where did Macbeth get this "report"?
There is no scene in which Macbeth is told that the Witches provide reliable
information.)
8 referred me to: directed me to for aid (As in "she referred her most promising
student to the scholarship office.")
16 fear thy nature: am worried about your nature (She's not afraid of him; she's
afraid he's too soft).
20
the illness should attend it: the evil which should aid and accompany it
28
round: crown
33 inform'd for preparation: i.e., sent word ahead so that everything could be
prepared for the arrival of the king
35 One of my fellows had the speed of him, / Who, almost dead for breath, had
scarcely more / Than would make up his message: i.e., one of my fellow-servants
outdistanced Macbeth, (but, by the time the servant got here,) he was so out of breath
that he was almost dead and could barely breathe out his message
38 The raven himself is hoarse / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan: (The
raven was considered to be a bird of ill omen. Lady Macbeth's idea is that everything
points so strongly to King Duncan's death that it's as if his arrival were being announced
by a raven, hoarse with croaking "die! die! die!")
45 compunctious visitings of nature: guilty feelings, doubts, or hesitations that
might naturally arise
46 fell: cruel keep peace between / The effect and it: intervene between the
putting into effect [of my "fell purpose"] and it [the "fell purpose"]
48 take my milk for gall: replace my milk with gall (According to the Oxford
English Dictionary, gall "from the earliest period [has been] often used . . . as the type
of an intensely bitter substance.") murd'ring ministers / Wherever in your sightless
substances / You wait on nature's mischief: agents of murder, wherever—with your
invisible bodies—you wait to aid and abet the perversion of natural feeling
56 letters: (The word can mean one letter; in this case, the letter which Lady
Macbeth read at the beginning of the scene.)
63 To beguile the time, / Look like the time: i.e., to deceive everyone, look and act
like everyone else does
71
look up clear: keep your chin up and look serene
Act 1, Scene 6
*[stage direction] Hoboys and torches: ("Hoboys" are oboes. The "torches" indicate
that we are supposed to imagine that it is dark. I'm not sure how the mournful-sounding
oboes are appropriate to the occasion.)
4 temple-haunting martlet: (The martlet, now commonly called the "martin,"
belongs to the swallow family. It builds its nests in high places, such as the sides of
cliffs. Thus Banquo calls it "temple-haunting," not because it "haunts" in the way a
ghost does, but because it is most commonly seen in the vicinity of churches or
cathedrals, which were in Shakespeare's time the tallest buildings in any community.)
5 mansionry: metaphorically, nest-building (The word suggests spaciousness and
comfort.)
6
jutty: any projection from a wall
7
coign of vantage: convenient corner [for building a nest]
11 The love that follows us sometime is our trouble, / Which still we thank as
love: i.e., Sometimes I am troubled by the trouble to which others go to do things for me
out of love, but I still thank them for their love.
12 Herein I teach you / How you shall bid God 'ield us for your pains, / And thank
us for your trouble: i.e., By saying this [the previous sentence] I show you how you
should ask God to reward me for the pains you take on my behalf, and how you should
thank me for your trouble. (King Duncan is being humorously gracious.)
18 for those of old, / And the late dignities heap'd up to them, / We rest your
hermits: for those [honors] formerly given to us, and for the recent honors piled on top
of them, we will forever be those who gratefully pray for your well-being
21
had a purpose / To be his purveyor: intended to be the one who prepared a welcome
for him (A "purveyor" is a servant who goes ahead to arrange for food and lodging for
an important person. Duncan, still being very gracious, says that he meant to arrange
everything for Macbeth's arrival, as though Macbeth were more important than himself.)
25 Your servants ever / Have theirs, themselves and what is theirs, in compt, / To
make their audit at your highness' pleasure, / Still to return your own: We [i.e., "Your
servants," Macbeth and Lady Macbeth] always possess our servants, ourselves, and our
possessions in trust, in order to make an accounting for everything whenever you
please; [we are] always [ready to] return to you [what is really] your own.
Act 1, Scene 7
*[stage direction]
Hoboys oboes SEWER butler divers various service knives, spoons,
etc. and pass over the stage (These servants hurriedly enter at one door and exit
through the other. A feast in honor of King Duncan is about to start.)
3 trammel up the consequence catch the consequences [of the assassination] in a
net [so that they could never catch up with Macbeth]
catch / With his surcease success catch [and stop], at the time of the end of the
assassination, whatever [dangerous] results [could arise from the assassination]
5 here / But here here [on earth], only here
6 bank and shoal of time (The first text of Macbeth reads "school" instead of
"shoal"; Lewis Theobald, an 18th-century editor, made the change because he thought
that Shakespeare meant that life here on earth is only a sandbar in the river of time.
However, "bank" can also mean "bench," and schoolboys sat on benches, so maybe
"school" is correct, and the meaning is that life here on earth is meant to teach us the
way to life after death.)
7 We'ld jump I would risk
8 We still have judgment here, that we but teach / Bloody instructions, which,
being taught, return / To plague the inventor we always receive punishment here [in
this life], for the reason that [when we attack someone else] we only teach bloody
lessons, which, being learned [by our victims], are turned against the one who initiated
[the violence]
18 clear in his great office blameless in [carrying out the duties of] his great
position [as king]
23 sightless couriers of the air invisible messengers of the air [i.e., the winds]
25 That tears shall drown the wind so that tears shall make the wind be still (A
downpour of rain was thought to still the wind.)
27 Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself / And falls on the other (Macbeth
compares his ambition to a horseman who tries to vault into the saddle, only to fall to
the ground on the other side of the horse.)
28 How now? what news? what's the matter? what's going on? (One look at his
wife tells Macbeth that she's not happy.)
42 the ornament of life i.e., the crown of Scotland
45 the adage ("The cat would eat fish, and would not wet her feet.")
47 is none is not a real man
50 to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man i.e., if
you would do more than just talk about killing the king, you would be more of a man
51 Nor time nor place / Did then adhere, and yet you would make both neither the
time and place were then suitable [for killing the king], but you wanted to make a
suitable time and place (This passage is puzzling because Lady Macbeth seems to
speaking of a "then" which has not been mentioned previously in the play.)
54 Does unmake you i.e., makes you weak and indecisive
58 had I so sworn as you / Have done to this had I sworn to do that [kill her baby]
as you have sworn to do this [murder King Duncan] (Again, Lady Macbeth seems to be
referring to something which is not in the play; there is no previous scene in which
Macbeth swears that he will murder the king. In the scene before last, in which she
urged him on and told him to leave everything to her, his last words were noncommittal:
"We will speak further." Or perhaps her imagination converts that cautious comment
into a solemn vow.)
60 But screw your courage to the sticking-place only crank up your courage to the
point at which you are ready to spring into action (The "sticking-place" is the notch that
holds the string of a crossbow when it is ready to fire.)
66 receipt of reason receptacle of reason, i.e., the brain
81 mock the time deceive by acting as is appropriate to the occasion (Macbeth and
his wife are planning the murder of King Duncan while a feast in Duncan's honor is
going on.)
Act 2, Scene 1
* [stage direction]with a torch before him (Fleance has the torch "before him" because
he is trying to find his way. Later we learn that "the moon is down" and the stars shed
no light. Thus does Shakespeare let us know that it is a very dark night.)
5 Take thee that too (Here editors often add a stage direction, "Gives him his belt
and dagger," but we really have no idea what the "that" is which Banquo tells his son to
take.)
6 A heavy summons lies like lead upon me (This is a metaphor for extreme
sleepiness.)
7
powers angels charged with helping people fight demons
8 Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature / Gives way to in repose! (At first
glance, it might appear that Banquo is saying that he has been having bad dreams, but
"thoughts" are not dreams, and "repose" is more than sleep. If Macbeth had said these
lines, they would be easier to interpret: Macbeth has been having "cursed thoughts" of
killing his king, which his human nature has given way to. But what could be Banquo's
"cursed thoughts"?)
your offices service locales in Macbeth's castle (such as the kitchen, the stable, and
the laundry)
16 and shut up / In measureless content and concluded by expressing his
measureless content, or said he was enclosed in measureless content
17 Being unprepared, / Our will became the servant to defect; / Which else should
free have wrought because we were unprepared [for King Duncan's visit], what we
wanted to do [to entertain the king] had to give way to what we could do with limited
resources; otherwise, our desire to serve the king would have had free rein
25 If you shall cleave to my consent, when 'tis give me your support when the time
comes
26 So I lose none / In seeking to augment it under the condition that I lose no
honor [personal integrity] in seeking to make my honor [recognition and rewards]
greater
27 but still keep / My bosom franchised and allegiance clear, / I shall be
counsell'd but always keep my heart free from guilt and my allegiance [to the king?]
clear [of taint], I am willing to listen [to your proposal]
39 heat-oppressed fevered (The "heat" comes from obsessively thinking about the
murder that he is about to commit.)
42 Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going / And such an instrument I was to
use you guide me the way I was already going, and [you are] the same kind of weapon
I had planned on using
48 It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes it is the [thought
of] the bloody actions [involved in killing the king] which creates these forms [of the
dagger and of the gouts of blood] seen by my eyes
51 curtain'd sleep (Beds were what we call "four-posters," and had curtains to
protect against drafts.)
52 Pale Hecat's off'rings rites and sacrifices dedicated to Hecate [goddess of
witchcraft and the moon]
54 Whose howl's his watch whose howl is his watchword (The kind of watchword
meant is a rallying cry, to call forces into action, such as "freedom!" or "St. George and
England!" In the extended metaphor that Macbeth uses, the wolf stalks about, looking
for victims, and howls to "withered Murder" when one is found.)
thus with his stealthy pace (The "thus" seems to indicate that Macbeth now starts
towards King Duncan's door, stalking his prey like a wolf.)
55 With Tarquin's ravishing strides (Tarquin was a famous rapist of early Rome,
and the primary meaning of the word "ravish" was "to seize, carry away, rape, violate.")
59 And take the present horror from the time and remove the present sense of
horror from the occasion (Macbeth wants his footsteps to be unheard because silence
and stealth are appropriate to murder.)
60 Whiles I threat, he lives while I make threats King Duncan still lives
<br clear="all" />
Act 2, Scene 2
3 It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman (The screech of an owl was thought to
foretell a death, and it was customary for a "bellman"—a town-crier or night
watchman—to ring a bell at midnight before the cell of a person scheduled to be
executed the next day.)
5 grooms servants
6 Do mock their charge with snores (The duty ["charge"] of the king's personal
attendants is to stay awake and guard his door. Their snores make a mockery of their
duty.)
possets bedtime drinks made with hot milk and spiced wine
7 death and nature do contend about them, / Whether they live or die nature and
death are arguing about whether the servants are alive or dead (In other words, they are
so sound asleep that they look dead.)
10 The attempt and not the deed / Confounds us the attempt [to murder the king]
without the actual deed [of murdering the king], completely ruins us
22 address'd them / Again to sleep again settled themselves down to sleep
25 As as if
hangman's hands i.e., blood-stained (In addition to hanging people, hangmen also
disemboweled traitors and cut them into quarters.)
30 These deeds must not be thought / After these ways; so, it will make us
mad these deeds must not be thought about in this way; if they are, it will make us mad
34 knits up the ravell'd sleave straightens out the tangled skein
36 great nature's second course, / Chief nourisher in life's feast (In a feast the first
course consisted of appetizers, and the second course was the "chief nourisher.")
37 What do you mean? why are you saying these things?
42 unbend slacken (In archery, a bent bow is ready for action.)
44 witness evidence
53 gild i.e., smear (Blood was often referred to as golden, and gold was often
referred to as red.)
61 I shame / To wear a heart so white I would be ashamed to have a heart as
cowardly as yours is (To Lady Macbeth, a white heart is one that is bloodless, and
therefore cowardly.)
65 Your constancy / Hath left you unattended your firmness of purpose has
deserted you
lest occasion call us, / And show us to be watchers in case something happens to
which we would have to respond, and which would reveal that we never went to bed
70 To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself if I face up to what I have done,
I can do it only by forgetting what I really am (Macbeth is a warrior and he has killed
men in battle, but he has just become a murderer who has killed an innocent man in his
sleep.)
Act 2, Scene 3
2 old turning the key plenty of occasions to turn the key [to let in sinners]
4 a farmer, that hang'd himself on th' expectation of plenty (The farmer had
hoarded his crop, hoping that when a famine came, he would be able to extort high
prices from desperate people.)
6 Have napkins enow about you be sure to carry plenty of handkerchiefs (The
farmer, being tortured by the fires of hell, is going to have to mop the sweat off his
brow.)
8 equivocator someone who makes a equivocal statement, meant to deceive the
hearer (For the historical background of "equivocator" see the Macbeth Navigator page
on equivocation.)
9 swear in both the scales against either scale i.e., hypocritically vow support for
both sides in a controversy (The metaphor refers to the type of scales often used as a
symbol of justice. Each side of the scales has a scale—a pan to hold either the weights
or the material to be weighed. )
who committed treason enough for God's sake (This may be an allusion to the
Gunpowder Plot of 1605. A group of Catholics, intending to return England to Catholic
rule, plotted to blow up parliament as the King was addressing it. The plotters including
Father Garnet, the Jesuit author of a pamphlet in defense of equivocation.)
13 an English tailor come hither, for stealing out of a French hose (Some types of
French hose—we would call the garment "breeches"—were very baggy; a dishonest
tailor might try to steal some of the cloth supplied to him and produce hose that was
only baggy instead of extra-baggy.)
15 roast your goose (A "tailor's goose" is a type of pressing iron, and "his goose is
cooked" is slang for "he's done for.")
24 the second cock i.e., three a.m.
35 equivocates him in a sleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him deceives him in
a dream and telling him that he is a liar, abandons him (Note that the "him" is still
"lechery." Drink, having provoked lechery and taken away lechery's ability to perform,
makes lechery dream that he can perform, but also tells him it's all a lie.)
37 I believe drink gave thee the lie last night (To "give the lie" to someone was to
call that person a liar, but Macduff probably also means that drinking knocked the
porter out, making him lie down to sleep, thus making it hard for him to get up and open
the gate.)
38 i' the very throat on me in my own throat (To "give the lie in the throat" was
particularly insulting; we would say "tell him he's a liar to his face.")
40 though he took up my legs sometime, yet I made a shift to cast him though he
put me off balance a few times, I found a trick to throw him (The porter is using terms
from the sport of wrestling. Also, he is probably joking that although drinking made
him unsteady on his feet, he solved the problem by throwing up.)
59 obscure bird bird of darkness, i.e., the owl (The owl was thought to be a
prophet of death and destruction.)
62 My young remembrance cannot parallel / A fellow to it my young memory
cannot recall anything like it
72 Gorgon monster whose look turns the beholder into stone (The Gorgon is a
figure of Greek mythology, with a hideously disfigured human face. The most
well-known Gorgon is Medusa, who has snakes for hair.)
78 The great doom's image exact image of Doomsday
79 walk like sprites, / To countenance this horror walk like ghosts in keeping with
the sight of this horror
86 Would murder as it fell would murder the instant it was heard
96 this vault i.e., this world (The world, with the vaulted sky as its roof, is
metaphorically represented as an empty wine-vault.)
102 badged marked with large spots that look like badges
112 golden blood (Blood was often referred to as golden, and gold as red.)
116 Unmannerly breech'd with gore rudely clothed in gore (The bloody gore is
imagined as a pair of sloppy breeches on the blades of the daggers.
120 argument topic, reason [for expressing horror and grief] (Malcolm asks his
brother why everyone else is making more noise about King Duncan's murder than they
are; he may be implying that Macbeth's speech and Lady Macbeth's fainting are
suspiciously melodramatic.)
124
our strong sorrow / Upon the foot of motion our strong sorrow converted into action
[to avenge our father's death]
126 when we have our naked frailties hid, / That suffer in exposure when we have
clothed our weak bodies, which suffer from being exposed [to the cold] (Apparently
everyone except Macduff and Lennox are wearing only nightclothes. Although people
in Shakespeare's time did sleep in the nude, it seems unlikely that the actors were
literally "naked.")
130 In the great hand of God I stand; and thence / Against the undivulged pretence I
fight / Of treasonous malice under the protection of God I stand, and from there I [will]
fight against the secret plot of [whoever had] treasonous enmity [against the dead king]
132 So all ("All" do not say "So all" in unison; that would be silly. There's a general
hubbub of agreement with Banquo's proposal to get dressed and talk the matter over.
One character sums up the hubbub by saying "So all," i.e., "we all agree.")
133 Let's briefly put on manly readiness let's quickly put on manly clothes [and
adopt manly attitudes, suitable for discussing this important matter]
140 the near in blood, / The nearer bloody the nearer in bloodline [anyone is to King
Duncan], the nearer they are to being murdered
144 dainty of leave-taking particular about saying goodbye
Act 2, Scene 4
1 Threescore and ten I can remember well ("Threescore and ten"—70 years—is the
traditional number for a life-span ended by simple old age; if this man can "remember
well" seventy years, he is probably even older, since our memories don't start at the time
of birth.)
4 Hath trifled former knowings has made everything I knew before seem mere
trifles
5 the heavens, as troubled with man's act, / Threaten his bloody stage (The
comparison between the world and the stage begins with "the heavens," which was the
name of the ceiling of the roof over the stage.)
7 travelling lamp torch, i.e., the sun
12 towering in her pride of place soaring at the highest pitch of her flight
13 mousing owl an owl whose natural prey is mice (The point is that the killing of
the falcon by the owl is unnatural.)
15 the minions of their race i.e., the most tame and beloved of horses (A "minion" is
a highly favored, darling follower of a powerful person.)
21 Why, see you not? (The question Macduff was asked, "How goes the world, sir,
now?" is like our "how are things going?" Macduff's answer means "isn't it obvious?"
King Duncan has been murdered, and it's dark during the day; the world is not going
well.)
22 more than bloody deed (A bloody deed is bad enough; this one was "more than
bloody" because it was committed against a revered king while he was asleep.)
29 Thine own life's means i.e., what gives life to you
31 Scone (Site of the coronation of Scottish kings, near Perth.)
33 Colmekill (This is the older name for Iona, a rocky island where Scottish kings
were buried.)
36 I'll to Fife (Macduff is Thane of Fife; he's going home.)
37 Well, may you see things well done there: adieu! / Lest our old robes sit easier
than our new! ("Old robes" seems to be an allusion to the kingly robes that will be used
in Macbeth's investiture as King of Scotland. Macduff's comment is ironic, or
questioning; it can be paraphrased thusly: "I hope you see an effective ceremony there;
otherwise, our former king [King Duncan] will turn out to be better suited for the job
than the new king [Macbeth].")
Act 3, Scene 1
7 As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine since for you, Macbeth, their predictions
are brilliantly fulfilled
* [stage direction]
Sennet trumpet call [announcing the arrival of the king]
as King (Macbeth is wearing the crown and robes of the King of Scotland; the last
time we saw the royal regalia, King Duncan was wearing them.)
14 solemn ceremonious (Macbeth is going to celebrate his own ascension to the
throne.)
25 Go not my horse the better If my horse doesn't go faster [than I expect]
29 our bloody cousins i.e., Malcolm and Donalbain, sons of King Duncan
32 strange invention fantastic lies (The main "invention" that Macbeth has in mind
is probably the claim that he murdered King Duncan.)
33 therewithal we shall have cause of state / Craving us jointly in addition to that
[the matter of Malcolm and Donalbain] we will have questions of state which will
demand the attention of both of us
41 To make society / The sweeter welcome to make the company of others [at
supper] more welcome
44 Sirrah (This is a term of address for inferiors.)
47 To be thus is nothing, / But to be safely thus i.e., to be king is nothing unless I
am safely king
54 under him, / My Genius is rebuked; as, it is said, / Mark Antony's was by
Caesar under his influence, in his presence, my guardian spirit is daunted, as, it is said,
Mark Antony's was by [Octavius] Caesar (In Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare has a
soothsayer tell Antony that away from Octavius Caesar, "Thy daemon, that thy spirit
which keeps thee, is / Noble, courageous, high unmatchable, / Where Caesar's is not;
but near him thy angel / Becomes a fear, as being o'erpow'r'd." Antony has to admit that
the soothsayer is right.)
67 mine eternal jewel i.e., my immortal soul
68 the common enemy of man the enemy of all humankind, i.e., the devil
70 Rather than so, come fate into the list, / And champion me to the
utterance! rather than have that happen, may fate come into the arena and fight me to
the last extremity!
79 pass'd in probation with you went over with you, giving proof
80 borne in hand led on with false promises
82 To half a soul and to a notion crazed even to a half-wit and a cracked mind
94 valued file list which designates the value of each one
98 Hath in him closed has enclosed in him
whereby he does receive / Particular addition, from the bill / That writes them all
alike: and so of men by which he is given a particular name [or title] which separates
him from the list which lumps them all together: and the same thing is true of men
101 Now, if you have a station in the file, / Not i' the worst rank of manhood, say
't; now, if you have a position in the list of [of men] that is not the lowest [like a cur]
say so
103 I will put that business in your bosoms, / Whose execution takes your enemy
off, / Grapples you to the heart and love of us I will put a enterprise in your hearts
whose successful completion eliminates your enemy [i.e., Banquo], [and which] ties
you firmly to my love
106 Who wear our health but sickly in his life, / Which in his death were
perfect who has only a sick kind of health while he [Banquo] lives, [and who], by his
[Banquo's] death would be made perfectly healthy
112 I would set my life on any chance, / To mend it, or be rid on't I would risk my
life for anything which would make my life better or make it end
115 in such bloody distance, / That every minute of his being thrusts / Against my
near'st of life i.e., every minute that he lives threatens my life (This passage contains a
fencing metaphor. The "distance" is the gap between them maintained by the
combatants in a fencing match, so a "bloody distance" is one which would allow one of
the fencers to draw blood. And "thrusts / Against my near'st of life" means "strikes at
my heart.")
119 And bid my will avouch it i.e., and would gladly justify it, and take credit for it
120 For certain friends that are both his and mine, / Whose loves I may not drop, but
wail his fall / Who I myself struck down for the sake of certain mutual friends whose
support I cannot discard, but must [pretend to] mourn the death of the man I have killed
124 Masking the business from the common eye / For sundry weighty
reasons masking the murder from common knowledge for various important reasons
126 Though our lives— (Apparently First Murderer is about to say something like
"Though our lives are at risk, we'll gladly do what you ask," but Macbeth interrupts with
"Your spirits shine through you," meaning, "your readiness [for this mission] is obvious
in you.")
129 Acquaint you with the perfect spy o' th' time, / The moment on't make you
thoroughly familiar with the best intelligence about the time, the exact moment [the
murder must be done]
131
always thought / That I require a clearness [it must] always be borne in mind that I
have to have freedom from any suspicion [that I am behind these murders]
Act 3, Scene 2
9 Of sorriest fancies your companions making i.e., constantly going over your most
wretched fantasies (An example of the kind of thing that Lady Macbeth refers to could
be Macbeth's notion, shortly after he murders King Duncan, that if he tries to wash the
blood from his hands, they will " The multitudinous seas incarnadine, / Making the
green one red.")
10 Using i.e., returning again and again to
11 Things without all remedy / Should be without regard things that are beyond any
possible remedy should kept beyond thought
14
whilst our poor malice / Remains in danger of her former tooth while our feeble
enmity is still in danger from the same [poisonous] fang
16 let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer let the whole structure of
the universe fall apart, both heaven and earth be destroyed
20 to gain our peace, have sent to peace to gain the secure satisfaction of our
desires, have sent to the peace of death
25 Malice domestic i.e., treason or civil war
27 Gentle my lord, sleek o'er your rugged looks my noble lord, smooth over
your rough looks
30 Let your remembrance apply to Banquo i.e., let the advice you have just given to
me be applied to your treatment of Banquo
31 Present him eminence, both with eye and tongue i.e., show him special favor,
with both looks and speech
32 Unsafe the while, that we / Must lave our honours in these flattering streams, /
And make our faces vizards to our hearts for the time being we are unsafe, so we must
wash our reputation in these streams of flattery, and make our faces masks of our hearts
35 You must leave this i.e., you must quit talking and thinking this way (Macbeth
has just said that they must be hypocritical in their treatment of Banquo. She's not
opposed to hypocrisy, but his tone seems to alarm her.)
38 in them nature's copy's not eterne their lease on life is not perpetual (A "copy" is
a copyhold, a lease subject to cancellation.)
41 cloister'd almost invisible (?) (A monk or nun who is cloistered stays inside the
monastery or convent, out of contact with the world.)
Hecate (Hecate dwells in the underworld and is the protectoress of witches.)
42 shard-borne held aloft on shards [horny wing cases]
49 that great bond i.e., Banquo's lease on life
Act 3, Scene 3
2 He needs not our mistrust, since he delivers / Our offices and what we have to do / To
the direction just we don't need to distrust him, since he states our duties and what we
have to do exactly the same way as the original instructions [from Macbeth]
9 Give us a light there, ho! (Banquo is asking whoever can hear him to provide
some light. The idea seems to be that at this place, where the custom is to dismount and
send the horses by a longer way, it's expected that attendants will be waiting to escort
guests to Macbeth's castle. But the only attendants for Banquo are the murderers.)
18 Thou mayst revenge (This is said to Fleance. Banquo means that if Fleance flees
and lives, he may have a chance to revenge his father's death. I imagine that the boy is
torn between staying and going, between fighting by his father's side and obeying his
father's command to run away.)
O, slave (This must be an insult that Banquo throws at whichever murderer delivers
his death blow. Also, it may be that there is quite a lot of sword play, which
Shakespeare's audience would have enjoyed, before Banquo is killed. The bland stage
directions—as you can tell by the square brackets—were written by editors, not
Shakespeare.)
19 Who did strike out the light? (Third Murderer is probably unhappy because the
lack of light aided Fleance's escape.)
** [stage direction] Exeunt (Banquo's body is probably dragged out; hard on the
actor playing Banquo, but a fitting end to this brutal scene.)
Act 3, Scene 4
9 encounter thee respond to you (Perhaps the guests are clapping or cheering,
during which time First Murderer is able to make his presence known to Macbeth.)
14 'Tis better thee without than he within it's better that it's on your outside than on
his inside
22 As broad and general as the casing air as free and unconfined as the air which
envelopes [everything]
32
The feast is sold / That is not often vouch'd, while 'tis a-making, / 'Tis given with
welcome a feast is only a meal that is sold, unless the host often avouches, during the
feast, that all the guests are welcome
35 From thence the sauce to meat is ceremony away from home the sauce to food is
ceremonies [such as welcoming guests, giving toasts, etc.]
39 Here had we now our country's honour roof'd Here we would have all the honor
[i.e., all of the honorable nobles] of our country under one roof
41 Who may I rather challenge for unkindness / Than pity for mischance i.e., I hope
I may chide him for neglect, rather than pity him for some mischance that has happened
to him
43 Lays blame upon his promise i.e., calls into question how well he keeps his
promises (Ross is reassuring Macbeth that nothing bad could have happened to
Banquo.)
48 Which of you have done this? (It appears that Macbeth thinks that someone is
playing a ghastly practical joke.)
62 flaws and starts i.e., panic attack (A "flaw" is a sudden gust of wind; a "start" is
the kind of movement a person makes when startled.)
71 our monuments / Shall be the maws of kites our tombs will be only the guts of
kites (A kite is a swallow-tailed hawk, notorious for feeding on the dead. Macbeth's
point is that if the dead won't stay buried, we might as well let the kites have them.)
75 Ere humane statute purged the gentle weal before human [and humane] law
cleansed the commonwealth and made it gentle
100 Hyrcan Hyrcanian (Hyrcania was region near the Caspian sea. Like the
"Russian bear," the "Hyrcan tiger" is the most fearsome of its kind.)
110 overcome us like a summer's cloud come over me as suddenly and
unexpectedly as a cloud in summer
111 You make me strange / Even to the disposition that I owe you make me feel like
a stranger to my own character (Macbeth, assuming that his wife has seen what he has
seen, feels that if she is not shaken, and he is, he is not the courageous man he always
thought he was.)
118 Stand not upon the order of your going, / But go at once i.e., don't worry about
who is supposed to leave first; everyone should leave right now
123
understood relations [reports or stories with] clear implications, or intuitively
perceived relationships [as between Duncan's murder in Macbeth's castle and Macbeth
becoming king]
124 By maggot-pies and choughs and rooks brought forth revealed by means of
magpies and jackdaws and rooks (All three birds can be taught to parrot a word or two.)
127 How say'st thou, that Macduff denies his person / At our great bidding? what do
you think of the fact that Macduff refuses to come personally in response to my royal
request? (In Holinshed, Shakespeare's primary source, Macduff sends a work crew to
Dunsinane, to help in a construction project, but doesn't make a personal appearance,
for fear of his life. See the page in Holinshed.)
129 I hear it by the way; but I will send. / There's not a one of them but in his house /
I keep a servant fee'd I hear it via the grapevine, but I will make an official request.
There's not a one of them [the thanes of Scotland] in whose house I don't pay a servant
[to spy for me].
135 all causes every other consideration (There are plenty of "causes" why a person
should not seek out witches; they can't be trusted, want to destroy your soul, are ugly,
etc.)
142 Is the initiate fear that wants hard use is the beginner's fear that needs rough
experience [to harden it]
143 We are yet but young in deed I am still a novice in [criminal] act
Act 3, Scene 5
[stage direction] Thunder. Enter the three Witches meeting HECATE. (Although this
scene appears in the first published Macbeth, most Shakespeare scholars think it was
written by someone else and inserted in the play because the audience wanted more of
the witches.)
2 beldams hags (In French, "beldams" means "beautiful ladies," but in English it
became ironic, and meant the opposite.)
11 wayward son unreliable disciple (Hecate is referring to Macbeth. The word
"wayward" may be an alternate spelling of "wayard," which in modern texts is spelled
as "weird" when it describes the "weird [or 'wayard'] sisters.")
15 pit of Acheron i.e., the bottom of hell (The Acheron is a river in hell.)
18 Your vessels and your spells provide prepare your pots [of mind-altering
substances] and your magical charms
20 this night I'll spend / Unto a dismal and a fatal end I will spend this night doing
something that will have a sinister and fatal outcome
26 that distill'd by magic sleights that [the "vaporous drop profound"] enhanced by
magical tricks
27 Shall raise such artificial sprites / As by the strength of their illusion / Shall draw
him on to his confusion will bring up such spirits, created by magical arts, as will lure
him to his destruction
*[stage direction] Sing within: "Come away, come away, etc." (It is the general
opinion of scholars that this is the same song which appears in Thomas Middleton's The
Witch, which was performed about 1615. Go to the text of the song.)
34 my little spirit (In the song, "Come away, come away," the spirit is "like a cat,"
and its name is Malkin.)
Act 3, Scene 6
1 My former speeches have but hit your thoughts, / Which can interpret further what I
have just said has exactly coincided with your thoughts, which can draw more
conclusions (Lennox proceeds to deliver a bitterly ironic speech which is easy to
"interpret further.")
4
marry, he was dead indeed, he was dead (The ironic point here is that Macbeth pitied
Duncan only after he was dead.)
21 But, peace! for from broad words and 'cause he fail'd / His presence at the tyrant's
feast, I hear / Macduff lives in disgrace i.e., but we should be silent, considering what
happened to Macduff, who only because he used some plain language and failed to
show up at the tyrant's feast, lives—I hear—in disgrace
25 From whom . . . holds the due of birth withholds his birthright [i.e., Malcolm's
claim to the throne of Scotland]
27 the most pious Edward i.e., Edward the Confessor (He reigned as King of
England from 1042 to 1066, and was canonized as a saint by the Catholic church.)
28 the malevolence of fortune nothing / Takes from his high respect i.e., mere bad
luck [the fact that Macbeth has deprived Malcolm of the throne of Scotland] takes away
nothing from the high respect shown to Malcolm
30 to pray the holy king, upon his aid / To wake Northumberland and warlike
Siward to implore the holy king, in order to aid Malcolm, to call to arms
Northumberland and warlike Siward
35 Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives free our feasts and banquets
from bloody knives
36 (Macbeth has instituted a reign of fear, so every homage rendered to him is
inspired by fear, and every honor that he bestows is earned by bowing down to him.)
37 this report i.e., the news that Malcolm has been welcomed in the English king's
court, and may be supported by English forces
39 Sent he to Macduff? i.e., Did he request the presence of Macduff [to assist him in
his preparations for war against the Malcolm and the English]
40 and with an absolute "Sir, not I," / The cloudy messenger turns me his back i.e.,
and in response to Macduff's blunt "Sir, not I," the scowling messenger [from Macbeth]
turns his back (The "me" in "turns me his back" adds the sense of "I can see it now," or
"I know the feeling." The messenger has to go back to Macbeth with bad news, and
Macbeth doesn't like bad news.)
And that well might / Advise him to a caution, to hold what distance / His wisdom
can provide and that [the messenger's reaction] might well teach him [Macduff] to be
cautious, to keep [the longest] distance [between himself and Macbeth] he can possibly
devise
46 Fly to the court of England and unfold / His message ere he come, that fly to the
English court and reveal his [Macduff's] message before he arrives, so that
48 this our suffering country / Under a hand accursed this, our country, which
suffers under an accursed hand
Act 4, Scene 1
3 Harpier (Apparently the name of the familiar spirit of Third Witch. The name
suggests "Harpy," which in Greek mythology is a loathsome monster with the head and
chest of a woman, and the remainder of its body in the shape of a predatory bird.)
7 Days and nights has thirty-one / Swelter'd venom sleeping got has for thirty-one
days and nights sweated out venom while sleeping
10 double (In Shakespeare's time, "double" also meant "deceptive.")
16
blind-worm's sting (The blindworm is a legless lizard with a black forked tongue,
which was thought to contain venom, and was called its "sting.")
27 Gall gallbladder (The word also means "bile," "a bitter liquid," "spitefulness,"
and "impudence.")
yew a tree considered a symbol of sadness
29 Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips (Both Turks and Tartars were considered to be
cruelly violent.)
** Enter HECAT . . . Exit HECATE. (The general opinion of Shakespeare scholars is
that everything between Hecate's entrance and her exit was inserted after Shakespeare
wrote the play. A song by the name of "Black spirits" appears in a later play, Thomas
Middleton's The Witch, which was performed about 1615. Open the text of the song.)
58 though the treasure / Of nature's germains tumble all together, / Even till
destruction sicken though the most precious seeds of nature fall into utter chaos, even
to the point that death and destruction get sick of their own work
grease that's sweaten / From the murderer's gibbet (The "murderer's gibbet" is the
gallows where a murderer is hung. In Shakespeare's time executions were public, and
the bodies were often left to hang as a warning to others. After about ten days in warm
weather the liquefied fat of the corpse sweats through the skin, drips down, and forms
puddles of nauseating grease.)
84 take a bond of fate get a guarantee from fate (Macbeth has been assured that he
will not be harmed by "man of woman born," but he wants to lock up the deal by killing
Macduff. Of course, anyone is a self-deluded fool who thinks that he can make fate
guarantee anything.)
85 That so that (The "pale-hearted fear" is Macbeth's own; despite being told that
"none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth," he fears Macduff.)
97 Rebellious dead i.e., Banquo and his descendents ? (Editors often change this
phrase to "Rebellious head" or "Rebellion's head," meaning "an armed force of rebellion
on the march.")
99 live the lease of nature, pay his breath / To time and mortal custom i.e., live out a
full life, and die only of old age, as is customary
106 Why sinks that cauldron? (Though there is no stage direction, this line indicates
that the cauldron descends through a trap door.)
noise music (The word "noise" can also mean a band of musicians.)
*** Hoboys oboes
111 Come like shadows, so depart Come like shadows (spirits, ghosts), and leave
the same way
*** glass mirror
112 Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo you look too much like the ghost of
Banquo (Apparently this is spoken to the first king.)
116
Start, eyes! jump [out their sockets], [my] eyes! (Macbeth doesn't want to see any
more.)
121 two-fold balls and treble scepters (This indicates kingship of both England and
Scotland. Macbeth was performed before King James, the First of England, and the
Sixth of Scotland. A "ball" is an orb, which is—according to Wikipedia—"a hollow
golden sphere set with numerous precious and semi-precious stones. The Orb is
surmounted by a cross, representing the rule of Jesus over the world." A scepter is a
ceremonial staff. King James was crowned in Scone as King of Scotland and there
received an orb and a scepter. He was crowned again in England, where he received an
orb and two scepters.)
125 Ay, sir . . . (It is the opinion of Shakespearean scholars that lines 125-132 were
inserted after Shakespeare wrote the play, in order to introduce the dance of the witches.
Scholars also believe that Shakespeare didn't intend the witches to dance.)
132 Our duties did his welcome pay our ceremonies repaid the welcome he gave us
(This is snide; Macbeth, rather than welcoming the witches, called them "hags" and
demanded information from them.)
144 Time, thou anticipatest my dread exploits: / The flighty purpose never is o'ertook
/ Unless the deed go with it time, you forestall my dreadful exploits; the always-fleeing
purpose is never overtaken unless the deed goes with it (In all probability, Macbeth's
"purpose" had been to kill Macduff. Now he is angry with himself that he let slip his
chance to do so. He reflects that we never catch up with what we intend to do unless we
do it right away.)
153 That trace him in his line follow him in his family line (Macbeth plans to wipe
out anyone who might have any possible claim to Fife.)
Act 4, Scene 2
3 When our actions do not, / Our fears do make us traitors [even] when our actions
don't make us traitors, our fears [of being accused of being traitors] make us [appear to
be] traitors
18 we are traitors / And do not know ourselves we are [accused of being] traitors
and do not find anything in ourselves to justify the accusation
24 Things at the worst will cease, or else climb upward / To what they were
before i.e., when you hit the bottom of the barrel there's no way but up (Ross means
this bit of philosophy as a comfort to Lady Macduff, but it soon becomes clear that
things are not yet "at the worst"; in a few minutes Lady Macduff and her son will be
slaughtered.)
25 cousin (This is addressed to the son of Lady Macduff. It's not clear—and it
doesn't matter—just how Ross is related to Lady Macduff and her son.)
28 I am so much a fool, should I stay longer, / It would be my disgrace and your
discomfort i.e., I am so soft-hearted that if I stay longer, I will weep, embarrassing both
of us
36 Poor birds they are not set for i.e., traps and snares are not set for little birds (The
little boy is saying that he's too little for anyone to care about trying to catch him.)
42 With wit enough for thee (I think that the paraphrase of this is: "You are being as
witty as you can be, but yours is only a child's wit." If Lady Macduff is speaking to her
son, maybe she is continuing to tease him. But her speech may be an aside, a
commentary to herself; in that case, she may be expressing happiness that her son
doesn't fully understand the danger that they are in.)
70 To fright you thus, methinks, I am too savage; / To do worse to you were fell
cruelty, / Which is too nigh your person to frighten you this way, I believe, [makes
me] too cruel, [but] murderous cruelty is [already] to near to you
78 womanly womanish (Lady Macduff is being bitterly ironic. The "womanly
defence," the argument that she should suffer no harm because she has done no wrong,
doesn't work in this "earthly world," where the innocent are often harmed just because
they are vulnerable.)
79 What are these faces? why are you making faces? (The murderers are probably
frowning and sneering, as bullies do.)
83 shag-ear'd long-haired and long-eared (This is a childish insult, probably
meaning that the murderer looks like donkey.)
84 fry spawn, offspring (The murderers believe Macduff to be a traitor, and his son
simply another traitor.)
Act 4, Scene 3
4 Bestride stand astride of (Macbeth envisions Scotland as a fallen soldier, which
he and Malcolm should defend by standing astride of their comrade's body, deadly
swords in hand.)
8 Like syllable of dolour a similar cry of pain
What I believe I'll wail, / What know believe, and what I can redress, / As I shall find
the time to friend, I will (Malcolm is being very cautious. He says he'll grieve for what
he believes are the sorrows of Scotland, but believe only what he knows for sure is true,
and redress the wrongs done to Scotland only when the time is right.)
14
young i.e., inexperienced (Though Malcolm admits that he is "young," he makes it
clear that he's not going to be fooled.)
something / You may deserve of him through me, and wisdom / To offer up a weak
poor innocent lamb you may hope to earn something from Macbeth by betraying me
and by having the worldly wisdom to offer me up as a sacrificial lamb
22 the brightest i.e., Lucifer [who rebelled against God, fell from grace, and became
Satan]
23 Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace, / Yet grace must still look
so i.e., though all foul things want to disguise themselves as fair and good, goodness
itself still looks fair and good (This repeats the idea that Malcolm's father, King
Duncan, expressed in "There's no art / To find the mind's construction in the face.")
26 rawness unprotected state (Malcolm's question shows that he suspects that if
Macduff really did fear Macbeth's savagery, he would not have left his family at
Macbeth's mercy.)
29 Let not my jealousies be your dishonours, / But mine own safeties don't attribute
my suspicions to your dishonor, but to my own desire to protect myself
33
wear thou thy wrongs, / The title is affeer'd wear your wrongful gains, [because] your
title to them is confirmed (The word "wear" suggests that Macduff imagines Macbeth
parading about in the royal garments that rightly belong to the true King of Scotland.)
42 There would be hands uplifted in my right i.e., If I were to invade Scotland, men
of Scotland would fight in support of my right to the throne
43 England i.e., the English King
55 confineless harms limitless harms [which I will inflict on Scotland and her
people]
63 cistern large reservoir (Shakespeare uses the word "cistern" in two other plays,
Othello and Antony and Cleopatra; in both of those plays he imagines a cistern as a
place where repulsive creatures dwell. In Antony and Cleopatra the creatures are "scal'd
snakes"; in Othello a cistern is a place where "foul toads . . . knot and gender."
64 continent chaste, restraining (The statement, "my desire / All continent
impediments would o'erbear / That did oppose my will," strongly suggests that he would
rape the most modest maid.)
66 Boundless intemperance / In nature is a tyranny; it hath been / The untimely
emptying of the happy throne / And fall of many kings in human nature, sex obsession
can overwhelm everything else; it has been the cause of thrones in happy kingdoms
suddenly falling empty, and it has caused the destruction of many kings
69 But fear not yet / To take upon you what is yours nevertheless, don't be afraid to
claim the kingship which is rightfully yours
70 You may / Convey your pleasures in a spacious plenty, / And yet seem cold, the
time you may so hoodwink you will be able to conceal the unlimited gratification of
your sexual desires and yet appear to be chaste, [because] you will be able to blind
everyone [to your true nature] (I have translated "the time" as "everyone," but it means
more. Macduff means that Malcolm can satisfy his lust at the same time as he is
pretending to be chaste; Macduff also means that the times—the general awe of a
king—will make people blind to what Malcolm is doing.)
74 so many / As will to greatness dedicate themselves (Yes, it seems that there are
always plenty of women who are willing to dedicate themselves to a man who has
"greatness," even if he is a pompous ass with a bad comb-over. Right now, March of the
year 2007, I'm thinking of Donald Trump, but whatever the year in which you read this,
you will be able think of plenty of examples for yourself.)
86 summer-seeming lust (Lust is "summer-seeming" because it is seems to be linked
with the prime—the summer—of life. Thus it is a kind of phase, something that will
pass. Avarice, in contrast, has a stronger "root," and can last forever.)
it hath been / The sword of our slain kings it ["avarice"] has been the sword that has
killed our kings (The idea is that the greed of kings has provoked rebellions which have
resulted in the deaths of those greedy kings.)
88 Scotland hath foisons to fill up your will / Of your mere own Scotland has
abundance to satisfy all your desires, from your own income [from royal estates]
89 All these are portable, / With other graces weigh'd everything you have mentioned
[i.e., your lust and your greed] is bearable when weighed against other kingly graces
[such as "justice, verity, temperance, stableness / Bounty, perseverance, mercy,
lowliness, / Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude"]
95
abound / In the division of each several crime, / Acting it many ways wallow in the
varieties of each separate crime [i.e., all the opposites of the "graces" just mentioned],
acting out each one in many ways (In short, Malcolm says that there is no end to the
ways in which he will be a bad king.)
99 Uproar the universal peace, confound / All unity on earth change all peace into
chaos, utterly destroy all unity on earth
104 untitled lacking a rightful title (The "untitled tyrant" is Macbeth.)
106 truest issue of thy throne most legitimate heir to the throne, i.e., Malcolm
107 By his own interdiction stands accursed (In church governance, an interdiction is
a ruling which prohibits a person from participating in church sacraments; that person is
accursed. Macduff's point is that Malcolm, in saying that he lacks all the kingly graces,
has interdicted himself from being king of Scotland.)
118 trains plots, traps (Malcolm is saying that Macbeth has sent many double agents
to him. Those double agents have used "these trains"—promises of anything and
everything—in order to persuade him to return to Scotland, where they could then
betray him to Macbeth.)
146 the evil (Scrofula was known as "the king's evil," because it was thought that the
touch of a king could cure it.)
149 How he solicits heaven, / Himself best knows how he [the King of England,
Edward the Confessor] prays to heaven [for a cure], only he knows
154 and 'tis spoken, / To the succeeding royalty he leaves / The healing benediction
and it is said that to the kings who follow him he leaves the power of giving the blessing
which heals
175 That of an hour's age doth hiss the speaker the grief which is only an hour old
causes the teller of that grief to be hissed (The "speaker" of the hour-old grief would be
hissed because he was telling old news and ignoring all the new griefs.)
184 was to my belief witness'd the rather, / For that I saw the tyrant's power a-foot
was made more believable because I saw the tyrant's army on the march
186 Now is the time of help now is the time to cure the sickness [of Scotland]
191 An older and a better soldier none / That Christendom gives out England ("That
Christendom") tells of ("gives out") no more experienced ("older") or better soldier
194 That would be howl'd out in the desert air that should be howled out only in the
desert air [because the words are so terrible] (Also, a desert is any place without people;
sand is not required.)
205 To relate the manner, / Were, on the quarry of these murder'd deer, / To add the
death of you to tell exactly how [your wife and children were murdered] would be to
add your death to the heap ["quarry'] of these murdered deer (The word "deer" is a
metaphor for Macduff's wife and children and also contains a pun on "dear.")
216 He has no children (If Macduff is referring to Malcolm, perhaps he means that if
he did have children, he wouldn't think it was so easy to turn grief into revenge. If
Macduff is referring to Macbeth, perhaps he means that full revenge would mean killing
Macbeth and his children, too.)
220 Dispute it like a man ("Dispute" means "struggle against." Malcolm apparently
means that Macduff should struggle against his grief by taking revenge on Macbeth.)
230 O, I could play the woman with mine eyes / And braggart with my tongue!
(Macduff is saying that all of his emotions are honest. He could play the part of a
woman and weep excessively, or he could be a braggart and boast of the terrible
revenge he could take on Macbeth, but he's not doing either. He just wants a chance to
face Macbeth in combat.)
234 if he 'scape, / Heaven forgive him too! (Apparently Macduff's idea is that the
only way Macbeth could escape him would be if Macduff would forgive him.)
237 Our lack is nothing but our leave i.e., the only thing left to do [before we leave
for Scotland] is to take our leave [of the King of England]
238 the powers above / Put on their instruments the powers above send us [into
battle] as agents [of their will] or the powers above are [also] arming themselves [to
defeat Macbeth]
239 Receive what cheer you may, / The night is long that never finds the day i.e.,
whatever happens, there will be a better tomorrow
<br clear="all" />
Act 5, Scene 1
17 having no witness because I have no witness (Apparently Lady Macbeth has
said what we will soon hear her say, which amounts to a confession of murder. The
Gentlewoman dares not repeat such things without a witness.)
19 her very guise exactly the way she always looks
20 stand close stay out of sight
25 their sense i.e., the ability to see
32 set down write down
33 satisfy confirm
45 this starting these startled movements (Apparently Lady Macbeth is imagining
the moments just after the murder of King Duncan, especially Macbeth's reaction to the
knocking at the gate.)
46 go to ("Go to" is a colloquial phrase with many possible meanings. In this case,
the Doctor means something like "ai yi yi! we have a big problem.")
53 sorely charg'd painfully overfull
58 Pray God it be, sir (The Doctor uses the phrase "well, well, well" as an
expression of wonder and dismay; the Gentlewoman purposely takes the word "well" in
its sense of "good, healthy.")
59 beyond my practise beyond the scope of my expertise
64 come out on's grave come out of his grave
76 the means of all annoyance anything which might cause injury (The Doctor
probably thinks Lady Macbeth might commit suicide.)
77 still always
78 mated stupefied, bewildered, shocked
Act 5, Scene 2
3 their dear causes / Would to the bleeding and the grim alarm / Excite the mortified
man their heartfelt motives for revenge [the murders of Malcolm's father and Macduff's
family] would make even a moribund man eager to rush into a bloody and fearful battle
10 unrough unbearded (In Shakespeare's time, men often started their military
careers as young as age 14.)
15 He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause / Within the belt of rule he cannot, by
any moderation ["rule"], control his diseased impulse to act (We've already seen an
example of this in the murders of Macduff's wife and children, which did Macbeth no
good, and which he ordered simply because he wanted to "to crown [his] thoughts with
acts." In addition, the metaphor summons up an image of a man vainly trying to buckle
his belt around his swollen belly; the metaphor strengthens the idea that Macbeth is out
of control.)
27 the medicine of the sickly weal the medicine [i.e., Malcolm] that will cure the
sickly commonwealth
28 And with him pour we in our country's purge / Each drop of us and with
[Malcolm] we will pour every drop of our blood into the cure of our country
Act 5, Scene 3
1 let them fly all let all [my thanes] desert [me] (Apparently someone has just given
Macbeth another of many reports that thanes have left him to join the forces marching
against him.)
8 epicures lovers of luxury (Thus Macbeth scornfully accuses those who hate and
fear him of being soft.)
9 The mind I sway by the mind which rules my actions (Macbeth uses the word
"mind" primarily in the sense of "determination," as in the phrase "my mind is made
up.")
14 over-red redden over (Blood was—and still is—associated with courage.
Macbeth scornfully tells the boy to "prick" his face in order to make blood come and
cover his fear.)
15 lily-liver'd cowardly (The liver was thought to be the seat of passions, and the
liver which is bloodless, white as a lily, is the liver of a coward.)
19 I am sick at heart, / When I behold— (Macbeth doesn't finish the sentence or the
thought, but I suspect that Macbeth fears that the boy's fear has begun to infect him.)
28 Which the poor heart would fain deny i.e., which the miserable hearts of
Macbeth's unwilling followers would very much like to withhold
49 Seyton, send out (Macbeth is commanding Seyton to send one of the other
servants for something, maybe his lance.)
50 dispatch hurry up (Apparently Seyton is trying to put Macbeth's armor on him.)
52 purge (The primary medical treatment of the time was a purge; for instance,
bleeding was intended to purge a person of bad blood.)
54 Pull't off (This must be said to Seyton. Maybe Seyton made some mistake when
he was putting Macbeth's armor on him, or maybe Macbeth has changed his mind about
putting on his armor.)
57 preparation preparation for war (The Doctor is being cautious. He doesn't want to
admit that he knows anything about the English, so he says that the only way he knows
that they are coming is that Macbeth is preparing to fight them.)
58 Bring it after me take it and follow me (This is said to Seyton, who is still
holding some of Macbeth's armor.)
Act 5, Scene 4
6 make discovery / Err in report of us make [Macbeth's] reconnaissance make
mistakes in its report about us
9 Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure / Our setting down before't always stays
within Dunsinane castle, and will allow us come and besiege it (To Siward, the
professional soldier, it seems strange that Macbeth's forces don't try to drive the English
away before they can trap Macbeth in Dunsinane.)
14 Let our just censures / Attend the true event let our accurate judgment [of the
situation] wait upon the actual outcome (i.e., let's just see how things turn out before we
before we come to conclusions [about Macbeth's situation])
16 The time approaches / That will with due decision make us know / What we shall
say we have and what we owe i.e., the time is quickly coming in which we will know
for certain what we can say we have accomplished and what we have yet to do
19 Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate, / But certain issue strokes must
arbitrate, / Towards which advance the war i.e., speculations express only unsure
hopes, but the certain outcome can be decided only by strokes [of swords], towards
which [i.e., actual fighting] the army must advance
Act 5, Scene 5
45 Arm, arm, and out! (This looks like a call to Macbeth's followers to arm
themselves and go out to meet the enemy, but there are no followers, and, as he says in
the next lines, if the wood is moving it's not safe to go out or stay in.)
49 estate o' the world established order of the world (The "estate o' the world" is
both physical and moral. The sun is part of the physical order; the moral order is about
to catch up with Macbeth and make him pay for his crimes.)
Act 5, Scene 6
2 show like those you are appear as you really are
Act 5, Scene 7
1 They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly, / But, bear-like, I must fight the
course Macbeth is comparing himself to the bear in the blood sport of bear-baiting, in
which a bear was tied to a stake and dogs were set upon it. A "course" is a round of
fighting in a bear-baiting event.
20 I sheathe again undeeded I put back in its sheath without any deeds to its
credit
There thou shouldst be you must be over there ("There," off-stage, there is a
"clatter.")
21 By this great clatter, one of greatest note / Seems bruited by this great clatter, a
most notable person seems to be announced
28 foes / That strike beside us foes who deliberately miss when they swing their
swords at us, or foes who fight on our side
Act 5, Scene 8
1 play the Roman fool i.e., be a noble suicide, like the famous Romans, Brutus and
Mark Antony, who committed suicide after they lost battles
14 angel i.e., evil angel, devil
25 We'll have thee, as our rarer monsters are, / Painted on a pole i.e., we'll have your
picture painted on a board and carried on a pole, as is done to advertise a monster in a
freak show
36
by these I see, / So great a day as this is cheaply bought i.e., by seeing the number of
our soldiers who are safe, I believe we have won a great victory at a low price
51 He's worth no more (Siward is not disrespecting his son. His point is that there is
no more worthy death than that of a soldier who does his duty.)
54 stands / The usurper's cursed head (According to Holinshed, Shakespeare's
primary source for Macbeth, Macbeth's head was placed on a pike. In Shakespeare's
time, traitors' heads were placed on pikes and mounted over the south entrance to
London Bridge, very near Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.)
The apparitions
an armed Head
a head wearing a helmet (This apparition foreshadows Macduff's leading role in the
attack on Macbeth, and perhaps also Macbeth's beheading by Macduff.)
a bloody Child.
(This apparition foreshadows the hidden meaning of the prophecy that "none of woman
born / Shall harm Macbeth." Near the end of the play, faced with Macduff, Macbeth
repeats this prophecy, but Macduff replies, Macduff was from his mother's womb /
Untimely ripp'd. So it turns out that the word "born," doesn't cover a Caesarean section,
which would result in a newborn covered in blood.)
a crowned child.
This apparition purports to reassure Macbeth, it portends the ‘mobile wood’ irony and
reminds us that a child (Banquo’s Fleance) will engender the Stuart line.
a Child crowned, with a tree in his hand
The "Child crowned" may foreshadow the victory of Malcolm, King Duncan's child, or
the royalty of the descendants of Fleance, Macduff's child. The "tree in his hand"
foreshadows the advance of Birnam Wood to Macbeth's castle.
One of the most controversial yet known lines in the Shakespearian works is probably:
Fair is foul and foul is fair.
As this is so controversial, it is hard to come up with a good explanation for it, but I
gave it a shot.
Well, first it's worth making clear that 'fair' in this context has connotations of beauty,
wholeness, goodness. Foul is the opposite- ugliness, decay, evil.
So it boils down to "good is evil, evil is good." It is said by the three witches at the end
of the play's opening scene, and underlines just how uncompromisingly and
irredeemably evil they are- to them, everything virtuous is disgusting, and everything
loathsome is desirable. The fact that they speak the line in unison just drives home their
terrible and supernatural nature. Their reversal of the terms blurs the lines of right and
wrong, undermining their very meaning. This marks the witches as agents of chaos, in a
time when social and religious order were seen as all-important.
Like I said, it's the second to last line of the first scene:
"Fair is foul and foul is fair
Hover through the fog and filthy air."
It makes it even more frightening and disturbing for the audience when the very next
scene opens on MacBeth, a lord (ie, someone who *should* be a noble and virtuous
servant of his king) who has just won a battle, and he remarks, "So fair and foul a day I
have not seen", unknowingly echoing the witches who said they would meet with him.
So basically, this line drives home that the witches have uncanny power and knowledge
of the future- and that they represent everything the contemporary audience feared.
Furthermore,
it underlines how something that seems so good, can be so evil. I.e. MacBeth.
MacBeth, at first, is a very loyal and hard working officer in the Scottish army and has
earned reasonable prestige due to his earnings on the battlefield. The Scottish King,
Duncan, therefore gives him the power over the castle Dunsinane (the Thane of
Cawdor). In that time a castle was a symbol of power over a region, in this case being
Cawdor. The king appoints him as the Thane (leader) of Cawdor and MacBeth’s
corruption becomes increasingly vile. As he had already “spoken” to the three witches
(a recurring element in Hamlet), his desire for the throne is now at an all time high. This
is where MacBeth and his wife plot the scheme of killing Duncan, King of Scotland.
One would think murder is the ultimate wrong-doing, but MacBeth’s hunger for power
is not yet satisfied. After claiming the throne of Scotland, he reigns supreme with fear.
The more fear you exert, the less opposition one gets, that was the pre-Shakespearian
way of thinking, but nothing could be more wrong. MacBeth’s wrong-doing becomes
his undoing. Malcolm now wants the throne as it is rightfully his and succeeds in doing
so. MacBeth believed he could not be killed, as in his opinion all men were from
women born. In the end (spoiler alert) you will find out that MacDuff isn’t of a woman
born as he was brought to life via a caesarian. Therefore he wasn’t from a woman born
and was able to kill MacBeth. Malcolm claimed the throne soon hereafter and as in
many plays, they lived happily ever after.
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20-09-12
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07-03-13
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DEADLINE!!!!!!!!!
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</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="150">
Total
</td>
<td valign="top" width="289">
Hours
</td>
<td colspan="2" valign="top" width="60">
Both
</td>
<td valign="top" width="56">
81:20
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="150"> </td>
<td width="289"> </td>
<td width="60"> </td>
<td width="0"> </td>
<td width="56"> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>