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Introduction to Macbeth

Introduction to Macbeth. Background Information. Shakespeare wrote the tragedy of Macbeth around 1606, shortly after James I's accession to the English throne, as a tribute to James' Scottish ancestry. .

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Introduction to Macbeth

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  1. Introduction to Macbeth

  2. Background Information • Shakespeare wrote the tragedy of Macbeth around 1606, shortly after James I's accession to the English throne, as a tribute to James' Scottish ancestry.

  3. The story was taken from Raphael Holinshed's historical writings, Chronicles of England Scotland and Ireland, which tells the story of a Scottish king who murdered his way to the thronein 1040.

  4. Banquo was founder of the royal family of the Stuarts from which King James was descended • Macbeth also pays tribute to King James' theological interests (he was responsible for King James translation of Bible and wrote Demonology about identification of witches).

  5. Macbeth as a Tragedy:

  6. Macbeth deals with a serious issue, in a serious tone, and has a tragic hero…

  7. Macbeth is: 1.A person of high stature 2. He has a tragic flaw.

  8. 3.He is forced to face a tragic dilemma 4. He is neither excessively good nor excessively evil… 5. He experiences a downfall brought on by his tragic flaw.

  9. 6. He might experience an Anagnorisis though many Shakespearean tragic heroes did not…

  10. Five Act Model of Shakespearean Drama Frietag’s Pyramid climax Act III IV-falling action II-rising action Act I—en media res Act V-resolution

  11. Because it is a tragedy, and deals with serious issues, there are several weighty themes in Macbeth …

  12. Appearance v. Reality: In this play, ideas, actions & even people are very rarely what they seem. The entire play questions the very nature of reality & truth. Are there any concrete truths?

  13. The play also serves as a cautionary tale that warns the viewer not to consort with evil forces.

  14. Another theme is that all actions are inter- connected, including human and natural events.

  15. Motifs: ØBlood ØClothing ØSupernatural Occurrences ØRot and Decay

  16. Dramatis Personae Keep this character list in a safe place! Let’s pronounce some of the tricky Scottish and Irish names together in order to become more familiar with the pronunciations.

  17. Study the Character List • Fill in the Word Find and when completed switch with a partner • There will be a short quiz on character names after the SRT

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