Macbeth Betrayal, Study notes of English Literature

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Macbeth

Betrayal

Monday 15 th November 2021

Learning purposes

• To consider the reactions of characters to key events in the play.
• To explore the influence that betrayal has on characters in the play.
• To develop whole-text response skills. Recap of previous learning Ø On the next slide… Future learning Ø Development of extract analysis skills and whole-text responses. Ø Mock exam – Monday 29 th November

Recap quiz

1. Define blank verse – who is likely to speak in blank verse? Unrhymed iambic pentameter - nobles
2. Define prose – who is likely to speak in prose? Mainly lower class characters or characters who display mental instability.
3. Define trochaic tetrameter – who is likely to speak in trochaic tetrameter? 4x STRESSED unstressed syllables, the Witches.
4. Define stichomythia – why does Shakespeare use this in Act 2 Scene 2? Rapid dialogue between characters – heightens tension between M and LM following Duncan’s murder
5. How is Duncan seen as a King? How is this shown in the play? Virtuous, noble, overly trusting, credulous.
6. How is Lady Macbeth presented in Act 1? Write down two quotations to support your ideas. Dominant, antithesis of Jacobean woman, controlling.
7. What reasons does Macbeth give to not kill Duncan in Act 1 Scene 7? ‘I am his kinsman and subject’, Macbeth is ‘his host’, ‘he’s here in double trust’
8. What symbol does Macbeth see in Act 2 Scene 1 which encourages him to murder Duncan? A floating dagger
9. What is the act of killing the king called? Regicide
10. Why may Shakespeare have not shown the murder of King Duncan to the audience? Appeal to King James, not belittle the impression of the king.

Act 2 Scene 3

• The scene opens with a drunken Porter knocking and grumbling comically about the noise and mocking whoever is on the other side of the door. He compares himself to a porter at the gates of hell as Macduff and Lennox wait outside.
• Primarily, the Porter functions as comic relief , lessening the tension in the audience after the murder of King Duncan and before Duncan is found.
• The Porter also serves a thematic function, indicating that the gates to Macbeth's home are synonymous with the gates of hell. Comic relief - humorous content in a dramatic or literary work intended to offset more serious episodes

Context – The Great Chain of Being

• The Elizabethans believed in "The Great Chain of Being". This was the idea that everyone was ordered by God into his allotted place, with the king at the head.
• Shakespeare demonstrated the Elizabethan belief that the country is stable only if the rightful King is good and virtuous.
• Despite King James’ paranoia, he had a deep belief that he was supposed to be king. He believed that God chooses kings and that the throne was his fate. However, this did become one of the reasons that he ruled with fear. The people of England worried that if they questioned him, they were really questioning God.
• By killing the king and taking his place, Macbeth was subverting this natural order. Disorder in nature reflects the disorder in human affairs. This is evident in Lennox’s comments about the night being unruly and the information that the Old Man discusses in 2:4.

Act 3 Scene 1

• At the beginning of Act 3, Banquo reflects upon the events that have occurred.
• Banquo begins to worry that Macbeth has done something terrible to obtain the crown, stating that ‘I fear/Thou played’st most foully for’t’. Discussion task: Do you think that the audience should be suspicious of Banquo at this point in the play? He doubts Macbeth yet he does not voice his scepticism and doesn’t tell anybody about their meeting with the witches.
• Macbeth enters the scene referring to Banquo as his ‘chief guest’, much like he referred to Duncan earlier in the play before he murdered him. Why do you think this is included by Shakespeare?
• Macbeth then informs Banquo that Malcolm and Donalbain have fled to England and Ireland respectively, describing them as ‘bloody cousins’. Here, Macbeth is seemingly reminding the other characters that they are being accused of parricide (killing a close relative) to shift the focus off himself.

Act 3 Scene 1

Macbeth (lines 50—57) Our fears in Banquo Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be fear'd: 'tis much he dares; And, to that dauntless temper of his mind, He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear: and, under him, My Genius is rebuked; Task: How is Macbeth’s mental and physical anguish portrayed here?

Act 3 Scene 1

Macbeth (lines 58-63) He chid the sisters When first they put the name of king upon me, And bade them speak to him: then prophet-like They hail'd him father to a line of kings: Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, And put a barren sceptre in my gripe, Task: Why is Macbeth so envious of Banquo at this point? Where does Macbeth suggest that he is unable to produce a son? Consider how Macbeth would view his own masculinity at this point.

Act 3 Scene 4

Read lines 1-45. How is Macbeth’s psychological instability shown here? Now watch the clip (lines 45-108) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaIfPfZ7C5s Read lines 110-end What have been the consequences of Macbeth’s behaviour?

The Banquet Scene Explore the significance of the following quotes. Annotate using subject terminology. Macbeth to murders after finding out Fleance has escaped: But now I am cabin’d, cribb’d, confin’, bound in To saucy doubts and fears Macbeth to others after seeing Banquo’s ghost: I have a strange infirmity which is nothing To those that know me Macbeth to Lady Macbeth when others leave: I am in blood Stepp’d so far that should I wade no more Returning were as tedious as go o’er

Whole-text question – what you need to do

• Read, understand and respond to texts
• Maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response
• Use textual references , including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.
• Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written

Planning your answer

Discuss ideas with your partner – how is betrayal important in the play. Aim to find quotations to support each idea.

Betrayal in

Macbeth

Example Macbeth betrays Banquo, his loyal and noble friend, to whom he is connected by battle and by knowledge of the witches’ prophecies. 3:1 - ‘There is none but he, whose being I do fear’ Hiring of murderers shows Macbeth has also betrayed his previously masculine self.

Betrayal of the Thane of Cawdor.

In Shakespeare’s eponymous tragedy, betrayal is one of the most significant themes which underpins all of the deaths in the play and has a corrupting influence over Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In Act 1 Scene 4, betrayal is evident when it is revealed that the Thane of Cawdor is to be executed for betraying King Duncan when at war with Norway. Duncan reveals that the Thane of Cawdor ‘was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust’ which heightens the significance of the betrayal as Duncan had previously regarded him highly. In this scene, Shakespeare highlights a character flaw in Duncan, suggesting that he is arguably too trusting of those around him which leads to him being betrayed twice by Thanes of Cawdor he trusted in the space of a very few days. Despite this, the Jacobean audience would be likely regard the Thane of Cawdor’s betrayal as being one of the worst crimes committable as it involved treason against King Duncan. As betrayal towards King Duncan led to the brutal execution of the Thane of Cawdor, Shakespeare may have been attempting to appeal to King James and deter the Jacobean audience from betraying those in a higher position in society. By including a strong punishment for betrayal at the beginning of the play, Shakespeare makes it clear to the audience that betrayal is not worthwhile and eventually leads to the downfall and death of characters in the play. Eponymous - the person after whom a literary work is named This first sentence can act as an introduction to your whole text response. You should consider the significance of the theme and offer a comment about its importance in the play.

Whole text question – Betrayal

Explain the importance of betrayal in the play. In your answer, you must consider:

• how betrayal is shown
• the reasons for the betrayal within the play.