Macbet
Macbeth is a tragedy in 5 acts, written by Shakespeare in 1605. It is the
shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies.
SETTING:
Macbeth is the only Shakespearean play set in Scotland in the 11th
century and Shakespeare wrote it when King James of Scotland had
become King of England as James I Stuart.
The setting of the play is dominated by castles (where Macbeth lives)
and moors (where Macbeth meets the 3 witches) that represent the
contrast between the ideas of natural and unnatural, fairness and
foulness, security and danger, but with a particular reversal of values:
the castles that are usually associated with security, fairness, stability
are here the setting of chaos and foulness (it's in the castles that
Macbeth commits the murders), while the moors wrapped in fog and
mystery are the place where the witches give only true prophecies. This
contrast is already presented in the first lines of the play with “
Fair is
foul and foul is fair”
said by the witches.
The whole play is dominated by fog, thunderstorms and darkness, to
mirror the nature of the play.
CHARACTERS:
THE 3 WITCHES are recognised by Macbeth and Banquo as something
supernatural. They have prophetic powers but are not active agents:
they only talk and give prophecies and potions. Macbeth chooses to
believe what appeals to him in the prophecies, so the witches exist as
the constant reminders of the potential for evil in the human
imagination.
MACBETH is a TRAGIC HERO. He is both villain and hero. At the
beginning of the play he is a respected soldier, at the end he is totally
alone because of his AMBITION and HIS OWN FREE DECISIONS.
Macbeth isn't forced to do anything, HE CHOOSES to believe the
prophecies and chooses to commit those murders; his death is the
inevitable consequence of his own choices. During the whole play
Macbeth suers for the terrible deeds he is doing (he feels guilty and is
haunted by the ghosts of his victims) but he doesn't compromise and
doesn't stop: his AMBITION is too strong to be stopped.
