Thinking about MacbethShakespeareHelp关于麦克白 shakespearehelp思维

1、This is a partial version of Thinking about Macbeth, an interactive study guide produced by Shakespeare Help.Viewing this PresentationTo view this presentation in Slide Show View:Press the F5 key on the top row of the keyboard, or click the Slide Show tab on the ribbon and then click the From Beginn

2、ing button. To exit the presentation, press the ESC key.To purchase the complete presentation, please visit:Next SlideClick the mouse to continue.An Interactive Study GuideThinking about MacbethWhats in This Study Guide?HomeIntroduction to MacbethQuizzesQuotesCharacters Recurring Images ThemesYouTub

3、e VideosEssay TopicsIntroduction to MacbethMain MenuThe BasicsThe TextThe Great Chain of BeingMacbeth and King JamesMacbeth The BasicsMacbeth was written in 1606, the last of Shakespeares four great tragedies (Hamlet, Othello, King Lear).Shakespeare was in his early 40s, a mature playwright with an

4、established reputation.The source of Macbeth is Holinsheds Chronicles of Ancient British History, used frequently by Shakespeare as a plot source.Macbeth is a more complex morality play, focusing on a man who faces a choice between good and evil, and chooses evil.However, Macbeth is more than a one-

5、dimensional villain. He is a believable human being who gives in to the temptation of ambition.Main MenuNextIntroduction to MacbethMacbeth The TextThere is only one definitive version of Macbeth the First Folio.The First Folio is a collection of 36 of Shakespeares plays prepared by two of his collea

6、gues 7 years after his death. It is considered the most reliable text of many of the plays, which also existed in “bad quarto versions.Main MenuNextBackIntroduction to MacbethMacbeth The TextSome scholars theorize that there are missing scenes.The scenes with Hecate (III, 5 & IV, 1) were probably ad

7、ded after Shakespeares death for the purpose of entertaining the audience.Macbeth is one of Shakespeares shortest plays.Macbeth also contains several unanswered plot questions:Who was the 3rd murderer?What happened to Fleance and Donalbain? Did the Macbeths have children?Did Lady Macbeth commit suic

8、ide?Main MenuNextBackThree Witches, Henry FuseliIntroduction to MacbethThe Great Chain of BeingGodAngelsDemonsStarsMoonsKingsPrincesNoblesMenWild AnimalsDomesticated AnimalsTreesOther PlantsPrecious StonesPrecious MetalsOther mineralsMain MenuNextShakespeares audience believed in a great Chain of Be

9、ing that determined the natural order of events.The chain was a series of hierarchical links with God at the top.Each level of the chain had its own hierarchy, with the king at the top of the human level.Disruptions in the chain could also disrupt the laws of nature and cause bizarre events to occur

10、.Introduction to MacbethBackMacbeth and King James IAspects of the play were calculated to flatter King James, who ascended the throne in 1603 after Queen Elizabeth died.James had authored Demonology in 1597 and was intensely interested in the supernatural.James was a descendant of the historical Ba

11、nquo.The line of kings in IV, 1 suggests that the Stuart line will continue indefinitely.Main MenuBackKing James I, Paulus Van SomerIntroduction to MacbethMacbeth QuizzesAct IAct IIAct IIIAct IVAct VMain MenuQuiz: Act IClick the hand for an answer.Why did King Duncan strip the Thane of Cawdor of his

12、 title and give it to Macbeth? What prophecies did the witches make regarding Macbeth? What prophecies did the witches make regarding Banquo? How does Lady Macbeth react to the witches prophecies and the idea of killing the king? Macbeth QuizzesMain MenuWhy did King Duncan strip the Thane of Cawdor

13、of his title and give it to Macbeth? Click anywhere to show answer.The Thane of Cawdor betrayed King Duncan and deserted to the rebel army during the battle.Macbeth fought heroically in the battle, killed the rebel leader, MacDonwald, and helped win the day for Duncans army.Main MenuNext QuestionMac

14、beth QuizzesQuotes from MacbethMain MenuAct I QuotesAct II QuotesAct III QuotesAct IV QuotesAct V Quotes“Fair is foul and foul is fair. “If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which grain will grow and which will not, Speak then to me. “The Thane of Cawdor lives: why do you dress me In borr

15、owed robes? “Look like th innocent flower, But be the serpent under t. “Fair and noble hostess, We are your guest tonight. “Hes here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed. Act I QuotesWho said it, and why is it important? Click the hand for an answ

16、er.Main MenuMacbeth Quotes“Fair is foul and foul is fair. Click anywhere to show answer.Macbeth QuotesWho said it, and why is it important?This is the witches chant in the opening scene and one of the main themes of the play the confusion between good and evil, or between appearance and reality. Thi

17、ngs that seem to be fair (good) are sometimes foul (evil), and visa versa.When Macbeth takes the witches predictions as fact, he is confusing foul with fair (evil with good).He and Lady Macbeth use the same technique on Duncan and their other victims. They pretend to be good, while planning evil dee

18、ds.Next QuoteMain MenuCharacters in MacbethMacbethLady MacbethThe WitchesBanquoDuncanMalcolmMacduffThe PorterLady MacduffMacduffs SonFleanceSiwardYoung SiwardDonalbainHecateSeytonMain MenuMacbethCharactersMacbeth is first portrayed in the play as a courageous, loyal , though somewhat brutal, warrior

19、.When he meets the witches, his ambition to be king is revealed.In spite of his ambition, Macbeth is consumed by self-doubt:Hes here in double trust;First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,Who should against his murderer shut the door,Not bear the k

20、nife myself. (I, 7)Charles Kean as Macbeth, 1858Main MenuNextMacbeth 2 CharactersAt the end of Act I, Macbeth is pulled in two directions:The witches predictions, two of which have come true, tempt him to obtain the kingship.His conscience dictates that he must be loyal to the king as a subject and

21、kinsman.Macbeth needs Lady Macbeth to convince him to commit the murder of the king.But screw your courage to the sticking-place,And well not fail. (I, 7)Main MenuNextBackMacbeth 3CharactersLater in the play, Macbeth acts ruthlessly on his own, vowing to not let himself be distracted by moral doubts

22、:from this momentThe very firstlings of my heart shall beThe firstlings of my hand. (IV, 1)Lady Macbeth has no knowledge of the murders of Banquo and the Macduff family.Macbeth feels secure after hearing the witches predictions:He will not be harmed until Birnam Wood marches to Dunsinane CastleHe wi

23、ll not be harmed by any man “born of woman.Main MenuNextBackThomas Keene in Macbeth, 1884Macbeths ConscienceCharactersThough Macbeth acts more and more ruthlessly over the course of the play, Shakespeare suggests that he is plagued by inner guilt.? Is the bleeding dagger a figment of Macbeths imagin

24、ation? Does Banquos ghost appear to Macbeth, or is it a product of his guilty conscience? (Elizabethans believed that the ghost of a murdered person could actually appear to the murderer.)? Some scholars suggest that Macbeths second meeting with the witches in Act IV occurs in his imagination. What

25、are the implications of this theory?Main MenuNextBackThe Death of Macbeth CharactersAt the end of the play, Macbeth is alone.His wife has died.His soldiers are deserting him.He is surrounded by his enemies.He is ultimately tricked by the double meanings in the witches prophecies.Although defeated, h

26、e vows to die on the battlefield fighting, rather than surrender or commit suicide.The final battle with Macduff is a reminder of his Macbeths bravery on the battlefield that began the play.Main MenuBackMacbeth and the Witches Henry FuseliRecurring Images in MacbethAnimalsBirdsBloodChildrenClothingL

27、ight and DarknessSleepMain MenuAnimals - 1Shakespeare uses animals to emphasize the disruption to the natural order caused by the murder of the king. The night of the murder is filled with the sounds of animals:I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. (II, 2)The day after the murder, Ross and an

28、 old man discuss the events of the night before:A falcon, towering in her pride of place,Was by a mousing owl hawkd at and killd. (II, 4)Because the falcon is usually the predator, this image reflects the kings murder in nature: A superior is attacked and killed by an inferior or subordinate.And Dun

29、cans horsesTurnd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,Contending gainst obedience, as they would makeWar with mankind. (II, 4)Recurring Images in MacbethMain MenuNextAnimals - 2The witches are associated with animals:Their “familiars are animal companions Graymalkin (cat) and Paddock (toad)

30、.The brew they concoct in IV, 1 has several animal references:Fillet of a fenny snakeEye of newt and toe of frog,Wool of bat and tongue of dog,Adders fork and blind-worms sting,Lizards leg and owlets wing. (IV, 1)Animal references related to Macbeth increase in the play as he becomes more vicious an

31、d animalistic, associating himself more closely with the supernatural, and perhaps evil, realm of the witches.Recurring Images in MacbethMain MenuNextBackAnimals - 3After learning that Fleance has escaped from the murderers, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth:O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife! (III

32、, 2)At the end of the play, Macbeth compares himself to a bear in a bear-baiting contest :They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly,But, bear-like, I must fight the course. (V, 7)When Macduff confronts Macbeth in the final battle, he refers to him in animalistic terms:Turn, hell-hound, turn! (V, 8)

33、Recurring Images in MacbethMain MenuBackBear BaitingBear-baiting was popular in England until the nineteenth century. Arenas for this purpose were called bear-gardens, consisting of a circular high fenced area, the pit, and raised seating for spectators. A post would be set in the ground towards the

34、 edge of the pit and the bear chained to it, either by the leg or neck. A number of well-trained hunting dogs would then be set on it, being replaced as they tired or were wounded or killed. Recurring Images in MacbethMain MenuBackThemes in MacbethAppearance vs. RealityFate vs. Free WillGuiltDisrupt

35、ion in the Natural OrderTimeMain MenuAppearance vs. Reality - 1Fair is foul, and foul is fair. (I, 1)The witches end the first scene of the play by sounding one of the plays major themes ambiguity (doubtfulness or uncertainty; having more than one meaning.)Macbeths first words in the play: So fair a

36、nd foul a day I have not seen. (I, 3)This play takes place in an ambiguous world where things are not what they seem, where everything is doubtful, a world in which one might easily mistake foul (evil) for fair (good). nothing is but what is not. (III, 1)The witches themselves may be interpreted in

37、two ways. Are they evil, or do they represent Fate by predicting the future? The inability to distinguish fair from foul, or good from evil, will affect all the major characters in the play.Themes in MacbethMain MenuNextAppearance vs. Reality - 2Macbeth and Lady Macbeth cover their evil thoughts and

38、 deeds with a “fair appearance:“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under t. (I, 5)“False face doth hide what false heart doth know. (I, 7)When Duncan arrives at Macbeths castle, he remarks that it “hath a fair and pleasant seat. Ironically, it will be the place of his death.In III, 4,

39、 Malcolm tests Macduffs loyalty by pretending that he would be a worse king that Macbeth. Unlike Macbeth, he uses a false appearance for a good purpose.Themes in MacbethMain MenuNextBackAppearance vs. Reality - 3Appearance vs. reality is used against Macbeth by the witches when they show him the apparitions in IV, 1:The bloody child tells him he can be harmed by “none of woman borne. Since all men are born of women, Macbeth concludes that he