Macbeth教学讲解课件

梁丹娜Macbeth.KeyfactsofMacbethPlotoverviewMajorconflictCharacterListSymbolsMotifsStudyQuestions..KeyFactsfulltitle

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TheTragedyofMacbethauthor

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WilliamShakespearetypeofwork

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Playgenre

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Tragedylanguage

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Englishtimeandplacewritten

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1606,Englandtone

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Darkandominous,suggestiveofaworldturnedtopsy-turvybyfoulandunnaturalcrimesprotagonist

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Macbeth.PlotoverviewMacbeth&Banquo—thebattleWitches’prophecyDuncan’sdeathThedeathofBanquo&theescapeofhissonWitches’prophecyTherevengeMacbeth’sdeath.majorconflicts

ThestrugglewithinMacbethbetweenhisambitionandhissenseofrightandwrong;thestrugglebetweenthemurderousevilrepresentedbyMacbethandLadyMacbethandthebestinterestsofthenation,representedbyMalcolmandMacduff.themes

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Thecorruptingnatureofuncheckedambition;therelationshipbetweencrueltyandmasculinity;thedifferencebetweenkingshipandtyrannymotifs

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Thesupernatural,hallucinations,violence,prophecysymbols

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Blood;thedaggerthatMacbethseesjustbeforehekillsDuncaninAct2;theweather.Forshadowing:ThebloodybattleinAct1foreshadowsthebloodymurderslateron;whenMacbeththinkshehearsavoicewhilekillingDuncan,itforeshadowstheinsomniathatplaguesMacbethandhiswife;Macduff’ssuspicionsofMacbethafterDuncan’smurderforeshadowhislateroppositiontoMacbeth;allofthewitches’propheciesforeshadowlaterevents..CharacterListMacbeth

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MacbethisaScottishgeneralandthethaneofGlamiswhoisledtowickedthoughtsbythepropheciesofthethreewitches,especiallyaftertheirprophecythathewillbemadethaneofCawdorcomestrue.Macbethisabravesoldierandapowerfulman,butheisnotavirtuousone.Heiseasilytemptedintomurdertofulfillhisambitionstothethrone,andoncehecommitshisfirstcrimeandiscrownedKingofScotland,heembarksonfurtheratrocitieswithincreasingease.Ultimately,Macbethproveshimselfbettersuitedtothebattlefieldthantopoliticalintrigue,becausehelackstheskillsnecessarytorulewithoutbeingatyrant.Hisresponsetoeveryproblemisviolenceandmurder.UnlikeShakespeare’sgreatvillains,suchasIagoin

Othello

andRichardIIIin

RichardIII,

Macbethisnevercomfortableinhisroleasacriminal.Heisunabletobearthepsychologicalconsequencesofhisatrocities..LadyMacbethLadyMacbethisoneofShakespeare’smostfamousandfrighteningfemalecharacters.Whenwefirstseeher,sheisalreadyplottingDuncan’smurder,andsheisstronger,moreruthless,andmoreambitiousthanherhusband.SheseemsfullyawareofthisandknowsthatshewillhavetopushMacbethintocommittingmurder.Atonepoint,shewishesthatshewerenotawomansothatshecoulddoitherself.ThisthemeoftherelationshipbetweengenderandpoweriskeytoLadyMacbeth’scharacter:herhusbandimpliesthatsheisamasculinesoulinhabitingafemalebody,whichseemstolinkmasculinitytoambitionandviolence.Shakespeare,however,seemstouseher,andthewitches,toundercutMacbeth’sideathat“undauntedmettleshouldcompose/Nothingbutmales”(1.7.73–74).Thesecraftywomenuse

female

methodsofachievingpower—thatis,manipulation—tofurthertheirsupposedlymaleambitions.Women,theplayimplies,canbeasambitiousandcruelasmen,yetsocialconstraintsdenythemthemeanstopursuetheseambitionsontheirown..LadyMacbethmanipulatesherhusbandwithremarkableeffectiveness,overridingallhisobjections;whenhehesitatestomurder,sherepeatedlyquestionshismanhooduntilhefeelsthathemustcommitmurdertoprovehimself.LadyMacbeth’sremarkablestrengthofwillpersiststhroughthemurderoftheking—itisshewhosteadiesherhusband’snervesimmediatelyafterthecrimehasbeenperpetrated.Afterward,however,shebeginsaslowslideintomadness—justasambitionaffectshermorestronglythanMacbethbeforethecrime,sodoesguiltplaguehermorestronglyafterward.Bythecloseoftheplay,shehasbeenreducedtosleepwalkingthroughthecastle,desperatelytryingtowashawayaninvisiblebloodstain.Oncethesenseofguiltcomeshometoroost,LadyMacbeth’ssensitivitybecomesaweakness,andsheisunabletocope.Significantly,she(apparently)killsherself,signalinghertotalinabilitytodealwiththelegacyoftheircrimes..theThreeWitches----darkness,chaos,andconflicttreasonandimpendingdoomDuringShakespeare'sday,witcheswereseenasworsethanrebels,"themostnotorioustraytorandrebellthatcanbe."[26]

.TheThreeWitches

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Three“blackandmidnighthags”whoplotmischiefagainstMacbethusingcharms,spells,andprophecies.TheirpredictionsprompthimtomurderDuncan,toorderthedeathsofBanquoandhisson,andtoblindlybelieveinhisownimmortality.Theplayleavesthewitches’trueidentityunclear—asidefromthefactthattheyareservantsofHecate,weknowlittleabouttheirplaceinthecosmos.InsomewaystheyresemblethemythologicalFates,whoimpersonallyweavethethreadsofhumandestiny.Theyclearlytakeaperversedelightinusingtheirknowledgeofthefuturetotoywithanddestroyhumanbeings.Throughouttheplay,thewitches—referredtoasthe“weirdsisters”bymanyofthecharacters—lurklikedarkthoughtsandunconscioustemptationstoevil.Inpart,themischieftheycausestemsfromtheirsupernaturalpowers,butmainlyitistheresultoftheirunderstandingoftheweaknessesoftheirspecificinterlocutors—theyplayuponMacbeth’sambitionlikepuppeteers..SymbolsMacbeth’sclothingWitches’prophecy-Banquo“Newhonorscomeuponhim,/Likeourstrangegarments,cleavenottotheirmold/Butwiththeaidofuse”(1.3.144-146).And,attheend,whenthetyrantisatbayatDunsinane,Caithnessseeshimasamantryinginvaintofastenalargegarmentonhimwithtoosmallabelt:"Hecannotbucklehisdistemper'dcause/Withinthebeltofrule"(V,2,ll.14–15)Intheend,“Nowdoeshefeelhistitle[thatof“king”]/Hanglooseabouthim,likeagiant’srobe/Uponadwarfishthief”(5.2.20-22).Shakespearenotonlyunifiesthebeginningandendingoftheplay;hefillstheconclusionwithatragicirony..themotifoflightanddark—amotifthatoccursalmostubiquitouslyinworldliteraturesandtheBible.Atthebeginningoftheplay,Duncan,therightfulandnoblekingofScotland,comparestherewardshewillgivetoallthosewhohelpedhimdefeattheinsurrectionthatprecedestheactionoftheplaytothelightofstars.“Butsignsofnobleness,likestars,”heannounces,“shallshine/Onalldeservers”(1.4.41-42.Thisisanarchetypaluseoflightassociatedwithgoodness—amotifgivenoneofitsmostimportantexpressionsintheProloguetotheGospelofJohnwhereitisassociatedwithGodhimself(John1:4-5).MacbethstatesthatthenamingofMalcolmasheirtothethroneisanimpedimenttohisownambitiontobeking.“Stars,hideyourfires,”Macbethdeclares;“Letnotlightseemyblackanddeepdesires”(1.4.50-51)..Again,Shakespeareunifiesthetextand,inthiscase,underscoresthedeliberate,intentionalnatureofMacbeth’sevildesiretobecomeking.LadyMacbeth,whogoadedMacbethtokillDuncan,hasbeendriveninsanebytheguiltthatheractionandherhusband’sactionshavecausedher.Inherfamoussleepwalkingsceneinactfive,wearetoldthatsheneverwishestobewithoutalightcloseby(5.1.22-23),forthedarkness—associatedwithherhusband’smurderofKingDuncan—terrifiesher.Withonedeftstroke,ShakespeareturnsMacbeth’sconsciousdesirefordarknesstocoverhissinbackuponLadyMacbeth.(5.5.17-28)..TheexamplesfromShakespeare’s

Macbeth

demonstratehowsubtleandnuancedmotifscanbe.Motifsunifynarrativetexts,particularlywhentheactionisprotractedandthereadertendstobecaughtupintheimmediacyoftheeventsatanygivenpointinthestory.Motifsservetorecallearlierincidentsandtherebyemphasizethemesandideasthattheauthorwishesthereadertoremember.Finally,motifscanprovideanironiccommentarylateinanarrativeaboutmotivesandactionsearlierinthestory..MotifsMotifsarerecurringstructures,contrasts,andliterarydevicesthatcanhelptodevelopandinformthetext’smajorthemes.HallucinationsVisionsandhallucinationsrecurthroughouttheplayandserveasremindersofMacbethandLadyMacbeth’sjointculpabilityforthegrowingbodycount.WhenheisabouttokillDuncan,Macbethseesadaggerfloatingintheair.Coveredwithbloodandpointedtowardtheking’schamber,thedaggerrepresentsthebloodycourseonwhichMacbethisabouttoembark.Later,heseesBanquo’sghostsittinginachairatafeast,prickinghisconsciencebymutelyremindinghimthathemurderedhisformerfriend.TheseeminglyhardheadedLadyMacbethalsoeventuallygiveswaytovisions,asshesleepwalksandbelievesthatherhandsarestainedwithbloodthatcannotbewashedawaybyanyamountofwater.Ineachcase,itisambiguouswhetherthevisionisrealorpurelyhallucinatory;but,inbothcases,theMacbethsreadthemuniformlyassupernaturalsignsoftheirguilt..ViolenceMacbeth

isafamouslyviolentplay.Interestingly,mostofthekillingstakeplaceoffstage,butthroughouttheplaythecharactersprovidetheaudiencewithgorydescriptionsofthecarnage,fromtheopeningscenewherethecaptaindescribesMacbethandBanquowadinginbloodonthebattlefield,totheendlessreferencestothebloodstainedhandsofMacbethandhiswife.Theactionisbookendedbyapairofbloodybattles:inthefirst,Macbethdefeatstheinvaders;inthesecond,heisslainandbeheadedbyMacduff.Inbetweenisaseriesofmurders:Duncan,Duncan’schamberlains,Banquo,LadyMacduff,andMacduff’ssonallcometobloodyends.Bytheendoftheaction,bloodseemstobeeverywhere..Prophecysets

Macbeth’splotinmotion—namely,thewitches’prophecythatMacbethwillbecomefirstthaneofCawdorandthenking.Theweirdsistersmakeanumberofotherprophecies:theytellusthatBanquo’sheirswillbekings,thatMacbethshouldbewareMacduff,thatMacbethissafetillBirnamWoodcomestoDunsinane,andthatnomanbornofwomancanharmMacbeth.SavefortheprophecyaboutBanquo’sheirs,allofthesepredictionsarefulfilledwithinthecourseoftheplay.Still,itisleftdeliberatelyambiguouswhethersomeofthemareself-fulfilling—forexample,whetherMacbethwillshimselftobekingorisfatedtobeking.Additionally,astheBirnamWoodand“bornofwoman”propheciesmakeclear,thepropheciesmustbeinterpretedasriddles,sincetheydonotalwaysmeanwhattheyseemtomean...StudyQuestions1.CharacterizetherelationshipbetweenMacbethandLadyMacbeth.Ifthemainthemeof

Macbeth

isambition,whoseambitionisthedrivingforceoftheplay—Macbeth’s,LadyMacbeth’s,orboth?TheMacbeths’marriage,likethecouplethemselves,isatypical,particularlybythestandardsofitstime.Yetdespitetheiroddpowerdynamic,thetwoofthemseemsurprisinglyattachedtooneanother,particularlycomparedtoothermarriedcouplesinShakespeare’splays,inwhichromanticfelicityappearsprimarilyduringcourtshipandmarriagestendtobetroubled.Macbethoffersanexceptiontothisrule,asMacbethandhiswifearepartnersinthetruestsenseoftheword.Ofcourse,theironyoftheir“happy”marriageisclear—theyareunitedbytheircrimes,theirmutualmadness,andtheirmountingalienationfromtherestofhumanity..ThoughMacbethisabravegeneralandapowerfullord,hiswifeisfarfromsubordinatetohiswill.Indeed,sheoftenseemstocontrolhim,eitherbycraftymanipulationorbydirectorder.AnditisLadyMacbeth’sdeep-seatedambition,ratherthanherhusband’s,thatultimatelypropelstheplotoftheplaybygoadingMacbethtomurderDuncan.MacbethdoesnotneedanyhelpcomingupwiththeideaofmurderingDuncan,butitseemsunlikelythathewouldhavecommittedthemurderwithouthiswife’spowerfultauntsandpersuasions..2.Animportantthemein

Macbeth

istherelationshipbetweengenderandpower,particularlyShakespeare’sexplorationofthevaluesthatmakeuptheideaofmasculinity.Whatarethesevalues,andhowdovariouscharactersembodythem?HowdoesShakespea