Macbeth Lecture Notes

-Macbeth is fairly simple
(rise and fall of a man)

Act 3 He's already king... no where to go but down

-Hamlet talks to us and we see him transparently
-Macbeth doesnt connnect to audience (no real humor)

Scene with Porter.. humor?

-Not a plot driven paly.. it's a character play
-Macbeth is a tragic character because he was highly successful and honorable
(all this had promise and potential)
-By the end of the play he is isolated and caused his own downfall in a sense.

-Loss came about from his own free decisions
-Architect of his own destruction
-His death was his consequence (suicide) caused his own death

-Why isn't Macbeth happy with what he has.. needs more
(ambitious)

*Act 1 scene 7 lines 21-28 (motivation)
-Macbeth is motivated because he's in the middle of something he doesn't understand.

-"what beast was this..."
macbeth had talked to his wife about killing before

-We all have an idea of what's right and wrong

-In killing Duncan, Macbeth will be breaking everything that holds the community together.

-Lady Macbeth wants to keep the vision of king in his mind

-Lady Macbeth = (pure) evil
-"Blind Ambition"

-She characterizes right and wrong as unmanly

-Macbeth sees the daggar but can't grasp it.
-How can Macbeth actually kill Duncan when he's so torn apart about it.

-When Duncan wakes up and sees Macbeth with the daggars.. he feels he has no choice.. he has to kill him now

*He put himself in the situations where these actions are necessary
-Macbeth tricks himself into killing

Macbeth As King

-Setting himself up for failure

-Tragic Character as a villian=give him a conscience

-Macbeth suffers a lot throughout the play (self destructive)

-Lady Macbeth lacks his willpower, lack of resolve.. can't take inner torment... and she kills herself.
(sleepwalking)

-lack of inner will/ can't seperate herself from what went on.

-Lady Macbeth = destruction.