CONTENTS
Page
Background information-------------------------------------------------1
Distinguishing features of a play----------------------------------------2
Surface content /story line-----------------------------------------------3
Plot--------------------------------------------------------------------------4
Character and characterization-----------------------------------------9
Conflict--------------------------------------------------------------------20
Setting---------------------------------------------------------------------21
Themes--------------------------------------------------------------------23
Language and style------------------------------------------------------27
Relevance-----------------------------------------------------------------32
Study guide to Macbeth ~ Mpac 1|Page
Unit 1: BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Macbeth is a play which was written by William Shakespeare in
about 1606 – 1607.Shakespeare took the main events of Macbeth’s
career as king of Scotland from Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of
England, Scotland and Ireland from which there is a record of
Macbeth who was a king of Scotland from 1040 – 1057.However
there are some differences between the real Macbeth as a person
and Shakespeare’s. Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-
upon-Avon. He was the eldest son of John and Mary Shakespeare.
He married Anne Hathaway of Shottery, near Stratford, in 1582.
The following year his first born daughter Susan was born. His
twins Hamlet and Judith were born in 1585. Apart from being a
playwright, he was also an actor and a choreographer.
Definitions of ‘play’ and ‘drama’
The words ‘play’ and ‘drama’ are sometimes used interchangeably.
However, they are different. A play is a literary composition
involving actors and dialogue. On the other hand, drama refers to
the actual performance of the literary composition.
Unit 2: DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF A PLAY A play includes some instructions on what the actors should do or
what should happen on stage, for example to enter the stage, leave
A play differs from other literary genres such as poetry, short story
(exit), sennet or drum sounded. Such instructions are not there in
and novel because it has the following distinctive features:
poetry and prose fiction.
(a) Playwright
(e) A play is dramatic
A playwright is a person who writes plays, for instance the
This means that a play can be performed. This is contrary to poetry
playwright of Macbeth is William Shakespeare. This is not the
which needs to be recited.
case with poems which are written by poets and short stories and
novels which are written by authors. (f)Dialogue

(b)Acts In literary works, dialogue refers to conversation between two or

more people.
Major divisions of the play are called acts. Plays vary in terms of
Much as we appreciate the presence of dialogue in other genres, it
acts, for example there are five acts in Macbeth. These may be is however, extensively used by the actors in a play.
called chapters in a novel.
(g)Action

(b)Scenes In a play actors perform actions. Don’t forget it is meant to be

acted. This is different from other genres where the author spends
These are small sections or divisions under each act in a play. The much time in explaining who does what in a short story and the
playwright may choose to vary the number of scenes in the acts. In novel.
Macbeth, for instance, act 1 has 7 scenes, act 2 has 4 scenes, act 3 TYPES OF PLAYS
has 6 scenes, act4 has 3 scenes only and act 5 has 9 scenes.
Plays are mainly categorized into three.
(c)Stage directions (i)Tragedy

Study guide to Macbeth ~ Mpac 2|Page

This is a play of exceptional calamity, which leads to death of a
dignified, courageous and often a high ranking character. In
Macbeth, King Duncan who is a noble person in high position is
murdered by Macbeth.
(ii) Comedy
A comedy is a play that presents humorous yet sympathetic actors
and mostly has a happy ending.
(iii)Tragicomedy
This is a kind of play that blends the qualities of a tragedy and
comedy. Thus, it encompasses suffering and death of a noble
person in high ranking and laughable yet sympathetic events.
Practice questions, 20 marks each, essay
1. With relevant examples from the play Macbeth, discuss by
providing eight points how a play is different from other genres of
literature.
2. Compare and contrast the play ‘Macbeth’ and the novella ‘The
Pearl’ by citing relevant examples.
3. Discuss the distinguishing features of a play with reference to
‘Macbeth’ as a play.
Study guide to Macbeth ~ Mpac 3|Page
Unit 3: STORY LINE
A story line is a series of connected events which happen in a
literary piece. Plot, on the other hand, refers to causally related
events in a story focusing on cause and effect.
Here is the story line in Macbeth:
The witches agree to meet with Macbeth at the heath after the
battle is lost and won before sunset. King Duncan rewards
Macbeth with the title of Thane of Cawdor. The witches
prophesize to Macbeth and Banquo thereafter Ross brings the new
title to Macbeth. King Duncan announces that his eldest son
Malcolm will be the next king of Scotland. This worries Macbeth
as it contradicts prophesies of the witches of being a king hereafter.
Lady Macbeth reads her husband’s letter, welcomes him home and
prepares to receive King Duncan. She welcomes him and his
retinue as they approach Macbeth’s castle at Inverness. Macbeth
leaves the state dinner worried by what he is planning to do but he
is stirred again by his wife.
Banquo and Fleance come across Macbeth by the time they go to
bed. King Duncan has been murdered by Macbeth and his wife
takes the bloody daggers from him and smears the guards.
Macbeth tells the other thanes and lords that he has killed the
guards because they are the ones who have killed King Duncan.
Banquo suspects Macbeth to have killed the king. Macbeth plans
to kill him by using murderers. Lady Macbeth is worried but her
husband assures her that everything is under control. Thereafter
Banquo is murdered while Fleance flees. While at the banquet,
only Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost and he acts strangely. Hecate Unit 4: PLOT
and other witches plan to meet Macbeth again. Lennox and a
certain lord discuss the state of affairs and that Malcolm and Plot refers to causally related events in a story. The focus is on
Macduff are raising an army in England to fight against Macbeth. what causes those events and their effects.

The witches show Macbeth their magic apparitions. Lady Macduff These events may be caused by personal motive, social-cultural or
and her son named Boy are killed by Macbeth’s men. Macduff religious forces, large scale historical events and forces outside
meet Malcolm and hears the death of his family. human control such as natural disasters.

Lady Macbeth walks in sleep (somnambulism). Malcolm’s army (a)Identifying plot

marches towards Dunsinane. Macbeth comforts himself in the Causes of King Duncan’s death
witches’ prophesies, discusses his wife’s condition and then go
into the battle field. Malcolm’s army (English soldiers led by Below are some of the causes of his death:
Young Siward) camouflage themselves with branches of Birnam
➢ Prophesies the witches make to Macbeth that he shall be a
Wood. Lady Macbeth dies and Macbeth is also told about the
king
moving Birnam Wood. Malcolm’s army reaches Macbeth’s castle.
➢ Macbeth’s his own ambition
Macbeth kills Young Siward and Macduff kills Macbeth. Malcolm
➢ Lady Macbeth’s persuasion
is proclaimed king.
➢ The announcement Duncan makes that his eldest son
Practice question, 20 marks, essay Malcolm is the one to be the next king

1. Discuss the storyline in Macbeth. These play a great role in shaping Macbeth to be a cruel character
leading him into the murder of his own kinsman.

Effects of Duncan’s death

The death of Duncan has the following effects:

➢ His children Malcolm and Donaldbain flee Scotland and go

to England and Ireland respectively

Study guide to Macbeth ~ Mpac 4|Page

 ➢ Innocent people are killed: Banquo, Macduff’s wife and ➢ Macduff gangs up with Malcolm in England to fight
children and many people during the war between English against Macbeth and he is the one who kills Macbeth in the
army and Macbeth’s. battle field to revenge his wife’s murder.
➢ Macduff flees to England.
(b) Analyzing plot
Causes of Banquo’s death
1. Exposition: This sets the mood, describes the setting,
➢ Macbeth kills Banquo because the witches prophesized that present essential facts and presents the main problem the main
Banquo will be the father of many kings. character has. In Macbeth, act 1 scene 1 - 3 expose the play. The
➢ Banquo asks the thanes and the lords to investigate the mood is sad because the play starts with the witches planning to
matter of Duncan’s death and further said that he will stand welcome Macbeth from a war. The setting is known to be Scotland
against the murderer. where Duncan is a king. The important facts are that Macbeth has
a position of Thane of Glamis and that Duncan has two sons
Effects of Banquo’s death Malcolm and Donaldbain. The problem is about leadership as
➢ His son Fleance goes into exile witches say that Macbeth will be a king.
➢ People live in fear 2. Rising action: This introduces the complications in the play
Cause of Lady Macbeth’s illness and the main character makes a decision. In act 1 scene 4 lines 35
to 40, the announcement by Duncan that Malcolm will be the next
➢ Guilty conscience of Duncan’s murder she took part in. king is the rising action coupled with the decision of Macbeth to
murder King Duncan seen in act 1 scene 5
Effect
3. The climax: This is the point of no return where the main
➢ She dies unhappily
actor puts his or her decision into practice. In act 2, scene 2 line 23,
Cause of Lady Mac duff’s murder Macbeth shows that he has put his decision into practice by killing
King Duncan as he talks to his wife that “this is a sorry sight”. This
➢ She is a wife of one of the great thanes who can make means he feels sorry to see Duncan now dead.
Macbeth not to be at peace.
4 The falling action: The action now focuses on forces or people
Effect standing in the way of the main character. This is what we see in
act 3, scene 3 where Banquo the most feared of all is murdered by

Study guide to Macbeth ~ Mpac 5|Page

the hired murderers and in act 4 scene 2 lines 82 and 83 lady
Macduff and her son are also killed. Later Lady Macbeth dies.
5. Resolution: This part involves unraveling of complications.
In the last act and scene Macbeth is killed and order is now
restored when we see Malcolm, Duncan’s eldest son, being
crowned as a king of Scotland.
Techniques for developing plot
(a) Foreshadowing
This is the use of clues to hint at what is going to happen later in
the plot. Foreshadowing arouses the reader’s curiosity and builds
up suspense. This is the uncertainty that we feel about what is
going to happen next in the story.
In the play Macbeth foreshadowing is shown in these areas.
(i) Act 1 scene 3 lines 15 to 23 (1:3:15-23)
One of the witches says that she will cause wind to blow from all
quarters (directions) drain the shipman dry as hay, the shipman
shall neither sleep night or day but hang upon his pen house lid
(eyelid) and he shall live a man forbid (cursed)
Study guide to Macbeth ~ Mpac 6|Page
This despite the fact that the witches talk about what they will do
to the shipman (captain) but this foreshadows what happens to
Macbeth after murdering King Duncan.
He is forced to commit the murder even by his wife (wind blowing
from all directions). It is like his compass (shipman card) is taken
from him. That is, he loses his reasoning ability. He spends
sleepless nights after killing King Duncan.
(ii)Act 1 scene 4 lines 19-21
Duncan says that he owes Macbeth more than he can pay. This
foreshadows his murder by Macbeth so that he is paid fully by
being a king
(iii) Act 1 scene 6 lines 10 -12
Duncan speaks to Lady Macbeth that they as women show love to
men yet this love is some sort of trouble to them as women. ‘The
love that follows us sometime is our trouble’. This again
foreshadows what happens to him (Duncan). He is killed by
Macbeth because he wanted to show that he loves and appreciates
what Macbeth has done by defeating Macdonald the former Thane
of Cawdor.
(iv). Act 2 scene2 lines 45 and 46
Macbeth says that by the time he was murdering King Duncan he
heard a voice saying that “Glamis hath murdered sleep and
therefore Cawdor, Macbeth shall sleep no more.” This
foreshadows what happens to him after murdering King Duncan.
He is restless and feels that he is not safe. This is why he says ‘to
be thus is nothing but to be safely thus’ meaning that it is useless to
be just a king, but to be a king who is safe. This even affects his
wife up to the extent that she develops a disease where she walks
in sleep (somnambulism).
(v) Act 4, scene 3, last line
Malcolm says that the night is long that never finds the day. Here
Malcolm implies that no night is so long that it lasts forever. This
foreshadows the end of Macbeth’s darkness rule, that it will never
continue but rather there will soon be light (day). This day or light
represents Malcolm’s rule which is indeed fulfilled in act 5 scene 9
lines 21-26 where Macduff hails Malcolm as the king. Apart from
these, identify some more instances of foreshadowing in the play?
(b) Suspense
Suspense is the uncertainty or anxiety we feel about what is going
to happen next in a story or play. This is usually brought about by
Study guide to Macbeth ~ Mpac 7|Page
foreshadowing. The above discussed scenes on foreshadowing also
bring about suspense in this ply Macbeth
(c) Chronology
This is the technique in which the author explains the events with
regard to the order they occurred. Thus, the way the events
happened guides the author to follow that. There are no
foreshadowing and flashbacks.
(d) Flashback
This is a technique to interrupt the present action to tell or show
what happened at an earlier time. Below are examples of
flashback.
(i) Act 1 scene 4 lines 3-10
Malcolm reports to his father on how Macdonald the former thane
of Cawdor begged for pardon and how he died.
(ii) Act 1 scene 3 lines 110-112
Angus speaks to Macbeth that Macdonald the traitor (former
Thane of Cawdor) was reinforced by Norway.
(e) In media res 3. With relevant examples from the play Macbeth, discuss the
techniques the playwright has used to develop plot and their
This is the technique where the plot starts in the middle close to the
importance.
climax. This is later followed by a flashback and it is common in
short stories and novels.

Evaluating plot in Macbeth

When evaluating effectiveness of the plot the focus is on how

proper was it for the author or playwright to use a particular
technique in developing plot.

Flashback, in Macbeth, for example, helps the audience to have a

background of some events for better understanding of the current
situation.

Foreshadowing and suspense arouse and maintain curiosity in the

audience to continue watching the play as they have the desire to
know what happens next.

Practice questions, 20 marks each, essay

1. Discuss tragic events in the play Macbeth by focusing on causes

and their effects.

2. Analyse the plot in the play Macbeth by proving relevant

examples.
Study guide to Macbeth ~ Mpac 8|Page
Unit 5: CHARACTER AND CHARACTERISATION

A character is an individual in a story or play. A character always

has human traits even if the character is an animal. Readers or the
audience need to do the following under character: (a) Identify the
characters(b) Classify the characters(d) Analyze the characters(e)
evaluate the characters

Identifying characters

Here, the focus is on the names of characters, their status or

position and how they relate with others. Below is a chart of
characters and their status or position.

Study guide to Macbeth ~ Mpac 9|Page

 Name Status/ position Relationship/ description
Duncan King of Scotland Cousin to Macbeth
Malcolm Heir to the throne, later king Elder son to Duncan
Donaldbain A son of a king Younger son of Duncan
Macbeth Thane of Glamis, Cawdor and later king of Cousin to Duncan
Scotland
Lady Macbeth Later queen Wife to Macbeth
Banquo Nobleman Close friend to Macbeth
Fleance Son of a nobleman Son of Banquo

Macduff Thane of Fife A nobleman and great soldier

Lady Macduff Wife of a thane Wife to Macduff

Macduff’s son Son of a thane Killed by murderers

Seyton Macbeth’s armor bearer Works for Macbeth

Captain soldier Wounded in battle

Doctor of physic Doctor Doctor to Lady Macbeth

Porter Gate keeper Works at Macbeth’s castle
Murderers Secret murderers Hired by Macbeth to kill Banquo and Macduff’
family

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 An old man Concerned citizen Discus strange events during Duncan’s murder

Ross, Lennox, Menteith, Angus, Other thanes of Scotland They later join Malcolm’s side
Caithness
Hecate Leader of witches Have a spell on Macbeth
Edward the Confessor King of Scotland Gofers 10000 soldiers to Malcolm
Young Siward Leader of Malcolm’s soldiers Killed in the battle by Macbeth, son of Siward
English doctor doctor Doctor at the court of King Edward the Confessor
Lords, soldiers, attendants, servants, Perform their various duties in the play
messengers

Classifying characters

Characters can be classified as:
(1) Dynamic/round/complex/solid/multifaceted characters.
These are characters that change in some important way as a result
of the story’s action. Examples are Macbeth, Macduff and Malcolm.
(2) Flat/static characters
These are those who do not change much in the course of a story.
Examples are Donald Bain and Banquo
other women who influence the behaviour of their husbands a lot.
She also symbolizes those women who are not courageous enough
to carry out their decisions as she failed to kill Duncan because he
resembles her father in sleep.
(4) Realistic characters
Such characters have the exact attributes that people have. Duncan
can be considered a realistic character because he behaves just the
way kings or leaders should, for instances he speaks formally.

(3)Representative/ symbolic characters (5) Exaggerated characters

These characters represent a group of people for example women or

poor people in the society. Lady Macbeth represents the attitude of
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These, on the other hand, have unrealistic attributes such as flying or
some abilities beyond human capabilities. An example is a
superman in the films.
(6) Tricksters
These are characters that deceive others. The witches are a very
good example because they deceive Macbeth through their
prophecies.
(7) Dupe
On the other hand, a dupe is the one who is deceived by the
trickster. In this case Macbeth can be considered as a dupe since he
is the one who is cheated by the witches.
(8) Protagonist
This is one of the main characters in a story or play. Here Macbeth
is the protagonist on whom the whole play revolves around.
(9) Antagonist
This may be the character or force that opposes the protagonist
(main character). In this play, Banquo, Macduff and Malcolm are
the antagonists because they are the ones who seem to oppose
Macbeth.
Analyzing the main characters
When we want to describe someone we often use adjectives. This is
the same when analyzing characters in any literary work.
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(A)MACBETH
(i) Ambitious
Macbeth has an ambition to become a king. This is seen soon after
the witches tell him that he is going to be a Thane of Cawdor and
later a king of Scotland. He is amazed as to how the witches know
his ambitious thoughts. This is why Banquo asks him, “Why do you
start (seem amazed) and seem to fear things that do sound so fair?”
It is due to his ambition to become a king that forces him to kill
King Duncan.
(ii) Brave and courageous
His brevity and courage are portrayed through the way he fights in
the battle against Macdonald the former Thane of Cawdor. The
bloody captain reports to Duncan that Macbeth deserves his name
because he fought with valour up to the extent that his sword
smoked with blood of those people he killed in the battle. No
wonder, therefore that he unseamed (cut open) Macdonald from the
navel to the chaps (jaw).
(iii) Noble
Macbeth is admired by fellow actors because of his qualities of
being brave especially in the first scene where he fights against
Macdonald. Even Duncan calls him ‘valiant cousin’. Meaning he
remained brave and courageous even when the battle became tough.
He is initially an honest man. This is why Duncan entrusts him with
the two positions, first as the Thane of Glamis and next as Thane of
Cawdor. No wonder therefore that Duncan says that ‘What he
Macdonald hath lost noble Macbeth hath won’.
(iv)Selfish
He does not want anyone to be a king but him alone. This is
portrayed through the murder of Duncan. Banquo is also killed on
the same grounds to prevent his son Fleance to be a king with
reference to the prophecies made by the witches as they said that
Banquo will be the root of kings.
(v) Cruel and violent
He violently kills innocent Macduff’s wife and children out of
cruelty. Employing murderers to kill Banquo is also a sign of being
cruel. Worse still he kills his king in his own house despite being a
relative. All these incidents reveal nothing but cruelty and violence
in him.
(vi) Disloyal
He is supposed to be loyal to king Duncan as a leader, let alone his
cousin. On the contrary, he chooses to rise against him by killing
him. He does this although he recognizes how virtuous Duncan is.
Macbeth tells us that he firstly fails to kill him because he has
discharged his duties as a king so well and we all know that he has
just being given another post as a Thane of Cawdor.
(vii) Superstitious
He greatly believes in what the witches say that he will be a Thane
of Cawdor and a king hereafter. This is also portrayed though his
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behaviour of consulting the wird sisters to enquire about his destiny
after being troubled by Banquo’s ghost at the banquet.
(viii) Loving
He sends a letter to his wife informing her about the promotion to
the position of a Thane of Cawdor and that Duncan shall feast at
their house. In this letter, he calls his wife his dearest partner of
greatness.
(ix) Patriotic
He initially seems to be patriotic to his country Scotland. This is
seen when he fights Macdonald the former Thane of Cawdor who
rises against Scotland. He does not join in the troops of Macdonald.
(B) LADY MACBETH
(i) Ambitious
She has an ambition of becoming a queen. We see this when she
tells her husband how she feels after reading the letter. She says
‘Thy letter has transported me beyond this ignorant present and I
feel now the future in the instant.’ This means that she is not
thinking about the current position of a Thane of Cawdor but of that
which is coming of being a queen once Macbeth becomes a king.
(ii)Influential/ persuasive/ manipulative
She is the one who influences Macbeth to kill King Duncan
although Macbeth says that they will proceed no further in this
business. Macbeth thinks that it is not right to kill King Duncan
because of four reasons: he is a kinsman, he is a subject under
Duncan’s rule, a host of Duncan and that Duncan has ruled very
well seen in his recent promotion to the position of a Thane of
Cawdor. Despite all these reasons Macbeth kills Duncan due to his
wife’s persuasion.
(iii) Superstitious
She prays to the spirits to come and unsex(remove from her
feminine feelings), to come to her breasts to take her milk for gall
and for thick night to come so that she should not see and feel sorry
for Duncan’s murder.
(iv)Loving
She always comes in to defend Macbeth. This is seen when she
fakes fainting by the time Macduff is asking him why he has killed
the guards. At the banquet too, she tells the lords and other thanes
not to speak to Macbeth to avoid worsening his fits and she even
tells them that her husband has suffering such a disease from young
age yet she does this to prevent Macbeth from revealing that he and
his wife are the ones who killed Duncan. She even commands them
to take leave after the reappearance of Banquo’s ghost which she
cannot see.
(v) Heartless/ cruel
She goes on with the murder despite Duncan having brought her a
gift of diamond. She tells Macbeth that he should leave that night’s
business into her dispatch (hands).
(vi) Cunning/ clever
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She tells her husband that they should look like an innocent flower
but be the serpent under it and that Duncan should be provided for
(fed) so that he should not realize that they have planned something
bad for him. She is also the one who brings back the daggers to the
crime scene and gild (smear) the faces of the guards with Duncan’s
blood so that people should suspect them to have murdered the king.
(vii) Courageous
Despite being a woman, Lady Macbeth is the one who plans
everything about Duncan’s murder. She is also courageous because
she takes the daggers back to the crime scene, a thing which her
husband fails to undertake.
(viii) Coward
She fails to kill King Duncan which is contrary to what she told her
husband to live everything in her hands. She gives a lame excuse
that she fails to carry out the deed because Duncan resembles her
father in sleep.
(C) DUNCAN
(i)Noble
This is portrayed through Macbeth who says that he does not want
to kill him because ‘he hath borne his faculties so meek and hath
been so clear in his great office’. This means that Duncan was an
admirable leader because he discharged his duties so well.
(ii) Trust worthy
 Many of his subjects trust him. This is because of the way he
performs his duties.
(ii) Naive
He lacks insight into human character. He trusted in the first and
second Thane of Cawdor very much yet they both later rise against
him. When talking of Macdonald, the former thane of Cawdor he
admits by saying that ‘There is no art to find the minds construction
in the face’ meaning that it is difficult to know someone’s mind just
by looking at the face.
(iii) Considerate
Duncan gives positions to deserving people. This is clearly
portrayed through the way Macbeth isawarded another title of Thane
of Cawdor because he fights so bravely that he defeats Macdonald.
(iv) Just
Duncan rules out that the former Thane of Cawdor be executed
because he rises against the country. Duncan also chooses Malcolm
as the heir to the throne which shows that he is not selfish.
(D) MACDUFF
(i) Just / patriotic
His justice and patriotism are seen when he aligned himself to
Malcolm the rightful heir to the throne not Macbeth the tyrant. He
fights to the side of Malcolm.
(ii) Loyal / dutiful
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He comes to wake King Duncan up at Macbeth’s castle, although he
is late by an hour
(iii) Courageous
He fights with Macbeth yet he is quite aware of Macbeth’s fighting
ability in the battle. He fights up to the extent that Macbeth is killed.
(iv)Irresponsible
He runs away to England while leaving the wife and children in
Scotland where they are not safe. He is quite aware that Macbeth
can disturb his family’s peace. This is seen in act 4 scene 3 where he
asks Ross that ‘the tyrant has not battered at their peace?’
(v) Noble
He is also admired by other characters due to his qualities that he
fights for Malcolm. Menteith in act 5, scene 2 line 1 calls him as the
‘good Macduff.’ This is why Caithness, Lennox, and Angus join
Malcolm’s army following what Macduff has done.
(vi)He is not superstitious
Macduff continues fighting with Macbeth despite being told that
Macbeth was told by the witches that he cannot be defeated by a
man born of a woman.
(E) LADY MACDUFF
(i) Insensitive
She keeps on questioning the messenger on what wrong she has
done to be killed by Macbeth. This delay is what results into her
death and the children. She was supposed to be calculative enough
as she is aware that her husband has runway because of the same
person Macbeth. She just needed to take hid of the advice and flee
with the children.
(ii) Hopeless
She tells the murderers that her husband is hiding in a place which
is not holy (unsanctified) meaning not protected by God. She also
tells her son that his father is dead.
(ii) Emotional
She tells Ross that her husband has fled leaving them behind
because of fear and that he does not love them. She also tells him
that her son has a father yet he is fatherless. This she does out of
emotions. She is so emotional because she feels not to be safe
without her husband.
(F) MACDUFF’S SON
(i)Wise
He tells his mother that his father is not dead because had it been so
then his mother would weep (morn). He also answers his mother
that without a farther he can live just the same way birds do with
what he gets.
(ii) Inquisitive
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He wants to know more from his mother if his father is really a
traitor.
(iii) Courageous
He courageously tells the murderers that they are liars in their
speech that his father is treacherous. He even scorns one of the
murderers as shag-haired villain.
(G) MALCOLM
(i) Sensitive
Soon after his father’s murder, he and his brother Donaldbain flee to
Scotland and Ireland respectively in fear of being killed by Macbeth.
This means that he is quite aware that Macbeth can also kill him and
his younger brother. This is portrayed through his speech that ‘this
murderous shaft that’s shot hath not yet lighted…. Let us not be
dainty of leave-taking’.
(ii)Courageous
He fights with Macbeth yet he is aware that he is good in battle.
This he does only out of courage. Had it been that he is not
courageous he would not fight against Macbeth the great warrior.
(ii) Inquisitive
He tried to enquire from Lennox and Macduff who murders his
father. This he does with an aim to know more information about
the murderer.
(iv) Wise
He requests King Edward the Confessor to offer him 10000 soldiers
to help him fight against Macbeth back in Scotland. His wisdom is
also seen when he tests Macduff’s loyalty by telling him that he
cannot be a better leader than Macbeth. This he does on the grounds
that Macduff is unharmed by the time he goes to England and that
Macduff loved Macbeth so much.
(v) Just
Soon after being a king he promises that some lords will be
promoted to the position of earls. He also promises to do the right
thing at the right time as he says ‘we will perform in measure time
and place’.
(H) BANQUO
(i) Superstitious
He asks the witches also to prophesize about himself. This means
that he believes in the witches. Besides, he also tells his son Fleance
that he had a bad dream on the day he is guarding King Duncan at
Macbeth’s castle.
(ii) Inquisitive
He pleads with the witches to tell him about his future with
reference to what the witches tell Macbeth. Thus, he wants to know
more about his destiny.
(iii) Brave / courageous
Study guide to Macbeth ~ Mpac 17 | P a g e
The report by the bloody captain to Duncan reveals that Banquo
alongside Macbeth fights so bravely and courageously. This is why
they manage to defeat Macdonald the traitor because as the bloody
captain reports ‘they doubly (as a pair) redoubled strokes upon the
foe’.
(iv) He lacks insight into human character/insensitive/
He was together with Macbeth when the witches made their
prophecies to Macbeth but he does not run away to safeguard his
life. As a result, he is killed, yet he is the first one to suspect
Macbeth to have murdered Duncan because as in act 3, scene 2 line
1 he says ‘Thou hast it now, King, Cawdor, Glamis, all as the wird
women promised, and I fear thou played’st most foully for’t’.
(v) Loyal / patriotic
He is loyal to both Duncan and Macbeth. He is patriotic to the
country in the sense that he fights together with Macbeth against
Macdonald the former Thane of Cawdor. He is also loyal to
Macbeth. This is portrayed through his acceptance to attend the
banquet at Macbeths’ castle.
(vi) Wise
He does not fully believe in the witches’ prophecies. This is seen
when he does not take any action to make sure that the prophecies
are fulfilled as Macbeth does. He is wise because he knows that if it
is really true that he is going to be root of kings then there is no need
to do something for it to be fulfilled but to let it happen by chance.
vii) Opportunist
He finds an opportunity to ask the witches about his own destiny
after they prophesied about Macbeth.
(viii) Caring
He gives his son a dagger and a torch for his protection the day they
guard Duncan at Macbeth’s castle. He also tells his son Fleance to
flee by the time he is being killed by the murderers.
Evaluating characters
Characters are evaluated basing on how they are influenced by
others. Macbeth is a bad character because, for example, he is
greatly influenced by his wife and the witches to murder King
Duncan.
On the other hand, Macduff and Malcolm are good characters
because they are influenced by Macbeth but rather fight against him
so that truth should prevail.
Another thing to consider when evaluating characters is check your
own attitudes towards the characters. Which character do you like
most? Why? Definitely you will like a character with good
attributes. As such that one will be evaluated as a good character.
CHARACTERISATION
This is the technique the writer has used to reveal the characters.
There two main types of characterization:
(i) Telling or direct characterization
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Here the author tells us directly the traits of the characters. Thus, we
do not have to figure out what a character’s personality is like.
(ii)Showing or indirect characterization
Under this technique, the reader has to put the clues together in
order to figure out what the character is like. This is done by paying
attention to what the characters do (actions), what they do not do
(refraining), what they say (speech), what they think (through asides
and soliloquies) and what others say about them.
Identifying characterization
(i) Soliloquy
This is a long speech in which a character who is usually alone on
stage expresses his or her private thoughts. Below are some of the
soliloquies in Macbeth as a play:
➢ Lady Macbeth speaks to herself after reading the letter
➢ Macbeth also speaks to himself as they are about to carry out
the deed of killing King Duncan
➢ Macbeth also speaks to himself when he sees a dagger which
he fails to get hold of. This happens soon before he murders
King Duncan
➢ Macbeth also speaks to himself soon after sending the
servant to call the murderers to kill Banquo
(ii) Aside
Aside referrers to the private words that a character in a play speaks
to the audience or to another character which are not supposed to be
overheard by others. Some of these are observed in the following
areas:
➢ Macbeth contemplates on the witches’ prophecies in act 1;
scene3 after Angus has reported to him that he is a Thane of
Cawdor. Macbeth says ‘Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor: the
greatest is behind’.
➢ Macbeth speaks to himself in the same act 1, scene 3 where
he says’ two truths are told as happy prolongs to the swelling
act of the imperial theme’.
➢ He also has an aside soon after Duncan announces that they
shall establish their estate upon Malcolm. Macbeth speaks to
himself that the Prince of Cumberland is a step on which he
must fall down or else overleap.
➢ He also says that he shall attack Macduff’s castle just after
Lennox tells him that Macduff has fled to England.
(iii) Action
➢ The murderers show action by killing Banquo and Macduff’s
family.
(iv) Refrains
Macduff refrains from taking part in the banquet at palace prepared
by Macbeth.
Evaluating characterization
When evaluating characterization, the focus is on why the author
used a particular technique. Below are some of importance of using
such a technique under different situations in Macbeth:
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➢ Characterization is a vehicle of a theme in a play. Audience
comes up with themes by observing the character’s thoughts
through what they say, do and what they refrain.
➢ It helps to develop plot, for instance, the killing of Macduff’s
family by Macbeth causes the story to progress as Macduff
wants to revenge his family’s murder.
➢ The reader or audience become to know the traits of
characters through what they say, do or refrain, for example
we know that Macbeth is cruel because he hires murderers to
kill Banquo.
Practice questions 20 marks each, essay
1.By providing relevant examples distinguish character from
characterization.
2. Compare and contrast King Duncan and Macbeth in terms
of characters.
3. With relevant examples discuss the character of the
following people:
(a) Banquo
(b) Macduff
4.How does Lady Macbeth differ from Lady Macduff?
5.Evaluate the effectiveness of Shakespeare’s
characterization in Macbeth by providing relevant examples.
Unit 6: CONFLICT However, his ambition overpowers the desire to do the right thing.

A conflict is a struggle or clash between opposing characters, force Practice question, essay, 20 marks
or emotions.
Discus examples of external and internal conflicts in Macbeth as a
Conflicts can be categorized as external or internal. play.

Identifying external conflicts and their origins

An external conflict is where a character struggles against some

outside force. This may be another character, society as a whole, or
some natural force.

Below are the external conflicts and their origins:

➢ Macbeth struggles with Banquo because the witches said that

he would the root of kings.
➢ Macbeth also struggles with Macduff because he initially
refuses to go to scone where Macbeth is to be crowned as a
king and that he refuses to attend Macbeth’s banquet.
➢ He struggles with Malcolm because Duncan announces that
he is an heir to the throne.

Identifying internal conflict and their origins

An internal conflict on the other hand, is a struggle between

opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character.
Below are the examples:

➢ Macbeth undergoes an internal conflict between his

excessive ambition and the desire to do the right thing. He
personally does not want to kill King Duncan.

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Unit 7: SETTING
Setting refers to time and place of a story or play. It however,
encompasses physical or geographical, social economic, cultural,
historical, political, and psychological components:
(i) Geographical or physical setting
Macbeth as play is set in various locations across Scotland and
mainly at Macbeths’ castle. However, one scene (4:3) where
Malcolm meets Macduff is set in England at the court of King
Edward the Confessor
Generally, the play has an urban setting with reference to the fact
that mostly, kings stay in developed areas (towns).
(ii) Political and historical setting
The play is set during the time which King James 1 was a ruler of
both England and Scotland. This was so because Queen Elizabeth 1
had no child as such she named James as her successor in 1603.The
play was written in 1606 and in August the same year it was
performed at Hampton Court palace for King James 1.
Play’s evidence of having such political and historical setting
➢ King James 1 was believed to be a descendant of Banquo,
and truly in the play there is Banquo.
➢ James was believed to have miraculous ability to cure
diseases this is also seen in 4:3 where King Edward the
Confessor has the same ability.
Study guide to Macbeth ~ Mpac
➢ In the last act and last scene, Malcolm gives earldoms to his
supporters. This is exactly what King James1 did by giving
English title to Scottish supporters once he became the first
king to rule both England and Scotland.
➢ Macbeth’s theme of legal succession and the evil
consequences of interfering with the succession process were
appropriate for King James 1 to watch because it referred to
his own situation.
➢ In 2:3:50 Lennox discusses with Macbeth that the night was
unruly full of dire combustion (fire) and confused events.
This again reflects the 5 November 1605 Gun Powder Plot
aimed to kill King James 1 in which Sir Everard Digby a
favourite of King James, mirrors the Thane of Cawdor
favourite of King Duncan.
➢ There are some scenes depicting witch craft in, with which
King James 1 was fascinated and he even wrote a book on
witch craft and he also attended a witch craft trial.
(Remember, William Shakespeare once performed this
play Macbeth for King James 1).
Take note that not all plays can have all the components of
setting mentioned earlier.
Significance of setting in the play
1. Setting makes the play to be credible.
The play has a number of real places such as Scotland and
Ireland. This makes the play as if it is a true story.
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 2. Setting helps to create atmosphere.
When Macbeth plans to kill Banquo, this creates a sad mood
in the minds of the readers. This is also seen in the last act,
when Macduff fights Macbeth. This creates both sad and
happy atmosphere. The readers are happy because Macbeth
is defeated so that he stops killing innocent people and the
reader is also sad due to the death of Macbeth and other
innocent people like Young Siward.
3. Setting symbolizes different situations.
Despite the fact that the play is set in Scotland and Ireland
where it presents struggle for readership, the setting however
just symbolizes different countries where such struggles can
arise.
4. Setting can also help the reader to understand why a
character behaves the way he or she does.
Readers understand why Macbeth kills Duncan and Banquo.
This is so because they are aware of his psychological, social
and cultural setting. He is psychologically troubled with the
witches’ prophecies, socially he is a man of high rank
(Thane of Glamis) and culturally he is in the line of those
who can indeed be chosen as kings because culturally the
leadership was not from father to son.
5. Setting helps the play to be well organized.
Different locations, where the story is set helps the play to be
well organized, for instance, it could not be sensible for
Young Malcolm to organize an army in the same country
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Scotland in the presence of Macbeth to fight against this
powerful soldier and cruel leader. However, readers can
understand that really, Malcolm can raise an army outside
the country and with the help of King like Edward.
6. Setting creates irony
Irony is what drives the story. Irony is defined as the
discrepancy between utterance and its meaning, what is
expected and what actually happens or the difference
between what the audience knows and what the characters
know. Macduff for example, does not kill Macbeth soon he
kills King Duncan because he thinks that he has been killed
by Malcolm and Donaldbain yet the readers are aware that it
is Macbeth who kills Duncan. This makes the story to
proceed.
7. Setting helps to develop the themes in the play
The theme of ‘Appearances are deceptive’ is portrayed
among other elements through what Duncan says about
Macbeth’s castle. He says that the castle has pleasant vicinity
yet inside the castle, there is danger waiting for him as it is
the place where he is killed.
Practice questions, 20 marks each, essay
1. Discuss the different types of setting from the play
Macbeth with relevant examples.
 2. The play ‘Macbeth’ is not set during the reign of King
James 1, argue against this idea by providing eight points
to support your view.
3. With relevant examples from the play, why setting is
very important in a play?
Unit 8: THEMES
A theme is central idea or insight of any literary work. It should be
noted that a theme is not the same as a subject of a literary work
which can mostly be presented in a word or two such as ‘ambition’,
love,’ or ‘death’.

A theme is also different from a moral which is a lesson or rule

about how to live. Some themes are directly stated while others are
implied.

It is the duty of the reader or audience to piece together all the clues
the writer has given. The two most important clues that can guide us
to come up with the themes are:

➢ How the main character has changed?

➢ How the conflict has been resolved?

Below are some themes that can be deduced from Macbeth.

(i) Appearances are deceptive / appearance versus reality.

The witches echo fair is foul and foul is fair meaning that what
seems to be is not what actually is. This theme is portrayed through

➢ Duncan who initially considers Macdonald the former

Thane of Cawdor and Macbeth the present Thane of
Cawdor as being faithful yet they both later rise against him.
➢ Duncan and Banquo praise the appearance of Inverness
Macbeth’s castle to have pleasant vicinity yet Macbeth is
inside it with his wife planning for his murder.

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 ➢ Lady Macbeth tells her husband to look like an innocent
flower but be a serpent under it when Duncan goes there for
the feast.
➢ Malcolm, too, tells the English soldiers to hide themselves
with Birnam Wood so that Macbeth should not be aware of
how many soldiers are there.
➢ Malcolm also tells Macduff that angels are righteous
(bright) though the brightest (Satan) fell.
(ii) Good versus evil / good over evil / order versus disorder /
light versus darkness.
Duncan and Malcolm represent a harmonious, ordered or God
fearing society, Macbeth and the witches on the other hand,
represent evil or darkness. The play initially presents Macbeth as a
dutiful servant and later a rebellious character (usurper) who gets the
kingship by crooks but later he is defeated. This shows that man is
good but is prone to temptations of evil.
(iii) Uncontrolled ambition
Macbeth murders King Duncan because both he and Lady Macbeth
have uncontrolled ambition for leadership. We know that he wants
to a king because once the witches tell him that he is going to be a
king, he becomes silent until Banquo asks him why he seem to fear
things that sound so good. This shows that he is surprised as how the
witches come to know his ambitions.
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(iv) Betrayal
There are several incidents where the characters betray one another,
such as;
➢ The first Thane of Cawdor betrays Duncan by plotting an
inversion against his king.
➢ Macbeth betrays Duncan by rising against him and up to the
extent of killing him.
➢ Macbeth also betrays Banquo his friend his close friend.
Macbeth kills Banquo by using the murderers to prevent him
from being the root of kings. However, he is not successful
because Fleance, his son flees.
➢ The witches also betray Macbeth by the use of equivocation
(half-truth) promises.
He is told that he is going to be a Thane of Cawdor and king
hereafter which are fulfilled and later he is told that no man
born of a woman shall defeat him until Birnam wood moves
to Dunsinane, yet he is later defeated by Macduff.
➢ Macbeth betrays his family by leaving them in Scotland
where they are not safe and indeed the wife and children are
killed by the cruel Macbeth.
(v) Hypocrisy
Macbeth and his wife are supposed to protect and take care of
Duncan their visitor but instead Macbeth bears the knife himself
raising it against his own visitor instead of shutting the door against
the enemy of him. This is total hypocrisy because they do contrary
to what is expected of them.
(vi) Futility of crime / retribution / consequences of what we do /
guilty conscious.
Macbeth kills Duncan, Banquo, Macduff’s wife and children
thinking that he will triumph over this. Contrary to his expectation,
he is also killed by Macduff in revenge of his family’s death. He
does not progress well after killing Duncan no wonder he is troubled
by Banquo’s ghost at the banquet. Lady Macbeth is also not spared
as she also faces the consequences of her part in the crimes. Firstly,
she suffers the sleep walking disease and later commits suicide.
(vii) Greed
Macbeth commits the crimes because of greed for leadership. He
kills Duncan for him to be a king. Later he also kills Banquo to
prevent him from being the father of kings. He does all this out of
greed, he just wants him and him alone to be the leader not anyone
else.
(viii) Incalculability of evil
Macbeth commits one crime, that of killing King Duncan thinking
that this will be the only crime. Contrary to this, he feels not to be
safe as such he kills Banquo. Macbeth says that ‘to be thus is
nothing but to be safely thus’. Here he means that to be just a king is
useless but to be a king who is safe. He thinks that Banquo is a
threat to him because he can suspect him to have murdered King
Duncan to have the kingship. This is so because they were together
by the time the witches prophesied to Macbeth that he will be a
king. Consequently, he commits one crime after the other. One
crime leads to the other.
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(ix) Fate versus free will
Fate refers to such events that occur over which people do not have
control. Free will, on the other hand, refers to such ability people
have over certain things thus, they can cause things to happen the
way they want. People use their own effort to achieve what they
want, for instance:
➢ Macbeth becomes a Thane of Cawdor by fate since he just
fights for his country not to achieve something at the end.
However, we see that at the end he is given the position of a
Thane of Cawdor. The position in other words, comes
automatically.
➢ Contrary to this, he becomes a King of Scotland by free will.
He puts his effort in killing King Duncan for him to become
a king because that is what he wants.
➢ His death is due to free will because he chooses to commit a
crime of killing a king and Macduff’s family which angers
Macduff a lot. consequently, Macduff kills him. Besides, he
is given a chance by Macduff that he should surrender so
that he should be used for shows. People would come and
pay to see him as tyrant.
(x) Superstitions and omens
➢ The play includes witches which represent the darkness.
Macbeth believes in them and he even consults them to
foretell his destiny.
➢ People also believe that the day Duncan is murdered strange
events occur such as his own horses eating one another,
 darkness during the day and that an owl which is a weak bird Practice questions, 20 marks essay
kills a falcon which is a strong bird.

(xii) Gender and aggression / cruelty and gender 1. Discuss the theme of ‘appearances are deceptive’ with
➢ The source of the whole chaos in the play is the witches who clear example from the play.
are also called the wird sisters. This implies that the famine
gender is more aggressive than the masculine. 2. Explain any eight themes from the play Macbeth by
➢ Lady Macbeth as a woman also influences her husband a lot providing relevant examples.
to kill Duncan. This also portrays the same implication about
the famine gender either to be crueler or aggressive. 3. Women are more aggressive than men. Argue against
➢ On the other hand, though, men are also deemed to be this idea by providing eight points to support your
crueler and aggressive than women because Lady Macbeth suggestions with reference to the play Macbeth.
prays to the spirits to unsex herby the time she wants to kill
Duncan, to remove from her the feminine traits possibly to 4. ‘Betrayal’ seem to be one of the major themes in this
be replaced by masculine ones. This gives us an implication play. Show how true is this view by citing relevant
that men are more aggressive than women. examples.
➢ Macbeth also asks the murderers if they are really men who
can carry out a killing action. This shows that men are above 5. Macbeth achieves some things by fate and others by free
women in terms of cruelty. will. Explain.
➢ Malcolm also tells Macduff to dispute the case about his
family’ death like a man and tells him to prepare a medicine
that can cure their grief which is the revenge. This means
that men are more aggressive than women.
➢ More importantly, though, the witches seem to be
transgender because they also look like men since they have
beards meaning that it is difficult to tell if they are women or
men. This finally, shows that aggressiveness and cruelty falls
on both genders.

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 ➢ The effect a writer wants to achieve: Macbeth agrees with
the murderers that they are men indeed but he further asks
Unit 9: LANGUAGE AND STYLE them what kind of men are they because even dogs have
The basic components of language and style are diction, syntax and names such as hounds, mongrels, spaniels and demi-wolves
figurative language. and that these serve different purposes. He deliberately
compares them with the dogs so that they should be
(i) Diction refers to the writer’s choice of words. Below are some of emotionally charged so that they should carry out this
the reasons a writer may choose to use a particular word or words in mission of killing Banquo.
the literary work:
Diction can be formal or informal, vulgar or refined,
➢ The audience: Words that people use when addressing
emotionally charged or neutral and archaic (old) or
different people in status also differ, for example William
contemporary. In this play the diction is greatly considered
Shakespeare used the pronouns that start with ‘th-’ like thee
to be archaic because it uses old English, for example the
(you as object), thou (you as subject) and thy (your) for the
word, without in the past meant outside, to illustrate see
character who is speaking to one person or to whom the
3:1:48, the servant tells Macbeth that ‘They are my lord,
speaker is superior. To illustrate, Macbeth speaks to tone of
without the palace gate’ meaning that the murderers are
the murderers that ‘There is blood on thy face’. This shows
outside the palace gate. However, it also incorporates the
that he uses ‘thy’ because he is speaking to a junior.
other forms of diction, for instance, in 4:1:150-154, the
Shakespeare also used the pronouns that start with ‘y’ like
diction is emotionally charged, as Macbeth is furious
‘ye’ (you), ‘you’ and ‘your’ when the actor is speaking to
because he has just learnt that Macduff has fled to England,
more people or to a superior. To illustrate, Banquo who is a
he says, ‘The castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon
junior to Macbeth asks him why he is surprised after hearing
fife, give to th’edge o’th’sword, his wife, his babes and all
the witches’ prophecies, he says ‘Are ye fantastical, or that
unfortunate souls’.
indeed which outwardly ye show?’
(ii) Syntax
➢ Subject at hand: Macbeth asks the murders who kill
Banquo, ‘Is he dispatched?’(Killed), and tells his wife by Syntax refers to the grammatical arrangement of words in a sentence
saying ‘I have done the deed’. (He has killed Duncan). He and the kinds of sentences used in a text. The sentences may be
uses words like ‘dispatched’ and ‘deed’ referring to death simple or complex, long or short, statements or questions,
because he is aware that they are discussing a sensitive issue.
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commands or exclamations and paratactic (with conjunctions) or
hypotactic (without conjunctions).
➢ In 3:5:1-9, Hecate the leader of the witches uses a lot of
questions
‘Have I not reason, beldams as you are, saucy and
over bold?
How did you dare to trade and traffic with
Macbeth in riddles and affairs of death?
And I …Was never called to bear my part or
show the glory of our art?
➢ In 4:1:5-10, the first witch uses commands which are in the
form of hypotactic sentences without conjunctions.
➢ In 5:9:27, Malcolm speaks to lords and other thanes in a
formal way and the sentences are connected using
conjunctions (paratactic).
(iii) Figurative language
This is the language that intentionally departs from the normal
construction or meaning of words in order to create a certain effect.
Figurative language includes all figures of speech.
Figurative language is a word or phrase that describes one thing in
terms of another and is not meant to be understood on a literal level.
Such examples are simile, metaphor, personification, metonymy,
oxymoron, symbol and hyperbole.
Note: A tragedy is just like a poem. Poetry is to tragedy as
singing is to opera (Christopher Marlowe predecessor of
Shakespeare)
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With this reference above, it should be understood now that the
figures of speech which are commonly used in poems are also the
ones used in this play.
➢ Simile: This is a figure of speech that makes a comparison
between two seemingly unlike things by using a connective
word such as like, as, than or resembles.
In 1:2:19, for example, the bloody captain reports to King
Duncan how Macbeth fought against the former Thane of
Cawdor like velour’s minion. In 1:2:35, the captain again
compares Banquo and Macbeth with sparrows, eagles, hare
and lion by the use of the connective as.
➢ Metaphor: A figure of speech that compares two unlike
things without the use of words like: as, like, than or
resembles.
In 1:2:22, to illustrate, the bloody captain tells Duncan that
Macbeth unseamed the former Thane of Cawdor. This means
that he compares the cutting Macbeth does by cutting
Macdonald from the navel up to the chaps just the way a
tailor can unseam the cloth.
➢ Personification: This is a kind of metaphor in which a non-
human thing or quality is talked about as if it were human.
In 2:4:9, for example, Ross discusses with the old man about
the strange events which happen the time Duncan is killed.
He says that there is prolonging of night yet there should be
 day according to the time it is day ‘…when living light APPARITION WHAT WARNIG INTERPRETATION
should kiss it’. Here the breaking of dawn is treated as a SYMBOL ITSTANDS IT OF WARNING
human’s quality of kissing. FOR GIVES
st
1 : An armed Dead Beware Macbeth should
head Macbeth Macduff beware of Macduff as
➢ Hyperbole: This is a figure of speech that uses exaggeration
he is the one to kill
to express strong emotion or create a comic effect. him
In 2:3:73, for instance, Macduff tells Malcolm and his nd
2 :A bloody Macduff None of Macduff was born
brother Donaldbain to rise up from their graves. The grave is child woman through caesarean
just an exaggeration because actually the two boys were born shall section
thought to be asleep. harm
Macbeth
3rd:A child Malcolm Macbeth Malcolm younger than
➢ Apostrophe: This is a figure of speech in which a speaker
crowned, with will never Macbeth and his
directly addresses an absent or dead person, an abstract a tree in his be soldiers, will defeat
quality or something nonhuman as if it were present and hand defeated him by cutting off
capable of responding. until branches of Birnam
In 1:4:50, for example Lady Macbeth tells the stars to hide Birnam wood to hide
their fires by the time she will be killing Duncan as if she is wood themselves and later
speaking to a human being who can respond. moves to become a king
Dunsinane
Apart from the apparitions, the day Duncan is killed; there are
➢ Symbol: This is a person, place, thing or event that stands
strange events that take place.
for both itself and for something beyond itself.
Below are the examples of symbols from this play and their • For example, an owl which is a weak bird that flies
interpretations. very low kills a falcon that flies very high. This
symbolizes that Macbeth a lower ranked man kills
Duncan a high ranked man. This is disturbing The
Great Chain of Being, (God on top, below Him the
angels, below them the man and below him, beasts of
the jungle and the last in hierarchy all inanimate
objects) in which the Elizabethans believed.

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 • Duncan’s horses eat one another. This symbolizes
that Macbeth who is a relative to Duncan kills
Duncan his own relative and that later he will also be
killed through Malcolm his own relative.
➢ Rhyming words: These are words that have similar sounds
In 4:1:5-40, the lines end with rhyming words, for example,
go and through, stone and one, got and pot, trouble and
bubble, snake and bake, frog and dog, sting and wing, wolf
and gulf.
➢ Imagery: This is the use of language that appeals to the
senses. Thus, a word or phrase can make the reader to
imagine how the thing being explained looks like (sight),
feels, (touch), tastes (taste), smells (smell) sounds (sound). In
short the reader is influenced by the word to use one or some
the senses listed above.
Importance of imagery
✓ It allows the reader to be transported to the place.
✓ Imagery also help the reader to remember the time
and experience.
✓ The reader understands the emotion being expressed.
✓ Imagery also gives the playwright a chance to show
and not to tell.
Common images in Macbeth
Below are the common images in Macbeth:
(i) Clothes
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Normally, clothes should fit a person to be his or hers and
not for someone else. Contrary to this, in the play, clothes
seem not to fit the wearer.
In 1:3:106, Macbeth asks Ross and Angus ‘why do you dress
me in borrowed robes?’ after they have told him that he is
now the Thane of Cawdor. Here Macbeth means that this
position is not his.
In 2:4:39, Macduff tells Ross to go to Scone and attend the
crowning ceremony of Macbeth and says ‘Lest our old robes
sit easier than our new ones’. Here he means that may be
Duncan’s old rule will be better than Macbeth’s new rule.
(ii) Sickness /disease
This is the stress that undermines the natural state of human
body.
Lady Macbeth suffers a disease which a doctor says is
beyond his practice and Macbeth’s mind is full of scorpions
and he also sees fists (Banquo’s ghost) during the banquet.
(iii) Nature:
The play has a lot of images of animals, birds and insects.
Duncan also tells Banquo that he has started to plant him
which means that later in the future Banquo will bear fruits
(kings).
(iv) Blood
✓ Macbeth as a play starts and ends with bloody battles.
 ✓ Lady Macbeth also prays to the spirits to make her Practice questions,20 marks each, essay
blood thick.
✓ Macbeth says that Duncan is laced with his golden 1. Discuss how language has been used in the play
blood. Macbeth.
✓ Macbeth also imagines that he is in blood where
returning is tedious as to go ahead. 2. . Why imagery is important in plays? Refer to Macbeth
✓ There is blood on the face of one of the murderers when responding.
who kills Banquo.
✓ Banquo’s ghost has blood. 3. Explain eight images in Macbeth.
✓ The daggers also have blood.
✓ Duncan asks what bloody man is that while referring 4. Identify eight symbols from the play and explain their
to the bloody captain interpretations.

(v) Darkness 5. Blood dominates the play, support this claim by citing
Most scenes that depict evil take place at night, for example eight incidences from the play.
the killing of Banquo and Duncan both occur at night.
Malcolm also talks about the night being so long that never 6. Macbeth is just a long poem. Support this claim by
finds the day. providing relevant evidence.
The sleep walking scene also takes place at night when Lady
Macbeth is sleeping.

(vii) Echoing sound

This fits the background where the evil deeds of people
cause sound to vibrate through the emptiness of space. This
is clearly observed when Macbeth murders Duncan, he says
he hears like the angels pleading with him that ‘Macbeth
does murder sleep and shall sleep no more’. He also says that
an ‘amen’ stuck in his throat.

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Unit 10: RELEVANCE
Despite the fact that the play was written some time back but
it still remains important in today’s modern world because of
its relevance to the current issues. The play has a lot of moral
lessons. Below are some of them:
➢ Crime does not pay.
This is evidenced in what happens to Macbeth. He commits
several crimes hopping that he will be paid inform of being a
king. Although he really becomes a king but he is not a
happy and comfortable king due to his crimes. He is troubled
in mind and later he is killed. The same happens to those
people who kill others in order to get leadership or other
materials from them.
➢ Rebellion against a true king is a rebellion against God.
It is widely believed that rulers or kings are divinely
appointed by god as such challenging them is like acting
against the one who appointed them. It is a lesson therefore
that people should not challenge the rightfully appointed
leaders in institutions, be it at workplace religious circles and
social forums as doing that will lead to disastrous
consequences.
➢ Criminals are rightly punished.
What happens to Macbeth and his wife shows that once you
commit a crime, you should also wait for the punishment
regardless of how long it will take. This also tells us that the
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punishment may come in different ways as portrayed
through Lady Macbeth who suffers from sleep walking
disease and later commits suicide.
➢ Wives should always positively influence their husbands.
Much as we believe that behind every man’s success there is
a woman, we however know that some wives are just like
Lady Macbeth, who influences their husbands to act
wrongly. Macbeth would not have killed Duncan but his
wife’s influence makes him to do so.
➢ Getting leadership or any other thing illegally leads to
loss of love, friendship and respect.
Macduff becomes an enemy to Macbeth because of what
Macbeth does in getting kingship illegally. The other lords
and thanes who joined Malcolm’s army do not respect him
no more because of his behaviour. This can also be the cases
when we get positions illegally, our friends will no longer
love us.
➢ Justice will always prevail.
Macbeth becomes a king which is not meant for him and
later he is defeated by the rightful heir to the throne,
Malcolm. This tells us that although we may get something
illegally but we must expect that some time in future the
position will go back to the rightful person. Take the issue of
chieftainship, where there are conflicts as to who is the
rightful person, they even kill one another.
 ➢ Uncontrolled ambition will lead to disaster.
It is true that we achieve great things because of ambition
but it has not to be so excessive that it affects our moral
thinking. Macbeth is killed because of his ambition for
leadership.

Practice question, 20 marks, essay

Is ‘Macbeth worthy to be taught in secondary schools?

Explain by citing notable examples from the play.

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