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Macbeth: by William Shakespeare
Macbeth: by William Shakespeare
By William Shakespeare
THREE PREDICTIONS
All hail, Macbeth! Hail to Thee Thane of Glamis!
• Macbeth was already Thane of Glamis. He inherited this title when his father
died.
Beware Macduff.
• Macbeth is executed by Macduff.
Laugh to scorn the pow’r of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.
• Macbeth believes that no mortal man can harm him since the witches/apparitions
proclaim that “none of woman born” can harm him. Macduff reveals that he was
“ripped” from his mother.
Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane
Hill shall come against him.
• Macbeth believes that it is impossible for the forest to move, but the
soldiers use the boughs of the trees as camouflage.
MOTIF: BLOOD
“Macbeth does murder sleep” in Act 2, scene 2, since he murdered Duncan he knows
he will never sleep well again.
Sleep, or the lack of it is mentioned several times throughout the play. In sleep, we
dream, which many say is a reflection of our subconscious. Sleep is also considered a
temporary or “mini” death. We are never as vulnerable as we are when we are sleeping.
MOTIF:DARKNESS
“Let not light see my black and deep desires” – Macbeth says upon learning about
Malcolm’s claim to the throne in Act 1, scene 4
Lady Macbeth asks that the “dunnest smoke of hell” hide the deeds and “nor heaven
peep through the blanket of the dark.” in Act 1, scene 5 as they prepare to kill Duncan.
“By the clock ‘tis day, and yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp.” Act 2, scene
2
Darkness and night is often associated with evil and the “dark side.” The more
darkness that is seen or mentioned, the darker the play becomes, paralleling Macbeth’s
decline.
MOTIF:
V I S I O N S / H A L L U C I N AT I O N S / S U P E R N A
TURAL ELEMENTS
http://quizlet.com/31599099/macbeth-flash-cards/
MACBETH
Macduff's wife
DONALBAIN