The play revolves around the supernatural and this is epitomised by characters such as the witches and the strange apparitions that Shakespeare describes throughout. On all deservers.-From hence to Inverness The Prince of Cumberland which honor mustīut signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter In drops of sorrow.-Sons, kinsmen, thanes,Īnd you whose places are the nearest, know Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themselves Similarly, when Macbeth becomes king, he abuses his power and becomes a tyrannical leader. And yet, he names his son heir apparent to the throne, which would be seen as an abuse of power at the time, as Scotland was an elective monarchy when the play was performed. King Duncan is seen as a fair and benevolent leader at times, who rewards Macbeth for his work on the battlefield. The abuse of power is also a reoccurring theme in Macbeth. That which cries, “Thus thou must do,” if thou have it,Īnd that which rather thou dost fear to do, That wouldst thou holily wouldst not play false,Īnd yet wouldst wrongly win. To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great, It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness 'Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be In this manner, she is able to provoke Macbeth into killing Duncan by undermining his masculinity. She claims he is too afraid to take 'what thou art promised', and would be happier for someone else to do his dirty work. In the scene below, Lady Macbeth says that whist her husband seeks greatness he does not have the cruel ambition needed to take the crown. Lady Macbeth uses manipulation and subtle digs against Macbeth throughout the play (ie, by questioning his manhood repeatedly) to take control. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth struggle for power in their relationship. In Shakespearean times, such actions would have been regarded as blasphemous and highly shocking. Power at the beginning of the play is held by Duncan, the king, and is eventually passed over to Macbeth after his murder.īy killing Duncan, Macbeth has contradicted the Divine Right of King. This doctrine believes the King is appointed by God and thus anyone who speaks or acts against the King is treasonous, seeking not only to displace the royal but also to threaten God's divine power. Macbeth at its very core is a play about power and ambition. So we’ve analysed and listed some key Macbeth themes and accompanying quotes to ensure you are ready for exam day. Whether you're learning Macbeth for GCSE AQA, Edexcel, OCR or CIE - these themes and quotes are worth remembering. For a number of exam papers, especially English literature GCSE, the examiner will expect you to use quotes from the extract provided as well as remember some of your own.
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