Fair Is Foul and Foul Is Fair (1.1.12)

Reading Guide

Fair is foul and foul is fair (1.1.12)

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Character Map

Macbeth:

Character List

Macbeth- Macbeth is a Scottish general and the thane of Glamis who is led to wicked thoughts by the prophecies of the three witches, especially after their prophecy that he will be made thane of Cawdor comes true. Macbeth is a brave soldier and a powerful man, but he is not a virtuous one. He is easily tempted into murder to fulfill his ambitions to the throne, and once he commits his first crime and is crowned King of Scotland, he embarks on further atrocities with increasing ease. Ultimately, Macbeth proves himself better suited to the battlefield than to political intrigue, because he lacks the skills necessary to rule without being a tyrant. His response to every problem is violence and murder. Unlike Shakespeare’s great villains, such as Iago inOthelloand Richard III inRichard III,Macbeth is never comfortable in his role as a criminal. He is unable to bear the psychological consequences of his atrocities.

Lady Macbeth- Macbeth’s wife, a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power and position. Early in the play she seems to be the stronger and more ruthless of the two, as she urges her husband to kill Duncan and seize the crown. After the bloodshed begins, however, Lady Macbeth falls victim to guilt and madness to an even greater degree than her husband. Her conscience affects her to such an extent that she eventually commits suicide. Interestingly, she and Macbeth are presented as being deeply in love, and many of Lady Macbeth’s speeches imply that her influence over her husband is primarily sexual. Their joint alienation from the world, occasioned by their partnership in crime, seems to strengthen the attachment that they feel to each another.

The Three Witches- Three “black and midnight hags” who plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies. Their predictions prompt him to murder Duncan, to order the deaths of Banquo and his son, and to blindly believe in his own immortality. The play leaves the witches’ true identity unclear—aside from the fact that they are servants of Hecate, we know little about their place in the cosmos. In some ways they resemble the mythological Fates, who impersonally weave the threads of human destiny. They clearly take a perverse delight in using their knowledge of the future to toy with and destroy human beings.

Banquo- The brave, noble general whose children, according to the witches’ prophecy, will inherit the Scottish throne. Like Macbeth, Banquo thinks ambitious thoughts, but he does not translate those thoughts into action. In a sense, Banquo’s character stands as a rebuke to Macbeth, since he represents the path Macbeth chose not to take: a path in which ambition need not lead to betrayal and murder. Appropriately, then, it is Banquo’s ghost—and not Duncan’s—that haunts Macbeth. In addition to embodying Macbeth’s guilt for killing Banquo, the ghost also reminds Macbeth that he did not emulate Banquo’s reaction to the witches’ prophecy.

King Duncan- The good King of Scotland whom Macbeth, in his ambition for the crown, murders. Duncan is the model of a virtuous, benevolent, and farsighted ruler. His death symbolizes the destruction of an order in Scotland that can be restored only when Duncan’s line, in the person of Malcolm, once more occupies the throne.

Macduff- A Scottish nobleman hostile to Macbeth’s kingship from the start. He eventually becomes a leader of the crusade to unseat Macbeth. The crusade’s mission is to place the rightful king, Malcolm, on the throne, but Macduff also desires vengeance for Macbeth’s murder of Macduff’s wife and young son.

Malcolm- The son of Duncan, whose restoration to the throne signals Scotland’s return to order following Macbeth’s reign of terror. Malcolm becomes a serious challenge to Macbeth with Macduff’s aid (and the support of England). Prior to this, he appears weak and uncertain of his own power, as when he and Donalbain flee Scotland after their father’s murder.

Hecate- The goddess of witchcraft, who helps the three witches work their mischief on Macbeth.

Fleance- Banquo’s son, who survives Macbeth’s attempt to murder him. At the end of the play, Fleance’s whereabouts are unknown. Presumably, he may come to rule Scotland, fulfilling the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s sons will sit on the Scottish throne.

Lennox- A Scottish nobleman.

Ross- A Scottish nobleman.

The Murderers- A group of ruffians conscripted by Macbeth to murder Banquo, Fleance (whom they fail to kill), and Macduff’s wife and children.

Porter- The drunken doorman of Macbeth’s castle.

Lady Macduff- Macduff’s wife. The scene in her castle provides our only glimpse of a domestic realm other than that of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. She and her home serve as contrasts to Lady Macbeth and the hellish world of Inverness.

Donalbain- Duncan’s son and Malcolm’s younger brother.

Short Biography William Shakespeare

Information about the life of William Shakespeare is often open to doubt. Some even doubt whether he wrote all plays ascribed to him. From the best available sources it seems William Shakespeare was born in Stratford on about April 23rd 1564. His father William was a successful local businessman and his mother Mary was the daughter of a landowner. Relatively prosperous, it is likely the family paid for Williams education, although there is no evidence he attended university.

In 1582 William, aged only 18, married an older woman named Anne Hathaway. Soon after they had their first daughter, Susanna. They had another two children but William’s only son Hamnet died aged only 11.

After his marriage, information about the life of Shakespeare is sketchy but it seems he spent most of his time in London writing and performing in his plays. It seemed he didn’t mind being absent from his family – only returning home during Lent when all theatres were closed. It is generally thought that during the 1590s he wrote the majority of his sonnets. This was a time of prolific writing and his plays developed a good deal of interest and controversy. Due to some well timed investments he was able to secure a firm financial background, leaving time for writing and acting. The best of these investments was buying some real estate near Stratford in 1605, which soon doubled in value.

Some academics known as the “Oxfords” claim that Shakespeare never actually wrote any plays they suggest names such as Edward de Vere. They contend Shakespeare was actually just a successful businessman. Nevertheless there is some evidence of Shakespeare in theatres as he received a variety of criticism from people such as Ben Johnson and Robert Greene.

The Plays of Shakespeare

The plays of Shakespeare have been studied more than any other writing in the English language and have been translated into numerous languages. He was rare as a play-write for excelling in tragedies, comedies and histories. He deftly combined popular entertainment with a rare poetic capacity for expression which is almost mantric in quality.

“This above all: to thine ownself be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell: my blessing season this in thee!”

-Lord Polonius, Hamlet Act I, Scene 3

During his lifetime, Shakespeare was not without controversy, but he also received lavish praise for his plays which were very popular and commercially successful.

Shakespeare died in 1664; it is not clear how he died although his vicar suggested it was from heavy drinking. His tombstone is marked with the following epitaph;

Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare
To digg the dust encloased heare
Blessed by y man y spares hes stones
And curst be he y moves my bones

It is true to say that each line of Shakespeare has been poured over by scholars and students – no idea or concept has been left unturned. Shakespeare has left a profound and lasting impact on literature, cinema and theatre.

Citation :Pettinger, Tejvan. “Biography of William Shakespeare”, Oxford,www.biographyonline.net, 18th May. 2006

About the Play: Synopsis

IN MEDIEVAL SCOTLAND, Macbeth, a general in King Duncan’s army, and his fellow soldier, Banquo, are returning from a successful battle. On a barren heath, three witches appear and greet Macbeth as “Thane of Glamis,” “Thane of Cawdor” and “King hereafter.” They also prophesy that the future heirs of the throne will be descended not from Macbeth, but from Banquo. The witches disappear, and a

messenger from the King arrives announcing that Macbeth has been named Thane of Cawdor, thus fulfilling the first part of the prophecy. King Duncan declares that he is nominating his son, Malcolm, as heir, and announces that he

will spend the night at the Macbeths’ castle.

Alone, Lady Macbeth reads her husband’s letter describing the witches’ revelations. She fears that Macbeth lacks the courage to commit murder and seize the crown. Returning home, Macbeth expresses reservations about murdering the

King, but Lady Macbeth convinces him that the deed must be done. That night, Macbeth stabs the sleeping Duncan, and two guards are framed for the crime.

The next morning, Macduff, a nobleman, discovers the body of the King. The King’s son, Malcolm, flees to England, and the lords of the kingdom vow to avenge the King’s murder.

Macbeth is appointed King, but with the witches’ prophecy in mind, he arranges for the murders of Banquo and his son, Fleance. Although Banquo is killed, the hired assassin does not succeed in killing Fleance. At a royal banquet, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in his chair, disrupting the ceremonies despite Lady Macbeth’s efforts to control the situation. He returns to the witches, who share new visions with him: to beware Macduff, that he can never be killed by “one of woman born” and to never fear until he sees Birnham Wood begin to move. These twisted predictions lead Macbeth to think that he is safe from harm, although the witches still show that Banquo’s

descendants will ascend the throne. When Macbeth learns that Macduff has fled the country to join with Malcolm, he orders Macduff’s wife and children to be put to death. Haunted by the sins she has committed, Lady Macbeth begins sleepwalking. Malcolm and Macduff advance an army to challenge Macbeth, cutting down the branches of Birnham Wood to disguise their number. Macbeth is strengthening his own army, when news reaches him that Lady Macbeth has died. Macbeth goes into battle. Face to face, Macduff reveals that he was “from his mother’s womb, untimely ripped,” and defeats Macbeth. Malcolm becomes King of Scotland. ❖

Source:

http://www.macbethonbroadway.com/macbeth-synopsis.html

National Education Network Gallery5 A Noise Within 2013/14 Repertory Season

Biography Questions

1.  Is the information about William Shakespeare firm and accurate?

2.  Where and when was William Shakespeare born?

3.  Did William Shakespeare attend college? What evidence is there that he did/did not?

4.  When did Shakespeare marry? Who did he marry?

5.  How many children did he have? What happened to his children?

6.  Where did he spend most of his adult time? What was he doing?

7.  How did he secure a firm financial background?

8.  What is an “Oxford”? What do the “Oxfords” claim?

9.  What is the opposing claim?

The Plays of Shakespeare

1.  Explain in your own words what has made Shakespeare’s work so valuable that it has been studied more than any other writing in the English language.

2.  When did Shakespeare die? What is the likely cause of death?

About the play Macbeth: Use your phones to look up the responses to these questions

1.  What is the setting of the play (where does it take place, country, and time period)?

2.  What is the Medieval period in history? What is life like for nobles, serfs?

3.  What is a prophecy

4.  What is a Thane?

Definition of Elements of a Shakespearian Tragedy:

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Dramatic Elements of Shakespeare’s Macbeth

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Theme – / Discription
Ambition
Deception
Good vs. evil
Evil Acts breed Evil Deeds

Discover what you know about the Dark Side

Macbeth is a tragedy. In Shakespeare’s time, a tragedy told the story of a great person destined to suffer a down fall or destruction because of a flaw of character. The Ancient Greek dramatists said that this tragic flaw was the result of hubris, the character’s insolent pride. The Bible would explain it as the pride that goeth before a fall.

Tragic flaw is the character’s dark side Often the same personality traits that once made the character great run out of control to cause disaster. King Duncan richly rewarded Macbeth for his fearlessness as a soldier. Macbeth eventually believed that no human could defeat him in battle. His pride got the better of his wisdom. Other strong aspects of his and Lady Macbeth’s characters also ran amuck to bring on their downfall.

Complete the following chart to discover the dark sides of character traits , people usually admire and honor. For each character trait, describe a behavior that fits each heading.

Theme – often admired / Trait – Out of control
Ambition
Aggressiveness -
Steadfastness -
Self-confidence -
Trust -

Personal Response: (complete in your journal)

When have your own good qualities caused you trouble?

Questions to answer as you read:

ACT ONE

Scene One

Dramatic element purpose/effect______

1. What mood/atmosphere is established at the beginning of the play? How?

2. Who do the witches plan to meet after the battle?

Scene Two

1. What qualities of the following characters are brought out in their first appearance in the play? Provide textual support for your answer.

(a) Duncan -

(b) Malcolm -

2. What news is brought to King Duncan by the captain and Ross? What is his reaction to the news about the Thane of Cawdor?