Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
Act 5
Macbeth and Banquo meet the Three Witches, who say that Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor as well as the King of Scotland. Ross shows up and tells Macbeth that he has just become the Thane of Cawdor, and this causes him to believe in the witches' prophecy. Then, he begins to imagine killing the King, which frightens him. The meaning of the quote was to show Macbeth's greed in wanting to become king. He even imagines killing the current king, which shows the magnitude of his greed and ambition. It also shows that the witches' prophecy has impacted Macbeth's mental state immediately. The witches' prophecy acted as a trigger to Macbeth's greed. He also says that his thoughts scare himself, meaning he wasn't greedy beforehand. This quote foreshadows that Macbeth will kill the King because he is greedy and wants to be the king, but also because he believes it's meant to be (because of the prophecy). It also foreshadows that Macbeth will have conflicts with Banquo because the witches also said that Banquo's children will be kings. Macbeth will try to protect his crown.
"Which shall to all out nights and days to come/ Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom."
(1.5 68-69)
Lady Macbeth is talking to Macbeth and trying to convince him to follow through with his plan to kill King Duncan. What Lady Macbeth means in this quote is that this one night will change their whole lives. She tries very hard to convince Macbeth because she knows how much this will do for them if it happens. She wants the power that only a king has, which she can obtain if they follow through with their plan. This quote also shows that Lady Macbeth is sure of her plan and is at the point where she won't listen to anything else. Macbeth begins to be more hopeful after she says this, which tells us that Macbeth could be persuaded easily. This means that Lady Macbeth has taken control of Macbeth. The quote foreshadows that Macbeth will finally carry out his plan after some debate. It also foreshadows that Lady Macbeth may be the one behind all of Macbeth's choices once he becomes king.
Do you think the witches actually knew that Macbeth would be king?
I don't think the witches knew that Macbeth would be king, but they did know that he would be the Thane of Cawdor. I believe that they added the part of being king to play with Macbeth. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy because Macbeth believes that he will become king. I don't think that he will be the king by fate, but the prophecy will make him do bad things because he thinks he's supposed to be king anyway. If he wasn't told that he was going to be king, he probably wouldn't have imagined killing the king and I don't think he would become king.
Do you think Lady Macbeth will cause the downfall of Macbeth?
I think that Lady Macbeth will keep making Macbeth do bad things until they eventually are discovered. I also think Lady Macbeth acts as a catalyst to Macbeth's greed. It was slowly taking him over, but now he will quickly become corrupt because Lady Macbeth will persuade him to do bad things and make him believe it's for the better. Macbeth is like her puppet, which is why she wants him to become king. She'll just have a more powerful puppet and she'll be able to accomplish whatever she wants. People like Banquo will eventually notice that Macbeth is doing bad things and they may go against him, which will be the beginning of the end for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
"A falcon tow'ring in her pride of place/ Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd." (2.4.12-13)
The old man is talking to Ross about the unnatural events that happened after King Duncan's death. The quote shows that Macbeth's crimes were so bad that it even disturbed nature. The quote is also saying how Duncan is like a falcon and his murderer (Macbeth) is like an owl. It's comparing kingship to the food chain, where the king is the predator and the murderer just kills insects and worms. Also, the levels of flight between the two birds represents a hierarchy where the king is on top and everything else is under him. The quote is metaphorical. The falcon represents Duncan, the owl represents Macbeth, and the difference in how high they fly represents how highly society looks at a king compared to a soldier like Macbeth (but they still look up to him). It also symbolizes how Duncan's death wasn't normal. The owl doesn't kill a hawk, and this symbolizes how no one thought Duncan would be murdered because he was such a good king. It's also very similar to the situation after they find out Duncan was killed. When you see a dead hawk, you wouldn't think an owl did it. When you see a dead king, you wouldn't think one of his loyal generals murdered him. Both situations are very unnatural.
"The Lord's anointed temple and stole thence/ The life o'th'building." (2.3.64-65)
MacDuff went to go wake up Duncan and found him murdered. "anointed temple" represents King Duncan's body. This shows that people thought very highly of kings at the time (comparing him to God). Macduff also relates Duncan's body to God's temple to say that the king is God on Earth. Their comparison of Duncan to a God shows the power of a king, and it also shows how the people loved Duncan. The quote also represents Macbeth killing Duncan because he is the one who "stole thence the life o'th'building". It functions as foreshadowing. A church usually represents peace and stability, so the quote infers that the peace has been broken by a murderer. This foreshadows that many conflicts will arise later on in the play. It also functions as a hyperbole because it exaggerates what happened, but it shows how bad a deed Macbeth has just done (a murderer killing God). It's also a hyperbole because stealing the life out a church is an exaggeration of taking the king from the castle.
How will Macbeth do as the King of Scotland?
Duncan is seen as very important and he's being compared to a hawk and God. These comparisons show that Scotland thought very highly of their king. On the other hand, the murderer Macbeth was seen as an owl or a murderer of God, so the opposite of Duncan. This will also be the same when comparing them as kings. Macbeth has committed a crime and he is now corrupt, unlike Duncan, who was seen as kind and holy. Macbeth will be the opposite of how Duncan was as king. Duncan kept peace and everyone loved him, so Macbeth will cause a lot of trouble and his country will hate him. Macbeth will have big shoes to fill, but he'll probably be too busy trying to hide his guilt to focus on being a good king.
How has the idea of kingship changed Macbeth?
Macbeth used to be a honourable man. When he first heard the prophecy, he was afraid and he didn't want to do anything bad. Later on, he still didn't want to kill Duncan, but he considered it. Then he was persuaded by his wife and he ended up killing Duncan. Now that he's king, he's scared of losing his crown and will do anything to protect it. His greed has taken over his thoughts and feelings, so now all he cares about is being king and staying king. His dark side has completely taken over his actions. He's even gained power over Lady Macbeth and is making his own decisions. Kingship is the reason Macbeth is going through a downfall and it's going to ruin him. So in conclusion, kingship is the main reason behind Macbeth's greed and it's causing him to do horrible things.
The Thanes of Scotland are marching toward Dunsinane to overthrow Macbeth, and make Malcolm king. In this time, the thanes are discussing Macbeth, their enemy. Angus refers to Macbeth as "A dwarfish thief". This represents that Macbeth is not worthy of being King of Scotland. Duncan was a great king, but Macbeth is a tyrant. The robe not fitting Macbeth represents him not being worthy of the same title as Duncan. Duncan was respected, and loved as a king, however, the opposite is true for Macbeth, as he is seen as a tyrant, and people only follow him because they have no choice but do so. This quote relates to the saying of "having big shoes to fill", as Duncan was a great king, while Macbeth cannot live up to that. This quote contrasts Macbeth and Duncan as characters. This is a metaphor saying that Macbeth's title of king is a loose robe, as if to say being king doesn't "fit" Macbeth. The thanes feel that Macbeths title of king does not belong to him (Dwarfish thief).
Malcolm, and the Thanes have captured Dunsinane, and the castle. Macduff enters the scene carrying Macbeth's severed head, and proclaims Malcolm the King of Scotland. The thanes all rejoice in the proclamation of their new king, and curse Macbeth. Macbeth's head represents the end of Macbeth's tyrannic reign over Scotland. Malcolm becoming king represents Scotland being purified. Once Malcolm becomes king, it's as if he's the saviour. The Thanes rejoice and are relieved once he comes into power. This quote is used to compare Malcolm to Macbeth. Malcolm is now king, and everyone rejoices, saying that scotland is now free. On the other hand, the man are happy that only Macbeth's head remains because he was a Tyrant. This scene is also ironic because at the beginning of the play, macbeth had the traitor Macdonwald's head and was praised for it similar to how at the end everyone is happy because Macduff has Macbeth's head.
"Upon my head they plac'd a fruitless crown/ And put a barren sceptre in my gripe,/ Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand" (3. 1. 62-64)
Macbeth has a soliloquy and talks about the witches’ prophecy and how Banquo is a threat to him and his kingship. By fruitless crown, Macbeth is saying that he has become a king with no power and the same goes for the barren sceptre. “Thence to be wrenc’d with a unlineal hand” is referring to the fact that he won’t have a lineage and his sons won’t be kings. “fruitless crown” and “barren sceptre” can be a juxtaposition because it is showing the contrast between two things royal and things of no value. It is done to show that Macbeth’s position is worthless and it makes the story more interesting because Macbeth is not secure and is going to do things to change fate.
Macbeth has a soliloquy and he’s talking about how he got the crown just so it can be taken by someone else. Despite the prophecy saying that Banquo’s children will be kings, Macbeth is not willing to follow and therefore challenge fate by doing something to change the prophecy. Macbeth is very upset that Banquo’s children will become kings. “come fate into the list” is a personification. The passage means “let fate come into combat like a medieval knight into the tournament”. It is being used in the play because he will challenge the witches’ prophecy and try to change it. Battling the prophecy means that he is going to kill Banquo and his son so the prophecy won’t come true and they won’t be kings in the future.
Why does Macbeth place importance on who the crown will go to after him? (why doesn’t he just focus on the present)
Macbeth should be focusing on the present because it’s his life and he should make the most of it. Importance of the heir is to continue Macbeth’s name, but it shouldn’t matter to him at the moment. The only reason he cares is because of pride and he thinks his work was worth more than what he got.
Do you think Macbeth will be able to change his fate?
Macbeth won’t be able to change his fate because he heard his fate, his actions will only follow fate. The witches probably predicted his actions so even though he thinks he’s fighting fate; he’s actually working with it. By attempting to change the prophecy, he will unintentionally make it come true
"Given to the common enemy of man/ To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings/ Rather than so, come fate into the list (3. 1. 70-73)
" Thier malady convinces/ the great assay of art, but at his touch./ Such sanctity hath heaven given his hand./ They presently amend." (4. 3. 142-144)
Malcom and Macduff are talking, and when the doctor enters, Malcom asks about the King of England. Doctor is saying how the king has godly powers because he is capable of healing. This shows how highly people thought of kings at the time. They saw the king as a godlike figure and that he had healing powers. This quote contrasts the types of kings (Macbeth vs Edward). Macbeth is a tyrant while Edward is loved which shows the different ways a king can utilize his position and powers. It is also a juxtaposition because Macbeth is seen as a tyrant whereas King Edward is the complete opposite, he is seen as a divine king.
In this situation, how does King of England compare to the king of Scotland(Macbeth)?
King of England is respected and loved by everyone while Macbeth is seen as a tyrant. King of England has god-like qualities because he can heal people by touching them. They are completely opposite because one is loved by his people and makes England better while Macbeth is ruining Scotland and is murdering people. Also, England is a happy place while Scotland is depressing (Heaven vs Hell).
Do you think Macbeth would do some of the things ( that is being stated in the quote) in the future if he remains the King of Scotland?
Yes, because he is already acting crazy by killing people easily. His behaviour is changing quickly and it is getting worse by the minute so it won’t be surprising if he does these things. His greed motivated him to kill Duncan and become king so his greed would probably lead him to do worse in the future. He would want power but not same desires as Malcom.
... were I king,
I should cut off nobles for their lands,
Desire his jewels, and his other's house,
And my more having would be as a sauce
To make me hunger more, that I should forge
Quarrels unjust against the good and loyal,
Destroying them for wealth
(4. 3. 78-84)
Malcom is talking to Macduff and telling him his flaws. He says that he would be a worse king than Macbeth and states his reasons. This shows how dangerous a monarchy is. The king isn’t voted in by the people, it’s usually by blood. This means you don’t have control over who rules over you. There’s a change you’ll have a corrupt king and there is very little you can do about it. It is related to dictatorship. This also shows that power can change who you are and bring out bad intentions. In this quote, Malcom is testing Macduff’s loyalty by stating his flaws. Despite Malcom saying all the bad things, Macduff still supports him, this shows loyalty.
Kingship is the state of being a king. It drives the story because kingship is what transforms Macbeth and influences some of his actions. Also, it is ironic because being a king is supposed to be good for Macbeth but instead it leads to his downfall.