Lecture Notes on Macbeth - GCSE English Literature Revision

Overview of Macbeth's Character

• Complexity and Change: Macbeth starts as a brave warrior and leader but is influenced by witches' predictions.
• Ambition: Initially Thane of Glamis, he becomes Thane of Cawdor and murders to be King of Scotland.
• Moral Conflict: Often questions his motives, influenced by his wife.
• Downfall: Commits murder, becomes trapped in evil, and acts cowardly to maintain power.
• Return to Bravery: Briefly returns to heroism when realizing his doom.

Characteristics of Macbeth

Ambitious

• Traits: Witches' predictions trigger his ambition.
• Evidence: Act 1 Scene 4 highlights his "black and deep desires."
• Analysis: Acknowledges obstacles, hopes actions remain unseen.

Brave

• Initial Bravery: Leads Scottish troops to victory.
• Rewards: Made Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan.
• Final Bravery: Faces Macduff in single combat before his death.
• Evidence: Act 1 Scene 2 description of his battlefield actions.
• Analysis: Strong verbs and adjectives underscore bravery.

Changeable

• Indecisive: Struggles with the decision to murder Duncan.
• Influence: Lady Macbeth crucial in persuading him.
• Evidence: Act 1 Scene 7 shows his changing resolve.
• Analysis: Quick shift from decision against murder back to determination.

Guilty Conscience

• Tormented: Plagued by thoughts of evil deeds.
• Inevitability: Feels trapped in a cycle of evil.
• Evidence: Act 3 Scene 4 with Banquo's ghost.
• Analysis: Imagination and conscience lead to perceived madness.

Social and Historical Context

• Divine Right of Kings: Kings ruled as chosen by God, making regicide a grave crime.
• Contemporary Paranoia: Reign of James I was marked by fear of assassination after the Gunpowder Plot.

Analyzing Key Soliloquy

• Dagger Soliloquy (Act 2 Scene 1)
  • Significance: Depicts Macbeth's turmoil and foreshadows future actions.
  • Imagery of Madness: Dagger "coming from a heat-oppressed brain."

Conclusion

• Macbeth's Evolution: Driven by ambition, manipulated by external influences, tormented by conscience, ultimately returns to bravery in the face of inevitable demise.