Macbeth

• Written by William Shakespeare in 1606

• Written for the monarch, King James I

• Source = Hollinshed’s Chronicles

Lit Terms to know

• Iambic pentameter – a line of poetry that contains five iambic feet. Each iamb has 2 syllables; one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

• Blank verse ~ non-rhyming iambic pentameter (5 beats, 10 syllables, unstressed, stressed pattern)

Lit Terms to know

• Aside ~ character speaks to the audience, other characters on stage do not hear him/her

Lit Terms to know

• Monologue – speech by one character

• Soliloquy ~ speech by a character alone on stage that reveals thoughts

Tragedy

• Literary work whose purpose is to arouse the emotions of pity and fear to produce a catharsis for the reader

Lit Terms to Know:

• Irony~ (see page of notes in your packet)

• Verbal -

• Situational -

• Dramatic -

Tragic Hero

• Noble ~ has outstanding qualities or a noble birth

• Has a weakness, a flaw (not perfect)

• Downfall is partially his fault (the result of free choice)

• Hero’s misfortune is not wholly deserved (outside forces also contribute to the fall)

• Hero usually accepts his fate

• Fate = death or isolation

Lit Terms to Know:

• Foil ~ a contrasting character

Lit Terms to know

• Catharsis = cleansing of the emotions through release e.g. crying, laughter

Lit Terms to Know:

• Motif = a recurring idea, subject or theme.

• Within a work, it can be represented by an image

Lit Terms to Know:

• Comic relief ~ a humorous incident, scene or remark that occurs within a serious or tragic literary work. It is purposefully designed to bring emotional release as well as to heighten the seriousness

Images to follow• Blood• Babies and children• Feasting and hospitality• Animals• Acting• Hands• Disease and the brain• Sleep• Clothes nature in disarry

• Ill-fitting clothes

• Darkness vs. light

Theme topics we will see

• Greed• Ambition• Free will• Appearances can and do deceive (reality

vs. illusion)• Good vs. Evil• Leadership and respect• Guilt• love