Shakespeare’s Macbeth

The Scottish Play

Renaissance Theatre

• Plays evolved from church ceremonies

• Moved out of the churches and into the market places (put on by guilds)

• Miracle & Mystery Plays: taught people about the bible

• Morality plays taught people how to live and die

• Interludes: one-act plays (usually rowdy)

Theatres Continued

• Richard Burbage created the 1st theatre, called The Theatre

• The 2nd was called The Curtain• Then The Rose, The Swan, The

Globe (Shakespeare’s Company), the Red Bull and Hope Theatre

The Globe• AKA “The Wooden O”• Three main parts - building proper - the stage -and the tiring house (backstage)• An easy exit was created for evacuation in

case of a fire• General admission for groundlings was one

penny• The expensive seats were chairs right along

side of the stage• Since theatres were very crowded, they

were often closed during times of plague

Behind the Scenes

• Trapdoors allowed witches and demons to rise from “hell”

• The ceiling was painted with moons and stars to represent heaven

• The tiring house held machinery and dressing rooms & often had a gallery for musicians or acting (as if on a balcony)

• Costuming was VERY elaborate though the scenery was kept to a minimum

Shakespeare Himself• Author of more than 36 plays and 150

poems• Born in Stratford-on-Avon and was

christened in 1564 to a merchant who had married a his mother. (a member of a prominent family)

• He apprenticed to be a butcher• Married Anne Hathaway @ 18, and had

three children – a daughter and a twin boy and girl

• His son died at age 11• Left his family to move to London where he

prospered in the the theatre industry

Tragedies

• During the height of his career, Shakespeare wrote tragedies (plays preoccupied with evil, death and tragic twists

• There was never any evidence that Shakespeare wrote these due to depression or personal misfortune

Don’t say the “M” Word

• Macbeth is often referred to in theatres as “The Scottish Play” or “The Bard’s Play”

• Saying the word “Macbeth” in a theater is cursed• There are a variety of traditional rituals used to ward

off evil when the play is mentioned, such as turning three times, spitting over one's left shoulder, swearing, or reciting a line from another of Shakespeare's plays, often "Angels and ministers of grace defend us," (Hamlet 1.IV),

• Those who believe in the curse of Macbeth claim its origin to be in the three Witches, who in the play are said to be casting real spells

Strange Occurrences • During the first performance of Macbeth, William Shakespeare himself was forced to

play Lady Macbeth when the boy designated to play her suddenly became overcome with sickness and died.

• King James was so displeased with the play that it was banned for five years. • In Amsterdam in 1672, the actor playing Macbeth substituted the blunt stage dagger

with a real one, and with killed his co-actor playing Duncan right in front of the live audience.

• There was even an incident in 1721 where the army had to be called in. Some hecklers were annoying some of the actors on the stage. The actors responded by attacking the hecklers with their swords.

• During its 1849 performance at New York's Astor Place, 31 people were trampled to death in a riot that had broken out.

• In 1934, British actor Malcolm Keen turned mute on stage, and his replacement developed a high fever and had to be hospitalized.

• In 1937, a 25 pound stage weight crashed within an inch of him Laurence Olivier (who was playing Macbeth). Not only that, but his sword broke on stage flew into the audience, hitting a man who later suffered a heart attack. Also, Both the director and the actress playing Lady Macduff were involved in a car accident on the way to the theater, and the proprietor of the theater died of a heart attack during the dress rehearsal.

• In the 1942, three actors in another production of Macbeth died, and the costume and set designer committed suicide.

• Diana Wynyard sleepwalked off the rostrum in 1948 and feel down 15 feet. • In Bermuda, 1953, Charlton Heston suffered severe burns in his groin and leg from

tights that were accidentally soaked in kerosene. Rip Torn's seemed to be unable to get away from the curse

MACBETH• RULE FOR RENAISSANCE TRAGEDIES - About real people whose deeds are recorded in history• Story of Macbeth, a noble, whose greed for the throne leads him

to trecherous acts including his own doom

THEMES: • Appearances can be deceptive• Loyalty is often in conflict• When ambition is an end itself, it can run out of control• Guilt is a powerful emotion, immune to reason• Our natures are fixed, and we suffer the consequences• Fear affects judgment and makes people dangerous.• There exists a natural order –to behave “unnaturally” is to invite

disaster.• Lust for power can lead to loss of humanity.

Characters• Macbeth & Lady Macbeth• Duncan, Malcolm & Donalbain• Banquo• Macduff (also Lady Macduff & Son)• Lennox, Ross, Menteith, Angus & Caithness• Fleance• Siward & Young Siward• Seyton• English Dr., Scottish Dr., Old man, porter, • The three murderers• Hecate and the 3 witches• The ghosts (apparitions)• Lords, officers, soldiers, attendants and messengers

The Tragic Hero

• Usually male• Often discovers his fate at the last

minute• He sees and understands his doom• Usually a respected person (ie. king

or nobility)• He makes a fatal error or has a tragic

flaw• Suffers an ultimate downfall, usually

death when it is too late to reverse his prior actions

Literary Terms

• Paradox• Tragedy• Imagery• Foreshadowing• Figurative Language• Aside, Soliloquy • Archaic Language• Iambic Pentameter• Blank Verse• Conflict & Resolution