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Bloom’s: knowledge, comprehension

Objectives

Macbeth

THE THREE WITCHES, 1827 A painting by Alexandre-Marie Colin

“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it?”(Jeremiah 17:9)

In a brief paragraph, explain the meaning of this quote. How might this quote relate to the character of Macbeth?

Journal This

Macbeth’s

About the Author

That is a lot of writing!

• Shakespeare was born in Stratford, England in 1564, but no one knows the actual day of Shakespeare’s birth!

• He wrote 37 plays as well as 154 sonnets, but Shakespeare himself never published any of his plays!

• Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer in the English language.

• Surprisingly, Shakespeare's family was illiterate!

Stratford

London

Illiterate means they could not read or write! Imagine that!

Look at the map. It gives a good idea as to where Stratfordis located.

The Curse The “curse of Macbeth” is one of the most well-known superstitions in thetheatre. According to superstition:

• it is extremely bad luck to say the name “Macbeth” anywhere near a theatre. Instead, Shakespeare's Macbeth is called “the Scottish play”. • some people believed that the witches’ incantations were real and caused disasters to occur.

• some actors who have acted in the play fall victim to mysterious tragedies.

Do You Know About the Curse?

Comprehension Check

Directions: select the best answer to each question

1. The author of Macbeth is a) Queen Elizabeth b) William Shakespeare c) Romeo

b) William Shakespeare

2. The plague that swept through England was called a) Black Death b) Red Death c) influenzaa) Black Death

3. Who did the real Pocahontas marry?a) Will Smith b) John Rolfe c) John Smith

b) John Rolfe

Objectives

Bloom’s: knowledge, comprehension

1. Examine the Globe Theater

2. Identify Elements of a Shakespearean Play

“All the World’s A Stage...”

• The first Globe Theatre was built in 1599 during the Elizabethan age. It was almost round-shaped with the roof partly covered.

• People did not go to plays at night because there wasn’t any electricity. The only source of light for the stage was the sun; this is why the middle of the theater was open to the sky.

Sometimes in a play characters talk to themselves out loud and can talk for quite a long time. When characters do this, it is called a soliloquy.

Shakespeare often uses the soliloquy in his plays to let a character express their private thoughts and feelings. These speeches are performed when the character is alone on the stage. Soliloquies are a way for the audience to connect to and better understand that character.

Like the soliloquy, an aside is on stage, but away from the other characters. The actor either speaks an aside to himself or secretively to another character. Sometimes the actor speaks directly to the audience. A clever device really!

Soliloquies and Asides

Soliloquy

Aside

Theme

A theme is the main idea of the story or the message the author wants the reader to understand. The message is usually aboutlife, society or human nature.

In Macbeth, there are many themes - it seems Shakespearewanted the reader tounderstand a lot about people.

There are many themes in the play: the tragic hero, corruption, extreme ambition, and fate.

The play takes place in Scotland around 1050 A.D. when Scotland was an independent, separate country from England, and ruled by kings who were allowed to choose their ownsuccessors.

On July 1, 1999, the Scottish Parliament was opened. It was the first Scottish Parliament in over 300 years.

Scotland has over 600 square miles of fresh water lochs (lakes). One of the most famous is Loch Ness where a mysterious monster is said to live.

Famous people of Scotland include: William Wallace, Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, the poet, RobertBurns, Arthur Conan Doyle and SeanConnery.

Scotland

Scotland

EnglandWalesIreland

How Shakespeare Designed Macbeth

ACT IExposition

ACT IIIClimax

ACT IVFalling Action

ACT VResolution

ACT IIRising Action

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is divided into five parts, and follows a pattern that looks something like this:

Characters are the people in the story. There are many different kinds of characters in a story, just like there are many different people in the world.

A protagonist is a main character

who is a “good” person.

An antagonist is a person (or

thing) who works against the protagonist.

Protagonists and Antagonists

Macbeth is the play’s protagonist, but sometimes he is his own worst enemy.

The three witches are the antagonists in the play.

Who’s Who in the Play

1. King Duncan appoints _______________ to the throne.a) Banquo b) Macbeth c) Malcolm

c) Malcolm

2. Lady Macbeth decides _____________ must become king.a) Macbeth b) Duncan c) Malcolma) Macbeth

3. Lady Macbeth calls on _________ to give her strength and make her evil.a) spirits b) Duncan c) Macbetha) spirits

Comprehension Check

Directions: select the best answer to each question

Act 1, scenes 1 and 2 ~ Something Wicked

In other words, PAY ATTENTION!

So, what is a heath? A heath is wasteland overgrown with bushes.

What does giving this title to Macbeth show?

Like many of Shakespeare’s plays, the prologue or the first scene tells the story of the play. If you read carefully, you will know what happens in the entire play.

scene 1Three witches are on a stormy heath in Scotland, waiting to meetMacbeth.

scene 2The Scottish and Norwegian army are at war. King Duncan of Scotland is informed of Macbeth and Banquo's bravery in battle and of Macdonwald, who has turned traitor and takes the side of the Norwegians. Duncan stripsMacdonwald of his title, Thane ofCawdor, and gives it to Macbeth.

Act 2, scene 3 – Knock, Knock. Who’s There?

Beelzebub is another name for Satan or the devil. Shakespeare to throws in a touch of humor to a rather serious situation.

Macbeth is playing it just a little too cool don’t you think?

Why are Duncan’s sons preparing to leave?

scene 3Early the next morning a servant hears knocking. He stumbles through the hall to open the door and shouts, “Who’s there, i’ th’ name of Beelzebub?” Macduff and Lennox are at the door.

Macbeth sees his guest who explainthat they are there at King Duncan’srequest. Macbeth tells them that theking is still sleeping, but offers to take Macduff to Duncan’s chambers. Macduff enters the king’s room onlyto run out crying, “Oh horror, horror,horror!”

By now most of the castle knows that the king has been murdered. Macduff is suspicious. Lady Macbeth is taken away, and Duncan’s sons prepare leave.

Objective

Blooms: Knowledge, comprehension, analysis, application, synthesis

1. Demonstrate and Apply Knowledge

with Reproducible Graphic

Organizers

Main Event(s) in Act ___

Who? (Be sure to list who was involved in the event.)

What? (Be sure to list the important events in the scene.)

So what? (what might happen in the next act because of these events?)

Summarize This!

Reproducible: Permission granted to teachers to duplicate for instructional use. Reproduction by others for any purpose is prohibited without written permission from Simply-Novel.com. © 2010