Macbeth Journals

Have you ever done something that betrayed who you are?

Pick a wrong out of a hat. Journal about how you ended up doing this thing that is not you, what extenuating circumstances led you to betraying your own values and ethics. In the journal, you are trying to defend yourself, even while admitting that what you did was wrong.

Self-Betrayal

Create heterogeneous groups, so that each of you has a different wrong. Then in groups, each one will take turns being “on trial.” You will briefly explain why you did what you did, trying to defend yourself. The rest of you will make counterarguments and sit in judgment on you.

Journal Follow-up

Is there anything you observed or learned as a result of doing this journal and group activity?

Journal/Group Activity Follow-up

Ambition, in the sense of aspiring to be something better, is generally considered a good quality. But is there a point when that ceases to be true? Is there such a thing as too much ambition? How would you define what is too much?

What would you personally be willing to do to achieve your goals? What price is too high? What are the possible consequences and side effects of using any means to get what you want?

Do you think that power is inherently corrupting?

Ambition

How soon after hearing the witches’ prophecies does Macbeth begin to think about murdering Duncan? What is the effect of this “horrid image” and “fantastical murder” (Act 1, Scene 3, line 148 and 153) on Macbeth? Why do you think the witches target Macbeth? Do you think the witches are purely evil or simply agents of fate (which is sometimes called just another word for character)? Ultimately, what do you believe is the source of evil and the origin of temptation? Is it something within us or outside of us? Does Macbeth think about regicide because of the witches’ prophecies., or because he is inherently too ambitious?

“Evil”

Macbeth is set in 11th century Scotland. What qualities did the ideal man seem to possess during this time period? Who might be a modern-day version of Macbeth? How does Macbeth compare to what you believe makes an ideal man? How does Lady Macbeth compare to your notions of the ideal woman? Does our concept of what makes an ideal person change over time, or has it changed over time? Who are some people that represent the ideal to you? Do we even look for such ideals in our lives today?

Ideal

Since tragedies depict the suffering of an individual, what appeal do they have for audiences and readers? What do we get out of watching someone suffer and die?Aristotle argued that tragedies should be spiritually or intellectually uplifting, ennobling and enlarging. Is this a contradiction? Explain. How does catharsis work exactly? Is this possibly part of the appeal? Can you think of any modern-day equivalents to tragedy that might have the same kind of effect and appeal?Consider this line from the musical The Fantasticks: “Without a hurt the heart is hollow.” What does that mean?Someone also famously said that comedy equals tragedy plus time. What does that mean?

The Purpose of Tragedy

In Act 3 of Macbeth, Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft says, “Security is mortal’s chiefest enemy.”

Is this a paradox? In what sense is this statement contradictory, and in what sense does it nevertheless express a truth? Does it express insight into human nature in general?

What are some modern-day parallels?

Security

Lady Macduff only makes a brief appearance in the play, and yet she is given some important lines, and is a striking foil to Lady Macbeth (as Macduff is to Macbeth).

In response to Macduff’s having fled to England, she states, “All is fear, and nothing is the love, / As little is the wisdom, where the flight / So runs against all reason” (4. 2. 8-16).

How do the above words provide commentary and a different perspective on the events of the play?

Later Lady Macduff is warned that her life is in danger and that she should flee, and she responds, “Whither should I fly? / I have done no harm. But I remember now / I am in this earthly world, where to do harm / Is often laudable*, to do good sometime / Accounted dangerous folly” (4. 2. 72-5).

Explain and evaluate this statement. Is it true that doing harm is often praised and doing good seen as stupid?

How does Lady Macduff’s outlook fit or contrast with the larger theme/s of the play? Do you agree with her viewpoint? Explain.

* praiseworthy

Lady Macduff

The idea of human banishment from an ideal world is an archetypal theme that can be traced back to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

To what extent can we connect Macbeth’s story to this archetypal theme?

In other words, does he dwell in an “ideal” world or embody an ideal when we first meet him? Consider both his internal and external state.

Is he tempted by evil?

Is the result of this temptation, a figurative expulsion from his ideal world, from his own ideal, and from everything that is good and innocent and natural in life?

Is this a self-banishment?

What other imagery in the play supports a parallel to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve?

Banishment

The philosopher Emmanuel Kant said, “Morality is not properly the doctrine of how we may make ourselves happy, but how we may make ourselves worthy of happiness.” That idea certainly applies to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth: their lack of morality leads to their unhappiness. Do you think a person can lack virtue and still find happiness? Explain.

Morality

Almost all the scenes that recur to memory in this play take place either at night or in some dark spot. How is Macbeth a preoccupation of the fears and tensions of darkness? Is there any color in the play?

Shakespeare uses the word “blood” well over a hundred times in Macbeth. What do you think blood symbolizes?

What is sleep? Why is Macbeth the murderer of sleep and why will Macbeth “sleep no more”? What does sleep symbolize in the play?

What other symbols have you noticed that are at work in this play?

Symbols

Aristotle defined a classical tragedy as having the following elements: The cast is made up of elevated characters, i.e. nobility or royalty. One of these characters will rise as a hero, but he will also eventually fall; this fall will be due to a character defect, or a tragic flaw. The hero recognizes his mistake, but it’s too late to change the chain of events. Finally, the tragic hero suffers immensely but meets his end with dignity.

To what extent does Macbeth fit the definition of a classical tragedy? Evaluate Macbeth the character as a tragic hero: Does he fit all the criteria? Try to examine both sides of the question.

Tragic hero

Though Macbeth takes place in Scotland nearly a thousand years ago, many of the issues are still relevant today. People are still ambitious; people still commit crimes to get what they want; people are still tortured by their consciences; the health of society is still affected by the health of the individuals, and vice versa. What are the modern-day connections in film, television, video games, music, etc. you can make to Macbeth?Explain the cross-over: how are similar conflicts and themes portrayed today?

Modern-Day Macbeth