The Tragedy of Macbeth Main Characters - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

The Tragedy of MacbethMain Characters

Duncan – King of Scotland, evidently a mild-mannered king, murdered by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

Malcolm- son of Duncan. When Duncan is murdered, Malcolm, fearful of meeting the same fate, flies to England.

Macduff

urges Malcolm to

retrun

to Scotland and claim his throne.Slide2

Character List Continued

Macbeth – General of the King’s army, afterwards King of Scotland. He recoils at first from the murder of Duncan even though he is ambitious to become king. Under the prodding of his wife, he murders King Duncan.

Banquo

– General of the King’s army. Macbeth murders

Banquo

because Macbeth realizes that

Banquo

suspects that Macbeth murdered Duncan.Slide3

Characters Continued

Macduff

– Macbeth’s special nemesis. Since

Macduff

has been born without the labor of his mother, he can circumvent the prophecy made to Macbeth by the witches.

Lady Macbeth – wife to Macbeth. She has often been played as a villainess. She seems more bloodthirsty than her husband in the early stages of the play. Her sleepwalking scene in Act V shows that she possesses a conscience. Slide4

Supporting Characters

Angus – Scottish noble

Caithness

– Scottish noble

Donalbain

– younger son of Duncan

Fleance

–

Banquo’s

son, who manages to escape his father’s fate

Hecate

Lennox – Scottish noble

Lady

MacDuff

– killed by order of MacbethSlide5

Supporting Characters Continued

Menteith

– Scottish noble

Ross – Scottish noble

Seyton

– an officer attending Macbeth

Siward

– Earl of Northumberland

Young

Siward

– Northumberland’s son

Three Witches – the weird sisters

Gentlewoman; an old man; an English doctor and a Scotch doctor; Captain; a drunken porter etc.Slide6

Background

The probable date of composition is 1606. The only text is to be found in the First Folio (1623), a version which many scholars believe to be garbled.Slide7

Act I

Duncan, King of Scotland, has found it necessary to meet two threats to his kingdom. The first threat, a rebellion led by Macdonald, has been put down by Macbeth and

Banquo

. Then the

Norweigians

launched an attack on Scotland. When Macbeth and

Banquo

meet three witches, they hail Macbeth first as Thane of

Glamis

, next thane of Cawdor , and finally as one who shall be king hereafter. Macbeth’s ambition begins to grow. When King Duncan decides to stay the night at Macbeth’s castle, Lady MacbethSlide8

Act I Continued

Reinforces Macbeth’s desire to kill King Duncan while he sleeps at their home.

Although Macbeth realizes there are many reasons why he shouldn’t commit the crime, he determines to proceed.Slide9

Act II

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth go ahead with their plans for murder. Lady Macbeth drugged the King’s servants whom she plans to blame for the crime. Macbeth enters the King’s chamber and stabs King Duncan. Lady Macbeth smears the blood on the King’s servants, so they will be blamed for the murder.

Macduff

and Lennox have traveled here to meet the King, and they discover the murdered king. The servants are immediately blamed and Macbeth then kills them to avenge the death( to keep them quiet). The King’s sons Malcolm and

Donalbain

fear for their lives andSlide10

Act II Continued

flee to England and Ireland . Because of their quick departure, they are believed to be accomplices in the murder of their father. Macbeth is then chosen to

be king.Slide11

Act III Summary

Scene 1

At the king’s palace at

Forres

,

Banquo

reveals that he suspects Macbeth of having murdered Duncan. Macbeth invites

Banquo

to a banquet that night and learns that

Banquo

and his son

Fleance

will come. Macbeth hires three murderers to kill

Banquo

and

Fleance

.Slide12

Act III

Scene 2

Lady Macbeth expresses her discontent in a brief soliloquy. She urges Macbeth to be fearless and more cheerful. Macbeth says that he envies Duncan, who is at peace, and says that he fears

Banquo

and his children. He also says that a dreadful deed will soon be accomplished. He tells Lady Macbeth nothing of his plans to have

Banquo

and

Fleance

murdered.Slide13

Act III

Scene 3

Near the palace the murderers kill

Banquo

.

Fleance

escapes.

Scene 4

The banquet at

Forres

is under way when one of the murderers calls Macbeth aside to tell him that

Banquo

is dead but

Fleance

is not. Macbeth alone among the guests sees

Banquo’s

ghost. He speaks to it, causing the other guests to think he is mad.

He and Lady Macbeth say that he is ill, and Lady Macbeth dismisses the guests. Macbeth says that he will send for

Macduff

and visit the witches.Slide14

Act III

Scene 5

At a witches’ haunt, Hecate, the queen of the witches, meets the weird sisters and berates them for leaving her out of their dealings with Macbeth.

Scene 6

A conversation in the palace brings developments up-to-date. Lennox explains his suspicions of Macbeth and asks a Scottish lord where

Macduff

is in England, raising an army against Macbeth. Macbeth, he reports summoned

Macduf

but

Macduff

refused to come.Slide15

Act IV

Scene 1

The weird sisters chant before a caldron. Macbeth enters demanding to know the future. The witches show him three apparitions (an armed head, a bloody child, and a child wearing a crown), and theses visions give him advice and make predictions. The first tells Macbeth to beware of

Macduff

; the second says that no one born of woman will hurt Macbeth; and the third tells him that he will not be conquered until

Birnam

Wood comes to

Dunsinane

. Slide16

Act IV Scene 1 Continued

When Macbeth demands to learn more, the witches show him another apparition: eight kings, including

Banquo

, who points to these kings as his descendants and holds up a mirror to indicate the continuation of his line. The witches vanish, and Lennox appears and tells Macbeth that

Macduff

has fled to England. As the scene ends Macbeth is planning to murder Lady

Macduff

, her children, and anyone else of

Macduff’s

lineage.Slide17

Act IV

Scene 2

At

Macduff’s

castle, Ross tells Lady

Macduff

that

Macduff

has gone to England. Ross leaves and as

Macduff

has gone to England. Ross leaves, and as Lady

Macduff

and her young son talk, a messenger arrives and warns them to flee. The murderers arrive immediately and kill first her son and then her.

Scene 3

In England,

Macduff

attempts to secure Malcolm’s aid in fighting Macbeth. Malcolm first tests

Macduff’s

loyalty to Scotland. Slide18

Act IV Scene 3 Continued

After

Macduff

proves his integrity, Malcolm tells him that an army is ready to attack Macbeth. Ross then tells

Macduff

that his wife, children, and servants have been murdered.

Macduff

prays to meet Macbeth in battle.Slide19

Act V

Scene 1

At the castle at

Dunsinane

, Lady Macbeth’s lady-in-waiting and doctor discuss Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking. As they talk, Lady Macbeth enters, walking in her sleep. She rubs her hands repeatedly as if to rid them of the blood that she imagines stains them. From Lady Macbeth’s words the onlookers infer that the

Mabeths

murdered Duncan. The doctor will not speak of his suspicions.Slide20

Act V

Scene 2

In

Birnam

Wood, near

Dunsinane

, Malcolm,

Macduff

, and their forces gather. The Scottish lords discuss their plans and Macbeth’s reported state of mind.

Scene3

Inside the castle at

Dunsinane

, Macbeth, because of the witches’ prophecies, feels confident that he is invincible. A servant brings news of the approaching army.Slide21

Act V

Scene 4

The troops have gathered near

Birnam

Wood to attack Macbeth. Malcolm orders the soldiers to carry branches from the woods as camouflage.

Scene 5

In the castle at

Dunisnane

, as Macbeth awaits the approaching army, an offstage cry is heard.

Seyton

, Macbeth’s attendant, enters with news that lady Macbeth is dead. Macbeth delivers his famous soliloquy(“tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow…”). A messenger brings the news that

Birnam

Wood is approaching the castle.Slide22

Act V

Scene 6

On the field near the castle, Malcolm orders his troops to throw down their camouflage and attack.

Scene 7

Elsewhere on the field, Macbeth kills Young

Siward

, son of

Siward

, the earl of Northumberland. Macbeth exits with

Macduff

in pursuit.Slide23

Act V

Scene 8

Elsewhere on the field,

Macduff

confronts Macbeth, who at first refuses to fight him, warning him that no one born of a woman can harm him.

Macduff

explains that he was not born of a woman but by Caesarean section. Macbeth still refuses to fight, but

Macduff

goads him by vowing to place him in a cage and display him as a fallen tyrant. Their fight begins and continues offstage. Ross reports to

Siward

that Young

Siward

has died bravely.

Macduff

returns with the head of Macbeth and acclaims Malcolm king of Scotland. Malcolm promises to restore peace and order to Scotland.