Macbeth Mind Map - Context

Tragedy
1. At the beginning Macbeth is viewed as a hero and very brave for killing the enemies of the king. He receives a lot of praise and respect from his peers. Later on this is completely flipped around and he is viewed int he complete opposite way as he kills people for his own selfish need, he doesn't acre who it is.
2. Tragedies are plays about the downfall of characters and they normally end up dying at the ned. Macbeth is about the downfall of Macbeth and he dies at the end as well as Lady Macbeth.
3. Causes of tragedy
  1. Witches prophecies
    1. Some of the prophecies that the witches told Macbeth made him commit murders. Such as, they told him Banquo would have children who will become king so Macbeth hired men to kill Banquo to stop any of Banquos future children getting in the way of the throne
    2. You could also say that if the witches didn't tell Macbeth his fate then he may have not been so eager to achieve it.
  2. Lady Macbeth
    1. She convinced Macbeth that killing Duncan was the right thing to do and manipulated him constantly into doing the dirty work. She doesn't acre if it effects him she just wants power.
  3. Macbeth
    1. Makes himself suffer because of his own greed, he leads himself to a tragic ending. His chase for power means he loses his wife.
Supernatural & gender
1. Supernatural is something that can't be explained. there are many examples of this in Macbeth such as: ghosts, a floating dagger and witches.
2. In the time the play was written it was a big thing that women were subordinate to men. They were not equal and were told they were not as important. Women were expected to obey their husbands even though they did not treat them equally.
  1. However Shakespeare had many powerful woman in his plays one of them being Lady Macbeth. She seems so have somewhat of power over Macbeth and is very influential over him. In the scene where Duncan comes to Macbeth's castle Lady Macbeth greets him which is very unusual as it was normally the male to greet the guests as he was seen as the head of the house.
3. In this time men with a good status in society were expected to act in an honourable way with loyalty and bravery.
  1. Macbeth starts off acting very brave and loyal especially to the king however later on the tables completely turn and he commits treason to the king by killing him.
Politics & monarchy
1. Some people thought that Macbeth was written as a caution to people to show them what would happen if they committed treason to the king
2. People believed that the king was appointed by God and could answer to no-one apart from God. If you tried to remove the King it was a crime against God
  1. King Duncan was chosen by God to be King, so when Macbeth murders Duncan and takes the throne he is committing a murder against God. Therefore disrupts the natural order and has many consequences such as: hallucinations, loses his wife and loses his own life.
    1. When Macbeth dies the next God-appointed Kings take the throne - Malcolm. Therefore the royal line ultimately wins and takes control again.
3. Pleasing the King
  1. James I (the ruler at the time) was also James VI of Scotland and rules in Both England and Scotland at the same time. Macbeth was set in Scotland and written about a Scottish King.
  2. James I hated witchcraft and in Macbeth the witches were one of the main causes of the ultimate downfall of the Scottish King.
  3. In the end the Royal line ultimately takes control despite the Devil - the witches.

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Macbeth Mind Map - Context

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	Created by alexandria hobday about 5 years ago