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Carey Grant
Ms. McKnight
English IV – 4
24 March 2017
Annotated Bibliography
Thesis: The three witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth not only represent fate but they are
responsible for Macbeth’s downfall. Their prophecy that Macbeth would be king stirred his
ambition and gave Lady Macbeth cause to push him to murder Duncan in order to seize the
throne of Scotland.
Kinney, Arthur F. "Scottish History, the Union of the Crowns, and the Issue of Right Rule: The
Case of Shakespeare's Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism, edited by Michelle Lee, vol.
114, Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Accessed 7 Feb. 2017.
This article analyzing the Holinshed’s history of Macbeth and compares it to that of
Shakespeare’s play of the same name. The author asserts that Shakespeare’s Macbeth
was not so much written to flatter King James I but to act as a warning against a ruler
becoming too ambitious. According to Holinshed’s history, the Macbeth from history
was no more ambitious than anyone else of his time and he was a far cry from the tyrant
he was made out to be in the play.
Kranz, David L. "The Sounds of Supernatural Soliciting in Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism,
edited by Michelle Lee, vol. 90, Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Accessed 7 Feb.
2017.
This article dissects the words of the three witches throughout the play. It includes an
analysis of the witches’ words and how they affect Macbeth and his actions in the play.
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Finally, Kranz concludes that the witches’ words are repeated in those of the other
characters in Macbeth.
O'Rourke, James L. "The Subversive Metaphysics of Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism, edited
by Michelle Lee, vol. 81, Gale, 2004. Literature Resource Center. Accessed 7 Feb. 2017.
The author of this literary analysis considers whether the actions of the tragic hero are
driven by free will or by fate in the form of the three witches. He outlines how much
Macbeth is responsible for his actions in the play. Finally, the author analyzes Macbeth’s
soliloquys to dissect what he was thinking and if his actions matched the thoughts he
expressed in his prolonged ponderings.
Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Hamlet.” The Folger Shakespeare Library, edited by
Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1992.
The quintessential play of revenge tells the story of three sons who seek to avenge their
father’s death. Hamlet is charged by his late father’s ghost to avenge his murder and kill
his uncle, Claudius. Fortinbras, Prince of Norway, marches to Denmark to avenge his
father’s death by regaining the lands lost by Norway to King Hamlet. And Laertes seeks
to avenge his father’s murder by killing Hamlet under the pretense of a duel.
Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” British Literature. Holt McDougal, 2010.
The tragic story of a Scottish Thane whose over ambition leads to his downfall. He not
only murders his honorable king but through an endless amount of further bloodshed,
kills his moral conscience. But his downfall is not entirely his own fault, as he is deceived
by the prophecies of three evil witches and pushed to commit his first murder by his
malicious wife.