1
Contents
Forword3
Key Materials
Why Shakespeare?4
Key Characters5
Synopsis6
Themes & Analysis
It’s a Man’s World: Gender
7
Out of this World: The Supernatural 9
Worlds Apar t: Tragedy
11
Performance
All the World’s a Stage: Staging
13
Creating the World: Atmosphere
15
Character Analysis
Macbeth16
Lady Macbeth19
The Witches20
Further Questions21
This education pack is
provided to schools by
Cambridge University
European Theatre Group
as part of their 2014 tour.
Contributors
Mar the de Ferrer
Education Off icer
Joe Winters
Business Manager
Nicholas Hulber t
Director
Isolde Penwarden
Assistant Director
Shanti Daffern
Lighting Designer
Design
Emily New ton
Cambridge University
European Theatre Group
ADC Theatre
Park Street
Cambridge CB5 8AS
Contact Us
Harriet Webb, Tour Manager
[email protected]
Mar the de Ferrer, Education
[email protected]
W E LCO M E
2
Forword
I hope that, between this pack and
the per formance of Macbeth you
are soon to see, we can inspire
the same love of Shakespeare
that’s motivated us to put on this
production.
Welcome to Cambridge University European
Theatre Group’s education pack for Macbeth,
our 2014 touring production.This pack is
intended to help fur ther your understanding of
Macbeth, as well as our motivation for staging
it.
I was lucky enough to have worked
on Macbeth as a child attending
weekend classes at the Central
School of Speech and Drama in
London, and ever since then it’s
been close to my hear t. In some
ways, this is a very modern story
about betrayal, friendship and the
opaque, often incomprehensible
world just beyond our window –
and undeniably, it’s one that’s
resonated down the ages since
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth at
the turn of the 17th century.
The beauty of literature is that it is subjective,
and this pack is not intended to give you
any concrete answers, instead offering
you a variety of ideas to inform your own
interpretaation of the tex t. I have tried to
keep it as relevant as possible, with references
to a range of productions (including ours),
alongside tex tual analysis.
I can’t wait to meet some of you
and see your own reactions to the
play, whether that be ink on the
page, or on your feet in one of our
workshops, and, I hope, you’ll feel
some of the passion that we have
felt for this play.
Nicholas Hulbert
Director
W E LCO M E
In my opinion there is nothing worse than a
passive audience, I believe theatre should be
engaging and challenging, which Macbeth
cer tainly is. I hope that through this education
pack, your reading of the tex t, and our
production in December that you will develop
your own, personal understanding of this
fantastic play.
Online
You can access this pack - including our class
activities, fur ther information about our
production, and all ex ternal links - on our
website: www.cuetg.co.uk/education
Marthe de Ferrer
Education Off icer
3
Why Shakespeare?
Shakespeare is undoubtedly the most widely
studied playwright of all time, leading many
people to ask the question: why? There were
other writers working at the same time,
producing similar quantities of work, but no
one has the same level of recognition.
Shakespeare’s writing helped shape the
language we speak today, with words and
phrases that have become key elements of our
daily vocabularies. You may not realise what
a profound impact Shakespeare has had upon
your own speech, until you actually examine it
closely. Take a look at some of the words and
phrases recorded for the f irst time in his work.
In par ticular, here are three very different
examples from Macbeth - relevant to comedy,
philosophy, and politics:
‘Knock knock! Who’s there?’
Macbeth
‘All of a sudden’
The Taming of the Shrew
‘A heart of gold’
Henry V
‘Fashionable’
Troilus and Cressida
‘Neither here nor there’
Othello
‘Swagger’
Henry V
‘Spotless reputation’
Richard II
‘For goodness sake’
Henry VIII
‘Obscene’
Love’s Labour’s Lost
‘Faint-hearted’
Henry VI Par t I
‘Puking’
As You Like It
This is only a very small sample of the
words and phrases that come from his
works! In total, Shakespeare introduced
over 2000 words to the English
language.
‘Come what, come may’
Macbeth
‘Assassination’
Macbeth
Some of Shakespeare’s most dramatic
langauge can be found in his insults! Visit:
cuetg.co.uk/education/shakespeare-insults
Aside from linguistic reasons, Shakespeare is
revered so highly because his plays are seen
as universally appealing; he wrote about
fundamental human issues such as love,
friendship, and vengeance - which remain
unchanged across time. Shakespeare’s work has
been translated and adapted countless times, into
different locations, time-frames, and languages
- and they continue to be impor tant pieces with
pervasive and ubiquitous themes. Equally, the
plays can be per formed in the most traditional
sense, unchanged in time and location, and still
rival the very best of contemporary theatre.
K E Y M AT E R I A L S
Shakespeare manages to give voices to even
the most marginalised in society, with some
of the greatest female roles of all time being
Shakespearian, despite writing at a time when
women were not allowed on stage!
Impor tantly, the characters in Shakespeare are
fallible and accessible; regardless of their social
status, their f laws are par t of well-rounded
characters that seem real. Macbeth, as you will
see, is a deeply f lawed character, which helps
us understand him and makes him fantastic to
watch on stage.
44
Key Characters in Macbeth
Macbeth
is the thane (a kind of Scottish lord) of Glamis, and a brave and power ful Scottish general,
although not the most vir tuous of men. He responds to problems with violence, but is ultimately
unable to cope with the psychological consequences of his actions.
Lady Macbeth
is the highly ambitious wife of Macbeth, and the more ruthless of the pair. Much like her husband,
she too struggles with her actions, descending into guilt-ridden madness.
Duncan
is the King of Scotland at the star t of the play, famed for being a benevolent and vir tuous leader.
Malcolm
is the son of King Duncan, who poses a threat to Macbeth’s Kingship.
Banquo
is a Scottish general, who encounters the witches alongside Macbeth. He is por trayed as brave,
noble, and ambitious - but without the ruthlessness of Macbeth.
Macduff
is a Scottish nobleman who protests Macbeth’s kingship early on.
Lennox
is a Scottish nobleman.
The Witches
are of indeterminate gender, and separate from the other characters, operating outside the
hierarchy the rest fall into. They plot mischief against Macbeth and others through their prophecies
and spells.
K E Y M AT E R I A L S
55
Synopsis
Act 1
Macbeth, a heroic Scottish general, wins
impressive battles against the Norwegians and
the rebel army. On his way home with Banquo,
Macbeth encounters the three witches, who
prophesise that he shall become Thane of
Cawdor and future King of Scotland. Banquo
is told that he shall be the father of a long
line of kings, but not be king himself. Upon the
witches’ disappearance, Macbeth is informed
that he has been made Thane of Cawdor by
King Duncan, sparking his belief in the witches
and their prophecies. Macbeth immediately
informs his wife, Lady Macbeth, of the news
and the witches’ predictions, which drives her
ambition fur ther as she convinces her husband
to murder King Duncan and take control of his
fates.
Act 2
Macbeth murders King Duncan, leaving him in
a state of distress. Lady Macbeth mocks her
husband’s weakness, but helps him frame the
guards for the act. Duncan’s sons, Malcolm
and Donalbain, f lee the country, fearing that
they are going to be targeted. As predicted,
Macbeth is crowned King of Scotland, but
Macduff (a Scottish nobleman) refuses to
attend the ceremony, suspecting Macbeth of
wrongdoing.
Act 3
Banquo begins to grow suspicious of Macbeth,
whilst Macduff f lees to England in order to
place Malcolm on the throne. Macbeth is
acutely aware that Banquo has suspicions,
and that he is destined to father future Kings
of Scotland. Fearing that he will usurp the
throne, Macbeth hires assassins to kill Banquo
and his son, Fleance. Banquo’s ghost appears to
K E Y M AT E R I A L S
Macbeth during a banquet, haunting him; Lady
Macbeth explains this to guests as ‘f its’, who
begin to question his state of mind. Macbeth
decides to return to the Witches to receive
more prophecies.
Act 4
The Witches inform Macbeth that he should
fear Macduff, although no one born of woman
can hur t him, and that he will not be defeated
until Birnam woods moves to Dunsinane,
the royal castle. Believing that everyone is
born of a woman, and that woods cannot
move, Macbeth takes this to mean that he is
safe and indestructible. He punishes Macduff
for undermining his Kingship by ordering the
murder of Macduff’s family and servants. At
the same time in England, Malcolm recognises
Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland, and agrees
to provide an army, accompanying him to
Scotland to remove Macbeth.
Act 5
Upon hearing that an English army is
approaching, Macbeth prepares for battle
with his diminished army. Lady Macbeth,
however, cannot cope with the guilt she
feels for her actions, and commits suicide. At
the same time the English army camouf lage
themselves with branches from Birnam wood,
and head towards Dunsinane - fulf illing one
of the Witches’ prophesies. Macbeth heads
to Dunsinane to f ight with Macduff, where
he learns that Macduff was born through
Caesarean section (instead of ‘woman born’).
All the predictions are realised as Macduff
kills Macbeth, and Malcolm is hailed as King of
Scotland.
66
It’s a Man’s World
Gender in Macbeth
Shakespeare has created some ex traordinary
female roles throughout his work, and whilst
Macbeth is still a predominantly male cast, a
good por tion of the tex t is taken up by the
formidable Lady Macbeth. She is one of the
most coveted roles amongst actresses, as she
is one of the strongest and most infamous
Shakespearian women. Lady Macbeth as a
character will be looked at more closely later
on, but this section looks at the importance of
gender in the play.
Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth (1889)
John Singer Sargeant
At the time Macbeth was being written there
was a great deal of superstition about the
perceived power of women. Many feared the
inf luence women could have on the lineage
of a family, through unfaithfulness - duping a
husband into raising another man’s child. It was
believed that women were responsible for the
traits a child inherits, through their nursing, and
thus they were responsible for bad children.
This irrational fear of women was pervasive
throughout England during Shakespeare’s
life, and it is no surprise that the women in
Macbeth feed into this superstition.
Masculinity is a signif icant par t of Macbeth,
it only by questioning the assassins manhood
that Macbeth is able to convince them to kill
Banquo. Once a question about masculinity
has been raised in the play, it is almost always
followed by violence. However, Shakespeare
is not one to present things in a simplistic
manner. Towards the end of the play, another
side of manhood is explored. As Macduff
learns of the death of his family, Malcolm is
fairly unsympathetic and tells him to “dispute it
like a man”, but Macduff replies, “I shall do so.
But I shall also feel it as a man”.
These beliefs stemmed largely from religion,
and it could be argued that the story of
Adam and Eve underlies the play. When Lady
Macbeth manipulates Macbeth into killing
Duncan she tells him to “look like the innocent
f lower, but be the serpent under’t” (I.v),
which immediately aligns her with Eve and the
Serpent from Genesis.
Shakespeare plays with gender norms
throughout Macbeth, disrupting the typical
order. Lady Macbeth is presented as being
just as ambitious and ruthless as a man,
something which she recognises as outside the
expectations for a woman, as she asks for the
spirits to “unsex” her. Let’s look at this speech
more closely.
T HE M E S & A N A LYS I S
7
Come, you spirits
That tend on mor tal thoughts, unsex me here,
And f ill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood;
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it! Come to my woman’s breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature’s mischief! Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry ‘Hold, hold!’”
The speech is full of gendered language, as
she talks about her “milk”, asking the spirits to
free her from the constraints of womanhood.
Lady Macbeth wishes to take on masculine
characteristics so that she can act upon her
ambitious nature. Throughout the play she
is presented as the dominant par tner in her
marriage, on many occasions ruling her husband’s
actions. This completely contradicted societal
expectations for women, shocking Shakespearian
audiences, which is a testament to Shakespeare’s
skill as a writer, as the role would have been
played by a man.
The three Witches are also a large par t of the
disruption of the sexes. The three of them are
troublesome and are seen as violating nature yet their gender identity is ambiguous. Banquo
states when he f irst encounters them that “you
should be women, and yet your beards forbid me
to interpret that you are so” (I.ii). Many critics
have seen the witches with their unclear sex
as Shakespeare criticising the male-dominated
culture; in fact some productions have shown
witches completely without gender - such as
in Akira Kurosawa’s f ilm adaptation Throne of
Blood.
T HE M E S & A N A LYS I S
Act I, Scene V
Discussion Points
1. Look at the way Lady Macbeth
convinces her husband to kill Duncan.
Do you think this strategy would have
worked for a man to convince a woman?
Or a man to convince another man?
2. How does the play def ine “manhood”?
What does it mean to be a man
in Macbeth?
3. Could it be argued that women are
only por trayed as dangerous forces
who are out to emasculate men?
4. Macbeth has been described as
Shakespeare’s most misogynistic play.
Do you agree?
Watch two separate per formances of
this soliloquy. What’s different? Why?
cuetg.co.uk/education/dench
cuetg.co.uk/education/fleetwood
8
Out of this World
The Supernatural in Macbeth
In Macbeth the supernatural is integral to the
plot, providing a catalyst for the action. It
appears to the audience in many forms, most
notably the witches, but also the f loating
dagger, prophetic apparitions, and ghosts. The
king at the time was James I, who was noted
for being an ardent believer in the supernatural
- much like the rest of the population. The
supernatural is used throughout Macbeth to
signify evil, with the two often being found
together.
The f loating dagger appears to Macbeth,
covered in blood and pointing to Duncan’s
room. It encourages Macbeth to commit the
murder, whilst also pref iguring the action
that is about to take place. What is unclear,
however, is whether the dagger is supposed
to be encouraging or discouraging the deed.
Does the blood seek to appall or enthrall? This
is deliberately unclear, and the uncer tainty the
audience feels is shared by Macbeth.
The ghost of Banquo is useful as it offers
fur ther insight into Macbeth’s character, as he
reacts with horror, upsetting the guests at the
banquet. The ghost is the supernatural symbol
of the acts that Macbeth committed, showing
the path that he could have chosen, as well
as a painful reminder of his deeds. It is wor th
noting that it is not the ghost of Duncan that
appears, despite Macbeth actually murdering
him with his own hands. Consider Macbeth’s
reaction to Banquo’s ghost:
Blood hath been shed ere now, i’ th’olden time,
Ere human statute purged the gentle weal:
Ay, and since too, murders have been per formed
Too terrible for the ear. The time has been
That, when the brains were out, the man would die,
And there an end. But now they rise again
With twenty mor tal murders on their crowns
And push us from our stools. This is more strange
Than such a murder is.
Act III, Scene iv
Arguably the most impor tant par t of the
supernatural in Macbeth is the presence of
the witches. As mentioned earlier, these
characters are signif icant in terms of gender,
but they are also par ticularly impor tant in
relation to the idea of fate.
Discuss
Think about other witches in literature
and popular culture. How and why are
they all different?
T HE M E S & A N A LYS I S
9
Witchcraft in
Shakespeare’s Time
Macbeth is estimated to have been
written in 1606, at which point
witchcraft was a deep-rooted social
fear, shared by the king at the time,
James I, who ended up invoking the
Witchcraft Act of 1604, making
it a a felony to “invoke evil spirits,
or commune with familiar spirits”,
which was punishable by death.
From the early 1600s there was
widespread hysteria surrounding
witches, with many self-proclaimed
witch-hunters emerging.
Matthew Hopkins was an English
witch-hunter during the witchcraft
craze in the 1640s. In 1644 he came
across six alleged witches, who he
claimed tried to kill him. He dubbed
himself a ‘Witch Finder General’,
hiring himself out to towns around
London, to track down witches,
force confessions, and then have
them hanged. Between 1644
and 1647 the victims numbered
approximately 230. His methods
were akin to torture, forcing the
accused to walk continuously at
night, flinging the women (who
were bound) into water, or often
burning them at the stake.
Macbeth is very similar in a lot of ways to Greek
tragedy (something which shall be further
explored later on), and the concept of the ‘fates’ is
very prominent in both. Greek tragedies, such as
Sophocles’ Oedipus for instance, relies heavily
on the notion that the tragic hero’s destiny is
set in stone. In Oedipus , Oedipus’s father, King
Laius, is told that his son would murder him and
marry his own mother; in an effort to prevent
this from happening Laius leaves him to die on
a mountainside. Oedipus then is raised by King
Polybus and Queen Merope after he is found by
shepherds, meaning that he never knew his true
parents and thus the initial prophecy comes true.
The message of much of Greek tragedy is the
inescapability of destiny: any attempt to try and
defy the fates leads to the downfall of the hero.
The same happens in Macbeth as Macbeth tries
to avoid being usurped as King, he guarantees his
own downfall. The Witches represent the fates,
luring Macbeth into a false sense of security as he
foolishly believes he cannot be defeated.
In Greek mythology the Fates were known as the
Moirai. The Moirai consisted of three goddesses
known as Clotho (spinner), Lachesis (allotter), and
Atropos (unturnable). The three were believed
to control the life of every mortal from birth to
death. They were seen as independent from the
gods, and were there to ensure that everyone’s
fate was fully realised without obstruction. In our
version of Macbeth the Witches are even more
closely linked with the Moirai, as the same actors
play countless other roles, demonstrating their
omnipresence and omnipotence.
Discussion Points
1. The Witches accurately predict Macbeth’s future, but do they control his fate?
2. Examine the Witches’ speech - how is it different from other characters in the play?
3. Why is it not Duncan that appears as a ghost?
4. To what ex tent does the supernatural represent fear of the unknown in Macbeth?
5. Why does Macbeth appear to feel more guilt at Banquo’s death? Is it because he couldn’t
face killing him personally, and had to do it by proxy?
T HE M E S & A N A LYS I S
10
Worlds Apart
Macbeth and Greek Tragedy
As we covered in the supernatural par t of this pack, Macbeth has strong links with Classical Greek
Tragedy in terms of the fates, but there are other similarities as well. There are a number of key
concepts when it comes to tragedy, which are impor tant to get to grips with:
Tragedy
A serious play in which the tragic hero, due to his character, passes through a series of
misfortunes leading to a final devastating catastrophe.
Aristotle’s ideas about tragedy were based on Sophocles’ Oedipus , and he believed that
a tragedy needed to include hamartia, hubris, anagnorisis, peripetia, and catharsis.
Although many later philosophers and writers disagreed with this restrictive definition
of Tragedy, Macbeth is a great example of a Tragedy that fits Aristotle’s model.
Hamartia
This is a character’s fatal flaw, a characteristic that leads the main character to his or
her downfall. This is also known as their tragic flaw, and there is often a sense of irony as the character is not aware of this trait until too late.
Hubris
Arrogance, excessive self-pride or self-confidence. It is often a character’s hamartia,
as they have a feeling of invincibility. It is the opposite of the Greek term arête, which is a
humble, constant striving for self-improvement.
Anagnorisis
The point at which the protagonist realises some important fact or insight, usually about
themselves, human nature, or their situation. This moment is often coupled with peripeteia.
Peripeteia
The sudden reversal of fortune in the narrative; the observable change in direction. In
tragedy this means the shift from stability and happiness, towards the destruction and
downfall of the protagonist.
Catharsis
An emotional discharge; a welcome relief from tension and anxiety, which comes at the
end of any tragic work. After the drama and climax in tragedy, the catharsis comes at
the end, as some sort of order is restored.
We cannot describe Macbeth as being a Greek Tragedy, of course,
but it is clear that this genre inf luence Shakespeare a great deal.
Macbeth can def initely be seen as a tragic hero, and all of the
concepts listed above cer tainly f it with the play. We could argue
that Macbeth has more than one hamartia: his hubris and his
ambition. His pride (or hubris) causes him to believe that he
can defy the fates (the Witches and their prophecies), and his
ambition allows him to be manipulated by Lady Macbeth into
committing acts of murder.
T HE M E S & A N A LYS I S
Discuss
How can we apply these
concepts to Macbeth?
11
It is more challenging, however, to pinpoint where the anagnorisis and peripeteia fall within the
tex t. The clearest examples can be seen in Act V, scene viii, as Macbeth and Macduff face each
other in battle.
MACDUFF
Here Macbeth is talking about how
he is already guilty of killing Macduff’s
whole family.
Turn, hellhound, turn!
MACBETH
Of all men else I have avoided thee.
But get thee back. My soul is too much charged
With blood of thine already.
Macbeth is saying that Macduff is
wasting his time, and would be better
off stabbing the air than trying to
wound him. He tells him to go and
fight someone who can be harmed, as
he leads a charmed life and cannot be
killed by anyone born from a woman.
This moment shows most clearly
Macbeth’s arrogance and hubris:
despite being engaged in a sword-fight,
with the one man he was told to fear,
he still believes that he cannot be killed.
Do you think he is genuinely asking
Macduff to go away? Or is his hubris
so great that he is now taunting
Macduff?
MACDUFF
I have no words.
My voice is in my sword. Thou bloodier villain
Than terms can give thee out!
They f ight
MACBETH
Thou losest labor.
As easy mayst thou the intrenchant air
With thy keen sword impress as make me bleed.
Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests;
I bear a charmèd life, which must not yield
To one of woman born.
MACDUFF
Despair thy charm,
And let the angel whom thou still hast served
Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb
Untimely ripped.
After reaching a bloody climax with a dramatic
f ight scene, the stillness of the rest of this scene is
really impor tant, creating a sense of catharsis.
Now Macduff reveals that he was not
born from a woman, as he was cut
out of his mother’s womb. This is the
moment of anagnorisis for Macbeth as
he realises that he has been blind to
the truth, and that he is not invincible.
This is then followed by the peripeteia,
as the two go off-stage f ighting, before
Macduff returns with Macbeth’s head.
Discussion Points
1. Macbeth was a real Scottish King, why then do you think Shakespeare def ines this
play as a tragedy and not as a history?
2. Think about some of the other characters in Macbeth, do any of them show hamar tia?
3. How impor tant do you think catharsis is to the play? Do you think it could have been
ended as soon as Macbeth is killed?
4. Why does Shakespeare choose to have Duncan and Lady Macbeth’s deaths happen offstage?
T HE M E S & A N A LYS I S
12
All the World’s a Stage
The Staging of Macbeth
Macbeth was f irst per formed at the Globe Theatre, on
London’s Southbank. The Globe was a three-story, openair amphitheatre, similar to Ancient Greek per formance
spaces, but with a thrust stage. It is believed that
the stage had four trap doors, three of which the
actors could walk out of, and one larger one which
required machine help. Theatre historians suggest that
the witches came out of the three smaller ones - each
having their own door, whilst the cauldron was raised
and lowered through the larger one with smokey effects.
However Macbeth has been taken far beyond its initial
staging, and adapted for a multitude of spaces - with
productions being done in traverse, in the round, indoors
and outdoors. Some of these productions stand out as
being truly exceptional.
Inversion
In the summer of 2014, Kip Williams with Sydney
Theatre Company staged a phenomenal
production of Macbeth which inver ted the
traditional theatre space. Instead of having the
audience in the 900 seats, Williams opted to
place 360 seats on the stage, facing the normal
seating, with the per formance taking place with
the cavernous backdrop behind the action. The
emptiness of the “serried rows of seats” and the
vast auditorium became the setting for many
scenes relating to exile.
Immersion
Immersive theatre is something which has grown
in popularity in recent years, with productions
which are similar to promenade theatre, where
the audience follow the actors around a space,
but the audience members are free to explore the
space as much as they wish. Punchdrunk staged
a version of Macbeth which they called Sleep No
More, set in a f ictional hotel, across over 100
P E R F O R M A N CE
13
13
different rooms. The audience could move
between rooms, follow any actors they wished
- but had to remain silent, and wear masks
to remove any inhibitions. It is par ticularly
interesting to note that this production involved
no dialogue, and the tale of Macbeth was
conveyed simply through movement, lighting,
and music.
Punchdrunk are not the only ones to make
Macbeth into an immersive piece, however, with
a theatre company known as RIFT,
staging a ‘dawn till dusk’ version in an East
London tower block. The performance star ted
in the evening, and concluded (with time for the
audience to sleep in the beds provided) at 8am
with breakfast as Malcolm was sworn in as king.
Explore the Sleep No More website:
www.sleepnomorenyc.com
Our Staging
Whilst our per formance is not an immersive piece, it is not staged in a traditional way either. As
a touring production, we have to be a truly versatile company, and able to adapt to any stage we
presented with - so our set has to be maneuverable whilst still being interesting.
As a result our main piece of set is a large, shallow pool of water. The intention behind this is that
it is an allusion to the idea of prophecies at f irst, and can be used as the witches pot, for instance,
but throughout the course of the play becomes a representation of Macbeth’s capture. Much like
in Sydney, Williams had Macbeth isolated amongst rows of empty seats, we plan to have Macbeth
being trapped within this pool, isolated from the other characters.
Discussion Points
1. How impor tant do you think staging is?
2. How does staging impact the relationship between actors and audiences?
3. Why do you think Macbeth is a play that works in so many different spaces?
4. If you were to direct what ideas would you have for the staging?
P E R F O R M A N CE
1 414
Creating the World
Atmostphere in Macbeth
Whilst theatre does not have to be realistic,
it is impor tant (par ticularly with something as
atmospheric as Macbeth) that the audience
have a sense of where they are supposed to be.
This can be achieved in a number of different
ways, for example through the set (much like
in the immersive productions we looked at
before), through the music or sound effects, or
through the lighting. As mentioned earlier, our
production is very minimalistic in terms of set,
meaning that to create atmosphere we are
very reliant on sound and light.
With only a couple of exceptions, all our sound
effects are going to be created live, meaning
they are truly organic. The intention is that this
will draw the audience into the world on stage,
as every thing they see and hear is live and real.
Having water on stage as well means that
the audience may at times be able to see their
own ref lection, as we are drawn fur ther into
Macbeth’s world.
Discussion Points
1. Think about one of your favourite
scenes in Macbeth, what would you want
in terms of sound and light to accompany
your actors?
2. Why is the use of light and dark so
important in Macbeth?
3. Find a scene that you think is particularly
atmospheric. How does the language
evoke a sense of time and place?
4. Consider the type and genre of music
that you could use in Macbeth.
Lighting Macbeth
‘As lighting designer for Macbeth, I’ve been
looking at ways in which the type, position,
colour and combination of different lighting
equipment can help to realise the world of
the play. Put simply, you need light to see
what’s happening!
But lighting is also important to establish
the location and timing of different scenes.
Scenes in Macbeth’s castle will often have
lower angled orange-yellow lighting
coming from the side or front to suggest
torchlight. A night time scene might use
dark blue lighting coming from the top or
back, which means it colours the stage and
set but doesn’t make the actors faces blue.
This production explores how the laws of
prophecy and the supernatural encroach
on the everyday, so the lighting design
shouldn’t be completely realistic. Instead,
it is more effective to use lighting to
evoke these otherworldly influences,
using it just as much to suggest changes
in mood and atmosphere. So this orangeyellow low lighting can also feel sickly
and interrogatory, showing Macbeth’s
psychological turmoil. Alternatively,
combining a colder, whiter palette with
lots of haze and sharp spotlights gives the
witches a visual space that combines both
moments of light and clarity, and areas of
confusion and darkness.
Because the audience will recognise
the mood of the whiter ‘witchy’ lighting
colours, the lighting can show moments
where the supernatural encroaches on the
normal by mixing the two. Also, watch out
for the pool to see how it changes!’
Shanti Daffern
Lighting Designer
P E R F O R M A N CE
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Character: Macbeth
Analysis
Macbeth is initially presented to the audience as
being a brave and noble general, as we are told
about his valour on the battlef ield. However,
when we see his encounter with the witches, he
is immediately complicated. Macbeth is shown
to be highly ambitious, very proud and hubristic,
but also riddled with self-doubt.
When he learns that he will be king there is
a great sense of his inner turmoil. This is why
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most interesting
characters: he is not a classic villain (like Iago in
Othello, or Edmund in King Lear), because he
lacks the strength of character. Shakespeare
shows the audience that Macbeth cannot cope
with the psychological effects of crime, and is
actually quite weak - letting his guilt cripple him.
Before killing Duncan, Macbeth is overcome
with worry - almost giving up on the plan.
It is left to Lady Macbeth, with her steely
nerve to convince him to commit the murder.
Their relationship is very interesting, as she
is (at least at the star t of the play) the far
more power ful of the two, but as the play
progresses her character crumbles, and
Macbeth, begrudgingly, becomes the stronger
one.
Throughout the play Macbeth’s conscience and
ambition are constantly conf licting - he sees
the ghost of Banquo and is driven to madness
with guilt, yet his ambitious nature makes
him unstoppable as he continues to strive for
absolute power.
Have a look at these two excerpts from the tex t, one taken early on in the play, and one far much
later, and see how much Macbeth changes as a character:
MACBETH
Two truths are told,
As happy prologues to the swelling act
Of the imperial theme...
This supernatural soliciting
Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill,
Why hath it given me earnest of success,
Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor.
If good, why do I yield to that suggestion
Whose horrid image doth unf ix my hair
And make my seated hear t knock at my ribs,
Against the use of nature? Present fears
Are less than horrible imaginings.
CH A R AC T E R A N A LYS I S
Act I, Scene iiii
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MACBETH
She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
— To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
Act V, Scene v
Both of these speeches are set at a time where Macbeth has received news. In the first he has just
been told that he has become Thane of Cawdor, and that therefore the prophecies may be true. In
the second he has just been informed of his wife’s death. In both extracts Macbeth is contemplating
something important. Yet the first one uses question marks and ellipses, as Macbeth is clearly
unsure about the news, as he tries to establish whether the witches are a force for good or evil. In the
second Macbeth is far more certain in what he is saying, as he sinks into a deeply depressed state.
Macbeth is arguably one of the
most versatile and complex of all
Shakespearian characters, which is
why so many actors have been able to
por tray him with great success. Take
these famous actors, all of whom have
played Macbeth; they are very different
from one another, and thus bring
different qualities to the character.
Watch or listen to their
per formance of the famous
“Tomorrow and tomorrow
and tomorrow” soliloquy, and
consider the similarities and
differences between them.
Orson Welles
Macbeth (1948)
www.cuetg.co.uk/
education/welles
CH A R AC T E R A N A LYS I S
Sir Kenneth Branagh
Macbeth (2013)
Manchester International Festival
www.cuetg.co.uk/
education/branagh
Sir Patrick Stewar t
Macbeth (2010)
Chichester Festival Theatre
www.cuetg.co.uk/
education/stewart
Sir Ian McKellen
A Performance of Macbeth (1979)
RSC, TV Production
www.cuetg.co.uk/
education/mckellen
Alan Cumming
Macbeth (2012)
National Theatre of Scotland
www.cuetg.co.uk/
education/cumming
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Read the whole tex t
www.cuetg.co.uk/
education/miller
“...when the question of tragedy
in ar t is not at issue, we never
hesitate to attribute to the
well-placed and the exalted the
very same mental processes as
the lowly. If the exaltation of tragic
action were truly a proper ty of
the high-bred character alone, it
is inconceivable that the mass of
mankind should cherish tragedy
above all other forms, let alone be
capable of understanding it.”
“It is time, I think, that we who are
without kings, took up this bright
thread of our history and followed
it to the only place it can possibly
lead in our time: the hear t and
spirit of the average man.”
All of these actors vary hugely physically
and vocally, yet all manage to play the same
complex role.
Not all of these per formances have Macbeth
as being King of Scotland, many adapt the tale
into a new setting. It used to be thought that
a tragic hero had to be someone of a great
status, as kings and noblemen had fur ther to
fall from grace.
However in 1949, Arthur Miller wrote an
essay entitled ‘Tragedy and the Common
Man’, where he argued that actually a tragic
hero is far more power ful if he is an ordinary,
every-day man. Miller believed that characters
who were similar to the audience in status,
were far more relatable, and therefore their
tragic downfall was much more personal and
affecting.
Since then, many versions of Macbeth do not
feature Macbeth as a king. James McAvoy,
for instance, in the BBC’s ‘Shakespeare Retold’
series, played an ambitious chef in a top
London restaurant.
Tragedy and the Common Man
Ar thur Miller, 1949
Discussion Points
1. What do you think the major differences
are between each version of the soliloquies, and which is your favourite?
2. How do you think that, even with an
identical script, these actors manage to
make their per formances so different?
3. If you were to direct an actor to play
Macbeth, what characteristics would you
want them to convey most?
4. Do you think it matters whether
Macbeth is a king or not?
Shakespeare Retold: Macbeth
BBC, 2005
CH A R AC T E R A N A LYS I S
5, How do you think Shakespeare shows
Macbeth’s progression as a character?
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Character: Lady Macbeth
LADY MACBETH
The raven himself is hoarse
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements. Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood,
Stop up th’access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
Th’ effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry ‘Hold, hold!’
Act I, Scene v
LADY MACBETH
Out, damned spot; out, I say. One, two,—why,
then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord,
fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear
who knows it when none can call our power to
account? Yet who would have thought the old
man to have had so much blood in him?
Act V, scene i
Discussion Points
1. How does her ambition differ from Macbeth’s?
2. Is it significant that she is only known as Lady
Macbeth?
3. Who do you think feels guiltier, Lady Macbeth
or her husband?
CH A R AC T E R A N A LYS I S
Lady Macbeth is arguably one of
Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening
female roles. She is presented as being
much more ruthless and ambitious than
her husband, pushing him into committing
murder - going so far as to wish that she
were not a woman so she could kill Duncan
herself. Macbeth suggests that she has a
masculine soul which is trapped inside a
woman’s body. However, at the same time
Lady Macbeth is very much a woman,
using her sexual power to dominate and
manipulate Macbeth.
Much like Macbeth, Lady Macbeth struggles
to cope with her guilty conscience, and
she is unable to wash away an imagined
bloodstain on her hands. Her sensitivity
becomes her weakness, and she kills herself,
unable to deal with her crimes. Consider
these two extracts from Lady Macbeth and
how she changes over the course of the play.
In the first extract, Lady Macbeth shows
her unwavering desire to seize the
crown from Duncan - which contrasts
Macbeth’s hesitance and uncertainty.
The passage makes it very clear to
the audience that she is the source of
strength in her marriage.
Yet the second speech, delivered as she
sleepwalks through the castle, shows
her diminished resolve. Macbeth had
earlier complained that his hands were
stained with blood, and Lady Macbeth
responded that “a little water clears us
of this deed” (Act II, Scene ii), yet now
she sees blood as well. Lady Macbeth
is also no longer speaking in verse,
one of the only times where any major
character (other than the witches)
moves away from iambic pentameter,
which demonstrates to the audience
how unravelled her mental state now is.
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Character: The Witches
As we mentioned before, the witches are of
indeterminate gender, and represent the Moirai (the
fates). These three lurk in the shadows, operating
separately from the other characters. They wreak
havoc through their supernatural powers, playing
upon the other characters’ flaws (like Macbeth’s
hubris and ambition).
Shakespeare presents them as almost caricatures
of the supernatural world, with beards, potions, and
unusual speech. It is important to note that these
characters speak in rhyming couplets throughout,
almost like evil children’s rhymes, which separates
them from the blank verse and iambic pentameter
the rest of the characters use.
Discussion Points
1. Why do you think the Witches have
inspired so many works of ar t?
2. Do you think that the Witches are evil
or amoral?
3. Think of alternative ways you could
interpret their characters.
4. Do you think their gender is signif icant?
5. Are the witches supposed to be funny?
It is deliberately unclear as to whether the Witches
predict the future, or control the future, although
arguably it is both - as it is unlikely that Macbeth
would have killed Duncan and seized the throne,
without the witches telling him that he would
become king.
Much as with Macbeth’s character, the Witches
have been portrayed in a number of different ways:
voodoo priestesses, bin-men, prophets, demons,
politicians, forest spirits, goth schoolgirls, corrupt
policemen, hippies, and more, showing how these
three have captured the imagination of so many
artists and directors. Their gender has been
shown to be utterly fluid, with Shakespeare being
deliberately ambiguous, showing how separate
they are from the mortal world. The audience’s
understanding of the witches has changed over the
years as well, whilst they may have been horrifying
to a Shakespearian audience, the same presentation
these days may appear to be more comic: some
directors embrace this element, whilst others find
new ways of making them horrific.
In our version the Witches take on a multitude of
other roles in the performance, from messengers
to soldiers to servants, showing how huge their
influence is over Macbeth’s world.
CH A R AC T E R A N A LYS I S
Die drei Hexen (1783)
Henry Fuseli
Macbeth - Act IV, Scene i
William Rimmer
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Further Questions
These are just a few suggestions for questions you could discuss in class, or give full
attention to in an essay. Many of the topics in this pack will help you begin to answer these
questions and to form your own ideas about the play.
1. Is Macbeth a moral play?
2. Why do you think so many key events take place offstage?
3. To what ex tent is Malcolm the moral alternative to “bloody, luxurious, avaricious, false,
deceitful, sudden, malicious” Macbeth?
4. Is Macbeth doomed by fate, or by a character f law?
5. “Macbeth has murdered the king, managed to become king himself, and escaped the law.
He is killed in battle, but eludes punishment. He has therefore committed the per fect
crime.” Discuss.
6. Some people have argued that the message of Macbeth is that murder is easier for some
people than others to commit, would you agree?
7. “This dead butcher and his f iend like queen”. Is this a valid description of Macbeth and
Lady Macbeth?
8. How does Shakespeare use imagery to explore his characters and themes?
9. Is Macbeth a tragic hero?
10. Do you think that Shakespeare is criticising ambition in Macbeth?
11. There is some discussion that Macbeth can be interpreted as a linguistic war between
two (e.g. Duncan’s two sons, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth) as a f igure of humanity and
three (e.g. the three witches) as a force of the supernatural. Do you agree? To what
ex tent does such analysis shed light on Macbeth?
F U RT HE R Q U E S T I O N S
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