Macbeth - Context and Themes Flashcards
Ambition
What is the main theme in Macbeth?
Ambition is the main theme in Macbeth
Ambition
What does Ambition motivate Macbeth to do?
+Ambition motivates Macbeth to commit terrible deeds.
+It changes him from a “valiant soldier” to a “dead butcher”.
Ambition
How does the play show that Ambition is dangerous?
+The play shows ambition is dangerous because it can quickly spiral out of control.
+Macbeth considers the morality of killing Duncan for a long time but doesn’t hesitate about killing Banquo.
Ambition
What happens once Macbeth starts killing?
+Once Macbeth starts killing, he has to kill more people to get what he wants and to try and make his position secure.
+It shows that ambition can make people ruthless and selfish.
Ambition
What are both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth destroyed by?
+Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are eventually destroyed by their ambition, so the play can be read as a warning against ambition that isn’t balanced by reason or morals.
Ambition
What is Macbeth’s biggest weakness?
Ambition is Macbeth’s biggest weakness
Ambition
What is Macbeth’s ‘fatal flaw’?
+Ambition is Macbeth’s ‘fatal flaw’ - He’s a brave hero at the start - Duncan calls him “noble” and Lady Macbeth says he “wouldst not play false” to get what he wants.
+Context - Tragedy: In Shakespeare’s tragedies, the hero is usually a noble person with one main character flaw which leads to their downfall - this is their ‘fatal flaw’.
Ambition
What does Macbeth’s reluctance to kill Duncan show?
+Macbeth’s reluctance to kill Duncan shows that he’s moral, but his actions emphasise how strong his ambition is - his ambition makes him act against his morals.
+It also makes him act against his better judgement - He knows that ambition often “o’erleaps itself/And falls” - it can lead a person to aim too high so that they fail and lose everything.
+This foreshadows Macbeth’s own tragic downfall - By the end of the play, Macbeth’s lost everything and he dies an “abhorrèd tyrant”.
Ambition
What can ambition be?
+Good or bad
Ambition
What are not all characters corrupted by?
+Not all characters are corrupted by their ambition, as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are - ambition can be a positive thing if it’s motivated by a desire to help others rather than yourself.
Ambition
State the characters that are not corrupted by ambition.
+Malcolm and Macduff are ambitious for their country - They want to take Macbeth’s power away from him, not for their own selfish desires, but for the good of Scotland.
+Banquo is ambitious for his sons once he’s heard the Witches’ prophecy - He wants them to be kings, but he doesn’t act on the predictions in the violent way that Macbeth does.
Ambition
How does Macbeth know he’s very ambitious?
+“I have no spur…but only/Vaulting ambition”
+Macbeth knows that he’s very ambitious, and it’s this that fuels his decision to kill Duncan.
+Lady Macbeth thinks he’s not quite ambitious enough though, so she gives him a gentle push in the right direction.
Ambition
What does Lady Macbeth see that there’s a difference between?
+Lady Macbeth sees that there’s a difference between being ambitious and acting on ambition.
+She says that Macbeth is “not without ambition, but without/The illness should attend it” - She thinks that Macbeth isn’t ruthless enough to take action to get what he wants.
Ambition
How do characters show loyalty?
Characters show loyalty through their actions
What is the difference between characters who are loyal and characters who are not loyal?
+There’s a difference between characters who say that they are loyal [like Macbeth, who talks about the “loyalty” he owes to Duncan even when he’s plotting to kill him] and characters whose actions show their loyalty [like Macduff].
What do the characters in Macbeth show loyalty to?
+The characters in Macbeth show loyalty to different things:
- Country
- King
- Beliefs
How does Macduff show loyalty to Scotland?
+Macduff is loyal to Scotland - He chooses to go to England to ask Malcolm to defend his country instead of protecting his family.
+He’d rather leave Scotland than see it be rules by a bad king.
How do the thanes show loyalty to the king?
+The thanes are loyal to Duncan because he’s been a “great” king.
+Macbeth gives Duncan “service and loyalty” by fighting for him in Act 1.
How does Banquo show loyalty to his beliefs?
+Banquo is loyal to his own sense of honour - he says that he will keep his “allegiance clear”.
+He won’t let ambition or the Witches’ prophecies affect him.
What happens when characters betray their loyalty?
+When characters betray their loyalty, it’s usually to pursue their own selfish desires.
What is rewarded and what is punished?
+Loyalty is rewarded, betrayal is punished
What does Duncan have the old Thane of Cawdor?
+Duncan has the old Thane of Cawdor executed for betraying him and rewards Macbeth’s loyalty by giving him the title.
+The play has a circular structure - it ends with Macbeth being killed for betraying Scotland and Malcolm rewarding the thanes’ loyalty.
What does Macbeth betray his own sense of?
+Macbeth betrays his own sense of right and wrong - This eventually leads to his loss of self-worth and his death.
+Betrayal is often linked to power - Power [in the form of titles] can be given or taken away depending on a person’s loyalty.
+Loyalty and betrayal often go hand in hand, eg. Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland leads him to betray his family.
What do the Macbeths pretend to be?
+The Macbeths pretend to be loyal