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GCSE English literature - Macbeth summary notes
Full notes for GCSE English literature, applies to all exam boards. Can be used for making mindmaps, flashcards etc. or just reading through them.
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Macbeth – NotesCharacter Analysis
Macbeth
• Strong warrior who wants to be king of Scotland and will do anything to make that happen
• Easily influenced by other such as the Witches and Lady Macbeth, which makes him weak
• At the start of the play Macbeth cuts of the traitor’s head - these actions earn him Thane of Cawdor
• Macbeth seems most comfortable on the battlefield as he doesn’t have to worry about guilt
• He finishes his life in battle too, and never stops fighting until the end
• By the end of the play his violent ambition has ruined his guilty conscience
• Macbeth has a sense of right of wrong and is constantly worried about the consequences of actions e.g.
reluctant to kill Duncan as he honoured him for bravery
• After killing Duncan, Macbeth swings between killing all of enemies or struggling with terrible guilt
• Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to take action in order to be more of a man but her influence declines
after Duncan’s murder
• Macbeth is also influenced by the Witches’ prophecies
Lady Macbeth
• More ruthless than her husband and often convinces him to take action
• She uses Macbeth’s ambition and fear of being seen as a coward to manipulate him into killing Duncan
• She is clever e.g. comes up with a cunning plot to blame Duncan’s servants for his death
• When Duncan’s murder is discovered she faints, this could be a pretence which draws attention away from
Macbeth’s unconvincing speech
• At the beginning, their relationship seems loving and generous but as the play develops, Lady Macbeth
dominates the relationship
• As Macbeth reveals less about his plans, she becomes more anxious and alone
• Even though she is a leader at the start, she can’t cope without her husband
• Lady Macbeth thinks that no ordinary women could plan a murder - as they are made weak by their
maternal instincts but she is cruel and ruthless - as she says that she would kill her own baby if she had
sworn to do it.
• She shows a softer side e.g. she couldn’t kill Duncan herself as he reminds her of her father
• Macbeth is set in a male-dominated society, so Lady Macbeth can only achieve her ambitions through
Macbeth
• Whilst sleepwalking, she washes her hands repeatedly so that she can wash away her feelings of guilt but
guilt and isolation affect Lady Macbeth so much, that she kills herself
Witches
• They can see the future - all their predictions eventually come true
• Speak in trochaic tetrameter, which sets them apart from the other characters
• They are instruments of fate
• Often accompanied by thunder and lighting, which sets the atmosphere
• They confuse Macbeth by using paradoxes and equivocation, by not being clear they keep control of
Macbeth
• Hecate punishes Macbeth’s behaviour by using the apparitions to trick him
Duncan
• Model king in Macbeth as kind, honest and puts Scotland’s needs in front of his own
• Perhaps too trusting as trusts the first Thane of Cawdor (MacDonald) and gets betrayed by him
• He trusts Macbeth and doesn’t suspect he’s plotting to kill him
• But Duncan can be firm when needed, he executes MacDonald
, Banquo
• Banquo is a thane and also praised for his courage in battle
• He is ambitious, but he doesn’t act on the prophecies and doesn’t become corrupted
• Macbeth wanted Banquo to help him, however Banquo kept his allegiance clear as his conscience was more
important to him than power and glory
• He suspects that Macbeth murdered Duncan, however he doesn’t act to protect himself
• Banquo also didn’t suspect that Macbeth would betray him
• Unlike Macbeth, Banquo behaves rationally when he meets the Witches as he is intrigued by the predictions,
however he doesn’t fall into their trap
Macduff
• Macduff is honest and has integrity unlike Macbeth
• He is also brave; he fights and kills Macbeth
• He wants to put the rightful heir on the throne and avenge his family’s deaths
• Macduff has a strong sense of loyalty and love for his country
• In trying to save Scotland from Macbeth, he leaves his family at home and they get killed
Context of Macbeth
• Macbeth was written around 1606 by William Shakespeare.
• James I became King of Scotland, England and Ireland in 1603. The play has a large focus of the theme of
kingship, succession and the health of the nation. It shows the qualities of a good and moral king and the
horrors of living in a country ruled by a tyrant
• During the reign of Elizabeth I and James I, people who were suspected to be witches were persecuted and
often burned to death. They believe witches could predict the future and control the weather
• In 1597 King James published Demonologie, a book on witchcraft
• In 1604 an Act of Parliament decreed that anyone found guilty of witchcraft should be executed
Themes
Ambition
• Ambition is the main theme in Macbeth, it is the motivation between Macbeth’s actions throughout the
play. The play shows that ambition can quickly become out of control, as there is a constant need for more
power even after it is reached. Once Macbeth starts killing, he has to kill more people to get what he wants
and to make his position secure. This shows that ambition can completely change people to make them
ruthless and selfish. At the end of the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are eventually destroyed by their
ambition, which can be shown as a warning against ambition in areas of high power and influence
• Ambition is Macbeth’s biggest weakness. His ambition is driven by a number of factors - he has a deep
internal desire for power, however these only come to light when Lady Macbeth and the witches affect him
• Throughout the play the Witches make a number of prophecies. Macbeth believes them each time and uses
their predictions to decide his actions. While the prophecies always turn out to be true, it is unclear if that
would have happened if Macbeth did not act on them
• Lady Macbeth’s persistence especially for the murder of Duncan, encourages Macbeth to put aside his guilt
and kill Duncan. Without Lady Macbeth, Macbeth probably would have been too caught up in his morals to
kill Duncan
• Malcolm and Macduff are ambitious for their country, they want to take Macbeth out of Scotland - not for
their ambition but for the good of the country
• Banquo feels ambitious for his sons when he hears the Witches’ prophecies. He wants them to be kings, but
he doesn’t act violently on the predictions like Macbeth
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