This Essay explores the theme of betrayal within Macbeth, and the numerous betrayals toward King and country. Shakespeare presents betrayal as originating from the influence of the supernatural, damaging not only the subjects but to the health of the land. Written for the Eduqas exam board, but can...
You are advised to spend about 40 minutes on this question.
You should use the extract below and your knowledge of the whole play to answer this question.
How does Shakespeare present the theme of betrayal throughout the play?
In your response you should:
refer to the extract and the play as a whole;
show your understanding of characters and events in the play.[25]
5 of this question’s marks are allocated for accuracy in spelling, punctuation and the use of
vocabulary and sentence structures
Macbeth is a Shakespearean tragedy written in 1606 and based around the
downfall of the Scottish noble. Betrayal is one of the main themes of the play,
presented as treacherous and a crime against King and country. The play is
centred around the murder of Duncan; as the peripetia of the play, this betrayal
is seen as the origin of the rest of the betrayals and murders.
At the beginning of the play, in Act 1, Scene 1, Shakespeare presents
betrayal as prevalent theme through the words of the witches: ‘Fair is foul and
foul is fair.’ The use of this Paradox demonstrates how goodness is seen as
corrupted and evil linking to the betrayal of goodness throughout the play and
Duncan's murder. in the next scene Shakespeare presents the betrayal of
Duncan through MacDonald he states: ‘assisted by that most disloyal traitor the
thane of cawdor began a dismal conflict.’ The use of the adverb that illustrates
how disliked MacDonald is that he is no longer referred to by his name simply as
a disloyal traitor. this noun phrase highlights how betrayed Duncan feels and the
value of loyalty. the verb began refers to the cyclic structure of the play
beginning with the betrayal and ending the same way the non conflict showing
the impact of betrayal on Scotland. Duncan states: ‘he was a gentleman on
whom I built absolute trust gentleman’ indicates how despite MacDonald's
betrayal he still respects him the adjective ‘absolute’ portraying how Duncan
trusts everyone who betrays him. Shakespeare possibly denotes Duncan's
naivety presenting betrayal as deceitful and treacherous.
FFurther on in act one, Shakespeare presents the betrayal of Macbeth
against his country: ‘Stars hide your fires let not light to see my black and deep
desires.’ The noun ‘stars’ connotes towards pure light perhaps representing
Duncan, emphasising how evil betrayal is against the King. The fluidity created
by the repetition of the ‘l’ sound in the phrase ‘let not light’ depicts his
eagerness and inability to control his thoughts on betrayal. The darkness of
betrayal is further shown through the objective black to show his
acknowledgement of the betrayal and perhaps how it is the cause of all dark
intent in the play. In Act 1 Scene 7 Shakespeare presents lady Macbeth’s
betrayal of her gender, in order to betray the King and Macbeth: ‘Hie thee hither,
so that I may pour my spirits in thine ear…unsex me here’. The use of the ‘h’
sound creates a sinister rushed tone, the pronoun ‘my’ Perhaps illustrating how it
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller f4timaha. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £4.48. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
