Macbeth

Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 1.06: I Can Haz the Power?

A crown is a fickle mistress
(Source)

In Shakespeare's time, there was this little concept called the "Divine Right of Kings." Rumor had it the king's power came straight from God. That means that if you betrayed your king by, we don't know, killing the guy, you were actually committing a sin against the big guy upstairs.

In a weird way, maybe this explains Macbeth's about-face so soon after trembling with shock over his murder-y misdeeds. One moment he's too scared to frame a couple of attendants, and the next moment he's just casually offing them to lend more credibility to his cover-up (because a dead attendant is a quiet attendant).

The thing is, once Macbeth has committed the big kahuna of sins, there isn't
much holding him back from going hog wild. After all, he's already doomed to hell. Might as well have some fun in the meantime?

Of course, this is Macbeth we're talking about, so by "fun" we mean "extreme paranoia and insecurity about his ill-earned power." Even once he becomes king, what about the second part of the prophecy—about Banquo's sons? Will Macbeth lose the throne? Will they kill him? Will his lineage die?

Macbeth is like us when we're trying to psychoanalyze an email that our crush sent us—except more unhinged and with witches instead of potential paramours. We're still not sure which one's more pathetic, tho…

Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 1.1.06: Watch Your Back

Usually, when a prophecy is fulfilled, it's the final act of the book or film, and the hero is able to defeat the villain in the nick of time, save the world, get the love interest, and retire to [insert Cancun or Cancun-equivalent here]. The fulfillment of a prophecy is usually a good thing—it means Harry's defeated Voldemort. Or some other Chosen One has done the Chosen Thing.

In Macbeth, however, we're less than halfway through the play when the second half of his prophecy—that he will be king—is fulfilled. And it's not pretty. Macbeth is not a good dude. We don't want to see him tan beachside in Cancun.

Of course, that's not the end of the wider prophecy—it's just the end of the part of the prophecy that involves him in particular. Because from the get-go we've known that at some point in time, Macbeth will become irrelevant.

So, uh, was all the regicide worth it for a temporary victory?

Macbeth seems to hope so. He's still wishing and praying (well, maybe not praying—dude's on the outs with god) that the Weird Sisters misspoke or lied or something. Something tells us that his insecurity over his new power may just be his downfall.

Find out for yourself. Read Act 3, Scenes 1 to 3. Then check out our chapter summaries, as always, so you get the whole picture. Instead of the half-picture, like Macbeth does.

Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 1.06a: A Whole New Macbeth

Okay, we always knew that Macbeth was a bad Scottish egg (a scotch egg?), but killing a friend—a friend he went to battle with, a friend he encountered a trio of weirdo witch siblings with—is arguably low even for him. Say it ain't so, Macbeth. Say it ain't so.

We'd argue that the evil was inside him all along, but it's also clear that he's undergone some surrious changes, character-wise. That's what we call a successful and compelling character arc. (Note: a successful character arc does not mean "a successful human being" or "a successful friend." We're sure Macbeth qualifies as neither of those things. Because murder.)

We've had you do analyses of Macbeth's character before, but this time we want to put a spin on it, and compare Macbeth pre-crowning to Macbeth post-crowning. How has he changed? How has he stayed the same?

Step One

Create a table in a Word doc with the following headings:

As you can see, this is the table-equivalent of a Venn diagram, but because it's a table, it should be way easier for you to fit in content without having to make the circles in your Venn diagram bigger and bigger (like Macbeth's paranoia).

Step Two

Fill your Venn Table (?!) up with specific characteristics that were unique to Macbeth pre-crowning versus post-crowning, and characteristics that maintained largely consistent over time. Give us ten to fifteen points in total, distributed however you want, and try to offer 30 to 50 words of detail per point. Quotes and paraphrases from the text are always encouraged, as they help support your arguments.

Not sure how to begin? Check out what we're working on.

Under "Traits of Macbeth, Pre-Crowning," we'd write:

Before attaining the throne, Macbeth was very susceptible to attacks on his manhood—perhaps because his claim to fame was his prowess on the battlefield. Lady Macbeth was able to convince him to commit regicide, simply by suggesting that he wouldn't be a man if he didn't do so (not a definition of manhood we've ever heard). In fact, she suggests that becoming king—and attaining power—would make him even more of a man than he was before: "When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man" (1.7.56-58). Ambition and masculinity are very closely entwined in Macbeth's mind.

Under "Traits of Macbeth, Post-Crowning," we'd write:

After becoming king, Macbeth appears to be either more secure in his manhood—or less likely to be taunted by his wife about his manhood (since he's attained as much power as he can). However, now his insecurities are more about his role as king than his role as a man. So he begins to use his wife's tactics—questioning someone's manhood to manipulate them—on Banquo's murderers: "Now, if you have a station in the file, / Not i' th' worst rank of manhood, say 't…" (3.2.114-115). He has become more manipulative, like Lady Macbeth.

Under "Traits That Remain Consistent," we'd write:

Macbeth is still as insecure and as power-hungry as before—it's just that the focus of his insecurity has shifted (from loss of manhood to loss of kinghood), and now he's more concerned about losing what he has than gaining what we might have. Even before he was crowned king, he demonstrated a tendency toward manipulation—like when he pretended innocence after King Duncan's murder. He has, however, come full force into his evil powers.

Ready? Steady? Go. And when you're ready, upload your tables below.

Sample Lesson - Activity