10 Things I Used To Hate About English

THEMES IN MACBETH

Throughout Shakespeares plays runs the themes of APPEARANCE VS REALITY and FAIR IS FOUL, FOUL IS FAIR. Important themes are:

AMBITION : The tragic flaw of Macbeth which resulted in his downfall. He is urged by his wife to ruthlessly seek power.

EVIL : The urge to destroy what is good. Murderous intentions and actions.

DISORDER AND ORDER : A struggle to maintain or destroy the social and natural bonds and destruction of morality and mutual trust.

APPEARANCE vs REALITY : Appearances can’t be trusted. Deceit. Hypocrisy.

EQUIVOCATION : Telling deliberately misleading half truths.

VIOLENCE AND TYRANNY : War, destruction, oppression.

GUILT AND CONSCIENCE : Macbeth knows he is doing wrong. He suffers the consequences. “Full of scorpions is my mind.”

MEN : The violent feudal society of hierarchical male power = bloody stereotypes of what it is to be a man. “I have done all that becomes a man”.

SUPERNATURAL : Macbeth encounters the Witches on many occasions and is significantly influenced by them.

RETRIBUTION : Macbeth pays for his crimes.

INNOCENCE AND GOODNESS : A force of goodness comes through at the end of the play when Macduff becomes king.

FATE AND FREE WILL : Macbeth chooses to listen to the witches and succumb to a force of evil. If he was meant to reign as king, he would not have had to resort to such evil means, as it would have happened eventually by fate.

LOYALTY AND PATRIOTISM : Macduff and Banquo are both patriots in the play. Although Macbeth started out as being loyal to his king, Duncan, his ambition gets the better of him.

Grammar Comprehensions Letters Public Speaking Writing skills

Visual Literacy Poetry Emotive Language Shakespeare's Corner

Quotes Guest Book Bibliography Home