STUDY GUIDE

America’s longest running touring company

The exercises and information in this study guide are geared towards fulfilling the Common Core State Standards for En-glish Language Arts and Literacy for Grades 11-12.

Writing• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and con-vey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the devel-opment, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.• Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, fo-cusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.• Conduct short as well as more sustained research proj-ects to answer a question (including a self-generated ques-tion) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the sub-ject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. Speaking and Listening• Prepare and participate effectively in a range of conver-sations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and per-suasively.• Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and deter-mine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.• Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and es-tablish individual roles as needed.

SUMMARY OF CURRICULUM STANDARDS

Getting the Most from this GuideOur study guides are designed with you and your classroom in mind, with information and activities

that can be implemented in your curriculum. National Players has a strong belief in the relationship between actor and audience. Without either participant, there is no theatre. We hope this study guide will help bring a better understanding of the plot, themes, and characters in the play so that you can more fully enjoy Macbeth.Feel free to copy the study guide for students and other teachers and to use any essay, exercise, or discussion question as you see fit.

Summary of Curriculum Standards...........................2

About National Players .............................................3

Background: About William Shakespeare ................4

Background: Hearing Shakespeare ..........................4

Background: The Performance ................................5

Background: The Theatre .........................................5

Macbeth: Synopsis ...................................................6

Meet the Characters ................................................7

Shakespeare’s World: Sources .................................8

Shakespeare’s World: Witchcraft..............................8

Production History.....................................................9

National Players’ Production...................................10

Character Study: Lady Macbeth .............................11

Glossary ..................................................................12

Key Words and Names............................................13

Further reading........................................................14

Bibliography.............................................................15

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Table of Contents

ABOUT NATIONAL PLAYERSHistoryNow celebrating its 65th season, National Players is

America’s longest-running touring company, and has earned a distinctive place in American theatre by bringing innovative and accessible productions to audiences across the country. Founded in 1949 by Father Gilbert Hartke, a prominent

arts educator and Catholic priest, National Players has performed in theatres, gymnasiums, opera houses, and outdoor playing spaces all around the country. Hartke’s mission—to stimulate young people’s higher thinking skills and imaginations by presenting classic plays in surprisingly accessible ways—is as urgent and vital today as it was over 60 years ago.Since 1952, Olney Theatre Center has been the

artistic home of National Players and has broadened its engagement to stimulate all learners, regardless of age, background, or location. Through the years, Players has been privileged to perform on 10 USO tours, at five White House visits, in the Arctic Circle, and throughout 42 states and territories. Having performed for over 2.8 million audience members,

National Players is proud to continue collaborating with audiences around the world today. Committed to excellence on and off the stage, over 700 artists have been proud Players, and continue to promote good work in New York, Hollywood, and other communities across the country.

TOUR 65National Players offers an exemplary lesson in

collaboration and teamwork-in-action: the actors not only play multiple roles onstage, but also serve as stage managers, teaching artists, and technicians. This year, the Players consist of 10 actors, traveling across the country, visiting schools and art centers. A self-contained company, National Players carries its own sets, lights, costumes, and sound; that means that the actors you see rebuild the set and hang lights for more than 70 performances. They also memorize lines for three different plays—Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors and The Odyssey—often performing more than one a day. It is a lot of work, but the Players are dedicated to celebrating and teaching literature and performance to as many audiences as possible.

Above, you can see images from three National Play-er productions of Macbeth. In each restaging of the play, the director and actors bring something new, through costumes, setting, and more.

What do you notice about the pictures above? What mood do they invoke? What kind of story do they ap-pear to be telling?

2Tour 2, 1950-51 Tour 11, 1959-60Tour 31, 1979-80

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Despite being history’s most pro-duced and studied English play-wright, little is known of William Shakespeare’s life. One of six sib-lings, Shakespeare was born in Strat-ford-upon-Avon on or about April 23, 1564. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and had three children. For the seven years after, Shakespeare fell off all record. Eventually, he arose in London and joined The Lord Cham-berlain’s Men acting troupe. In 1603, when the troupe came into King James’ favor, they officially became The King’s Men.Shakespeare’s professional days are

a mixture of fact and legend. In 1601, he and his business partners pur-chased property on the south bank of London’s Thames River, where they es-tablished The Globe Theatre. There, the acting company performed many of Shakespeare’s 37 plays. Famed for using the iambic pentameter writing style, Shakespeare’s works are deep in metaphor, illusion, and character; sometimes even taking precedence over plot. A diverse playwright, he be-gan his career writing historical plays,

bawdy comedies, and the occasional tragedy. Later in life, his plays became more structurally complex, featuring his iconic Hamlet and Macbeth and the curious tragicomedies Cymbeline and The Tempest.William Shakespeare died on or

about April 23rd, 1616, and is interred at a chapel in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Most early modern playwrights did not publish their work, but 18 of Shakespeare’s plays were printed before he died. Luckily, his plays sur-vived because friends and colleagues commemorated his life in a publica-tion known as the First Folio.A century after his death, questions

began to arise; his birthdate, death-date, and even the spelling of his name are in question. No definitive portrait exists of the man, and no government record lists his theatric profession. Many scholars have questioned the

ability of a minimally educated man to create such challenging writing. Some theorists have long held that “Shake-speare” was a nom de plume for an-other playwright, nobleman, or even collection of writers. However, the vast majority of scholars believe that unofficial documentation provides proof of Shakespeare’s existence and prolific abilities. Regardless, Shake-speare’s plays have been translated to 118 languages and are now in con-stant production around the world.

BACKGROUNDAbout William Shakespeare

Sometimes Shakespeare’s lan-guage can be difficult to under-stand, but once you get it, it is really fun. Here are some tips to help you enjoy and appreciate the onstage action:• You do not have to understand ev-ery word in order to understand the play. Try to grasp the gist of what each character is saying. After a while, you won’t even have to think about it.• Watch body language, gestures, and facial expressions. Actors com-municate what they are saying through their body. You can un-derstand much of the play without hearing a word.

• Although he uses prose as well, Shakespeare often uses verse in his plays, a form called iambic pen-tameter. This rhythm, which uses stressed and unstressed syllables, makes it easier to both understand and to learn Shakespeare. The rhythm guides the ear to the im-portant parts of each phrase. • The plays aren’t meant to scare or confuse you. Shakespeare wrote to entertain, and he was pretty good at it (he was one of the most pop-ular playwrights of his time, after all).Even his tragedies have comedic moments, so feel free to laugh and react to the actors’ jokes and antics.

Hearing Shakespeare Words, Words, WordsShakespeare coined more than 1,700 words, many of which we still use today. Here are some of his most famous:

• Compromise• Cold-blooded• Puking• Eyeball• Blanket• Torture• Bloodstained• Amazement• Deafening• Elbow

A copper engraving of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout, published on the title page of the First Folio in 1623.

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Son

The Globe Theatre was a circu-lar wooden structure constructed of three stories of galleries (seats) surrounding an open courtyard. It was an open-air building, and a rectangular platform projected into the middle of the courtyard served as a stage. The perfor-mance space had no front curtain, but was backed by a large wall with one to three doors out of which actors entered and exited. In front of the wall stood a roofed house-like structure supported by two large pillars, designed to provide a place for actors to “hide” when not in a scene. The roof of this struc-ture was referred to as the “Heav-ens” and could be used for actor entrances.

The theatre itself housed up to 3,000 spectators, mainly because a great number had to stand. The seats in the galleries were reserved for people from the up-per classes who primarily came to the theatre to be prominently seen. Sometimes, wealthy patrons were even allowed to sit on or above the stage itself. These seats,

known as the “Lord’s Rooms,” were con-sidered the best in the house despite the poor view of the back of the actors. The lower-class spectators stood in the open courtyard and watched the play on their feet. These audience mem-bers became known as groundlings and gained admission to the playhouse for prices as low as one penny. The ground-lings were often very loud and ram-bunctious during the performances and would eat, drink, shout at the actors, and socialize during the performance. Playwrights were therefore forced to in-corporate lots of action and bawdy hu-mor in their plays in order to keep the audience’s attention.

BACKGROUNDThe Theatre

During Shakespeare’s day, new plays were written and performed continuously. A company of actors might receive a new play, prepare it, and perform it every week. Because of this, each actor in the company had a specific type of role that he normally played and could perform with little re-hearsal. This role was known as a stock character. Such characters might include romantic lovers, tragic soldiers, fools and clowns, and women characters. Because women were not allowed to per-form on the stage at the time, young boys whose voices had yet to change played the female char-acters in the shows.

Other than a few pieces of stock scenery, like forest and palace backdrops, set pieces were very minimal. There was no artificial lighting to convey time and place, so it was up to audience to imagine what the full scene would look like. Be-cause of this, the playwright was forced to describe the setting in greater detail than would normally be heard today. For example, in order to establish weather in one scene in Macbeth, Macbeth says, “So foul and fair a day I have not seen,” referencing the stormy evening.

The costumes of this period, by contrast, were far from minimal. Rich and luxurious, Elizabethan costumes were a source of great pride for the performers who personally provided them. However, they were rarely his-torically accurate, which again forced the audience to use their imaginations to envision the play’s time and place.

The Performance

The original Globe Theatre burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII when a prop cannon caught fire, forc-ing 3,000 visitors to scurry out-side for safety. Miraculously, everyone survived. According to an eyewitness account by Sir Henry Wotton, the only serious recorded injury was sustained by a poor fellow “breeches set on fire, that would perhaps have broyled him, if he had not...put it out with a bottle of ale” (Per-cy, Timbs 195).

Although there are no surviving illus-trations of the original Globe Theatre, historians think it looked something like the Rose Theatre. The Rose was right down the road from the Globe, and some of Shakespeare’s early plays were performed there.

Did You Know?

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MACBETH: SYNOPSISOn the heaths of Scotland, in the after-

math of a bloody battle, three Weird Sis-ters appear on the stormy moor: “When shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightening or in rain?” Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, has just defeated a rebel fac-

tion led by the Thane of Cawdor. Withdrawing from the battlefield, Macbeth and his fellow soldier, Banquo, en-counter the Weird Sisters. The mysterious creatures pre-dict that Macbeth will become both Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland and that Banquo’s children will also be kings. The Sisters vanish, and Scottish lords arrive to announce that Duncan, King of Scotland, has sentenced the Thane of Cawdor to death and awarded Macbeth his ti-tle.Duncan proclaims his

son, Malcolm, heir to the Scottish throne and an-nounces his intention to visit Macbeth’s castle at Inverness. Later, at Inverness cas-

tle, Lady Macbeth reads a letter from Macbeth describing how the Weird Sisters predicted his new title. She calls upon spirits to empower her and en-sure that Macbeth ascends the throne—even if it means murdering King Duncan. When Macbeth returns home, he agrees to the plot. As the evening progresses, however, he seems more reluctant to proceed. Sensing his hesitation, Lady Macbeth challenges her husband’s manhood and courage, and he commits the murder. She explains to him the strategy she has devised to frame the King’s guards for the murder.Macduff, Thane of Fife, arrives at Inverness early the

next morning to wake King Duncan. After being let in by a drunken Porter, Macduff discovers the body of the mur-dered King. In the ensuing chaos, the King’s sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee. Suspicion falls upon them for the mur-der, leaving Macbeth as successor to the throne.

As king, Macbeth becomes obsessed with the prophecy that Banquo’s children will succeed him, so he dispatches murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. The father and son are ambushed and Banquo is killed, but Fleance manages to escape unharmed. That night, Macbeth holds a banquet, and during the

feast the ghost of Banquo appears before the new King Macbeth. Desperate for more knowledge of the future, Macbeth seeks out the Weird Sisters again. The first tells Macbeth to beware Macduff, he second assures him that “none of woman born” can harm him, and the third pre-

dicts that Macbeth will never be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to his castle at Dunsinane. The Weird Sisters then show Macbeth a line of eight kings, descended from Banquo, who will succeed him.Realizing that Macbeth’s rule has become a

reign of terror, Macduff flees to England to raise an army against him. In response, Macbeth sends murderers to Macduff’s castle to slay his wife, children and all members of his house-hold. Tortured with guilt, Lady Macbeth sleep-walks, reliving the night of Duncan’s murder

and revealing the scheme to a doctor and gentlewoman.Accompanied by

Macduff and an army from England, Duncan’s son, Mal-colm, returns to win back his fa-ther’s kingdom. The soldiers break off branches from trees in Birnam Wood to use as camouflage as they march to-wards Dunsinane.

At the castle, Macbeth learns from a servant that his wife is dead. A messenger tells him that many of his followers are deserting him and that “the wood began to move.” Confident that he cannot be harmed by anyone born of woman, Macbeth arms himself and confronts the ap-proaching army. Macduff reveals that he was not born, but “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb. He kills Mac-beth and pronounces Malcolm the new King of Scotland.

This is costume designer Pei Lee’s rendering of Macbeth’s costume. Consider:• What does this picture re-veal to you about the charac-ter? • What impact does how a character dress have on an audience? • What do you imagine Mac-beth looking like? Lady Mac-beth? Banquo’s Ghost?

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MEET THE CHARACTERS

Just like Shakespeare’s players, the National Players have to play multiple roles. The text calls for more than 20 characters, so in addition to each actor playing multiple roles, some characters were combined. Use this chart to keep track of who’s who and how they relate to each other.

Macbeth, Thane of GlamisJacob Mundell

Married to

Lady MacbethLeah Filley

Duncan, King of ScotlandAlexander Korman

MalcomChristopher Richardson

BanquoAntonia Lache

FleanceEliza Rose

Macduff, Thane of FifeDanny Cackley Lady Macduff

Theresa Bucchler

Married to

The Weird Sisters

DoctorDrew Feldman

PorterAdam Turck

Son

Son

Employs

Employs

Follow Along

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Although many intellectuals studied witchcraft in the sixteenth and seven-teenth centuries, witch hunts were uncommon during Queen Elizabeth’s reign. Her successory, on the other hand, was obsessed with necroman-cy. There were more than 250 witch-craft trials during his reign as King of Scotland, in fact, many of which he personally attended or assisted with. One of his first acts as King of England

was to reprint his book on sorcery. The eighty-page publication, Dae-mononlogie, provides information on magic and advocates the importance of witch hunts:

Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, leav-ing behind no children or heirs. Her cousin, James IV of Scotland, was of-fered the throne and crowned James I of Britain. Shakespeare’s company often staged plays with James’ in-terests in mind, just as they had for Queen Elizabeth before him.James believed in Divine Right of

Kings, the philosophy that monarchs were appointed by God and there-fore above earthly authority. He wrote about this doctrine in numer-ous publications, and even voiced his opinion to Parliament in 1609: “Kings are justly called gods, for that they exercise a manner or resem-blence of divine power on earth.”James believed in The Great Chain

of Being, a dictate that God has an ordered system for both nature and humankind, within which every crea-ture has an allotted place. According to this belief, attempts to change one’s station in life, or remove an-other from his or her station, is an offense against God.Not everyone agreed with James’

doctrines about monarchy. Thirteen men defied the Great Chain of Be-ing on November 5, 1605 when they attempted one of the first acts of modern state terrorism. In what be-came known across England as the

Gunpowder Plot, the conspirators planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament and assassinate the king. They were tried and executed for treason.It was probably within this context

that Shakespeare turned to Raphael Holinshed’s Historie of Scotland for material for a tragedy. He took many liberties with the resulting play: the real Macbeth was an eleventh cen-tury Scottish king, but he inherited the throne by defeating King Duncan in battle. Macbeth was succeeded by his stepson, and Banquo probably never existed.

SHAKESPEARE’S WORLDSources

““The fearefull aboundinge at

this time in this countrie, of these detestable slaves of the Devile, the Witches or en-chaunters, hath moved me (beloved reader) to dispatch in post, this following treatist of mine...to resolve the doubt-ing...both that such assaults of Satan are most certainly prac-tised, and that the instrument thereof merits most severely to be punished.

- Preface to Deamonologie

A portrait of King James I of England and VI of Scotland, by Daniel Mytens, 1621

Witchcraft

It is bad luck to speak the name of Shakespeare’s bloody tragedy in a theatre, so much so that actors call it “Mackers,” “The Scottish Play,” or “That Play.” According to legend, real witches cursed the play because the Bard stole lines from their black-magic book to create the Weird Sisters’ spells. Here’s a history of some of the curse’s most famous “victims”:

The “Scottish Play”

1611: The boy playing Lady Macbeth was struck with a sudden fever and died before the opening performance of the play’s very first production.1672: In an Amsterdam performance, the actor

playing Macbeth used a real dagger and accidentally killed the actor playing Duncan.1849: A rivalry between English actor William

Charles Macready and American actor Edwin Forrest resulted in a riot in New York City. More than 10,000 Forrest supporters gathered outside the Astor Place Opera House to protest Macready’s performance of Macbeth, resulting in a riot that killed 23 people and injured hundreds.

1865: Macbeth was Abraham Lincoln’s favorite play. While traveling along the Potomac River, he read pas-sages about Duncan’s murder aloud to friends—and within a week, he was assassinated himself.1928: During the first modern-dress production of

the play, a large set piece fell down, injuring mem-bers of the cast, and a fire broke out in the dress cir-cle.1954: Laurence Olivier almost blinded the actor

playing Macduff during a fight scene.1998: Alec Baldwin sliced open his hand in an

off-Broadway production.

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Little is known about how Shakespeare’s plays looked when they were originally staged, but scholars and historians have found firsthand spectator accounts to fill in some of the blanks. The original Macbeth was played by Richard Burbage, one of the most renowned actors of his day, and the star of the King’s Men. The earliest recorded performance of the play was in 1611, about which playgoer Simon Forman wrote this detailed account: “In Macbeth at the Globe 1611, the 20 of April, Satur-day, there was to be observed, first how Macbeth and Banquo, two noble men of Scotland, riding through a wood, there stood before them three women fairies or nymphs, and saluted Mac-beth.” In 1642, the new Puritan government banned all forms of the-

atre. When the monarchy was restored 18 years later, Macbeth was one of the more popular Shakespeare plays. Productions changed to accomodate modern staging practices, so the late seventeenth century saw Macbeths with flying witches, danc-ing, and even puppets. William Davenant, a popular actor, drastically restructured and altered Shakespeare’s text. He fea-tured Macduff as the hero, emphasized Lady Macduff’s role, eliminated the Porter and some of the Weird Sisters’ scenes, and added musical numbers for the witches. This adaptation dominated the English stage for nearly a century.Although he took some liberties with his script by adding

new lines, actor David Garrick (Image 1, right) mostly revived Shakespeare’s original text in 1744. He was considered one of the greatest Macbeths of his day.The 1900s introduced new, more realistic styles of acting,

which made Shakespeare’s characters more complex and nu-anced. The twentieth century allowed for more experimenta-tion onstage, in terms of design, direction and theme. In 1936, Orson Welles directed what became known as The Voodoo Macbeth for the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem, using black actors and setting the action in Haiti as a political statement. The play has been adapted successfully worldwide. Yukio Nigawa’s 1980 production, for example, set the story in the sixteenth century Japanese Civil War. In 2011, a British theatre company called Punchdrunk staged a version of the play called Sleep No More. Their chilling adaptation lead audiences through three ware-houses, transformed into nightmarish hotels, on an interactive tour through the play.Many great contemporary actors have tackled the famous title

role, including Orson Welles (1948, Image 2), Laurence Olivier (1955), Ian McKellan (1976), Patrick Stewart (2010), and Alan Cumming (2013, Image 3). Macbeth has made forays in film, TV and literary adaptations,

providing creative minds the chance to interpret the play from different perspectives. Books, such as Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, by Russian author Nikolai Leskov, look at the plot from the point of view of different characters. Film adapta-tions, such as Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood, (Image 4) have been especially successful as bringing the story to new places and times, from the back alleys of New York City to a fast food restaurant.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Image 1

Image 2

Image 4

Acting Macbeth

Directors have to make many choices when planning a production, from set and cos-tume design to blocking and casting. Imag-ine directing your own version of Macbeth:1. Come up with a dream cast of characters2. Decide on a time and place for your Mac-

beth3. Sketch basic costume designs for Mac-

beth and Lady Macbeth

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Image 3

NATIONAL PLAYERS’ PRODUCTIONInfluences

This production of Macbeth was heavily in-fluenced by themes of violence and blood-shed. This play is often called Shakespeare’s “bloodiest tragedy,” not because it has the most deaths (with eight murders, it is the fourth deadliest of Shakespeare’s plays) but because it examines notions of villainy, mur-der and corruption more profoundly than any of his other work. The play was certainly relevant for contem-

porary audiences. The story mirrors that of the Gunpowder Plot, leading some scholars to argue that Shakespeare wrote the play as a political allegory. According to this theory, Malcom embodies the concept of an ideal king: courageous, selfless, and God-fearing. Macbeth usurps the throne from a lawful monarch, but is ultimately defeated by the rightful king. The public and King James I were still reeling from the foiled Gunpow-der Plot when Macbeth was performed, and Shakespeare was probably aware of how strongly his story would reverberate with audiences.Casey Kaleba, director of this production,

wanted to explore these themes, not only as they appear in Shakespeare’s text, but with how they connect to the modern world. Al-though it was written 400 years ago, many of the events and themes that occur in the play—greed, rebellion, uprisings, tyranny, innocence and guilt—are particularly rele-vant today. To emphasize these ideas, the director

modernized this production. The costumes and setting are militaristic and distinctly con-temporary. Weapons feature prominently in this staging; in fact, the play opens with the image of riot shields.These particular props were late in delivery,

in fact, because the manufacturing compa-ny had recieved a backlog of demands from conflict zones including Syria, Turkey and Egypt.

Engraving of Guy Fawkes and fellow conspirators, 1605

Syrian Army soldiers, The Guardian 2013

Protesters in Egypt, The Guardian 2013

1. Make a list of themes and motifs in the play. Are they still relevant today?2. What political implications might this play have had in the early 17th century? 3. What political implications does Macbeth have today? Can you make any modern-day connections, exam-

ples of dictatorships, protests, violence or war?4. How might a director politicize a production (use of crowd scenes, uniforms, national flags, etc).Post show: How did this production of Macbeth examine the story from a political perspective? What design

elements and directorial choices bring the play into a modern context?

Think about it...

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Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most striking and fearsome characters. She is a coveted role for actresses, who relish the opportu-nity to embody such a powerful, complex character. Some of the most famous portrayals include Sarah Siddons, Vivien Leigh, and Judi Dench.When Lady Macbeth first appears, she seems conscience-less, deter-

mined, and consumed by ambition. As she reads Macbeth’s letter, she is instantly struck by the possibility of power, determined to chastise Macbeth and counteract his weakness. She even seeks to shed her womanhood in favor of a a more masculine, violent role, someone ca-pable of murder: “Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here...Come to my woman’s breasts,/ And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers” (I.v.9-16).

Scholars and actors have inter-preted the role in various ways. She has been seen and portrayed as a symbol of anti-motherhood, an overpowering wife, a sexual deviant, even a witch.As the play progresses, Lady

Macbeth’s attitudes toward sin and ambition change. The famous sleepwalking scene at the opening of Act V is one of the most iconic and celebrated moments in the Shakespearean canon. In it, Lady Macbeth reveals a tormented consience as she attempts to wash the imagined blood of her victims from her hands. “What, will these hands ne’er be clean?” she cries, desperate to cleanse her soul (V.i.43).

CHARACTER STUDYLady Macbeth Witchcraft

Sarah Siddons, the first ac-tress to reach wide acclaim for her portrayal of Lady Mac-beth, in a portrait by George Henry Harlow, 1814.

Gender RolesUnmarried women in the early modern pe-

riod were expected to strive for three virtues: chastity, silence, and obedience. Once they married, their entire world revolved around the home; literature for women at the time consisted mostly of “how-to” books on mid-wifery, cooking, needlework, gardening, mar-riage, cleaning, parenting, and other skills required of an “ideal” wife.

Many of Shakespeare’s female heroines are notable because they defy gender roles (Kate in Taming of the Shrew, Cordelia in King Lear, Rosalind in As You Like It, to name a few). Lady Macbeth is particularly interesting to examine in this context.

Consider: 1. List Lady Macbeth’s character traits.

Which of these are traditionally feminine? Which traits defy gender roles?

2. How might Lady Macduff be considered a foil to Lady Macbeth? Compare and contrast the two women. How are they each defined by motherhood?

3. What is the relationship like between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth? How do they conform to and challenge traditional notions of husband and wife? How does their rela-tionship change throughout the play?

4. Before she dies, Lady Macduff complains of her husband’s “unnatural” behavior in abandoning wife and children (IV.ii.9). Is her anger justified?

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Consider:1 Are there any historic or modern compar-

isons that can be drawn between Lady Mac-beth and other notable female figures?2. Compare the image of Sarah Siddons’

Lady Macbeth with that of Kate Fleetwood. Theirs are two dramatically different inter-pretations of the character. How do the two compare? How does the character transform over the course of the play, from earlier as she and Macbeth murder the King (Fleet-wood) to her sleepwalking scene (Siddons)?Post-show: Carefully read what Lady Mac-

beth is saying and doing in the sleepwalking scene. In the context of the play, decide what she is writing, and to whom. Write the letter that Lady Macbeth works on, and perform the scene.

Kate Fleetwood as Lady Macbeth as her husband in the 2010 PBS film version of director Rupert Goold’s 2007 London staging.

SoulEternal jewelEntrailsChaudronClottedBlood-boltered

An expression of dismayAlack

RuinBaneSoonAnon

Old hagsBedlams

Bird of preyKiteFoot soldiersKerns

Make redIncarnadine

Goods, resourcesFoisions

HurryHieIn the futureHereafter

ThriftHusbandry

DisturbancePerturbationTriflePalter

Dark, cloudyMurky

CowardlyLily-Livered

DarlingMinionLusftulLuxurious

Lip serviceMouth Honor

WhyWhereforeOf the fatesWeird

EntangleTrammel up

WoundedScotched

Eyes sewn shutSeelingDry, witheredSear (Sere)

The sunThe traveling lamp

GLOSSARYBelow are some of the more challenging words in Shakespeare’s vocabulary. Knowing what

they mean will help you follow the plot more easily.

Because “thee” and “thou” are so antiquated today, they sound more formal to the modern ear. However in Shakespeare’s day, it was quite the opposite.

“Thou” and “thee” indicat-ed a special intimacy, used for addressing God, among close friends and relations, or with the lower class. “You,” on the other hand, was more formal. It was used to address superiors—chil-dren to parents, servants to mas-ters, people of the upper class.

These two forms of address were social indicators of respect and status. Using “thou” inappro-priately would have been a seri-ous breach of social standards. Shakespeare took advantage of these words’ connotations in his plays to establish character and class. When a form of address shifts in dialogue, therefore, it conveys a contrast in meaning—an altered attitude or relation-ship.

Listen for how characters use these two forms of address, and consider:

1. What does a character’s choice in words say about his or her status? What does it indicate about the relationship between two characters?

3. In Act I, scene iii, the Weird Sisters address Banquo and Macbeth as “thou,” but the two soldiers address the Sisters and each other as “you.” What does this indicate to you about rela-tionships and mood?

Thou and You

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MeaningShakespeare’s Word

A military noblemanThane

KEY WORDS AND NAMESAdaptation: To modify from one version to another. In the case of literature, books and plays are often adapt-ed into other forms of media, including TV and film.Allegory: The representation of abstract ideas by characters, figures or events in a narrative form.Burbage, Richard (1567-1619): A prolific modern English actor and member of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later the King’s Men. He played many of Shakespeare’s title roles, including Richard III, Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth.Costumes: Anything actors wear--pants, skirts, shirts, accessories--that dilineate character. Costumes in early modern England were elaborate and helped indicate status, gender and relationships.Davenant, William (1606-1668): A major theatrical figure and writer in the English Renaissance. He altered the text of Macbeth significantly, eliminating the Porter and various scenes, emphasizing Lady Macduff’s char-acter, and inserting song and dance numbers for the witches. His version of the play dominated the English stage for almost a century.Divine Right of Kings: A political and religious doctrine that asserts that a monarch derives the right to rule directly from the will of God. Any attempt to usurp a monarch’s power is a sin against God.Foil: A character who contrasts with another in a significant way. By providing a significant and overt contrast with another character, an author can use a foil to demonstrate or emphasize certain qualities or character-istics. Garrick, David (1717-1779): A prominent English actor, playwright, manager and producer. In his 1744 revival of Macbeth, he mostly used Shakespeare’s original text. His performance of Macbeth was widely acclaimed.Gender roles: Social and behavioral expectations used to define gender.Globe Theatre: Built by Shakespeare’s company in 1599 and rebuilt after a fire in 1619, one of the most pop-ular early modern theaters in London. Great Chain of Being: A belief that God has an ordered system for nature and humankind. Attempting to change one’s station is an offense against God.Groundlings: Frequenters of the Globe Theatre who paid one penny to stand in the pit before the stage. Seats were reserved for higher-paying audience members.Gunpowder Plot: A 1605 conspiracy against King James I, considered one of the first acts of modern state terrorism. After their plot to blow up the houses of Parliament and assasinate the King was discovered, all 13 conspirators were tried and executed.Holinshed’s Historie of Scotland: Part of Raphael Holinsheds Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland, published in the 16th century. Shakespeare used the documented histories as the basis for most of his history plays, as well as King Lear, Cymbeline and Macbeth.Iambic Pentameter: A metrical line used in traditional verse. The rhythm has ten syllables per line, alternating between unstressed and stressed syllables. It sounds something like this: de-DUM de-DUM de-DUM de-DUM de-DUM. For example: “good THINGS of DAY beGIN to DROOP and DROWSE.” King’s Men: The name Shakespeare’s acting company selected after King James I was crowned in 1603.Lord Chamberlain’s Men: Shakespeare’s acting company, which worked at the Globe Theatre in London.Non de plum: A pseudonym adopted by an author.Prose: Natural flow of speech.Siddons, Sarah (1755-1831): A Welsh actress, best known for her tragic roles. She was the first woman to popularize Lady Macbeth with her chilling, naunced performance.Stock character: A specific type of role that frequently appears in plays. Examples from Shakespeare’s day include fools and clowns, romantic lovers, tragic soldiers, and women.Stock scenery: Generic set pieces used for to indicate place. These might include backdrops and basic furni-ture, and might represent anything from a forest to a grand palance. Stratford-upon-Avon: William Shakespeare’s birthplace, located in south Warwickshire, England.Theme: The central topic or idea of a text. Essentially, “what the work is about.”Verse: Poetic composition. Often used in early modern plays. Compare with prose.Witch Hunts: The persecution of people suspected of witchcraft and devil-worship.

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FURTHER READING14

• Garber, Marjorie. Shakespeare After All.A unique guide through all of Shakespeare’s plays, this is an accessible and comprehensive text for both beginners and scholars.• Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. A descriptive, engaging biography of William Shakespeare, Greenblatt includes information on Elizabe-than life and culture, entertaining anecdotes, and clever storytelling to paint an entertaining and educa-tion picture of the playwright’s life. • Holzknecht, Karl J. and Ross, Raymond. Outlines of Shakespeare’s PlaysAct-by-act synopses of each play with helpful character descriptions and relationship information, this collection also includes relevant background material.• Kott, Jan. Shakespeare our Contemporary.One of the most influential Shakespeare criticism works of all time, Kott’s selection of essays includes insightful, provocative analyses on all of Shakespeare’s plays.• Sarrazin, George and Scmidt, Alexander. Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary: A Complete Dictionary of All the English Words, Phrases, and Constructions in the Works of the Poet, Vol. 1 (and Vol. 2). A comprehensive collection of definitions, phrases, terms, and locations, as well as more than 50,000 exact quotations.• Van Doren, Mark. ShakespeareA selection of perceptive, entertaining essays on Shakespeare’s plays and poems by one of the world’s most renowned Shakespeare experts.• Wells, Stanley. Shakespeare: A Life in Drama.Along with a concise biography of the playwright, Wells provides an intriguing portrayal of Shakespeare’s character.• The Riverside Shakespeare by William Shakespeare et al. Houghton Mifflin; 2nd edition; 1997.One of the most trusted Shakespeare companions, this collection of the playwrights work includes exten-sive footnotes and relevant background material.

• www.shakespeare-literature.com and www.absoluteshakespeare.comThe complete texts of Shakespeare’s plays (for free viewing) as well as many links to study resources.• www.shakespeare-online.comAn excellent repository of information on Shakespeare and it is updated frequently.• www.bardweb.net Another large repository of Shakespearean information and information on Elizabethan England• www.shakespeareauthorship.comA website dedicated to the proposition that Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare.• www.folger.edu/Home_02B.html The website of the Folger Shakespeare Library.• http://www.globelink.org/ A website maintained by Shakespeare’s Globe in London with links to resources, archives, and informa-tion about the Globe’s current season.• http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/Default.html An annotated list of scholarly resources available on the internet.

Reading Companions

Online Resources

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Thou and You

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• Adams, Joseph Quincy (1917). Shakespearean Playhouses. Houghton Mifflin. Back-ground of Macbeth, 12 Sept, 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/english/mac-beth/background/revision/2/>.• Bardstage.org, 10 Sept, 2013. • English Theatre Study Guide. National Arts Centre, 11 Sept, 2013. <http://www4.nac-cna.ca/pdf/eth/0708/macbeth_guide.pdf>.• James I, “A Speech to the Lords and Commons on Parliament at West Hall, on Wednse-day the XXI. of March. Anno 1609 [1610],” as reprinted in The Works of the Most High and Mighty Prince, James...King of Britain, Frnace and Ireland. London 1616.• James I and Witchcraft, 11 Sept. 2013. < http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/james-I-witchcraft.htm>.• Jucker, Andreas H. History of English and English Historical Linguistics. Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Verlag, 2000.• Macbeth, Cambridge Schools Edition, 2005.• Paul, Henry Neill (1950). The Royal Play of Macbeth: When, Why, and How It Was Writ-ten by Shakespeare. Macmillan Publishers.• Schwartz, Deborah B. Shakespearean Verse and Prose. California Polytechnic English Department. 10 Sept, 2013. <http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl339/macbeth.html>.• “Shakespeare’s Words,” by David Crystal and Ben Crystal, 2002• Stage and Screen Adaptations, 11 Sept. 2013. <Shakespeareinamericanlife.org>.• Teaching and Learning Resources, Folger Shakespeare Library. 11 Sept., 2013. < http://www.folger.edu/Content/Teach-and-Learn/Teaching-Resources/>.• Timbs, John and Reuben, Percy. The Mirror of Literature, Amusement and Instruction. University of California, 1832.• Underwood, Linda Neal. A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. 10 Sept, 2013. <http://www.us.pengu-ingroup.com/static/pdf/teachersguides/macbeth.pdf>.

This study guide was compiled and edited by Maegan Clearwood, Olney Theatre Center Dramaturgy Apprentice, 2013