ANSWERS TO PAGES 6 & 7
Changes
in Macbeth’s character
1.
In your groups, list down below the changes that we see in
Macbeth. For example, do we see him as being more greedy now, or more insecure?
Provide explanations for your reasons.
|
Characteristic/Change
|
Explanations/Evidences
|
|
Bolder/bold/daring
|
Hired murderers to kill his best friend
-
P118 (line 138) “We
shall my lord, perform what you command us”
|
|
More insecure
|
Afraid of losing his position as King of Scotland now
-
P114 (line 65-68)
-
P122 (line 15) “We
have scorched the snake, not killed it”
|
|
More ruthless
|
Hired a third murderer to check that the murder was done properly
|
|
Independent/distant from his wife
|
Did not tell Lady Macbeth of his plans to murder Banquo
-
P126 (line 50-51) “Be
innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed.” (M to
LM)
|
|
Not afraid to do more murders/to secure his position as king
|
Planted spies at Macduff’s homes/the nobles homes
-
P142 (line 157)
“there’s not a one of them but in his house I keep a servant fee’d”
|
|
More impulsive/emotionally and mentally unstable
|
Reflected in the change in his language – language becomes more
coarse
P141 (line 116) “What man dare, I dare:
approach thou like the rugged Russian bear, the armed rhinoceros, or th’
Hyrcan tiger […] my firm nerves shall never tremble”
|
Characterisation
Characters can be round
or flat . A round character is one who is capable of change
and evolves in a story. They are complex and are extremely
realistic, behaving in a real-life manner.
A flat character is
the opposite. They do not change or grow during the course of the story.
In your opinion, Macbeth is a round
character. The reason is that
he has shown change,
though in this case from good to bad.
He is a complex character as he shows his vulnerable side especially in
the beginning of the play. Even at the
end when he is a monstrous person,
the reader still admires his bravery
though grudgingly. (fighting till the end with Macduff).
Motive refers to the reasons why characters do the things they do. They also reveal a lot about the personality of
the character. Consider Macbeth’s actions, what his motives could be, and what
they reveal about him.
|
Macbeth’s actions
|
Motive (He does this because…)
|
This tells me that he is…
|
|
Writing a letter to Lady Macbeth about his
encounter with the Witches
|
he wants to share with his partner what
transpired so that she is aware of what future lies ahead of them
|
Close to his wife/has a close relationship/dependent on her
|
|
Bringing the dagger back after killing Duncan
|
He is nervous after doing the deed/nothinking
|
Nervous/has
a conscience/is afraid
|
|
Killing Duncan
|
To seize the crown
|
Ambitious/greedy
|
|
Killing Banquo
|
To stop him from divulging his secret since
Banquo knows about the witches/he wants to stop the prophecy from coming true
i.e. Banquo’s children will be kings
|
Greedy/insecure
|
|
Not telling Lady Macbeth his plans to kill
Banquo
|
He wants to act on his own/he is very
comfortable being king and assuming power
|
Breaking
away from his wife
|
|
Seeing the Witches again in Act 3
|
To find out more about his future
|
insecure
|
|
Killing Macduff’s family
|
To stop the witches prophecy from becoming true
|
Insecure/evil/consumed
by too much power
|
|
Refusing to surrender to Macduff
|
To show that he is still a worthy warrior/he is
not a coward
|
Brave/Prideful
(Note that being prideful does not mean proud. In
this case, the king ought to have a sense of pride, doesn’t he?)
|
JOURNAL QUESTION
1. To what extent do the witches' prophecies influence Macbeth's desire/thirst for power?
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