Themes

 Both Banquo and Macbeth are ambitious from the beginning, but their reaction to the witches’ prophecies differ. Macbeth is actively ambitious whereas Banquo has latent ambition.
 * Ambition-and its effect on people. **


 * 1) What are the consequences of their attitudes?
 * 2) Where in I.iii is the first indication that Macbeth’s ambition gives him a guilty conscience?
 * 3) Is Macbeth’s ambition a personality flaw? Why? Why not?
 * 4) Macbeth’s ambition increases during the play. How do we know this?

= Loyalty-the importance of it in society =
 * This theme is introduced early in the play. Give an example of someone very early in the play that lacks loyalty.
 * It is ironic, that it is just when Macbeth’s reputation as loyal and honourable is at its height, that he decides to kill the king.
 * The relationships in the play are governed by actual or pretended loyalty.
 * Decide whether the following characters are loyal or not and give examples to support your opinion. **


 * || Lady Macbeth

Macduff

Macbeth

Banquo

Duncan || ||


 * Loyalty and honour are necessary for the health of the health of the kingdom especially where there is distrust, suspicion and corruption. ||

= The Overthrow of the Natural Order =

The play starts with the words; “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” How does this quote set up an expectation of reversal in the play?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14px;">Eg: Thunder and lightning occur when the witches meet.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14px;">Unnatural acts were thought to be accompanied by unnatural events in nature. Find at least three examples of how nature is affected by unnatural events.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14px;">Macbeth overthrows the natural order by killing Duncan. Give an example of something that happens at the banquet that indicates the natural order of things has been disturbed