Macbeth

Macbeth

• Genre: Fiction; tragedy
• Originally Published: 1623 (Folio publication; probably first performed for King James in 1606 and for the public in 1611)
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 590L; grades 7-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 5 acts; approx. 249 pages; approx. 2 hours, 12 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Political ambition wreaks havoc on Scottish general Macbeth’s life after three witches tell him that he will be King of Scotland. After killing the king and ascending the throne, Macbeth is entrenched in a cycle of paranoia and commits additional murder to keep the throne.  
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Violence and murder; deteriorating mental health; war; the supernatural

William Shakespeare, Author

• Bio: 1564-1616; often considered the greatest writer in the English language; wrote 39 plays, 154 sonnets, 3 narrative poems, and several other verses that are attributed to him, though the writer is unknown; born in Stratford-Upon-Avon; married Anne Hathaway at 18 and had three children: Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith; career as an actor and writer began around 1585; part-owner of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a playing company, known later as the King’s Men; retired in 1613 at age 49
• Other Works: Richard III (1592); Romeo and Juliet (1594); Much Ado About Nothing (1598); Julius Caesar (1599-1600); and Antony and Cleopatra (1606)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Ambition and Corruption
• Violence Begets Violence
• Masculinity and Femininity

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain an understanding of Shakespeare’s time with regard to aspects of daily life that play out in Macbeth.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections to the themes of Ambition and Corruption, Violence Begets Violence, and Masculinity and Femininity.
• Analyze and evaluate plot and character details to draw conclusions about who is most to blame for the tragedies in Macbeth.