Comprehention

1. Does Macbeth believe that his castle can withstand a siege?

2. Why does he not fight the enemy army in man-to-man combat?

3. Why is Macbeth no longer fearful?

4. Does the future hold any promise for Macbeth?

5. Does he take any pleasure from thinking of the past?

6. Can he see any meaning in life?

ANALYSIS

1. Find an example ofpersonification in Macbeth's opening lines (1-5).

2. In line 10 fear is presented as if it were a type of food. Underline the expression that establishes this association. The food imagery is continued in line 14 'I have supped full with horrors'. Try to explain this image in your own words.

3. Focus on line 19 'She should have died hereafter'. The word 'should' can mean 'would' or 'ought to' and the line can be interpreted in a sympathetic or unsympathetic way. If the meaning 'would' is taken, it suggests that Macbeth no longer cares about his wife. If 'should' is interpreted as 'ought to', it implies that Macbeth feels his wife's death is premature, and that perhaps he could have intervened to save her, or at least had time to mourn her. Read the line in different ways to suggest the two meanings. It you were the director of the play which of the two interpretations would you choose?

4. What is the effect of therepetition of the word tomorrow in line 21? How do you think this line should be delivered?

• Slowly in a weary tone

• Quickly in a frantic tone

•Other:.........................................................................................

5. Macbeth describes life in a series of striking images (lines 25-30). Link each image to the aspect of life he wishes to underline.

Life is a...	Life is...
brief candle walking shadow poor player tale told by an idiot	insubstantial meaningless undignified short

6. Macbeth's mood changes dramatically in the course of this extract. Which of the adjectives below best describe his mood in the following lines?

Lines 1-8......................................................................................

Lines 10-17..................................................................................

Lines 19-30..................................................................................

defiant philosophical sombre
hesitant reflective confident
nostalgic morbid

WRITER’S WORKSHOP

Metaphor ◊ The language of Shakespeare's plays is highly poetic. One of the elements that gives his work a poetic quality is the use of metaphors. A metaphor is an implied comparison which creates a total identification between the two things being compared. Words such as 'like' or 'as' are not used. A metaphor is made up of three elements:

the tenor, i.e. the subject under discussion (for example, 'life');

the vehicle, i.e. what the subject is compared to (for example, a 'candle');

the ground, i.e. what the poet believes the tenor and the vehicle have in common (for example, 'brevity').

Metaphors have several important functions. They arouse emotions and feelings and help us to create mental pictures that are memorable. They often appeal to our senses. They compress meaning into a few lines and help us to understand difficult abstract ideas by making reference to familiar concrete items.

Tasks

1. Consider the metaphors in lines 26-30. In each case 'life' is the tenor. What are the vehicles and the grounds?

2. Which of the metaphors for life in Macbeth's soliloquy do you find most striking and why?

3. Do any of the metaphors help you to create mental pictures? Could you draw a picture which would illustrate any of the metaphors?

Over to you ◊ Write your own metaphor for life and explain the ground. Example:

Life is a maths lesson.

Ground: the more time passes the less you understand!

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