Context Is Everything
Macbeth was written around 1606, shortly after King James I came to the English throne. James was fascinated by witchcraft and deeply invested in the idea of the Divine Right of Kings.
Core Themes
- Ambition: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth let their desire for power override their conscience.
- Guilt and the supernatural: From Banquo's ghost to Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking, guilt manifests physically.
- Appearance vs Reality: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." Characters are not what they seem.
- Fate vs Free Will: The witches predict; they do not cause. Macbeth makes his own choices.
Exam Technique
Always embed quotations naturally into your sentences. Link every point to a theme. Remember context.