“Macbeth” List of Characters

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

“Macbeth” List of Characters DUNCAN: The good-natured, honest and trustworthy King of Scotland; he is also politically naive, in part because he trusts Macbeth, who ends up murdering him. Macbeth is his cousin and one of his most trusted generals. MACBETH: One of Duncan's most courageous generals. His driving ambition to become King of Scotland, and the encouragement of his wife corrupt him and cause him to murder Duncan. LADY MACBETH: As ambitious as her husband, she taunts Macbeth’s courage to insure that he will murder Duncan and become king. Her power of language is famous. BANQUO: A general in Duncan's army, he is Macbeth's closest friend. When Macbeth fears Banquo suspects him of murdering Duncan, he arranges to have Banquo murdered. MACDUFF: A Scottish general who strongly suspects Macbeth of murdering Duncan. Macduff swears vengeance. MALCOM: Duncan's elder son, named as their heir to the throne of Scotland; he flees to England after his father's assassination. DONALBAIN: Duncan’s younger son; he flees to Ireland after his father is murdered. LENNOX: One of Duncan’s nobles, he functions largely as an observer in the play. He accompanies Macbeth to the dead king’s chamber and, suspicious of what he sees, he grows increasingly sarcastic and fearful for the fate of Scotland. ROSS: A cousin of Macduff, he acts as a messenger in the play, bringing good news of Macbeth’s victory and bad news about Macduff's family. OLD SIWARD: Earl of Northumberland; an English ally of Malcolm and Macduff. YOUNG SIWARD: Siward's son; slain by Macbeth in hand-to-hand combat SEYTON: Macbeth’s lieutenant / assistant late in the play HECATE: Sometimes referred to as the queen of the witches, she presides over all nocturnal horrors; it is who she directs the supernatural happenings and appearances of the mystical apparitions. THE THREE WITCHES: Supernatural agents of fate who prophecy that Macbeth will become the king of Scotland; they also predict his fall. PORTER: The keeper of Macbeth's castle who drunkenly imagines that he’s gatekeeper to Hell. .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Shakespeare Macbeth
Synopsis Macbeth, set primarily in Scotland, mixes witchcraft, prophecy, and murder. Three “Weïrd Sisters” appear to Macbeth and his comrade Banquo after a battle and prophesy that Macbeth will be king and that the descendants of Banquo will also reign. When Macbeth arrives at his castle, he and Lady Macbeth plot to assassinate King Duncan, soon to be their guest, so that Macbeth can become king. After Macbeth murders Duncan, the king’s two sons flee, and Macbeth is crowned. Fearing that Banquo’s descendants will, according to the Weïrd Sisters’ predictions, take over the kingdom, Macbeth has Banquo killed. At a royal banquet that evening, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost appear covered in blood. Macbeth determines to consult the Weïrd Sisters again. They comfort him with ambiguous promises. Another nobleman, Macduff, rides to England to join Duncan’s older son, Malcolm. Macbeth has Macduff’s wife and children murdered. Malcolm and Macduff lead an army against Macbeth, as Lady Macbeth goes mad and commits suicide. Macbeth confronts Malcolm’s army, trusting in the Weïrd Sisters’ comforting promises. He learns that the promises are tricks, but continues to fight. Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm becomes Scotland’s king. Characters in the Play Three Witches, the Weïrd Sisters Scottish Nobles DUNCAN, king of Scotland LENNOX MALCOLM, his elder son ROSS DONALBAIN, Duncan’s younger son ANGUS MACBETH, thane of Glamis MENTEITH LADY MACBETH CAITHNESS SEYTON, attendant to Macbeth Three Murderers in Macbeth’s service SIWARD, commander of the English
[Show full text]
Macbeth on Three Levels Wrap Around a Deep Thrust Stage—With Only Nine Rows Dramatis Personae 14 Separating the Farthest Seat from the Stage
Weird Sister, rendering by Mieka Van Der Ploeg, 2019 Table of Contents Barbara Gaines Preface 1 Artistic Director Art That Lives 2 Carl and Marilynn Thoma Bard’s Bio 3 Endowed Chair The First Folio 3 Shakespeare’s England 5 Criss Henderson The English Renaissance Theater 6 Executive Director Courtyard-Style Theater 7 Chicago Shakespeare Theater is Chicago’s professional theater A Brief History of Touring Shakespeare 9 Timeline 12 dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare. Founded as Shakespeare Repertory in 1986, the company moved to its seven-story home on Navy Pier in 1999. In its Elizabethan-style Courtyard Theater, 500 seats Shakespeare's Macbeth on three levels wrap around a deep thrust stage—with only nine rows Dramatis Personae 14 separating the farthest seat from the stage. Chicago Shakespeare also The Story 15 features a flexible 180-seat black box studio theater, a Teacher Resource Act by Act Synopsis 15 Center, and a Shakespeare specialty bookstall. In 2017, a new, innovative S omething Borrowed, Something New: performance venue, The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, expanded CST's Shakespeare’s Sources 18 campus to include three theaters. The year-round, flexible venue can 1606 and All That 19 be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes with audience capacities Shakespeare, Tragedy, and Us 21 ranging from 150 to 850, defining the audience-artist relationship to best serve each production. Now in its thirty-second season, the Theater has Scholars' Perspectives produced nearly the entire Shakespeare canon: All’s Well That Ends
[Show full text]
1 Name___KEY___Date___Macbeth: Act
Name_____KEY_____ Date_____________ Macbeth: Act V Reading and Study Guide I. Vocabulary: Be able to define the following words and understand them when they appear in the play. Also, be prepared to be quizzed on these words. perturb: disturb, bother taper: candle note: our word taper that means to make gradually smaller (e.g., to taper someone off a medicine) probably comes from the sense of a taper (candle) gradually diminishing in size as it burns. guise: outward appearance note: think of the word disguise fortify: to strengthen pester: to annoy hew: to cut down abhor: hate, detest; to reject something very strongly Etymology: ab (away) + horror (to tremble; shudder) The word literally means to shrink back (away) in horror (trembling). Word is stronger than hate. II. Background Info: Moirai (3 Fates): In Greek Mythology, these are the three sisters who have the power to decide man’s destiny. The first of the sisters (Clotho) spun the thread of a person’s life and decided what the life would be like. The second (Lachesis) measured the thread of life. She decided how long it would be. The third (Atropos) is the one who cut the thread of life. Essentially, these three sisters determined the length of each person’s life as well as how much suffering. Their names in Roman Mythology are Nona, Decuma, and Morta. And Norse Mythology also has three goddesses of destiny. The exact details of these three goddesses differ in different stories and pieces of art. Most of our information comes from Hesiod’s Theogeny, although there are references in Homer’s Iliad and Plato’s Republic.
[Show full text]
Koel Chatterjee Phd Thesis
Bollywood Shakespeares from Gulzar to Bhardwaj: Adapting, Assimilating and Culturalizing the Bard Koel Chatterjee PhD Thesis 10 October, 2017 I, Koel Chatterjee, hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: Date: 10th October, 2017 Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the patience and guidance of my supervisor Dr Deana Rankin. Without her ability to keep me focused despite my never-ending projects and her continuous support during my many illnesses throughout these last five years, this thesis would still be a work in progress. I would also like to thank Dr. Ewan Fernie who inspired me to work on Shakespeare and Bollywood during my MA at Royal Holloway and Dr. Christie Carson who encouraged me to pursue a PhD after six years of being away from academia, as well as Poonam Trivedi, whose work on Filmi Shakespeares inspired my research. I thank Dr. Varsha Panjwani for mentoring me through the last three years, for the words of encouragement and support every time I doubted myself, and for the stimulating discussions that helped shape this thesis. Last but not the least, I thank my family: my grandfather Dr Somesh Chandra Bhattacharya, who made it possible for me to follow my dreams; my mother Manasi Chatterjee, who taught me to work harder when the going got tough; my sister, Payel Chatterjee, for forcing me to watch countless terrible Bollywood films; and my father, Bidyut Behari Chatterjee, whose impromptu recitations of Shakespeare to underline a thought or an emotion have led me inevitably to becoming a Shakespeare scholar.
[Show full text]
Seven Ladies Macbeth
Seven Ladies Macbeth by Michael Bettencourt 67 Highwood Terrace #2, Weehawken NJ 07086 201-770-0770 • 347-564-9998 • [email protected] http://www.m-bettencourt.com Copyright © by Michael Bettencourt Offered under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ DESCRIPTION What came before Lady Macbeth became Lady Macbeth? CHARACTERS • GRUOCH (later, Lady Macbeth) • ELFRIDA (mother of Lady Macbeth)/DUNCAN/GENTLEWOMAN • SOLDIER/GILLACOMGAIN (first husband)/MACBETH’s SQUIRE/DOCTOR/MACDUFF • MACBETH • NURSE/BISHOP/SINT (can be played by a male or female) • CHORUS OF CROWS/GRUOCH’S ATTENDANTS/THE 3 WITCHES CHORUS will wear half-masks made to look like crows. There is nothing but interpretation. * * * * * Scene 1: First Lady Blackness. In the blackness, the sound of ELFRIDA, the queen, in carnal delight and distress—a rising wail halfway between pleasure and lamentation, with a final crescendo halfway between pleasure and a snarl. As this happens, a light up on young GRUOCH. When ELFRIDA is finished, a light up on ELFRIDA slipping on a simple rough cotton caftan. They sit apart, at some distance. They hold each other’s gaze, then GRUOCH looks away. ELFRIDA: Gruoch? We named you Gruoch—I don’t know why. I don’t think you can change it. The name sounds like it crawled out of the throats of crows. Would you like me to remember for you how your world began? Well? Not that you have many memories— GRUOCH: I heard—it—them—the screams—your screams—they—shook me—as I— SEVEN LADIES MACBETH • Page 1 GRUOCH makes a sliding motion with her hand: slipping out of the womb.
[Show full text]
Shakespeare's Macbeth Act 2, Scene 3 a Porter Goes to Answer the Door
Shakespeare's Macbeth Act 2, scene 3 A porter goes to answer the door, joking to himself that he is the doorkeeper at the mouth of hell, and mocking whoever might be knocking to get into hell. At the door are Macduff and Lennox. Macduff goodnaturedly asks what took so long. The porter blames drunkenness, and makes a series of jokes about alcohol and its effects on men. Macbeth enters, pretending to have just woken up. Macduff asks if the King has woken yet. Duncan had asked to see Macduff early that morning. Macbeth points out where Duncan is sleeping, and Macduff goes to wake him. As they wait for Macduff to return, Lennox describes the terrible storm that raged the previous night and sounded like "strange screams of death" (line 52). Macduff cries out in horror and runs onstage. Macbeth and Lennox ask what happened, then run to Duncan's chamber. Banquo, Malcolm, and Donalbain wake. Lady Macbeth enters, pretending not to know what happened, and expressing horror when Macduff tells her of the murder. Macbeth returns, and wishes he had died rather than to have to see such a such a thing. Malcolm and Donalbain enter and ask what's happened. Lennox tells them that Duncan was murdered by his drunken attendants. Macbeth wishes aloud that he hadn't killed the attendants. When Macduff asks why Macbeth did kill the attendants, Macbeth says he was so furious that they had murdered Duncan that he couldn't control himself. Lady Macbeth faints. The thanes agree to meet in the hall to discuss what's happened.
[Show full text]
Macbeth Character Card Sort
Macbeth Character Card Sort SORT OUT THE CARDS INTO TWO PILES AND USE THE DESCRIPTIONS TO MATCH UP THE CHARACTER AND THE CORRECT NAME THE THREE WITCHES MACBETH LADY MACBETH BANQUO DONALBAIN MALCOLM LENNOX THE PORTER ROSS LADY MACDUFF MACDUFF DUNCAN FLEANCE © 2003 www.teachit.co.uk m237char Page 1 of 5 Macbeth Character Card Sort These characters add an element of Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, a general supernatural and prophecy to the play. in the King's army and husband he is a They each have a familiar, such as basically good man who is troubled by Graymalkin and Paddock, and are his conscience and loyalty though at the commanded by Hecate, a Greek goddess same time ambitious and murderous. He of the moon and witchcraft. They can is led to evil initially by the witches' use sieves as boats, and they can predictions and then by his wife's become an animal. They are described goading, which he gives into because he as having beards but looking human. loves her so. This woman is a good wife who loves her Thane of Lochaber, a general in the husband. She is also ambitious but lacks King's army. This man is the opposite the morals of her husband. To achieve of Macbeth, showing an alternate her ambition, she rids of herself of any reaction to prophecy. He keeps his kindness that might stand in the way. morals and allegiances, but ends up However, she runs out of energy to dying. He is brave and ambitious, but suppress her conscience and kills this is tempered by intelligence.
[Show full text]
Macbeth in World Cinema: Selected Film and Tv Adaptations
International Journal of English and Literature (IJEL) ISSN 2249-6912 Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mar 2013, 179-188 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd. MACBETH IN WORLD CINEMA: SELECTED FILM AND TV ADAPTATIONS RITU MOHAN 1 & MAHESH KUMAR ARORA 2 1Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Management and Humanities, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, Punjab, India 2Associate Professor, Department of Management and Humanities, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, Punjab, India ABSTRACT In the rich history of Shakespearean translation/transcreation/appropriation in world, Macbeth occupies an important place. Macbeth has found a long and productive life on Celluloid. The themes of this Bard’s play work in almost any genre, in any decade of any generation, and will continue to find their home on stage, in film, literature, and beyond. Macbeth can well be said to be one of Shakespeare’s most performed play and has enchanted theatre personalities and film makers. Much like other Shakespearean works, it holds within itself the most valuable quality of timelessness and volatility because of which the play can be reproduced in any regional background and also in any period of time. More than the localization of plot and character, it is in the cinematic visualization of Shakespeare’s imagery that a creative coalescence of the Shakespearean, along with the ‘local’ occurs. The present paper seeks to offer some notable (it is too difficult to document and discuss all) adaptations of Macbeth . The focus would be to provide introductory information- name of the film, country, language, year of release, the director, star-cast and the critical reception of the adaptation among audiences.
[Show full text]
Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks Tour Into Their Neighborhoods Across the Far North, West, and South Sides of the City
ANNOUNCING OUR 2018/2019 SEASON —The Merry Wives of Windsor Explosive, Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. Shakespeare’s tale of magic and mayhem—reimagined. The “76-trombone,” Tony-winning musical The Music Man. And so much more! 5-play Memberships start at just $100. We’re Only Alive For A Short Amount Of Time | How To Catch Creation | Sweat The Winter’s Tale | The Music Man | Lady In Denmark | Twilight Bowl | Lottery Day GoodmanTheatre.org/1819Season 312.443.3800 2018/2019 Season Sponsors MACBETH Contents Chicago Shakespeare Theater 800 E. Grand on Navy Pier On the Boards 10 Chicago, Illinois 60611 A selection of notable CST events, plays, and players 312.595.5600 www.chicagoshakes.com Conversation with the Directors 14 ©2018 Chicago Shakespeare Theater All rights reserved. Cast 23 ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CARL AND MARILYNN THOMA ENDOWED CHAIR: Barbara Gaines EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Playgoer's Guide 24 Criss Henderson PICTURED: Ian Merrill Peakes Profiles 26 and Chaon Cross COVER PHOTO BY: Jeff Sciortino ABOVE PHOTO BY: joe mazza A Scholar’s Perspective 40 The Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults is a rigorous, non- Part of the John W. and Jeanne M. Rowe credit liberal arts program that draws on the strong Socratic tradition Inquiry and Exploration Series at the University of Chicago. There are no tests, papers, or grades; you will instead delve into the foundations of Western political and social thought through instructor-led discussions at our downtown campus and online. EXPLORE MORE AT: graham.uchicago.edu/basicprogram www.chicagoshakes.com 5 Welcome DEAR FRIENDS, When we first imagined The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare and the artistic capacity inherent in its flexible design, we hoped that this new venue would invite artists to dream big as they approached Shakespeare’s work.
[Show full text]
The Historical Context of Macbeth
The Historical Context of Macbeth EXPLORING Shakespeare, 2003 Shakespeare wrote Macbeth sometime between 1605 and 1606, shortly after the ascension of King James of Scotland to the English throne. The new monarch brought Scotland—previously known to the English only as a mysterious, conquered neighbor—into the public limelight. The period of James' reign was further marked by political and religious conflict, much of which focused the kingdom's attention on the danger of regicide. Events in History at the Time of the Play Sources Following the process used in the creation of many of his plays, Shakespeare drew the plot for Macbeth from historical sources—particularly Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1577), the authoritative historical text of the period. Although Holinshed contains the story of Macbeth and Duncan, Shakespeare did not rely on this only; rather, he combined different stories and different versions of the same story to create his drama. The Chronicles include an account of King Malcolm II (reigned 1005-34), whose throne passed first to Duncan I (reigned 1034-40) and then to Macbeth (reigned 1040-57), both of whom were his grandsons. For his portrayal of the murder through which Macbeth took Duncan's throne, Shakespeare mined another vein of the Chronicles—King Duff's death at the hands of one of his retainers, Donwald. In combining the two events, Shakespeare crafted a specific tone for the tale of regicide. When King Malcolm II of Scotland died in 1034, his last command was that the throne should pass to his oldest grandson, Duncan.
[Show full text]
Rina Mahoney
www.hamiltonhodell.co.uk Rina Mahoney Talent Representation Telephone Elizabeth Fieldhouse +44 (0) 20 7636 1221 [email protected] Address Hamilton Hodell, 20 Golden Square London, W1F 9JL, United Kingdom Theatre Title Role Director Theatre/Producer HAMLET Gertrude Damian Cruden Shakespeares Rose Theatre, York TWELFTH NIGHT Maria Joyce Branagh Shakespeares Rose Theatre, York DEATH OF A SALESMAN The Woman Sarah Frankcom Royal Exchange Theatre Shakespeare's Rose MACBETH Lady Macduﬀ/Young Siward Damian Cruden Theatre/Lunchbox Productions Shakespeare's Rose A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM Peter Quince Juliet Forster Theatre/Lunchbox Productions THE PETAL AND THE ORCHID Kathryn Cat Robey Underexposed Theatre THE SECRET GARDEN Ayah/Dr Bres Liz Stevenson Theatre by the Lake ROMEO AND JULIET Nurse Justin Audibert RSC (BBC Live) MACBETH Witch 2 Justin Audibert RSC (BBC Live) ZILLA Rumani Joyce Branagh The Gap Project Duke of Venice/Portia's THE MERCHANT OF VENICE Polly Findlay RSC Servant OTHELLO Ensemble/Emillia Understudy Iqbal Khan RSC Birmingham Repertory FADES, BRAIDS AND KEEPING IT REAL Eva Antionette Lecester Theatre/Sharon Foster Productions CALCUTTA KOSHER Maki Janet Steel Arcola/Kali ARE WE NEARLY THERE YET? Various Matthew Lloyd Wilton's Music Hall FLINT STREET NATIVITY The Angel Matthew Lloyd Hull Truck Theatre MATCH Jasmin Jenny Stephens Hearth UNWRAPPED FESTIVAL Various Gwenda Hughes Birmingham Repertory Theatre HAPPY NOW Bea Matthew Lloyd Hull Truck Theatre Company MIRIAM ON 34TH STREET Kathy Jenny Stephens Something & Nothing
[Show full text]
Chicago Shakespeare Theater Is Chicago’S Professional Theater Dedicated Timeline 12 to the Works of William Shakespeare
TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface 1 Art That Lives 2 Bard’s Bio 3 The First Folio 4 Shakespeare’s England 4 The English Renaissance Theater 6 Barbara Gaines Criss Henderson Courtyard-style Theater 8 Artistic Director Executive Director On the Road: A Brief History of Touring Shakespeare 9 Chicago Shakespeare Theater is Chicago’s professional theater dedicated Timeline 12 to the works of William Shakespeare. Founded as Shakespeare Repertory in 1986, the company moved to its seven-story home on Navy Pier in 1999. Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” In its Elizabethan-style courtyard theater, 500 seats on three levels wrap around a deep thrust stage—with only nine rows separating the farthest Dramatis Personae 14 seat from the stage. Chicago Shakespeare also features a flexible 180-seat The Story 15 black box studio theater, a Teacher Resource Center, and a Shakespeare Act-by-Act Synopsis 15 specialty bookstall. Something Borrowed, Something New: Shakespeare’s Sources 17 Now in its twenty-eighth season, the Theater has produced nearly the entire 1606 and All That 18 Shakespeare canon: All’s Well That Ends Well, Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare, Tragedy and Us 20 As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors, Cymbeline, Hamlet, Henry IV A Scholar’s Perspective: Hereafter 21 Parts 1 and 2, Henry V, Henry VI Parts 1, 2 and 3, Henry VIII, Julius What the Critics Say 23 Caesar, King John, King Lear, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Macbeth, Measure Why Teach Macbeth? 34 for Measure, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Pericles, A Play Comes to Life Richard II, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, A Look Back at Macbeth in Performance 38 The Tempest, Timon of Athens, Troilus and Cressida, Twelfth Night, Dueling Macbeths Erupt in Riots! 42 The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Two Noble Kinsmen, and The A Conversation with the Director 43 Winter’s Tale.
[Show full text]