Exploring 'Macbeth'
start >
Explore
Explore key moments in the play
Extend your vocabulary when commenting on the play
Explode key quotations from the play
Explore key motifs and symbols in the play
Check your understanding of the plot of the play
Make links between the play and its social and historical context
vocabulary for commenting on 'Macbeth'
mACHIAVELLIAN
hamartia
regicide
prophecy
tyranny
hubris
equivocation
peripeteia and anagnorisis
duplicity
nihilism
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Video Menu
Explore the key moments in 'Macbeth' which establish each character
Lady Macbeth
Macbeth
Banquo
The witches
King Duncan
Malcolm
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Key moments: Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
- Lady Macbeth's character;
- How she changes over the play;
- How she connects to key ideas and themes in the play.
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Key moments: Macbeth
Macbeth
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
- Macbeth's character;
- How he changes over the play;
- How he connects to key ideas and themes in the play.
continue
Key moments: Macbeth
Macbeth
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
- Macbeth's character;
- How he changes over the play;
- How he connects to key ideas and themes in the play.
back to menu
Key moments: King Duncan
King Duncan
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
- How he connects to key ideas and themes in the play.
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Key moments: Banquo
Banquo
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
- How he connects to key ideas and themes in the play.
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Key moments: Malcolm
Malcolm
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
- Malcolm's character;
- How he changes over the play;
- How he connects to key ideas and themes in the play.
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Key moments: Witches
Witches
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
- How they connect to key ideas and themes in the play.
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Exploding Quotations Menu
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't"
"Unsex me here / And fill me from the crown ..."
"Dark night strangles the travelling lamp"
"borrowed robes"
"Macbeth shall sleep no more"
"Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand"
back to main menu
Exploding a Quotation: Look like the innocent ...
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Context Explain the significance of the symbolism of a serpent among the flowers. (THINK: Biblical allusion)
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't." (Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 7)
Contrast By Act 5 Scene 1, Lady Macbeth "has light by her continually. 'Tis her command", What is the dramatic significance of this, compared to her behaviour here?
Zoom In on the words "innocent" and "serpent", explaining how they relate to the Biblical story of tempetation in the Garden of Eden.
back to menu
Exploding a Quotation: Unsex me here ...
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Context Explain how this quotation links to Jacobean beliefs in witchcraft and the supernatural.
"Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here / And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull / Of direst cruelty" (Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 5)
Contrast Lady Macbeth's comment here with her aside in Act 3 Scene 2. How is her state of mind different in these two comments?
Zoom In on the use of imperatives. What is ironic about the idea of Lady Macbeth commanding the spirits here? THINK: Jacobean belief in the Great Chain of Being.
back to menu
Exploding a Quotation: Dark night strangles ...
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Context Explain how this quotation links to the Jacobean belief in the Great Chain of Being.
"By the clock, 'tis day / And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp." (Ross, Act 2 Scene 4)
Connect What other examples of disorder in nature are described in Act 2 Scene 4?
Zoom In on the personification of night choking the sun. What is the dramatic significance of this imagery? Explain how it relates to events.
back to menu
Exploding a Quotation: Borrowed robes ...
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Motif Explain how this phrase "borrowed robes" is an example of the clothing motif being used to foreshadow later events.
"The Thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?" (Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 3)
Contrast The description of robes here with Angus' comment in Act 5 Scene 2: "like a giant's rob upon a dwarfish thief". Explain what Angus means here.
Zoom In on the phrase "borrowed robes" and explain the irony.
back to menu
Exploding a Quotation: Sleep no more...
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Context Who might a Jacobean audience attribute the 'voice' that Macbeth hears?
"Still it cried, 'Sleep no more!' to all the house. / 'Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor / Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more." (Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 2)
Contrast The description of sleep here with Macbeth's comment about Duncan: "Duncan is in his grave: after life's fitful fever, he sleeps well".
Zoom In on the phrase "murdered sleep" and explore its different meanings here.
back to menu
Exploding a Quotation: Neptune's ocean ...
"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine / Making the green one red." (Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 2)
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Context How does this quotation relate to Jacobean beliefs about Great Chain of Being?
Contrast This comment with Macbeth's later remark: "I am in blood stepped in so far ... as go o'er" (Act 3 Scene 4). Does his attitude change at all? If so, in what way?
Zoom In on "all great Neptune's ocean" and explain the intended dramatic effect of this phrase.
back to menu
Act 1
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 1
Scene 2
Act 2
Scene 6
Scene 1
Scene 5
Scene 7
'Macbeth' Scene Overview
Act 3
Scene 1
Scene 3
Scene 2
Scene 4
Scene 2
back to main menu
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
Act 4
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 6
Scene 1
Scene 3
Act 5
Scene 2
'Macbeth' Scene Overview
Scene 3
Scene 5
Scene 4
Scene 6
Scene 7
Scene 8
back to main menu
Key Motifs and Symbols
Explore how Shakespeare uses motifs and symbols to convey the big themes in 'Macbeth'.
back to main menu
Nature
Time
Night
Blood
+ info
+ info
+ info
+ info
Motif/Symbol: Blood
Click on the + to find examples to this symbol in 'Macbeth'
Why does Shakespeare use the word 'blood' so often in the play?
The word 'blood' appears over 40 times in Macbeth – not to mention appearances by related words such as 'bloody', 'bleeding' and so on. Shakespeare's constant repetition of the word 'blood' stresses to his audience or readers the full horror of what is happening. This was especially true for the play's original audiences. For them the shedding of a king's blood would have been just about the worst crime that could be committed. It was not only a crime but also a deadly sin. The references to actual blood are a constant reminder of the direct consequences of the Macbeth's actions. This is further reinforced by the images of blood which are used throughout the character's speeches and makes what they are saying all the more frightening or horrific.
back to menu
Motif/Symbol: Night
Click on the + to find examples to this symbol in 'Macbeth'
Why does Shakespeare use the word 'night' so often in the play?
The constant repetition of the word 'night' highlights the sense of darkness in the play and at the heart of some of the characters. It had another particularly practical use in Shakespeare's day. Plays were regularly performed out of doors and during daylight. Therefore it was important to keep reminding the audience that some of the play's most important scenes were actually meant to be taking place in the dark.
back to menu
Motif/Symbol: Time
Click on the + to find examples to this symbol in 'Macbeth'
Why does Shakespeare use the word 'time' so often in the play?
As with the other key words, the main effect of repetition is to make sure that the audience or reader knows that this aspect is important. Time seems to pass more quickly as the play progresses and this adds to the tension as the play moves towards its final climax.
back to menu
Motif/Symbol: Time
Click on the + to find examples to this symbol in 'Macbeth'
Why does Shakespeare use the word 'time' so often in the play?
As with the other key words, the main effect of repetition is to make sure that the audience or reader knows that this aspect is important. Time seems to pass more quickly as the play progresses and this adds to the tension as the play moves towards its final climax.
back to menu
Context
Important Jacobean Ideas
back to main menu
Witchcraft and the supernatural
Divine Right of Kings
Great Chain of Being
Gender
Explore how Shakespeare subverts Jacobean gender norms through the characterisation of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.
Find out more about the medieval concept of the divine right of kings and how it helps us to understand 'Macbeth'.
Understand how the Jacobean's belief in witchcraft and the supernatural should shape our understanding of 'Macbeth'.
Find out what we mean by the Great Chain of Being and how it helps us to understand 'Macbeth'.
video
video
video
video
References to time are an important aspect of Macbeth and as time passes in the play, events become more intense and consequences more significant. Being able to see into the future, as Macbeth believes the Witches are able to do, gives a sense of power to his actions. Both he and his wife seem in a hurry to realise their ambitions before time catches up with them.
Explore references to time in the play.
Blood appears as a real substance all through the play. In one of the first scenes a blood-stained Captain reports on the battle to Duncan. Blood is evident when Duncan, Banquo and Lady Macduff are murdered and the Witches use animal blood as part of their potions. The play also finishes with real blood as Macbeth's severed head is displayed for all to see.
The word 'blood' also appears a number of times as a symbol of the guilt that runs through the play. For instance, Macbeth sees a vision of a bloodstained dagger before he kills Duncan and Lady Macbeth tries to wash away imaginary bloodstains during her guilt-ridden sleepwalking.
Explore references to blood in the play.
Night time is traditionally associated with evil and so it is in Macbeth. Many of the most horrifying scenes of the play take place at night and under the cover of darkness. Even when it is daylight sometimes it seems more like night. The image of night time is also used by the characters to show the darkness of their feelings and the evil of what they are doing.
Explore references to night in the play.
Shakespeare uses the motif of nature to show the unrest, violence and disturbance Macbeth's act of regicide causes the nation of Scotland. Nature imagery is also used to illustrate growth and renewal. At the end of the play, Malcolm becomes King of Scotland and resorts natural order to the country.
Explore references to nature in the play.
'Peripeteia' is the sudden change in circumstances or reversal in fortune for a character in a fictional narrative. 'Anagnorisis' is the moment when a character recognises or discovers either the true nature of another character or the true nature of their own circumstances. For example, when Macbeth sees Birnam wood moving he realises the witches are "juggling fiends".
'Hubris' is excessive pride, arrogance of overconfidence often resulting in the downfall or defeat of the person. In Greek mythology, hubris was seen as a character flaw that often led to the punishment of heroes who defied the gods or challenged the natural order of things.
The term 'Machiavellian' stems from Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian diplomat and writer of 'The Prince', a 16th century 'handbook' on how to maintain power. Machiavelli writes that 'If a ruler wants to survive, he'll have to learn to stop being good'. Macbeth can be considered a Machiavellian leader.
Many characters in 'Macbeth' behave duplicitously. 'Duplicitous' means to be deceptive, two-faced, a person who deliberately misleads people for their own gain. For example, Macbeth shows duplicity when he tells Banquo he has not been thinking about the witches' prophecies.
'Regicide' is the act of killing a king - the incident which sets in motion Macbeth's later downfall. It is a crime that is unforgiveable; the worst possible crime a Jacobean person could commit. As it is also a crime against God, who has anointed the chosen king, there are severe consequences for the one who commits regicide.
'Equivocation' is when a person uses ambigious (unclear) language to conceal the truth about a situation or to avoid implicating onself in a crime. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth often use equivocation to hide the truth of their actions from others. Similarly, the witches often equivocate when meeting with Macbeth in Act 4, Scene 1.
'Harmartia' is a character fault or mistake that causes someone to fail or to be destroyed. It is Macbeth's harmartia that drives the plot of the play and teaches a valuable lesson: those who wish to subvert the Great Chain of Being will be defeated.
'Tyranny' is the cruel and harsh rule of a government, state or monarch. Macbeth is a tyrannical character, someone who rules through fear. His tyrannical rule of Scotland inflicts pain and suffering on its people.
'Prophecy' is a prediction of what will happen in the future. Part of the driving force behind Macbeth's actions comes from the prophecies bestowed upon both him and Banquo throughout the play.
'Nihilism' is the belief that life is ultimately meaingless and without purpose. Macbeth is a character who, by the end of the play, has a nihilistic view of life, shown in the speech 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow'. Although he achieves his ambition of becoming king, he realises that this is meaningless when compared to his overwhelming sense of guilt.
Exploring 'Macbeth'
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Transcript
Exploring 'Macbeth'
start >
Explore
Explore key moments in the play
Extend your vocabulary when commenting on the play
Explode key quotations from the play
Explore key motifs and symbols in the play
Check your understanding of the plot of the play
Make links between the play and its social and historical context
vocabulary for commenting on 'Macbeth'
mACHIAVELLIAN
hamartia
regicide
prophecy
tyranny
hubris
equivocation
peripeteia and anagnorisis
duplicity
nihilism
back to main menu
Video Menu
Explore the key moments in 'Macbeth' which establish each character
Lady Macbeth
Macbeth
Banquo
The witches
King Duncan
Malcolm
back to main menu
Key moments: Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
back to menu
Key moments: Macbeth
Macbeth
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
continue
Key moments: Macbeth
Macbeth
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
back to menu
Key moments: King Duncan
King Duncan
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
back to menu
Key moments: Banquo
Banquo
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
back to menu
Key moments: Malcolm
Malcolm
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
back to menu
Key moments: Witches
Witches
Consider how these key moments in the play show:
back to menu
Exploding Quotations Menu
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't"
"Unsex me here / And fill me from the crown ..."
"Dark night strangles the travelling lamp"
"borrowed robes"
"Macbeth shall sleep no more"
"Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand"
back to main menu
Exploding a Quotation: Look like the innocent ...
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Context Explain the significance of the symbolism of a serpent among the flowers. (THINK: Biblical allusion)
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't." (Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 7)
Contrast By Act 5 Scene 1, Lady Macbeth "has light by her continually. 'Tis her command", What is the dramatic significance of this, compared to her behaviour here?
Zoom In on the words "innocent" and "serpent", explaining how they relate to the Biblical story of tempetation in the Garden of Eden.
back to menu
Exploding a Quotation: Unsex me here ...
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Context Explain how this quotation links to Jacobean beliefs in witchcraft and the supernatural.
"Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here / And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull / Of direst cruelty" (Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 5)
Contrast Lady Macbeth's comment here with her aside in Act 3 Scene 2. How is her state of mind different in these two comments?
Zoom In on the use of imperatives. What is ironic about the idea of Lady Macbeth commanding the spirits here? THINK: Jacobean belief in the Great Chain of Being.
back to menu
Exploding a Quotation: Dark night strangles ...
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Context Explain how this quotation links to the Jacobean belief in the Great Chain of Being.
"By the clock, 'tis day / And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp." (Ross, Act 2 Scene 4)
Connect What other examples of disorder in nature are described in Act 2 Scene 4?
Zoom In on the personification of night choking the sun. What is the dramatic significance of this imagery? Explain how it relates to events.
back to menu
Exploding a Quotation: Borrowed robes ...
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Motif Explain how this phrase "borrowed robes" is an example of the clothing motif being used to foreshadow later events.
"The Thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?" (Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 3)
Contrast The description of robes here with Angus' comment in Act 5 Scene 2: "like a giant's rob upon a dwarfish thief". Explain what Angus means here.
Zoom In on the phrase "borrowed robes" and explain the irony.
back to menu
Exploding a Quotation: Sleep no more...
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Context Who might a Jacobean audience attribute the 'voice' that Macbeth hears?
"Still it cried, 'Sleep no more!' to all the house. / 'Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor / Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more." (Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 2)
Contrast The description of sleep here with Macbeth's comment about Duncan: "Duncan is in his grave: after life's fitful fever, he sleeps well".
Zoom In on the phrase "murdered sleep" and explore its different meanings here.
back to menu
Exploding a Quotation: Neptune's ocean ...
"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas incarnadine / Making the green one red." (Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 2)
Methods Highlight and label the different method(s) Shakespeare has used in this quotation.
Context How does this quotation relate to Jacobean beliefs about Great Chain of Being?
Contrast This comment with Macbeth's later remark: "I am in blood stepped in so far ... as go o'er" (Act 3 Scene 4). Does his attitude change at all? If so, in what way?
Zoom In on "all great Neptune's ocean" and explain the intended dramatic effect of this phrase.
back to menu
Act 1
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 1
Scene 2
Act 2
Scene 6
Scene 1
Scene 5
Scene 7
'Macbeth' Scene Overview
Act 3
Scene 1
Scene 3
Scene 2
Scene 4
Scene 2
back to main menu
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
Act 4
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 6
Scene 1
Scene 3
Act 5
Scene 2
'Macbeth' Scene Overview
Scene 3
Scene 5
Scene 4
Scene 6
Scene 7
Scene 8
back to main menu
Key Motifs and Symbols
Explore how Shakespeare uses motifs and symbols to convey the big themes in 'Macbeth'.
back to main menu
Nature
Time
Night
Blood
+ info
+ info
+ info
+ info
Motif/Symbol: Blood
Click on the + to find examples to this symbol in 'Macbeth'
Why does Shakespeare use the word 'blood' so often in the play? The word 'blood' appears over 40 times in Macbeth – not to mention appearances by related words such as 'bloody', 'bleeding' and so on. Shakespeare's constant repetition of the word 'blood' stresses to his audience or readers the full horror of what is happening. This was especially true for the play's original audiences. For them the shedding of a king's blood would have been just about the worst crime that could be committed. It was not only a crime but also a deadly sin. The references to actual blood are a constant reminder of the direct consequences of the Macbeth's actions. This is further reinforced by the images of blood which are used throughout the character's speeches and makes what they are saying all the more frightening or horrific.
back to menu
Motif/Symbol: Night
Click on the + to find examples to this symbol in 'Macbeth'
Why does Shakespeare use the word 'night' so often in the play? The constant repetition of the word 'night' highlights the sense of darkness in the play and at the heart of some of the characters. It had another particularly practical use in Shakespeare's day. Plays were regularly performed out of doors and during daylight. Therefore it was important to keep reminding the audience that some of the play's most important scenes were actually meant to be taking place in the dark.
back to menu
Motif/Symbol: Time
Click on the + to find examples to this symbol in 'Macbeth'
Why does Shakespeare use the word 'time' so often in the play? As with the other key words, the main effect of repetition is to make sure that the audience or reader knows that this aspect is important. Time seems to pass more quickly as the play progresses and this adds to the tension as the play moves towards its final climax.
back to menu
Motif/Symbol: Time
Click on the + to find examples to this symbol in 'Macbeth'
Why does Shakespeare use the word 'time' so often in the play? As with the other key words, the main effect of repetition is to make sure that the audience or reader knows that this aspect is important. Time seems to pass more quickly as the play progresses and this adds to the tension as the play moves towards its final climax.
back to menu
Context
Important Jacobean Ideas
back to main menu
Witchcraft and the supernatural
Divine Right of Kings
Great Chain of Being
Gender
Explore how Shakespeare subverts Jacobean gender norms through the characterisation of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.
Find out more about the medieval concept of the divine right of kings and how it helps us to understand 'Macbeth'.
Understand how the Jacobean's belief in witchcraft and the supernatural should shape our understanding of 'Macbeth'.
Find out what we mean by the Great Chain of Being and how it helps us to understand 'Macbeth'.
video
video
video
video
References to time are an important aspect of Macbeth and as time passes in the play, events become more intense and consequences more significant. Being able to see into the future, as Macbeth believes the Witches are able to do, gives a sense of power to his actions. Both he and his wife seem in a hurry to realise their ambitions before time catches up with them.
Explore references to time in the play.
Blood appears as a real substance all through the play. In one of the first scenes a blood-stained Captain reports on the battle to Duncan. Blood is evident when Duncan, Banquo and Lady Macduff are murdered and the Witches use animal blood as part of their potions. The play also finishes with real blood as Macbeth's severed head is displayed for all to see. The word 'blood' also appears a number of times as a symbol of the guilt that runs through the play. For instance, Macbeth sees a vision of a bloodstained dagger before he kills Duncan and Lady Macbeth tries to wash away imaginary bloodstains during her guilt-ridden sleepwalking.
Explore references to blood in the play.
Night time is traditionally associated with evil and so it is in Macbeth. Many of the most horrifying scenes of the play take place at night and under the cover of darkness. Even when it is daylight sometimes it seems more like night. The image of night time is also used by the characters to show the darkness of their feelings and the evil of what they are doing.
Explore references to night in the play.
Shakespeare uses the motif of nature to show the unrest, violence and disturbance Macbeth's act of regicide causes the nation of Scotland. Nature imagery is also used to illustrate growth and renewal. At the end of the play, Malcolm becomes King of Scotland and resorts natural order to the country.
Explore references to nature in the play.
'Peripeteia' is the sudden change in circumstances or reversal in fortune for a character in a fictional narrative. 'Anagnorisis' is the moment when a character recognises or discovers either the true nature of another character or the true nature of their own circumstances. For example, when Macbeth sees Birnam wood moving he realises the witches are "juggling fiends".
'Hubris' is excessive pride, arrogance of overconfidence often resulting in the downfall or defeat of the person. In Greek mythology, hubris was seen as a character flaw that often led to the punishment of heroes who defied the gods or challenged the natural order of things.
The term 'Machiavellian' stems from Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian diplomat and writer of 'The Prince', a 16th century 'handbook' on how to maintain power. Machiavelli writes that 'If a ruler wants to survive, he'll have to learn to stop being good'. Macbeth can be considered a Machiavellian leader.
Many characters in 'Macbeth' behave duplicitously. 'Duplicitous' means to be deceptive, two-faced, a person who deliberately misleads people for their own gain. For example, Macbeth shows duplicity when he tells Banquo he has not been thinking about the witches' prophecies.
'Regicide' is the act of killing a king - the incident which sets in motion Macbeth's later downfall. It is a crime that is unforgiveable; the worst possible crime a Jacobean person could commit. As it is also a crime against God, who has anointed the chosen king, there are severe consequences for the one who commits regicide.
'Equivocation' is when a person uses ambigious (unclear) language to conceal the truth about a situation or to avoid implicating onself in a crime. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth often use equivocation to hide the truth of their actions from others. Similarly, the witches often equivocate when meeting with Macbeth in Act 4, Scene 1.
'Harmartia' is a character fault or mistake that causes someone to fail or to be destroyed. It is Macbeth's harmartia that drives the plot of the play and teaches a valuable lesson: those who wish to subvert the Great Chain of Being will be defeated.
'Tyranny' is the cruel and harsh rule of a government, state or monarch. Macbeth is a tyrannical character, someone who rules through fear. His tyrannical rule of Scotland inflicts pain and suffering on its people.
'Prophecy' is a prediction of what will happen in the future. Part of the driving force behind Macbeth's actions comes from the prophecies bestowed upon both him and Banquo throughout the play.
'Nihilism' is the belief that life is ultimately meaingless and without purpose. Macbeth is a character who, by the end of the play, has a nihilistic view of life, shown in the speech 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow'. Although he achieves his ambition of becoming king, he realises that this is meaningless when compared to his overwhelming sense of guilt.