As a story Macbeth movers directly and swiftly from beginning to end. Its compact intensity is one reason why it appeals to spectators and readers alike. Almost every scene has mysterious, suppressive, or vigorous action. Gripping as the plot of Macbeth is, it also provides the basis for a clear understanding and appreciation of the play as tragedy. Like most writers of his time, Shakespeare subscribed to the theory that poetry should °delight and instruct±, and Macbeth is a poetic drama.

I think most of us have read Macbeth either in English or in Chinese and some of us may have even been lucky enough to see the play on the stage. So I am going to repeat the story. The tragedy was first written performed at the Globe in 1606. The text is brief and is believed to contain some materials by Middleton and the second edition of Raphael Holinshed¯s Chronicles of England, Scotland and Irel

and. There is no evidence that Shakespeare knew or used any of Holinshed¯s sources of information. Shakespeare was a playwright not a historian. He mainly combined two chapters together from Scotish history: Donwald¯s murder of King Duff and Macbeth¯s assassination of Duncan and subsequent reign. In using Holinshed¯s accounts Shakespeare adopted many details, omitted or changed others, and added still others. Shakespeare¯s Macbeth is obviously a composite individual made up of Holished¯s Donwald and Macbeth, with the adding of King Kenneth¯s sleeplessness. The principle difference between the stage of Macbeth and the his chronicle model lies in the Shakespeare¯s suppression of the favorable aspects of Macbeth¯s early years as king, together with any suggestion that Macbeth had a legitimate grievevance against Duncan, a point Holinshed was careful to make. Lady Macbeth which I will take time to analyze reflects the sketchy pictures of both Donwald¯s wife and the real Macbeth¯s lady. Shakespeare¯s most significant deviation from Holinshed was his characterization of Banquo, whom he ennobled and °purified±. In the history, Banquo was a major accomplice in the murder of Duncan. The best explanation for Shakespeare¯s favorable treatment of Banquo lies in the legend that Banquo was the ancestor of Walter Stewart, progenitor of the Stuart Dynasty and a director forebear of James I.

Another important figure and the only female figure in the play is Lady Macbeth. I think Lady Macbeth is a little bit similar to Wang Xifeng in the Dream of Red Mention. Both these two characters are ambitious. Lady Macbeth is of the same heroic nature of the same stuff, although in female form consequently without feminine devotion. She is woman who ¨Cowning to her capacity of rising to the enthusiasm of passion in order to attain a great object, and owing to her eminent intellect, her firmness and decision of character, more especially the strength of mind with which she contrives to master her sanguine, choleric temperament and her violent impulseªhas, inwardly, even more of a natural vocation for ruling than Macbeth. As I see from the text, Lady Macbeth is mixture of ambition, forcefulness, re and pity. Let¯s see from the play. In Act 1 Scene 4, Macbeth is hesitating on his action, he said, Stars hide your fires, let not light see my

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Approximate Word count = 1568
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)