Tutor profile: Morgan M.

Write about your day.

My day was really exciting! I got up in the morning and got dressed before heading out. I am a student teacher so I was looking forward to seeing my class of kids on Zoom. I had a cup of coffee and got ready to start. I would also be taking notes. I worked in the classroom all day!

At the end of the play, Macbeth is killed and he is beheaded. A violent end for a violent man. Based on Macbeth’s descent into madness as the play progresses, why is it significant that Macbeth was killed by beheading, and not another way?

Macbeth being killed by being beheaded represents the final stage of a long descent into madness. He quite literally "loses his head." The violent act of beheading also mirrors the cruelty of his crimes throughout the play. Macbeth's crimes are not only physical, but mental as demonstrated by Lady Macbeth's violent end.

Macbeth is given a prophecy by the three witches that he will become king of Scotland, but also that Banquo’s children, i.e. his family tree, will hold a great future as royalty as well. How does Macbeth react to this, and how does this shape our understanding of him for the rest of the play?

At first, Macbeth is unsure on how to react to this prophecy. His confusion shows in his exclamations following and how he acts. However, as time passes, we see that he begins to believe them. Macbeth begins listening to his wife and ends up killing King Duncan in order to fulfill the prophecy he wasn't sure of to begin with.