"Macbeth" by William Shakespeare remains a timeless exploration of ambition, power, and the consequences of unchecked desires. In contrast, Terry Pratchett's novel "Wyrd Sisters" offers a humorous parody of Shakespeare's classic, blending homage with satire.
This paper examines the similarities and differences between "Macbeth" and "Wyrd Sisters," analyzing their characters, themes, and narratives. By comparing these works, we aim to deepen our understanding of Shakespeare's enduring masterpiece and appreciate Pratchett's inventive reinterpretation.
We explore themes such as ambition, guilt, and the supernatural in both works, comparing the portrayal of key characters like Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the witches. Additionally, we discuss how Pratchett's comedic approach diverges from Shakespeare's tragic tone.
Ultimately, this paper aims to highlight the timeless relevance of "Macbeth" while celebrating Pratchett's clever take on the classic tale. Through this analysis, we uncover universal truths that continue to captivate audiences across centuries and genres.
Macbeth
Synopsis
1.
(1) The three witches meet and discuss when they are going to meet Macbeth.
(2) To honour their brave fighting in a battle against Norway, Duncan, the king of Scotland, gives Macbeth the titel „Thane of Cawdor”.
(3) Macbeth and his friend Banquo meet the three witches. They predict that Macbeth is
going to become the Thane of Cawdor and the king of Scotland and that Banquo’s offspring are going to be kings as well. Banquo is amused about the three women, but Macbeth takes it more serious and the plans for the murder of Duncan are already on his mind. Two messengers come and announce that Macbeth was appointed Thane of Cawdor. Therefore Macbeth’s trust in the witches’ prediction grows.
(4) Macbeth and Banquo arrive at the king’s castle. Duncan declares that after his death his son Malcolm should be king. Macbeth realizes that there will be obstacles on his way to the crown and he decides to take action.
(5) Lady Macbeth reads a letter sent to her by Macbeth wherein he tells her about the
witches’ prediction. She thinks that her husband is too honourable and softhearted to commit a murder. She is going to earch his ambition and therefore calls evil spirits to help her to become cruel and cold.
(6) Duncan and his attendants come to Glamis Castle. They are going to be Macbeth’s guests for one night.
(7) After the dinner, Macbeth thinks about the murder seriously for the first time. He realizes that there is no reason for killing his king despite his ambition and when Lady Macbeth enters the room, he has made up his mind not to kill Duncan, but she finally persuades him to convict the murder.
2.
(1) After a short conversation with Banquo about the three witches, Macbeth waits alone for the right moment to murder Duncan. He is so nervous that he has the imagination of a dagger floating in front of him.
(2) In contrast to her husband being totally distraught after the murder, Lady Macbeth has already planned their further strategy. She tells Macbeth to wash his hands and brings back the dagger so that everybody will suspect the guards of being the murderers.
(3) Lennox and Macduff (both Scottish noble men) come to Glamis castle. Meanwhile
Macbeth already executed the guards who are thought to be the murderers. The king’s sons, fearing to become victims of the murderers as well, flee togetherto England.
(4) That arouses the suspicion that Duncan’s sons have given the guards the job of killing their fatehr. Macbeth becomes the new king.
3.
(1) Banquo is sure that Macbeth was the murderer, but he keeps quiet. Macbeth suddenly fears that the witches’ prophecy of Banquo’s children becoming kings may turn true. He decides to have them be murdered.
(2) Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth feel more and more strained. However Macbeth doesn’t share his evil plans with her.
(3) Banquo is killed, but his son Fleance is able to flee.
(4) During the banquet of the crowning ceremonies, Macbeth learns that Banquo is dead.
Suddenly Banquo’s ghost appears at the banquet, only visible for Macbeth. That shocks him so much that Lady Macbeth has to send his guests away. Macbeth is sure that there is no way back. As Macduff hasn’t come to the banquet (for he in fact has the suspicion that Macbeth murdered the former king) Macbeth suspects him of knowing the truth about the murder. He wants to see the witches again to learn what the future is going to bring.
(5) The three witches meet with their leader, Hecate, who is angry because the three sisters didn’t ask her before they met Macbeth. She wants to make him feel safe by another prophecy so that he’ll turn completely evil.
(6) Malcolm, Macduff and other noble Scots meet to plan an attack on Macbeth with the help of the British army.
4.
(1) The witches show Macbeth three visions: the first warns him of Macduff, the second tells him that none of woman born could harm him and the third prophecies that Macbeth will be invincible until the wood of Birnam moves on Dunisane hill. Now Macbeth feels absolutely safe, but another vision again predicts that Banquo’s children will be kings.
When he gets the news that Macduff escaped to England, he decides to take revenge by killing Macduff’s family.
(3) Macbeth’s reign becomes more and more a tyranny; people are killed every day. Meanwhile Macduff has learned that his family was killed, together with Malcolm and 10.000 British soldiers, he wants to take revenge.
5.
(1) Her joint of the murder of Duncan, Banquo and the Macduff family makes Lady Macbeth turn crazy.
(2) While the Scottish and British troups are meeting near Dunisane, Macbeth establishes a defence around his castle. However his soldiers are not on his side but just obey his orders.
(3) Despite an army of 10.000 men standing near Dunisane and his soldiers not supporting him, Macbeth feels secure because of the prophecies. Lady Macbeth’s state of health is getting worse.
(4) Malcolm’s military tactic is to hide the troups behind some trees of Birnam wood which the soldiers will be carrying. Therefore Macbeth realises that Birnam wood is in fact moving towards Dunisane, as the witches prophesied.
(5)Macbeth learns that his wife just died, but his reaction is surprisingly cold. He prepares himself for the battle.
(6)The attack begins.
(7)Although the situation becomes more and more hopeless, Macbeth still believes in the witches’ 2nd prophecy (that none of woman born is going to defeat him). During the duel between Macbeth and Macduff, Macduff mentions that he was cut out of his mother’s body and therefore is not of woman born.
Macbeth realises that the witches betrayed him and finally dies by the sword of Macduff. Macduff announces Malcolm to be the new king. The order in Scotland is now restored.
The origins of Macbeth
- the historical king Macbeth ruled from 1040 - 1057. He was known to be a fair and brave king, although he murdered his predecessor Duncan in order to become king. At that time reaching the throne by killing the former king was seen as normal. In contrast to Macbeth, Duncan was said to be a rather incapable monarch as he tended to fail pushing through his will and lacked authority.
- Shakespeare’s most important source for his drama were Raphael Honlished’s „Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland” (1587). Honlished’s version of the Macbeth theme is partly historically falsified as he presents Macbeth as en evil character and introduces Macduff as Macbeth’s murderer.
- Shakespeare was also inspired by a ballad about the murder of the Scottish king Duffe (972), wherein he found the cruel details of the killing.
- When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, it was modern to read and write about witches and demons. Therefore he changed Honlished’s „wyrd sisters” (some kind of fairies) into evil witches.
- When in 1603 a Scottish king became king of England (James I.) Shakespeare wanted to show him his respect by writing a play about the Scottish royalty. James is said to be a descendant of Baquo and Fleance. However the exact date when Shakespeare wrote the play is unknown.
- Macbeth was first published in 1623 in a folio edition. At that time, it has already been significantly shortened and changed by Thomas Middleton. Therefore this play is particularly short (2000 verses), it has numerous scene changes and there are some parts that have been detached from their context.
- Shakespeare’s Macbeth theme has very often inspired other artists, for example Schiller, Schostakowitsch, Verdi, Tieck and Strauß. Roman Polanski turned the play into a thrilling and spectaculous movie in 1971.
Wyrd Sisters
Terry Pratchett Biography
Terry Pratchett was born in Beaconsfield, Bucks in 1948.
He already started writing when he was very young - his first short-story was published when he was only 15.
He went to a Technical High School instead of visiting a Grammar School, for he preferred “working with wood to learn Latin”.
From 1965 to 1987 he worked as a journalist. During that time he also published his first novel „The Carpet People“ (1971).
Other books followed, some of them became best-sellers ,and Terry Pratchett became one of the best-selling living British Authors (he sells more than 1 ¼ books per year). In 1987 he decided to become a full-time writer „instead of doing it in his free time“. Today he lives in Wiltshire with his wife and his daughter.
„Writing is the most fun anyone can have by themselves“
Books by Terry Pratchett (all rather funny science fiction stories): Wyrd Sisters (1988)
The Light Fantastic The Fifth Elephant
The Dark Side of the Sun Mort
Soul Music Jingo
Terry Pratchett’s novel Wyrd Sisters is a parody of Shakespeare’s tragedies. The main plot is similar to that of Hamlet and Macbeth: An evil king has killed his predecessor in order to reach the throne.
Some direct quotes from Macbeth in Wyrd Sisters:
-”When shall we three meet again?”Opening scene of Macbeth and Wyrd Sisters -”Is this a dagger I see before me?”In Macbeth before the murder; in Wyrd Sisters when the Fool gives his hankerchief to the Duke.
-”Can you tell by the pricking of your thumbs?”In Macbeth: 2nd witch when Macbeth arrives again in act 4; in Wyrd Sisters in the beginning before the bowman comes with the baby.
-”If it were done, it’s better if it’s done quickly.” In Macbeth before the murder; in Wyrd Sisters when Nanny is interrogated by the Duke and the Lady. King Verence told her how the murder had happened.
- The Duke always tries to wash the blood from his hands. This is also a reference to Macbeth. After the murder Lady Macbeth makes sure that her and her husband’s hands are cleaned from Duncan’s blood Some direct quotes from Hamlet in Wyrd Sisters:
-”The play is the thing wherein I catch the conscience of the king.”In Hamlet when he invites the actors to perform a play in which he shows how his uncle murdered his father; in Wyrd Sisters when Vitoller (leader of the actors) agrees to perform at the castle of the Duke. He sais„The pay is the thing...”.
Pratchett also used allusions to other Shakespearean dramas like Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear, Henry VIII and Othello and he refers to the Sonnet 18 („Shall I compare thee to a summers day...”). Terry Pratchett took further parodistic elements from The Monty Pythons, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals, Alice in Wonderland, Charly Chaplin and The Beverly Hills Cops.
Stephen Briggs turned the novel into a play that has often been performed in Europe and North America.
Comparison of the Characters
Häufig gestellte Fragen
Was ist der Inhalt dieses Dokuments?
Dieses Dokument enthält Zusammenfassungen und Informationen zu zwei literarischen Werken: "Macbeth" von William Shakespeare und "Wyrd Sisters" von Terry Pratchett. Es bietet eine Synopsis von Macbeth, untersucht Terry Pratchetts Biographie und vergleicht die Charaktere in Wyrd Sisters, die als Parodie auf Shakespeares Tragödien, insbesondere Macbeth und Hamlet, dient.
Was sind die wichtigsten Punkte der Macbeth-Synopsis?
Die Macbeth-Synopsis beschreibt die wichtigsten Ereignisse des Stücks, darunter das Treffen der Hexen, die Vorhersagen über Macbeths Zukunft, Macbeths Aufstieg zur Macht durch Mord, die Schuldgefühle und der Wahnsinn von Lady Macbeth, Banquos Ermordung, die Erscheinung von Banquos Geist, die weiteren Prophezeiungen der Hexen und Macbeths schließlicher Tod durch Macduff. Sie beleuchtet auch den historischen Hintergrund des Stücks und Shakespeares Quellen.
Wer waren Shakespeares Inspirationsquellen für Macbeth?
Shakespeares Hauptquelle war Raphael Holinsheds "Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland". Er wurde auch von einer Ballade über die Ermordung des schottischen Königs Duffe inspiriert und ließ sich von dem damals modernen Interesse an Hexen und Dämonen beeinflussen. Er schrieb das Stück, um König Jakob I. zu ehren.
Was ist die Handlung von Terry Pratchetts "Wyrd Sisters"?
"Wyrd Sisters" ist eine Parodie auf Shakespeares Tragödien, insbesondere Hamlet und Macbeth. Die Handlung ähnelt diesen Stücken: Ein böser König hat seinen Vorgänger ermordet, um auf den Thron zu gelangen.
Welche Shakespeareschen Werke werden in "Wyrd Sisters" parodiert?
Neben Macbeth und Hamlet finden sich in "Wyrd Sisters" auch Anspielungen auf weitere Shakespeare-Stücke, wie z.B. Ein Sommernachtstraum, König Lear, Heinrich VIII, Othello und Sonett 18.
Welche weiteren Einflüsse sind in "Wyrd Sisters" erkennbar?
Terry Pratchett nahm parodistische Elemente aus The Monty Pythons, Andrew Lloyd Webbers Musicals, Alice in Wonderland, Charly Chaplin und The Beverly Hills Cops auf.
Wie werden die Charaktere in "Wyrd Sisters" mit denen in Macbeth verglichen?
Das Dokument enthält einen Vergleich der Charaktere in "Wyrd Sisters" mit denen in Macbeth, der aufzeigt, wie Pratchett die Shakespeareschen Charaktere in seiner parodistischen Geschichte neu interpretiert und persifliert.
- Quote paper
- Teresa Hochmuth (Author), Teresa Hochmuth (Author), 2000, Pratchett, T. - Wyrd Sisters - A Comaparison - W. Shakespeare´s Macbeth, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/98834
