Vaulting Ambition: The Tragedy of Macbeth

Aims of the course

This course aims to:
1. Encourage and guide close reading of a great play.
2. Deepen your appreciation of drama and poetry through attention to detail.
3. Familiarise the language and outlook of Elizabethan times.

Content

It is often said that Shakespeare’s greatest achievement was the four great tragedies of his middle years: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. The last of the four, Macbeth, is also the shortest and most intense of them.

The play is full of enigmas. Macbeth himself, the protagonist, is a profoundly wicked man. Yet he is also a profoundly sympathetic one. He is deeply ambitious, but knows that the fulfilment of his ambition will destroy everything that makes his life worthwhile –his honour, his reputation, the love he is held in, his relationship with his wife. That relationship is perhaps the most fascinating feature of the play. Few literary artists have succeeded in representing a marriage as close and intimate as that between the Macbeths: an apparently childless love that gives birth to evil, then falls apart before our eyes as the consequences of evil work themselves out.

We will attempt to solve these enigmas in class discussion, studying one act of the play per day, seeing thought leading to action and action to its consequences. We will read as if the outcome were unknown to us, trying not to anticipate too much as we go on.

Presentation of the course

The course will be structured around class discussion, guided by the Course Director. We shall look at one of the five Acts each day, as if we were reading for the first time, though the Course Director will provide a minimum of necessary information. For illustration, we shall watch extracts from a film of the famous stage production of 1978 with Ian McKellen as Macbeth and Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth. There will be no hand-outs.

Class sessions

1. Act 1
2. Act 2
3. Act 3
4. Act 4
5. Act 5

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:
1. To gain a deeper understanding of Macbeth
2.To develop the ability to read and interpret Elizabethan plays
3. To develop the capacity to develop critical and exegetical skills

Required reading

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth, ed. Sandra Clark and Pamela Mason. The Arden Shakespeare, 2014. 3rd Series.(Students should read the whole of the Introduction as well as the text.)

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.