... use of birds to mirror what is happening in the play and also to deepen understanding of the strangeness that has set upon the scene. When Lady Macbeth finds that Duncan will be staying overnight at their castle, she states, "The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my ... battlements." The quote reveals the Lady Macbeth and Macbeth's plan to kill Duncan. The quotation is also important to the play in terms of tone. Ravens are generally recognized as evil, or as warnings of ill omen. A main theme ... of the play is addressing the dark side of human char...

• Word Count: 285
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... Mary Arden raised their children in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon. They were a middle class family. John Shakespeare was very respected and held several important positions in local government William, who had four brothers and two sisters, was the third child of John and Mary Shakespeare. Nobody knows Shakespeare's true ... yet from 1600 to 1609 he wrote Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Othello, King Lear, Measure for Measure, All's Well that End's Well. Timon of Athens and MacBeth . William never published any of his plays. We read them today only because his fellow actor recorded his work as a...

• Word Count: 829
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School