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Writer's pictureMia Lee

Macbeth Palette

Instructions

Create a custom color palette with original names for colors for the following:

1. Any 2 characters in Macbeth (for example, "Banquo" and "Macbeth")

2. Any 2 scenes in Macbeth (for example, the witches' prophecy scene in the beginning and the "out out damned spot" scene)

3. Macbeth the play as a whole. (for this you might want to think about themes, such as fear, guilt, ambition, violence, abuse of power, madness)

 

Characters

Lady Macbeth

Color 1: shadow of darkness; i chose this color and name because she was Macbeth’s

dark shadow that got him to kill the king. She instigated all the murder and lies. Black

colors are a representation of darkness and evil, but also shadows are a dark almost

black color.


Color 2: blood stains; I chose this color and name because of the blood that stained her

hands and her mind. Red is the color of blood, but I chose a darker shade because

when blood is dried it is darker, and also because she and her husband committed a

dark deed.


Color 3: in my head; I chose this color and name because Lady Macbeth lost her mind

by the end. She became mentally ill and insane. Brighter, “Safety Color” Yellows are

associated with insanity which is what happened to Lady Macbeth.


Color 4: slippery snake; I chose this color and name because Lady Macbeth was a

snake. She even told Macbeth to be like the snake under a rock. It was what she would

always be. She pulled the strings and molded Macbeth into what he became. Green is

also a common color associated with snakes.


Color 5: there’s a will there’s a way; I chose this name and color for the immense

strength of will. Before she completely lost it she had a stronger strength of will than her

husband. She knew what had to be done to make Macbeth king and she would have

been all for it. Red is also a color that represents strength, power, will.



Macduff

Color 1: grey area; I chose this color and name because of who Macduff is in the play.

He is a relatively good hearted character, but he commits murder in the end. This leaves

possible questioning for the kind of person he is. Even though he is good and killed to

bring down a horrible king, he also only killed Macbeth to avenge his family's death and

it is still murder. It is a “grey” area in terms of his morality.


Color 2: hero's sacrifice; I chose this name and color because Macduff is seen as a

hero, but also killed Macbeth. The red represents blood and also heroism. It is a darker

red and his heroism was because of his murder and blood is red.


Color 3: troublesome thoughts; I chose this color because Macduff went through the

loss of his family and struggled to decide whether to mourn or kill. He did decide to kill,

but this muddier yellow represents the troubling thoughts he went through.


Color 4: vengeful mourning; I chose this color and name because blue is a sad color. It

represents sadness, and mourning, etc. I named it vengeful morning because he was

very vengeful, but still mourning. His vengeance was how he mourned.


Color 5: bringing peace; I chose this color and name because purple is a color of peace.

Macduff brought upon peace in the lands of Scotland. Killing him brought peace to

everyone.


Scenes

Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth they will kill King Duncan the night he stays at their home. (to be the snake under the rock.

Color 1: darkness under the rocks; I chose this name and color because this was a

dark, evil, deed. Black colors represent evil or dark things. Also I chose the name

darkness under the rocks because Lady Macbeth told Macbeth to be like a snake under

a rock.


Color 2: to be spilt; I chose this name and color because is represents the blood that will

be split. That is why I named it to be spilt. Red is the color of blood. I did not make it a

dark red because at that point the Macbeth's did not commit the murder. The blood was

still in the king’s body and not spilt.


Color 3: golden ambitions; I chose this color and name since yellow is a color that

represents ambition. I chose a golden yellow as their aspiration was for the to be king.

Gold is most commonly associated with Kings, not only because of wealth, but because

crowns are usually a golden color.


Color 4: snake's skin; I chose this name and color because Lady Macbeth in this scene

tells Macbeth to be like a snake under a rock. I chose the name snake's skin because at

the time it was not something he wanted to commit, he tried to shed the bad away. But

also because he later sheds his cowardly “skin” and kills the king.


Color 5: glowing greed; I chose this color and name since green is a color that

represents greed. Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth were filled with greed. They were

power hungry. Neither wanted to just settle with Macbeth’s “promotion” to Thane of

Cawdor.



Macbeth's Death Scene

Color 1: gloomy day; I chose this color and name because Macbeth’s death was a

gloomy day for him. He knew it was coming. Also I chose grey because his death is a

good and bad thing. It is good because he was such a horrid person, but it wasn’t good

because it was murder.


Color 2: rightfully so; I chose this color and name because Red is the color of blood. I

chose the name rightfully so because it is rightfully so that Macbeth got murdered. Also

it is a lighter red as his blood being spilt was not a horrible thing.


Color 3: fallen crown; I chose this name and color because when Macbeth was slain he

lost his crown. Yellow is also a color of joy. I chose a darker yellow though because it

was a joyous day, but also not because someone was murdered


Color 4: confidently blue; I chose this name and color because blue represents

confidence and when Macduff killed Macbeth he did it with confidence. The avenged his

family confidently and bravely.


Color 5: calm after the storm; I chose this name and color because the color purple

represents peace and calm. After the “storm” which was Macbeth's Rule, his death

brought calm back into Scotland.


Theme

Guilt

Color 1: darkest depths; I chose this name a color because it is a dark black. Black

representing all the darkness that comes with being guilty. This color represents the

kind of guilt Lady Macbeth experienced. There was so much of it that it drove her mad. I

chose the name darkest depths because I feel this is a representation of the darkest

guilt experienced.


Color 2: guilt-filled; I chose this name and color because this is a dark green, green

represents guilt and to me this color represents a very dark guilts. It is the guilt Macbeth

had with him. When he would see the ghost of Banquo.


Color 3: shady green; I chose this color and name because green represents guilt, but

this is a grayish green color. It is a representation of the kind of guilt you feel when you

know what your doing may be wrong, but you may not realize it till later. This is the kind

of guilt the hired killers may have felt. They were pursued to believe Banquo and his son

were bad guys and needed to be killed. Even when Macbeth saw the sword manifesting

itself before killing the king, he had hesitation, but still did I it.


Color 4: conscientious guilt; I chose this color and name because green represents

guilt, but it is a very light almost happy green color. This is the very mild type of guilt

characters may face. For example, when Macduff killed Macbeth I am sure he felt some

guilt for killing him, but not a lot because it was done in vengeance for his family. This

color represents the smallest of guilts. I chose the name because it is like the kind of

guilt your conscious of, it is not a lot and diners drive you mad.


Color 5: dirty green; I chose this color and name because it is a brownish green color.

Green for guilt and brown for the kind of guilt that makes you feel like you have done

something wrong and dirty. This is the kind of guilt character like the Macbeth felt early

on when he first started to murder.

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