Monday, April 4, 2011
Macbeth Act 1 Analysis
1. Choose a passage from Act 1. 2. Read it several times. 3. Understand WHAT it says. 4. Look carefully at its diction and syntax. 5. Note key words (double meanings, connotations, references, tone) and thoughtful sequencing. 6. Combine your observations into a thoughtful understanding of the entire passage. Articulate it for us in a carefully worded paragraph. Teach us the importance of HOW this passage is being said. Please write out the passage in the comment box before you comment on it. Proofread before posting.
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1.6.71-82
ReplyDeleteIn this passage, as Lady Macbeth instructs her husband on how to murder King Duncan, we begin to understand more about the characterization of Macbeth's wife. First and foremost, she is deceptive and manipulative. When she says, "To beguile the time, you must look the time," she is convincing her husband to not only murder the King but also deceive the King by pretending to be his loyal subject. The fact that she suggests that to Macbeth implies that she may be in a similar situation with her husband. Though she pretends to be a supportive wife, in reality, she is deceptive and using him to gain power. Further proof of her using her husband to her advantage is in line 79 when she states, "-you shall put this great night's business into my dispatch." Macbeth is following his wife's orders despite the fact she is equally as capable of murdering the king. Lady Macbeth is further characterized when she tell Macbeth to be like a serpent. This Biblical allusion suggests that the Macbeth's deceptive and murderous ways will lead to loss of innocence and the destruction of their perfect world.
“O, never
ReplyDeleteShall sun that morrow see!
Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
Look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye,
Your hand, your tongue. Look like th’ innocent
Flower,
But be the serpent under’t. He that’s coming
Must be provided for; and you shall put
This night’s great business into my dispatch,
Which shall to all our nights and days to come
Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom."
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth manipulate each other in order to gain power for themselves. When Macbeth has doubts about whether or not to kill King Duncan, Lady Macbeth scolds him so he will get back on the track to power. She fills him with the words he needs to hear to be able to murder the king. She encourages and tells him how to hide his fear. She tells him that he needs to have two sides: the innocent and the serpent. Macbeth needs to “bear welcome in [his] eye, [his] hand, [his] tongue” (1.6.75-75). In order to successfully assassinate the king, he, as well as Lady Macbeth, must put on an innocent act. In reality, though, she tells him to “be the serpent,” or the traitor (1.6.78). When she tells him to be the serpent, there is a biblical allusion involved. In the Bible, the serpent is often seen as a traitor or a tempter. This could be exposing a characteristic of Lady Macbeth. She knows what to tell Macbeth in order to convince him to kill the king because she is describing herself. When she calls upon the spirits to “fill [her] from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty” she becomes a manipulative, power hungry being (1.5.49-50). She wishes to kill the king in order to gain power for herself. She uses Macbeth to gain this power. She tells Macbeth to “put this night’s great business into [her] dispatch” (1.6.80). Even though she did not commit the act of murder, she convinced him to do it and plotted the actual assassination, and therefore is just as guilty as Macbeth. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that the killing of King Duncan will allow them both to have power. Not just him, but her as well. Macbeth uses her scheming abilities in order to further his search for power. With her encouragement, he is able to come to terms with killing the king at least until it has been done. Although they are married and have a relationship, there is nothing between them that represents love. It is a relationship in which they use each other to gain power for themselves.
1.7 95-96
ReplyDelete“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
Every word in this sentence has been picked to describe the relationship we see between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Act one. The first false doesn’t really mean false. Shakespeare is using false to say untrue or insincere. This has been foreshadowed earlier in act one by the interactions between the people. This word is particularly aimed at Macbeth. While he acts as he wants to kill Duncan to his wife, that is his fake face. He does not want to admit that he is afraid to his wife so he uses his insincere face when talking to her. Already we see that he is hiding his true feelings from his wife. This sets up a possibility that their relationship is built off of insincerity.
Again, by saying must hide in this sentence, Shakespeare in emphasizing the fact that Macbeth and his wife see this situation much differently. Throughout act one, Lady Macbeth is telling him that he is a coward and that he is only a man if he can follow through with the murder of the Duncan. Instead of supporting Macbeth, she is belittling him. Because of this he has to hide how he really feels from her. This is just showing even more how the relationship between the husband and wife is not a typical one. They do not love each other as much as the love to collaborate with each other.
The second false in this sentence contains a different meaning. This false is showing the confusion that Macbeth is going through. Does he listen to his brain, telling him to follow Lady Macbeth and kill Duncan, or listen to his heart and not kill Duncan. By saying false here, Shakespeare is asking the audience, which one is false, his brain or his heart? We see him throughout act one thinking about killing the King, and then retreating on that idea when it comes down to really planning it. Here though, it is saying that his heart knows the truth. That possible false heart knows the truth but his face has to hide it from Lady Macbeth. The relationship between them is not going to be a smooth one.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThrough the beginning paradox used by the weird sisters, we are given a clue into what they are. In the beginning of act 1 scene 1, the three weird sisters have gathered together to discuss when they will meet Macbeth. second witch says, "when the battle is lost and won.” This statement is considered a paradox. A paradox is a seemingly true statement that leads to a contradiction which seems to defy logic or intuition, or an unorthodox insight. The paradox here is deliberately used in order to portray the weird sisters as being illogical figures. Their magical existence is a contradiction within itself, and they defy intuition. Therefore, speaking in paradoxes maximizes how unnatural they appear. Also, describing the battle as being “lost and won” could be a representation of the idea the someone will always lose where someone else wins. Since the weird sisters seem to have the ability to predict the future, this statement could be foreshadowing the inward battle of Macbeth. The weird sisters putting this statement into a paradox further proves their supernatural aspects.
ReplyDelete(1. 1. 1-13)
ReplyDeleteThunder and lightening. Enter three Witches.
FIRST WITCH
When shall we three meet again?
In thunder, lightening, or in rain?
SECOND WITCH
When the hurry-burly's done,
When the battle's lost and won.
THIRD WITCH
That will be ere the set of sun.
FIRST WITCH
Where the place?
SECOND WITCH
Upon the heath.
THIRD WITCH
There to meet with Macbeth.
FIRST WITCH
I come, Graymalkin
SECOND WITCH
Paddock calls.
THIRD WITCH
Anon.
ALL
Fair is foul, and foul is fair,
Hover through the fog and filthy air.
To begin Macbeth, the first scene is overcast with thunder and lighting. Immediately, the weather of the setting delivers a particular impression upon the reader and unnerves the audience. The three witches enter onto the stage, and the audience is allowed an ear into their conversation. The specific order in which the sisters speak implies that they are all in one accord. Throughout scene one, the Weïrd Sisters each speak three times. Each woman verbalizes in the order of witch one, witch two, and then witch three. Lastly, the final two lines of the scene are uttered in unison by the Weïrd witches. The three sisters understand the mind set of each other are all working together. Also, within this first scene, the three witches speak in paradoxes. The second witch announces that the three sisters are to meet "When the battle's lost and won" (1.1.4). One hidden meaning of this line is that within a battle, there is always a loser and a victor. Similarly, the couplet that ends the scene is a paradox: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair / Hover through the fog and filthy air" (1.1.12-13). These paradoxes thrust the audience into a realm of the unknown, as from the start of the play, the actuality of truth is unclear. In the same effect, the alliteration with the 'f' creates an eerie ending to the overall bizarre opening scene. Lastly, the supernatural depiction of these characters is reinforced in scene one. Each witch calls a familiar [an attendant spirit] to herself: Graymalkin and Paddock are two summoned spirits. These familiars are in the forms of a cat and a toad. The setting and the oneness of the these three supernatural sisters immediately captures the audience and 'sets the stage,' so to speak, for entrance into the unknown.
“ Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” 1.1.12
ReplyDelete- The Three Witches
“ So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” 1.3.39
- Macbeth
Is it a coincidence that the opening lines of Macbeth and the three witches are strikingly similar? Both of these lines are paradoxes suggesting a relation between the supernatural nature of the witches and the humanness of the Macbeth. So far from Act I, we are lead to believe that their world contains the confused and unnatural. Fate and power intertwine and the people are confused on what to believe; therefore, whatever they hear is immediately accepted as truth. When the witches state, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”, they are speaking in a puzzle that would be untranslatable to a human. How can something be foul, an unpleasant term, but also be fair. The contradicting statement given by both character shows that they can’t grasp all aspects of the world around them.
The three witches, who can predict future events, are using this phrase to predict the fate of Macbeth. From Act I, we can tell that Macbeth is already struggling with man vs. man conflict, as well as peer pressure from his wife. He ponders whether to carry out the killing of Duncan, but eventually is persuaded by his evil, brainwashing wife. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” In other words, a situation might seem really good, yet in reality it is evil. I believe throughout the play Macbeth will appear good when actually being evil, and vice versa.
Macbeth’s interpretation literally means although so many men have died in battle, it is still a great victory. How can a battle be foul and fair? Macbeth’s passage shows a lack of concern for the life’s lost, but instead focuses on the progressions and victories of the battle. This further develops his character. From Act 1, we can tell Macbeth is all about the development of his own power and successes. We know Macbeth, a tragic story, will end in death of the main character. “ So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” By placing himself in the quote, the reader can predict that he [Macbeth] will see many fair, yet foul contradicting days. Although Macbeth fails to realize it, I believe this quote will foreshadow the rest of his life.
Act 1.7 39-61
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth brings down those in power to strengthen herself. By insulting Macbeth, calling him “a coward in thine own esteem,” she is empowering herself by making him seem inferior to her (line 47). “From this time Such I account thy love” tells him that she rethinks what his love means to her, and that he isn’t good enough for her (lines 42-43). She further insults him by saying he is indecisive and won’t follow through with the plan saying “’I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’” (line 48). Her measure of manliness is by how ruthless your actions can be. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that “When you durst do it, then you were a man” (line 56). He is a man if, and only if, he acts manipulative and cruel and the more acts committed this way, the more of a man he will become. The wording of the sentence “And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man” dangles in front of Macbeth a scenario of he can have it all, the title as king, if he was man enough to do kill Duncan (lines 57-58). When she insults Macbeth, she empowers herself by making him see his failure to pursue the plan. By bringing him down, influence him with demeaning words, she can make him do whatever she wants.
Act 1. SC. 7
ReplyDeleteMACBETH If we should fail-
LADY MACBETH We fail?
But screw your courage to the sticking place
And we'll not fail.
This excerpt from the play seems to have a double meaning. It is already clear that Lady Macbeth belittles Macbeth, however, sometimes she does it discreetly. For instance, in this passage it seems like she is encouraging Macbeth. When Macbeth expresses his concerns of
failing, Lady Macbeth is quick to ensure him they will not fail. However, Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to screw up his courage. This may not seem harmful, but to talk about a man's courage is hurting his pride. Lady Macbeth is basically telling Macbeth to hold tight to his courage, which can be implied that a he is not really courageous. When someone is not courageous, that person is considered weak. In conclusion, Lady Macbeth has the ability to encourage her husband, and secretly belittle him at the same time.
“You should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so” (1.3.47-49).
ReplyDelete“…unsex me here…” (1.5.48) “Coe to my women’s breasts and take my milk for gall” (1.5.54-55).
These first lines stood out to me at first because I though it was strange that these women of supernatural power had beards. Later, when I read about Lady Macbeth seeking spirits to “unsex” her, I made a connection to the earlier lines. Shakespeare uses these passages to illustrate the lack of power women have. The play write gives the Weird Sisters beards to make them seem more manly to express that a woman’s physique and sex limits her power. He uses Lady Macbeth’s speech to reemphasize this as she asks to lose her femininity, so she can gain the power to kill.
"I have given suck, and know
ReplyDeleteHow tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me.
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums
And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this." (Lady Macbeth 1. 7. 62-67)
In this passage, Lady Macbeth is trying to further manipulate Macbeth into murdering Duncan. She explains to Macbeth that she would kill their own child in the most tender of settings if he told her to. By telling him this, she guilt trips Macbeth. She would destroy the thing she strives for the most to help Macbeth. She wants him to know that she will sacrifice everything so he can be king. This passage also further displays her insecurity toward her femininity. She specifically chooses the image of a mother breast-feeding a baby to show how much she strives for a child but would be willing to give it up for ambition. She's used the word "milk" in past scenes to show the kindness and softness of human nature. She shows how quickly she will stomp out kindness and gentleness in the name of ambition. To Lady Macbeth ambition is everything and kindness, even in the most intimate of settings, is a hindrance.
“If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well
ReplyDeleteIt were done quickly. If th’ assassination
Could trammel up the consequence and catch
With his surcease success, that but this blow
Might be the be-all and end-all here” (1.7.1-5).
Macbeth’s internal battle between the moral compass and power shows that he is weak. His use of pronouns without antecedents portrays reluctance to speak about his true feelings and plans: “If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well / It were done quickly” (1.7.1-2). The use of the pronoun “it” instead of bluntly saying his plan to kill King Duncan for the throne emphasizes Macbeth’s hesitance to go through with the act since he can’t express the words of murder or assassination at first. The use of the word “done” means both finished and accomplished. The double meaning plays into Macbeth’s ambiguous wording that shows his weakness. “Done” can be used as accomplished in the perspective that Macbeth successfully accomplishes his plan to kill Duncan, or “done” can be used as in the end of something, or in this case, Duncan’s life. “Done” is usually used to describe when meat is finished cooking. The use of this word implies that Macbeth only sees Duncan as an object and not as a human. He sees Duncan as an obstacle in his path. Again, Macbeth’s diction implies that Duncan is a trivial object as Macbeth says, “If th’ assassination / Could trammel up the consequence and catch / With his surcease success, that but his blow / Might be the be-all and end-all here” (1.7. 2-5). The use of the word “trammel” implies a fishing motif. Duncan is the fish that Macbeth wants to catch. The use of the word “blow” is connected to the fishing motif as in the heavy winds that make fishing more treacherous and difficult. As Macbeth says, “[it] might be the be-all and end-all,” he ponders whether catching the fish will be worth all the trouble. Macbeth seeing Duncan as a mere object reveals that Macbeth doesn’t have morals of his own, and that his internal battle between the moral compass and power is truly due to the high standards he holds himself to: “Might be the be-all and end-all here” (1.7.5). The prophecy of the Weird Sisters haunts Macbeth because he wants to be king in order to prove himself to his peers, which emphasizes his weakness since he is empowered by others and not by himself. As Macbeth contemplates murdering Duncan he always ends by negating the idea. The final thought that always passes through Macbeth’s mind is always failure, which shows Macbeth’s true position of not wanting to kill Duncan. Although Macbeth may not want to kill Duncan, he continues to talk himself into killing Duncan because of his weakness.
Act 1. Scene 7. 92-93.
ReplyDelete“I am settle and bend up
Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.”
This passage gives us insight to the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. We see, throughout Act 1, that Lady Macbeth holds the power in the relationship and Macbeth does everything to please her. However, this passage shows that there is an element of fear in their marriage.
Lady Macbeth is set on killing King Duncan, for the sole reason of Macbeth taking the throne, and, therefore, becoming queen. Macbeth seems reluctant to commit to this plan. “I am settle and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat” (1.7.92-93). Although this means that he’ll commit his whole body to the task, Shakespeare’s wording contributes more than that. Saying “bend up each corporal agent” (1.7.92-93) makes it seem like he was forced, literally bent, into committing this murder. Macbeth only agreed to the murder because he was scared of Lady Macbeth and was being forced into it.
Shakespeare’s diction is key to this passage. The use of “settle” (1.7.92) implies that Macbeth knows he could be doing something better than killing. Also, the fact that Shakespeare choose to use “terrible” (1.7.93) instead of words, such as “necessary” or “vital,” that let on that he is willing to do it, shows that he does not want to kill King Duncan. He knows that the murder is wrong, and, in his being forced to do it, naturally, has an aversion to doing it. He only says he will because he is afraid of what his wife will do.
1.7.92-96
ReplyDeleteMacbeth
I am settled and blend up
Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.
Away, and mock the time with fairest show.
False face must hide what the false heart doth
know.
Mind over matter. Matter over mind. This is the debate Macbeth ends Act 1 with. His use of the word “settled”, at face value, means determined but, Shakespeare is clearly playing upon a double meaning here. The word settled hints at the idea that Macbeth had to settle and therefore came to his decision to kill Duncan. He does not necessarily want to kill the king because in his mind, it is wrong, but his bodily desires and his wife cause him to feel torn between what his mind feels and what his body desires.
Shakespeare’s wording of “bend up each corporal agent” 1.7.91-92 suggests that his desires are forcing him to settle for killing Duncan. Bend up in this context seems to have a very forceful connotation and the word corporal, meaning bodily and without influence of the mind, clearly states that what he has decided is simply from the desire of his body and his wife’s and not what he feels is right. This is contradicted later in the line though, as he calls the murder a terrible feat. This shows that Macbeth knows his decision is wrong and his guilt for his disloyalty is shown through his inability to say the word murder. In the next line, as he tells his wife to go pretend to be a happy, innocent hostess, he uses the word mock as a synonym for deceive or pretend. This has a double meaning as well. Not only are the Macbeth’s deceiving Duncan, they are treating him with contempt, the literal meaning of the word, and this offers thoughts that Macbeth’s mind and guilt is overpowering him on the inside. The dispute within Macbeth is summed up in the end of his speech. The “false face” he speaks of plays the part of his bodily desires, and the “false heart” plays the part of his spirit and conscious. The use of “must hide” acknowledges that Macbeth’s feels that his body has to cover his thoughts or he will not have the power to commit the murder. The “false heart” suggests that the heart is influenced by his minds feelings of what is right in the situation and that is what it “doth knows.” Macbeth is faced with the classic mind versus body conflict, and, although he doesn’t necessarily want to, he takes the easy way out in pleasing his wife and his need for power. So mind over matter or matter over mind? In this case, both.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAct 1, Scene 7:
ReplyDeleteArt thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valor
As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would, ”
Like the poor cat i' th' adage?
In this scene, Lady Macbeth condemns her husband’s actions out of love, only wanting the best for him. Lady Macbeth is beginning to become the organizer of her husband’s fate, guiding him along the right path. She has to manipulate him to get there, but, in the long run, Lady Macbeth is doing her husband a favor, ensuring that he become king. Her critical view on Macbeth, comparing him to “the poor cat i’ th’ adage” who “live[d] a coward in [his] own esteem” is only giving him more fire to get the job done (9, 11). Questioning “Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire?” further encourages Macbeth to kill King Duncan to prove to Lady Macbeth that he is not a coward (7).
Lady Macbeth knows her husband well enough to know what she needs to do in order to put him in the best position possible. The demeaning speech she makes to Macbeth, calling him a coward and comparing him to a weak woman, is meant to push him into killing Duncan to make him king. Shakespeare’s wording makes Lady Macbeth seem cruel and uncaring because of her ruthless words, but, in reality, it could be an entirely different story. Much of Shakespeare’s work takes on more than one meaning, and the spiteful words of Lady Macbeth have deceitful meanings underneath their surface.
The guidance Lady Macbeth gives to her husband will ultimately make him happier in the future and she knows that. Though she must use biting words to do it, Lady Macbeth is determined to do what’s best for her husband.
"My noble partner
ReplyDeleteYou greet with present grace and great prediction
Of noble having and of royal hope." (1.3.54-57)
Gifts are given, not earned. Banquo speaks of the sisters' prediction for Macbeth as a gift. In lines 54-55, "My noble partner/ you greet with present grace," the words "present" and "grace" both are used to deepen the impression that the prediction is a gift. A present is a gift; it cannot be earned. Yet Macbeth is shown in following pages contemplating taking every opportunity to secure his future of which he has just been told. It is interesting that Banquo uses the word "grace" in line 55 after clearly stating that he doesn't think the sisters to be particularly graceful beings, even if the word as he used it there did not referr to beauty or lack of clumsiness.
Banquo could've also been using the word "present" to imply that the grace that is being given to Macbeth by the sisters is only for the time being. Perhaps later on, the currently good news of Macbeth's future crowning may seem a lot less appealing. Of course, at the moment, Banquo seems to be under the impression that Macbeth is noble as anything, seeing as he uses the word twice in three lines.
Act 1.7.55-67
ReplyDeleteThroughout the first act of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth continues to mention milk, breasts, and babies, but it isn't until scene 7 where there is a hint as to why. Lady Macbeth says, "I have given suck, and know/ How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me" (1.7.62-63). She has loved a child before. However, she goes on to say, "I would, while it is smiling in my face,/ Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums/ And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you/ Have done this" (1.7.64-67). The way Lady Macbeth so instantly destroys the image of the tender love of a child with the violent image of a child having its brains dashed out suggests this is tied in with the dark and sinister personalty we see in Act I.
It is also interesting where the talk of babies falls in Lady Macbeth's dialogue. She brings up the image of the baby right after she tells Macbeth he is not a man unless he can kill Duncan. The jump in subjects from from Macbeth's lack of masculinity in his hesitation of killing Duncan to the child she once loved suggests Lady Macbeth sees weakness in femininity.
Lady Macbeth's harsh, detailed image of the bashing of the baby suggests something else about her character: she wants no part in the weakness she associates with femininity. She is assuring Macbeth there is nothing she wouldn't do for power and later encourages him to attain the same mindset. Lady Macbeth is no sweet and innocent "Juliet," but there is a reason she is the way she is.
"The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step
ReplyDeleteOn which I must fall down or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.
The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see."
Macbeth is ashamed that in order to secure the crown, he must kill Duncan. In hoping that his desire to kill the king never is brought to light, he understands that what he must do is wrong. It is obvious that his desire for power and hunger for his predicted fate is greater than the loyalty he has to the king. Referring to the king as "a step," he dehumanizes him and sees him as merely an obstacle in his path- not a man he respects and has no ill feeling towards. He himself does not want to see Duncan killed, but at this point thinks that he will have to do it himself. Overall, he simply wants the act to be done without any emotion, without his eyes seeing what his hands must do in order to obtain the crown.
1.4.27
ReplyDelete“The service and the loyalty I owe
In doing it pays itself. Your Highness’ part
Is to receive our duties, and our duties
Are to your throne and state children and servants,
Which do but what they should by doing everything
Safe toward your love and honor.”
- Macbeth
Many people tend to say that Lady Macbeth is the most manipulative character, so far, in this book; however, this is not true. Macbeth is the manipulative and surreptitious character, and he acts this way towards his king, Duncan. Even though Lady Macbeth is somewhat manipulative towards her husband, she isn’t as manipulative as he is. This is because when she does manipulate him, both she and Macbeth benefit from the action. However, when Macbeth manipulates Duncan into trusting him, Duncan does not perceive Macbeth as his future murderer. When Macbeth does kill Duncan, Macbeth is the only one who benefits because he will receive the throne.
The quote above is an example that shows how deceptive Macbeth is towards Duncan. However, even though Macbeth talks about his loyalty in this passage, part of the inside message reveals his betrayal and plot to kill the king. When Macbeth says, “The service and the loyalty I owe/ in doing it pays itself,” he hints that because of his loyalty, he will benefit. Duncan will not expect what he plans to do to him. Macbeth, like Lady Macbeth, referred to the murder as “it.” They never state this directly to keep it a secret. “Your Highness’ part/ is to receive our duties,” shows that Duncan will receive what he deserves. He will receive the duty of Macbeth. The “duty” or fate of Macbeth is that he will become king. So, in order for this to happen, he must kill the king. “Children and servants,/ which do but what they should by doing everything/ safe toward your love and honor,” is very ironic. This is because Duncan is far from safe. His “servant” Macbeth, will kill him, which is far from doing what he should to keep the king safe.
1.4.27
“He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.”
- Duncan
Duncan refers to the Thane of Cawdor here. He says that he always trusted him, and he never would have thought that he would betray not only him, but his whole country. This is ironic because after the Thane of Cawdor is killed, Macbeth will assume this same title. Therefore, Macbeth will betray Duncan also. In addition, right after Duncan says these things, Macbeth is the first person that he talks to. This helps reveal the future betrayal of Macbeth to the audience. Through these things, it shows that Macbeth is the most manipulative character because he is very furtive, in contrast to his wife who is very open in her manipulative ways toward her husband.
“DUNCAN
ReplyDeleteThis castle hath a pleasant seat; the air
Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself
Unto our gentle senses.
BANQUO
This guest of summer,
The temple-haunting martlet, does approve,
By his loved mansionry, that the heaven's breath
Smells wooingly here: no jutty, frieze,
Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird
Hath made his pendent bed and procreant cradle:
Where they most breed and haunt, I have observed,
The air is delicate.”
1.6.1-12.
Is it not odd the way that Duncan and Banquo speak in such a complimentary manner about the very place where Duncan assassination is planned to take place? It could just be Shapespeare emphasizing Banquo and Duncan’s ignorance towards Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s fatal arrangements, but the fact that he spent more than five lines repeating over and over how welcoming Macbeth’s castle is makes me think otherwise.
When Duncan first personifies “the [castle] air” from his and Banquo’s opinions as “nimbly and sweetly recommending itself… unto [their] gentle senses,” it appears to be a statement of genuine appreciation, and maybe it is. But, after reading of the Macbeths’ plans to murder Duncan at their castle, which Shakespeare first introduced to the audience (through Banquo and Duncan) as such a welcoming abode, it seems only intentional and ironic for Shakespeare to have included such positive imagery of the castle at first.
Banquo continues Duncan’s stream of compliments with the idea that “the temple haunting martlet, does approve” of the lovely air of the castle. The martlets, like Duncan and Banquo, are “guest[s] of summer” and as Banquo notices, they too find “the heaven’s breath” to “smell wooingly” and the “air [to be] delicate”. The correlation between the birds and the people furthers the irony of the situation by implying that both parties are acting a bit naively and should watch carefully the moves they make. As, after all, their fates are rather delicate.
Act 1. Scene 3. Lines 4- 26
ReplyDeleteFIRST WITCH
A sailor’s wife had chestnuts in her lap,
And munched, and munched, and munched. “Give me,”
quoth I.
“Aroint thee, witch!” the rump-fed runnion cries.
Her husband’s to Aleppo gone, master o' th' Tiger;
But in a sieve I’ll thither sail,
And like a rat without a tail,
I’ll do, I’ll do, and I’ll do.
SECOND WITCH
I’ll give thee a wind.
FIRST WITCH
Thou 'rt kind.
THIRD WITCH
And I another.
FIRST WITCH
I myself have all the other,
And the very ports they blow,
All the quarters that they know
I' th' shipman’s card.
I’ll drain him dry as hay.
Sleep shall neither night nor day
Hang upon his penthouse lid.
He shall live a man forbid.
Weary sev'nnights nine times nine
Shall he dwindle, peak and pine.
Yet it shall be tempest-tossed.
The Weird Sisters represent the novel's idea of the empowerment of women. Although Lady Macbeth represents power for women later on in the novel, this passage shows feminine power through the first weird sister's actions.
When the first witch begins to speak, the female character is described as weak and lazy. The woman is a first described as the "sailor's wife" (1.3.4) rather than just an independent woman. She is lazy and it is implied that she has done nothing but "munched, and munched, and munched" (1.3.5).
However, the witch changes the audience's impression on women when she expresses her plans of revenge. Shakespeare emphasizes the witch's personal strength by repeating the first person in her saying, "I'll do, I'll do, I'll do" (1.3.11). Throughout the rest of the passage, the word "I" or "I'll" is used five more times by the sisters. By stating the numerous actions performed by the woman, Shakespeare shows the power that the woman possesses.
The actions she will be taking are even more significant because they will be performed on the sailor, a man. "He shall live a man forbid"(1.3.22) all because of the force the overpowering female possesses which she applies to him.
1.5.45-47
ReplyDelete“The raven himself is hoarse
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements.”
- Lady Macbeth
King Duncan is never going to make it out of Inverness alive. And Lady Macbeth will make sure of it. Like an 11th century Bonnie and Clyde, the Macbeths have already schemed and set their sights upon greatness in a message brought to them by what seem to be forces of nature.
The arrival of a king to any person’s manor is thought of as quite the honor, but in this passage it is pure opportunity. An opportunity Lady Macbeth will never let pass her by. It is a chance to kill and make her move on the crown of Scotland. Even entering into the castle is a fatal flaw on King Duncan’s part and this is shown be the use of the raven. The hoarse-causing amount of the crowing of the raven signifies bad omen and ill fate. It also symbolizes that Lady Macbeth has already begun thinking which way is the best and most convincingly innocent in murdering the King as he visits her castle. She also uses the word “battlements,” which is a space in the roof of a castle for where arrows can be shot, as a description of what she thinks of her own home. The use of this particular word signifies that this is her domain. She is ready to fight. And Duncan is now unknowingly under full attack. Her home advantage and act of surprise are a sure guarantee that she will not be the person to lose this “battle,” and this is reassured by her diction in these few lines.
This three lined passage alone shows the ruthlessness and maniacal thinking Lady Macbeth has brewing in her thoughts. She is a force to be reckoned with all on her own, and will defeat the likes of a good King Duncan to opt in her husband’s, which I believe to be secretly self-motivated, gain.
1.7.48-59
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth is cruel beyond reason or understanding. Most mothers are incredibly protective of their children, but she openly admits that she would happily crush her own baby if she had promised to do so, despite her love for the child. “I have given suck, and know/How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me./I would, while it was smiling in my face,/Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums/And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you/Have done to this” (1.7.54-59). This shows an astounding lack of love or empathy for fellow beings, especially the most helpless, but a fierce loyalty to her promises and respect for those who hold them. Perhaps, as Caroline suggested, she is just trying to reject the usual weakness associated with women and make Macbeth recognize her strengths, as opposed to her failure in having a child.
Before announcing this, she insults Macbeth and says when he promised to kill Duncan, he was a man and more a man when he still intended to kill his king, but now that he is questioning this, he is not a man at all. “When you durst do it, then you were a man,/And, to be more than what you were, you would/Be so much more the man” (1.7.49-51). Ironically, Lady Macbeth is upset with her husband for breaking his promise to her to kill Duncan, when a part of his birthright – as a Thane – is to protect the king from any danger.
1.5.47-58
ReplyDelete"Make thick my blood;
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose nor keep peace between
The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts
And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark
To cry "Hold, hold!"
Contrary to popular belief, Lady Macbeth was not born evil through and through. Rather, she is changing with the news of Macbeth's future kingship. Some would call Lady Macbeth a psychopath with no feelings, but this is not the case. She has normal human feelings and knows that her murderous intentions are wrong, thus asks to "make thick [her] blood; stop of the access and passage to remorse" (1.5.47-48). Though Lady Macbeth is attempting to take fate into her own hands by planning to murder King Duncan, she has a conscious, but doesn't want that to get in the way of her plans. She asks "that no compunctious vistings of nature shake [her] fell purpose nor peace between the effect and it!" Also, the diction of her continuously saying "it" instead of murder, then she knows what she is planning to do is wrong. She wants darkness, usually associated with evil, to take over, further proving that she is changing/wants to change and was not evil all along. The diction used to illustrate this was picked precisely to further this argument. "Come, thick night, / and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, … nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark / to cry "Hold, hold!" By choosing these words, the reader gets the sense that Lady Macbeth wants to be overcome by the night, or evil, and not let heaven "peep" through to tell her to stop. By asking night to fall over so "that [her] keen knife see not the wound it makes" continues to prove that Lady Macbeth knows that her plans are evilly wrong. Through his precise diction, Shakespeare demonstrates to his audience the changing Lady Macbeth into something evil and murderous, yet still human.
Act 1. Sc 3. Ln 33-38
ReplyDeleteALL(dancing together in a circle)
The weird sisters, hand in hand,
Posters of the sea and land,
Thus do go about, about,
Thrice to thine and thrice to mine
And thrice again, to make up nine.
Peace! The charm’s wound up.
Based on this passage, Shakespeare is saying that the women of the book need other people to get any job done. Basically, they can’t do anything by themselves. This passage has all the sisters together getting a spell ready. Obviously since they're all together, even with the text saying "ALL", none of the sisters could have done this alone. They have to be together. "Thrice to thine and thrice to mine and thrice again, to make up nine." All of this added up to make nine. The sisters need each other to make this spell possible. Just like Kay said, the women are portrayed as powerless, and they need the help of others to have some sort of power.
Also, for Lady Macbeth, she needs Macbeth in order to kill Duncan because she can't do it by herself. She even calls on the help from the evil spirits to help her go about Duncan's murder. Shakespeare demonstrates the helpless women this way mostly because of the time period he was in. Back then, women were just as powerless and helpless as the women in this play. He brings that part of his society into his writing.
(1.1. 1-13)
ReplyDeleteThunder and lightening. Enter three Witches.
FIRST WITCH
When shall we three meet again?
In thunder, lightening, or in rain?
The opening lines in Shakespeare literature are always the most important. The setting is eerie, thunder and lightning are striking. Three witches open the scene to plan their next reunion. Before even discussing the business of their presence, they discuss in what conditions they will be reunited. The conditions in which they decide to meet are strange ones; thunder, lightning, and rain. This can simply be taken as them liking to meet in certain weather, but I believe it goes much deeper than that.
Shakespeare has already shown his interest in Greek Mythology by naming the sisters as he did. Macbeth’s Weïrd Sisters were previously noted in Greek Mythology. These sisters knit the fate of a person’s life. The sisters seem to be doing this with Macbeth, but very ambiguously.
The thunder, lightening, and rain can be drawn back to the Greek God Zeus. Zeus is known for being in charge of fate. Control of thunder and lightning were given to Zeus by Cyclopes, but he possessed control of rain himself. Zeus is not famous for his original power to control rain. Zeus is famous for his control of thunder and lightning. This fame also brought war and death to Olympus. He is more recognized for a gift acquired because of the Titan war, then a gift bestowed and earned.
Based on this, I believe that the sisters are planning to meet together when Macbeth either has decided to appreciate the power he has acquired, or take power that he saw for the taking. The sisters may or may not know what Macbeth’s decision will be. I believe they are making us question. Will he take Duncan’s life and enjoy the flourishes of being a king, like Zeus won a war and accepted the gifts of thunder and lightning. Or will Macbeth decide to keep his titles as Thane and enjoy the power he is given, like Zeus was originally the god of Rain?
Before we even know who Macbeth is, or what situation he is in Shakespeare thrusts us the idea that a decision will be made, and the results of this decision could be terrible.
Macbeth: If we should fail-
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth: We fail?
But screw your courage to the sticking place
And we'll not fail.
(Act 1. Scene 7, 68-70)
It is clear that Macbeth is doubtful that he and his wife will succeed in killing King Duncan of Scotland, and it seems like he might have cold feet in the plot. His conscience has taken hold of him and he can't stop thinking about all the consequences of the dirty deed. Lady Macbeth, after insulting her husband's manliness, urges him to be a man and “screw up his courage.” Until he follows her orders, he will never have the guts to take out the only man standing in his way of the throne. Although her words are obscure, the obvious meaning behind them is: "tighten up your courage so you can be prepared for the murder of Duncan." Through this excerpt, we get a glimpse at the relationship between the couple, and notice that Lady Macbeth calls the shots. She interrupts his speaking, which shows her take charge personality and that she is not afraid to belittle her husband.