Final Exam Review - Macbeth

The blog enry is for periods 1 and 2 students only.

In the comments section, record an entry the contains the following components:

1. one significant quotation from Macbeth, between 5 and 15 lines long
2. the act, scene, and line of the quotation
3. the speaker of the quotation
4. to whom the quotation is being spoken
5. enter the quotation as it appears in the text (ie. hit RETURN after each line)
6. your name (to receive credit)

There are a few stipulations. First, no repeats. Second, first come, first served. Third, the more significant and important your quotation, the more helpful this study guide will become. Fourth, entries not meetings ALL of the above components will not receive credit for the entry. Fifth, all entries must be submitted by the start of school Monday.

Hint: You might wish to enter a quotation that you do NOT already know. This will, obviously, help you study more.

Note: Yes, you may do extra entries for extra credit.
May the force be with you.

How Modern Macbeth?

The entry is for period 1 and 2 students.

Here it is...ready?

Is Macbeth a 21st century text? Why or why not?

The quesiton may sound simple, but there's a lot of layers here to peel apart:

• What is a "21st century text"? We need to define our term.
• In what aspects are we discussing Macbeth? Plot? Themes? Poetry? Culture?
• In what ways is it still relevant?
• Does it still resonate with audiences?
• Can audiences still learn and grow from reading it? How so?

There's a lot here to discuss. Don't make the mistake of not taking time to consider the magnitude of what the question is really asking.

Also, feel free to make this a back-and-forth discussion.

Which Witch Is Witchiest?

This extra credit entry is for both Period 1 and Period 2 students.

Here are a some different versions of the three witches from various sources - film, stage, fine art, comic books, etc. You can click on each image to enlarge.

Henry Fuseli

Théodore Chassériau

film adaptation directed by Roman Polanski

Austin Shakespeare Company

Long Overdue Theater Company

Jon Haward

Dream Puppets production

film adaptation directed by Orsen Welles

unknown stage production

unknown

Richard Westall

So, which witch is which? Which is the creepiest? The lamest? Most interesting? Closest to Shakespeare's original intent? Most effective for a modern audience? Which version would you most like to see if you were viewing the play as a live stage production? Let me know what you think. Remember, we're looking for insight, not merely personal opinion. So be sure to answer: "Why?"

Appearance and Reality in Macbeth

Note: This blog entry is for Period 1 students only. Period 2 students should see the following entry entitled "Order and Disorder."

Shakespeare’s plays are peppered with instances of people and events not being what they seem. He uses this theme of ‘appearance and reality’ for both comedic and dramatic effects, and the theme comes in many forms. Here are a few:

• intentional deception
• unintentional misunderstandings
• false loyalty and friendship
• mistaken gender and class
• wise fools and foolish wisemen
• hidden motivations
• lies and confessions
• bickering lovers and kissing foes

These aren’t the only ways the theme of appearance and reality manifests throughout his plays, but it’s a pretty good start.

Here's an example: In I.iv., King Duncan is discussing his relationship with the then-in-office Thane of Cawdor, and how he is surprised to hear of the thane's disloyalty. When describing this revelation, Duncan explains that there is "no art / To find the mind's construction in the face (I.iv.12-13.) This notion is naive at best, and in saying so Duncan is demonstrating his lack of ability to see a man’s true intentions. Of course not all men wear their “mind’s construction” upon “their face.” Many times an individual’s true thoughts and are purposely hidden away, and the expression upon one’s face is anything but a reflection of his or her true intentions. It is called lying. This flaw is the very flaw that leads to Duncan’s own death. If he had realized that seeing a man’s true thoughts is very much an “art,” then he would have seen Macbeth’s true intentions and never spent the night at his home.


Your task: Find a moment of deception – either intentional or intentional, either literal or figurative – somewhere in Act I and II. Cite the passage and explain how and why it is a moment of deception. Be sure to read all of the comments. We’d like to try to avoid repeats. The rules of composition apply – complete sentences, grammar, correct citations, etc. Keep in mind, some of the examples you’ll find in the play are pretty subtle. Be sure to examine character actions and intentions and motivaitons as well as the words they merely say. Please note, we are not looking for plot generalizations. We are looking for specific moments in the text that demonstrate this theme. Quotations and citations are mandatory.

Extra credit: If you wish, you may comment on your peer’s responses, either agreeing or disagreeing with their responses. If you do decide to engage in this aspect of the blog, be sure to add something to the conversation. Simply agreeing or disagreeing will not take the discussion forward. You need to support your responses.

Suggestion: You probably want to construct your response in Word, for spell check and revision purposes, and then copy and paste it into the blog field.

Order and Disorder in Macbeth

Note: This entry is for Period 2 students only.

One of Shakespeare’s central themes throughout his plays – the comedies and histories as well as the tragedies – is the idea of order and disorder. There is a general pattern throughout most of Shakespeare’s works:

1. character’s flaws cause order to give way to disorder
2. people in the society suffer from this disorder, either dramatically or comically
3. and finally order is somehow reinstated

Thus, stability gives way to instability, logic gives way to confusion, pattern and tradition give way to chaos, contentedness gives way to suffering, etc. This disorder can manifest itself one of three ways:

1. On the individual level (i.e. madness, delusion, guilt, fatigue, rage, etc.)
2. On the societal level (civil war, rebellion, fighting, political maneuvering, family conflict, etc.)
3. On the natural level (storms, animals, the geographical landscape, etc.)
   

In II.ii., upon killing Duncan, Macbeth asks Lady Macbeth “Didst thou hear a noise?” (II.ii.14). Lady Macbeth replies, “I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry” (II.ii.15). The noise to which Macbeth is referring is the guards speaking to him in their sleep, laughing at him and accusing him of murder. A noise that is, apparently, imagined. The noise Lady Macbeth hears, however, is perhaps more grounded in reality. It seems that nature itself has become angered at their crime.

Either way, both Macbeth and his wife are experiencing moments of disorder. Macbeth’s experience is on the individual level, Lady Macbeth’s on the natural level. Things have changed, Shakespeare suggests. Is ‘haunting’ too strong a word? Maybe at this point it is, but as we will see, this plunge into disorder has just begun.


Your task: Find a moment of disorder somewhere in Act I and II. Cite the passage and explain how and why it is a moment of disorder. Be sure to read all of the comments. We’d like to try to avoid repeats. Also, be sure to look at the three levels for your example: individual, social, and natural. The rules of composition apply – complete sentences, grammar, correct citations, etc. Keep in mind, some of these examples are pretty subtle. Look at how characters think, speak, sleep, feed, move, etc. Look at their actions and intentions and motivaitons as well as the words they merely say.

Extra credit: If you wish, you may comment on your peer’s responses, either agreeing or disagreeing with their responses. If you do decide to engage in this aspect of the blog, be sure to add something to the conversation. Simply agreeing or disagreeing will not take the discussion forward. You need to support your responses.