Macbeth: Thematic Elements

We have discussed many thematic elements of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

These include:
Unchecked ambition
Self-destructive character traits
The deviousness of women
The idea of manhood
Madness
Guilt
Hubris


Such a happy little play.



We haven't really discussed the characters who are still alive at the end of the play. Macduff & Malcolm do some heavy soul-searching in Act 4, scene iii. They redefine some of the concepts of manhood and leadership.

Macbeth is often seen as Shakespeare's most misogynistic play. The portrayal of women is primarily unfavorable. Let's take a little inventory and see what we find.....


Lady Macbeth: Well, we all know she can be a real nag. She asks to be "unsexed" and to have the ability to be cruel. Her husband even tells her she would only make a good mother for boys. She pushes Macbeth into murder by questioning his manhood; this opens the door for him to go on a bloody rampage. The repercussions of his bloodbath start to haunt Lady Macbeth, and she ends up going mad, sleepwalking, and it is unknown if she commits suicide or is murdered. (Act 5, scene ix, 35-36)





The Witches: We all know what kind of gals these hags are. They mess with men's lives based on the actions of their wives. Macbeth, though, seems to never have met a woman he couldn't trust, so why not trust your fate to three bearded old specters?


Lady Macduff: Here is the epitome of Scottish womanhood. She dies as an innocent, although she is a little upset with her husband for running off and leaving them. She is probably the only sympathetic woman in the play.

Based on these observations, would you agree with Ben's observation last class that Shakespeare was a feminist through his strong portrayal of female characters? Or do you feel the plays King Lear and Macbeth demonize women?

Literary Terms We Have Known

Welcome to Byrne's 12AP English.

Please take a moment to look around you and remember what you have learned so far this year.

In the unlikely event of a quiz, please make sure you know where the nearest literary terms are located. In the rare case of loss of cranial pressure, lists and review sheets will be supplied. This is one of those sheets.
So far we have discussed:

Objective Correlative
Deconstruction
Deonation
Connotation
Scansion

We will also discuss:
tension
carmen figuratum
canon

Today's Poem: e.e. cummings

Today (2/26) is the birthday of Buffalo Bill Cody, Christopher Marlowe and Victor Hugo.

Unfortunately, none of them were poets.

Fortunately, e.e.cummings was.

How does cummings use diction, style, punctuation to convey his meaning? Do you think it would be as poetic with traditional and typical form?

This is a link to this poem in the style cummings wrote it

e e cummings

Buffalo Bill's

defunct

who used to

ride a watersmooth-silver

stallion

and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat

Jesus

he was a handsome man

and what i want to know is

how do you like your blueeyed boy

Mister Death

Poem of the Day: William Blake / The Poison Tree

William Blake (1757-1827) was a poet, printer, artist, and free spirit. He started out as an engraver and artist, then became a printer and poet. Blake challenged the traditional views of religion, morality and was considered idiosyncratic and mad by most of the artistic establishment in England.Blake often used visual artistry and poetry in tandem to convey his artistic vision. Blake's painting at left is from The Song of Los, one of Blake's "illuminated books".

The Poison Tree

William Blake

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe;
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I water'd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with my smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright;
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole
When the night had veil'd the pole:
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretch'd beneath the tree

Macbeth Act 4: The night is long that never finds the day

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify your portfolio. He who does not trust enough will not be trusted. Or: If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time.

Has Macbeth really thought through this plan of his? Did he really have a plan in the first place? Or has he been thrust into a situation where he is only reacting to prompts? How does his rejection of all advisers other than the witches affect the events in this act?

As Act 4 opens, we see the three witches in what is arguably one of Shakespeare's more familiar (no pun intended) rhyming scenes. Macbeth has rejected seeking counsel with Lady Macbeth, instead seeking out the Weird Sisters for advice. They show him some omens, which Macbeth believes, and which affect his confidence. He gets a little cocky, saying "Then live Macduff;what need I fear of thee?" (93).
Why does he feel this way?

The witches also give him confidence in the form of riddles: Macbeth won't be defeated until the woods rise and move to a hill; and no man born of woman can harm Macbeth. Well, that would make me feel invincible.

How do you think this will contribute to Macbeth's downfall? Check the definition of hubris and see if you think it applies to Macbeth.

Scene ii shows how Macbeth's drive for absolute power has corrupted him. He will kill innocents without a second thought.

Scene iii contains dialogue between Macduff and Malcolm that is either a) a test of Macduff's loyalty or b) an ominous portent that Scotland is doomed to be ruled by bad leadership.

Malcolm says: "I speak not as in absolute fear of you./ I think our country sinks beneath the yoke./ It weeps, it bleeds,and each new day a gash/ Is added to her wounds" (48-50).

How is this a universal theme? How does the last line of this act: "The night is long that never finds the day" pertinent to the events of this act?

Think of how Shakespeare might have used King James's heritage in writing this part of the play.

Macbeth Act 3: Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

Lord Ashton once said "Power corrupts; and absolute power corrupts absolutely." How do the events of Act 3 show this happening to Macbeth?

You think it's easy being King of Scotland? You claw your way to the top, and what do you find? You can't trust your friends. You have to entertain as head of state. (Those parties are not always fun.) You start seeing things. You stop confiding in your wife. And you are sure that there are forces conspiring against you.

Yes, it's lonely at the top.

Macbeth's murderous acquisition of the kingship of Scotland has not come without consequences. Now that Duncan is dead, and his sons have run away, Macbeth should be happy, right? But he is starting to realize that he can't trust anyone, even his bff Banquo. It's easier to just kill him and move forward. But this action will coma back to haunt him, literally & figuratively.

Macbeth laments the "good old days" in Scotland where killing someone for the good of the country "purged the gentle weal" (92) and made the country stronger. Now, Macbeth laments, you no sooner slay someone for the good of the country, and they're out of the grave, haunting your state dinners.

What significance does the appearance of Banquo's ghost have to Macbeth's plans?

Another change we see in Macbeth is his overall distrust of everyone. Rather than take a chance and trust his Lady, Macbeth starts keeping his plans a secret. Maybe after the murder of Duncan, he is a little afraid of her. The one "trustworthy"source Macbeth clings to are the Weird Sisters.

Why do you think Macbeth turns and returns to them for advice?

Scene v includes a visit from Hecate, who was the goddess of witchcraft. She seems a little put out with how the Weird Sisters have been meddling with Macbeth, and not including her. This passage was marked in our text as probably not authored by Shakespeare. You can see the difference in diction, in the form of rhyming couplets employed by Hecate in her speech.

Act 3 also contains information in scene vi, with a discussion between Lennox and the other lord. This information shows the growing distrust in Macbeth as a leader among the other thanes. There is also foreshadowing in mentioning King Edward and England's role in Scottish politics.

Poem of the Day: Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Lawrence Ferlinghetti was one of the original Beat Poets. He was the co-founder of the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, which also evolved into a publishing house for new poets. In 1956, Ferlinghetti published Allen Ginsberg's seminal book of poems, "Howl". Ferlinghetti was arrested on charges of obscenity after selling the book to undercover police. After a long trial, the judge decided "Howl" was not obscene, and Ferlinghetti was acquitted.



The poem "Are There Not Still Fireflies" was written by Ferlinghetti in response to the 9/11 attacks.

Think of the form the poem takes- one long question- and the idea of positive/negative as far as what there is and is not.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti:

"Are There Not Still Fireflies"

Are there not still fireflies
Are there not still four-leaf clovers
Is not our land still beautiful
our fields not full of armed enemies
our cities never bombed
by foreign invaders
never occupied
by iron armies
speaking iron tongues
Are not our warriors still valiant
ready to defend us
Are not our senators
still wearing fine togas
Are we not still a great people
in the greatest country in all the world
Is this not still a free country
Are not our fields still ours
our gardens still full of flowers
our ships with full cargoes
Why then do some still fear
the barbarians coming
coming coming
in their huddled masses
(What is that sound that fills the ear
drumming drumming?)
Is not Rome still Rome
Is not Los Angeles still Los Angeles
Are these not the last days of the Roman Empire
Is not beauty still beauty
And truth still truth
Are there not still poets
Are there not still lovers
Are there not still mothers
sisters and brothers
Is there not still a full moon
once a month
Are there not still fireflies
Are there not still stars at night
Can we not still see them
in bowl of night
signalling to us
our manifest destiny?"