Act 5 - YouTube Speech

Please click here to access the YouTube speech I have done for Lady Macbeth's character.

Enjoy!

Macbeth Act 4 - Riddles and Images!

Riddle # 1

Please click on the image to see a larger version.

Image sources: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8jzlKT6lggKdqHwyirq_Y4c3wRxx4ZcdhobF7fnBD1ZAgzf28Y31cjNNns61AhDrYSTmTb57jIiOMqkk8GmnLMjB0XNdxAkix3fg-dcC5V7EHpaK7hiJPp2JBk2XYOH7IKTcMTwX31E/s400/macbeth3.jpg and http://image.toutlecine.com/photos/m/a/c/macbeth-1948-08-g.jpg

For this riddle, what I've shown is the three witches telling Macbeth their latest prophecy: that he should "beware Macduff." Because the witches have always come to tell him something very quickly and then disappeared right away, the comic shows how Macbeth feels lost and wants to know more. Why won't the witches give him a better explanation? What is coming next? He knows that what the witches have told him in the past has been true, so maybe they can see his future and are only giving him a small hint. In my comic, Macbeth would rather see the witches stay a little longer to tell him all they know, so he can figure out his next steps. Of course he wants to know what Macduff has to do with his future, and how he can change his own destiny! Macbeth wants to try to maintain control of his spiraling life, but we can all guess that Macduff will have something to do with Macbeth's downfall.

Riddle # 2

Image sources: http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Welles,%20Orson/Annex/Annex%20-%20Welles,%20Orson%20(Macbeth)_01.jpg, http://folgereducation.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/welles-11.jpg, and http://www.hollowaypages.com/images/macbeth1.JPG

For the second riddle, I wanted to show how confident Macbeth is in himself. When he remembers what the witches have told him, saying that no man born of woman shall harm Macbeth, he thinks about it for a minute. He comes to the conclusion that he must therefore be invincible, since all men are born to women. Of course, what he doesn't know at this point is that Macduff was not born 'naturally', but through a caesarian section, which is brought to light in the last act of the play: “Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb / Untimely ripp’d” (Act V, Scene 8, lines 16-17). This comic shows how Macbeth is so caught up in himself, thinking that he is untouchable, and believes his own interpretations of what the witches tell him. He sets his mind at ease when really, he should be pretty worried by now!

Riddle # 3

Image sources: http://poems-dialogues.blogspot.ca/2012/10/macbeth-act-iv-scene-i-round-about.html and  http://www.longoverdue.co.uk/Macbeth-Soldiers.jpg

In the third riddle, the witches are saying that the only way to get rid of Macbeth is when the forest approaches the hills, which could be never in anyone’s lifetime. In my own interpretation, it appears like there is no hope for the soldiers, shown above while trying to think of other ways to go about their duty to vanquish Macbeth. They wonder if they really must go ahead with it, because they will probably fail anyway, based on what the witches have said. We, as readers, know that it is Macduff who defeats Macbeth in the end but it is everyone’s own take on the meaning of the witches’ words that makes the story unique to the reader. I tried to make it funny by showing all of the different excuses and questions that the soldiers might have to try to get out of the task of getting rid of Macbeth.

My Macbeth Presentation: Acts I - III (PowerPoint)

Please click here for a link for my presentation! I hope you enjoy it.

My Macbeth Twitter Feed

Here is the link to my Macbeth Twitter feed, which summarizes thoughts, actions, and what Macbeth is going through during Act II of the play.

https://twitter.com/MacbethGr11

My thoughts on using Twitter:

I have never used Twitter before so this was a totally new experience for me. Although I have heard about it and seen other people use it, I found that the initial setup process took longer than I expected. This was definitely a dislike for me.  Right at the beginning, after signing up, I was taken through an ‘instruction’ process on how to set up Twitter. I wasn’t able to skip any of the steps except for adding contacts from my email address book. I was also forced to subscribe or follow a minimum of five other Twitter accounts before I could post my own Tweets. So in one way, that was surprising because a friend who signed up for Twitter a while ago didn’t have to go through that to set up her account. 

For what I liked about Twitter, the main thing is that you can get your message across using a short and simple Tweet and direct other people to check out your postings by using the hashtags. Once you get used to the process, it’s pretty easy. Another thing I liked is that after I posted something, I was able to look up other people’s perspectives on their feeds by clicking on the hashtags I used in my own posts. Using Twitter is a really interesting way to connect with people all over the world, and everything is in real time, so you feel that you’re always getting the latest information. I ended up following a few companies like Doctors Without Borders, Environment Canada, and others so that I can keep up with the latest news. So overall, I do like the Twitter experience and now that my account is set up for English 11, I will think about making my own personal account too. Thanks for the new information and experience, Twitter and Mr. Mueller!

"Character Profile" (Post 3)

Pick one character from the first act and write a "Character Profile" of that character.  Tell us what you know about them, what you think will be their role in the play, and what you think about them as a character.  Do you like them?  Identify with them?  Do they teach us anything?

I have chosen King Duncan for my character profile. 

E.H. Sothern as Macbeth for the 1911 Broadway production

Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth_(1911_film)

King Duncan is first seen in Act I, Scene II:

“What bloody man is that? He can report,

As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt
The newest state.” (Act I, Scene II, lines 1-3)

King Duncan is eager to hear news of the war that Scotland is fighting against Norway and rebels from their own country. As he has not been involved in this particular battle, we assume that he is older and now unable to fight. That is why he is asking the sergeant at the beginning for news of the battle.

Duncan is impressed when he hears that Macbeth has led them to victory in the battle; he proclaims Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor after finding out that the current Thane is a traitor and orders him to be executed. From this, we know that King Duncan may not always have a good idea of who is loyal to him and who isn’t. He may be too trusting and overlook certain things in people.

In Act I, Scene IV, Duncan names his son Malcolm as the Thane of Cumberland, which means he will take the throne when King Duncan dies. In Scene VI, Duncan and a few thanes enter Macbeth’s castle, and King Duncan is unaware that his hosts are planning to kill him that same evening. Duncan is a very trusting man and even speaks of how pleasant the castle is:

“This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air
Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself
Unto our gentle senses.” (Act I, Scene VI, lines 1-3).

He doesn't realize that what awaits him is coldblooded murder. Macbeth mentions in the last scene of the act “… this Duncan / Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels…” (Act I, Scene VII, lines 16-19). He is talking about how King Duncan is as a person and is a bit scared to carry through with the murder, but nonetheless has decided to kill the King.

I like King Duncan and I think he represents the 'good' in the play from the first time we see him. He seems to be a genuine, caring man who rewards a job well done, in the case of giving Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor, for example. He respects those who show bravery and is a brave man himself. What he has taught me in the first Act is that you can't always trust everyone around you because you never know what they're really thinking or what their true intentions are. I would hope that Duncan would be a little less trusting of everyone, seeing that the Thane of Cawdor was a traitor and now he is walking into a death trap at Macbeth's castle. Although I believe he will die in the next scene, he has set the stage for Macbeth's beginning of 'evil' in the play.

Destiny, Fate and Influence (Post 2)

With all this talk about Destiny, Fate and Influence, what role do you think the witches will have in this play?  Are we all subject to our pre-determined destiny?  Or can we influence our own future?

The three witches enter the play long before Macbeth, and seem to foreshadow things to come. Later on in Act I, they speak with Macbeth and Banquo, calling Macbeth “thane of Glamis,” “thane of Cawdor,” and how he “shalt be king hereafter!” (Act I, Scene III). They seem to know that certain things are going to happen before they occur, and have an ability to sense the future and also to do bad things to people they don't seem to like. It makes me wonder about the powers that they have and what role they will have later on in the play. I believe that they are creatures that have powers beyond being able to tell what will happen in the near future, so this raises my level of curiosity about the witches and the play in general.

In my opinion, I think that we all make our own choices and that we are not subject to a pre-determined destiny. It's true that we can't choose our parents or families, or where we're born, but we can make other important decisions throughout our lives. All of these decisions determine where we will end up, whether we're 'good' or 'evil', what type of person we will become, and what we plan to do with our lives. Will we decide to make a difference for others, or will we only consider ourselves?

I still believe in the saying that “everything happens for a reason,” but people can choose one decision over another rather than waiting for ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ to make the decision for them. For example, we meet people who play key roles in our lives but can choose whether or not they will be a part of our lives in the future. This can include friendships, relationships with significant others, and mentors or coworkers. Your future is what you make of it.

Play source: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/macbeth/full.html 

YouTube Video: "The Weird Sisters" in Act I, Scene I:

Source: http://youtu.be/tpzbgZTa660

Act I - My Thoughts (Post 1)

My Thoughts on Act I

What do I know/think about the play so far?  What are my thoughts on Shakespeare, Macbeth and this play so far?

Shakespeare is well-known for having written a great number of plays in the late 1500s to 1600s. Compared to today’s English, Shakespeare’s use of the language can be quite difficult to understand. Something he is famous for is using iambic pentameter in his plays, which gives it a nice rhythm.

So far, the play Macbeth has started off with the three witches, which makes me wonder what type of a role they will have going forward and why they're important. They are strange women who later on make comments to Macbeth and Banquo that foreshadow what will happen.

In the beginning of the act, we see that Macbeth is a captain who has won a battle in the war that the Scottish soldiers are fighting in. When King Duncan finds out that the Thane of Cawdor is a traitor, he decides that the Thane of Cawdor will be executed and then makes Macbeth the new Thane. However, in Scene III, it is the witches who tell Macbeth about this before he finds out from King Duncan’s group.

I have no idea about the power of these witches but they seem to know things that will happen in the near future, like when they state that Macbeth is “thane of Cawdor” and how he “shalt be king hereafter!” (Act I, Scene III). But because King Duncan is currently King of Scotland, Macbeth knows that King Duncan will have to die before Macbeth himself can be crowned the new King of Scotland.

At the end of the first act, Macbeth is speaking with Lady Macbeth and they devise a plan to kill the current King of Scotland, Duncan. He is a house-guest for the evening and they plan to murder him and let the drunken servants take the blame.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth by Dee Trimm

Image source: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/macbeth-and-lady-macbeth-dee-timm.html