MR+AshleyK


 * MACBETH REFLECTIONS **

1.3 __Character Studies__


 * Witches**: From this section we learn that the witches have the ability to see the future, as they were able to announce the futures of both Macbeth and Banquo. Furthermore, we learn about their physical appearance, that is also very unusual, as they not only have ragged clothing and skinny lips, but they also have beards - which is not common in women. They are able to control the elements - ivgsuch as wind - and they can also make themselves disappear at will. Their personalities are rather bitter, and they seem to like revenge. This can be shown by the fact that because a woman insulted her and would not give her her chestnuts, the witch plans to go rape her husband, thus making him into a cursed man, who is no longer able to sleep. They appear to enjoy causing trouble in people's lives, as one witch proudly displays a pilot's thumb to the other, saying almost with relish that he died after crashing a plane.


 * Macbeth**: From this section we learn that Macbeth is currently thane of Glamis, has become thane of Cawdor, and is probably soon to be King of Scotland. He also seems very modest and, at the moment at least, uncorrupted and not greedy. This is since, even after hearing that he would become all of these things he does not become excited, nor does he believe all of it unconditionally. He doubts what they are saying, and says that that is impossible - even speaking highly of the thane of Cawdor, and saying he would never be King. Instead of being excited, he is actually fearful - suggesting he is afraid of the supernatural, or things he does not know. The fact that he refers to the position of the thane of Cawdor as "borrow'd robes" shows that he does not think of the position as something that is his.


 * Banquo**: From this section we can see that Banquo is quite an ambitious and curious man, as after Macbeth was shocked by the prophecy he did not ask to receive, Banquo does not mistrust these witches, but instead asks them about his future - after hearing about the success they said Macbeth would receive. He sounds almost like he feels he deserves a better prophecy than Macbeth - saying that he, unlike Macbeth - did not insult them. He also tries to suck up to them by saying they "seem so fair" only after he hears the prophecy, when just moments ago he called them "wither'd and wild." Also, he afterwards refers to them as "the devil." The fact that he said something he obviously does not mean just to recieve a good prophecy - though the witches just predict the future, and do not create it - makes him seem like a man who would do anything to gain the future he believes he deserves.


 * Angus**: We do not learn that much about Angus' personality, however from this section we can see that Angus does not like those who commit treason. He states that the former thane of Cawdor deserves to lose his life because he committed treason. We learn that he is also a messenger of the king, since he is delivering his message.


 * Ross**: We also learn that Ross is a messenger of the king. It further seems that Ross is quite close with the king, since he has heard the king praising Macbeth after he read the letter and knows exactly the what the king things of Macbeth. Furthermore, he either tries to curry favour, or agrees unconditionally with the king, as he refers to Macbeth as a "worthy" thane, without knowing that much about him.

__Major Plot Events__


 * The three witches are talking and one of them is plotting revenge against a sailor's wife who insulted her.
 * Macbeth and Banquo come, and both receive prophecies from the three witches about what will happen to them in the future. Macbeth is to be thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland, whilst Banquo's future is quite vague - he is to be lesser and greater, less happy and happier than Macbeth. Banquo is to produce children who will be king.
 * The witches disappear, leaving Macbeth and Banquo confused.
 * Ross and Angus come to inform Macbeth he is to be the thane of Cawdor because the thane of Cawdor committed treason.
 * Banquo and Macbeth are shocked that the witches words were true.

__Conflicts Introduced__


 * 1) A prophecy was introduced in which one person is promised more glory and power than another. That always leads to conflict as it usually leads to corruption due to the fact that people become more and more greedy.
 * 2) Macbeth will become king, however, for some reason his sons will not be heirs and Banquo's will. Evidently, there will be conflict based upon this later.
 * 3) Banquo obviously wants a lot of power and is ambitious - and it seems as though he feels he deserves this more than Macbeth does. Building up to a future conflict when Macbeth gets the power that the witches predict.

1.5 & 1.6 __Character Study: Lady Macbeth__ 1. We learn that Lady Macbeth is very corrupt and hungry for power and that she will do anything to get it. She has an evil, scheming mind, and obviously is easily the stronger one between her and her husband, as she is easily able to override him. It seems as though she feels she is always right, and that she knows everything - putting thoughts into her husband's head that he never actually expressed etc. However, most of these assumptions about Macbeth are correct - showing that she may be more perceptive than she seems.

2. Lady Macbeth would say the meaning of life is to earn power. She thinks of nothing else and has no moral compass that limits what she would do to gain power, as is shown in her heartless plan to murder Duncan.

3. Lady Macbeth's important quotations:
 * //"...unsex me here..." - line 41 1.6//
 * Here Lady Macbeth means that she wants to be made more like a man - wants to become like the opposite gender. This is significant for two reasons. Firstly it shows the degree to which Lady Macbeth wants to gain power, and the lengths she is willing to go to to get it (becoming possessed) - showing the full degree of her corruption. Furthermore, it shows the Shakespearian connotation of men as strong, while women are weaker - as she would like to become a man in order to become strong enough to outstrip the restrictions placed on her as a women.
 * //"All our service in every point twice done, and then done double... we rest your hermits." line 14-19 1.5//
 * This seem significant to me because it shows the other side of Lady Macbeth - her "exterior" in a manner of speaking. Although evil thoughts and schemes are bubbling inside of her, she has a sweet and seemingly devoted appearance to king Duncan - the man who a few lines ago she was planning on killing.

4. Word: noble In context: "Fair and noble hostess..." line 24 1.6 Denotation: having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals Connotation: shows the naivety and blind trust of king Duncan, as it is evident that Lady Macbeth is nothing but noble - this is evident to the reader after seeing all of the treacherous thoughts that ran through her head in Act 1 Scene 5.

Discussion Preparation: 1.7 __Main Points:__ Macbeth has decided to kill King Duncan because:
 * His wife accuses him of not being a man
 * He realizes that the plan will work and he will not be blamed
 * He feels a duty to fulfill his promise to his wife (to kill the king)
 * He himself also has ambitions to a certain degree

__Textual Evidence (1.7)__
 * "But screw your courage to the sticking place" - line 14
 * Here Lady Macbeth is basically telling Macbeth that he has no courage. The fact that she as a woman is telling him, her husband, to toughen up and have more strength must have been particularly embarrassing in this age because this was a time when it was socially accepted that women were weaker - physically and mentally.
 * "I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed his brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this" - line 56
 * Lady Macbeth uses guilt as a means of trying to get her husband to do what she wants to do in order to satiate her ambition. She tries to make him feel guilty and make him think that he does not love her as much as she loves him, and through saying that she would kill her own child for him she makes him feel as though he is being selfish and only thinking of what he wants. She really is very clever, as she is able to manipulate her husband's feelings in this way and mess with his mind so that he does her bidding.
 * "If we should fail?" line 60
 * This shows that one of the main things that was holding Macbeth back is the fact that they might fail. I'm not sure if this is correct, but my personal opinion is that in this section it looks like Macbeth is constantly looking for reasons not to kill Duncan because he is afraid that they will fail but doesn't want to acknowledge this as he fears it will make him look weak in front of his wife who has already pretty much emasculated him. It seems like he has made up excuses like the fact that it is "wrong" and now after his wife keeps beating him down, he finally admits the thing that has held him back.
 * "... thy undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males. Will it not be received, when we have marked with blood those sleepy two of his own chamber and used their very daggers, that they have done it?" line 74
 * After he hears of her plan he is very happy and his whole tone changes. He is sure that they will not get blamed and praises his wife profusely.
 * "I am settled" line 80
 * The fact that he makes up his mind after he realizes that they will not get caught just seems to me like it was one of the most major things that was troubling him and that was on his mind.

__Before the Discussion:__ I think that Macbeth has decided to kill Duncan because of the persuasion of his wife. I'm not sure if he's even aware of it but his wife really seems to manipulate his emotions and thoughts in this chapter and basically psychologically abuse him into doing what she wants him to do. By emasculating him not only through her actions but through her words as she calls him a coward and a liar, she makes him feel bad about himself and doubt his role as a man - making him desperate to prove his worth somehow. The most major thing that she does, it seems, is the creation of a plan that Macbeth has confidence in. This, more than anything else seems to be the aspect which causes Macbeth to decide to do the action, since although he WANTED to kill the king beforehand, I believe that he would never have done it because he was so fearful that they would be caught and would have to face the consequences.

__After the Discussion:__ My opinion did not really change, however I did hear several very interesting ideas. One was the idea that the witches caused Macbeth to murder Duncan. I did not agree since I feel as though the witches planted the idea in his head, that he would not have taken action had it not been for the constant persuasion and tactics of Lady Macbeth. I think Alex disagreed with my point, and I think it was just me, but I wasn't able to fully comprehend the message he was trying to deliver so I was not persuaded by that argument either. However, it was very interesting to hear the many different opinions regarding the subject, as I was only able to think of one - my own - when considering the question for myself at home.

Act 2

__How does Macbeth react after the murder of Duncan?__ He feels very guilty and says he does not even want to go back and see what has happened. One event that occurred after the murder that seems quite symbolic to me is when he tells his wife about how he could not repeat the words "Amen." (line 35) Amen is a word that can be translated into colloquial english to mean 'truly' or 'we all agree'. I think the actions of Macbeth in this instance reflect the state of his conscience. The fact that although Macbeth wanted to say amen at the end of the guard's prayer to God shows that his conscience wants to be able to agree to such statements. However, although he may not be aware of it - since he does not know why he could not pronounce such a simple word - his conscience is evidently aware of the fact that he cannot agree with the prayer to the Lord as he is in the midst of such a terrible and evil deed. He is full of remorse and wants to turn back the clock and have Duncan alive again.

__How does Lady Macbeth react after the murder of Duncan?__ She tries to tell herself that she does not feel guilty like her husband. In most ways, she is the strong one in the relationship - more like a man than her husband - and perhaps this comes with its own burdens, since and it seems like she is pretending that she is alright with murder - and perhaps on some level she does

3.5 & 3.6 One sentence summaries:
 * 3.5: Hecate, the head witch, is angry that the other witches told the ungrateful Macbeth his prophecy without her and decides to give Macbeth a prophecy and show him apparitions when he next comes to see him in order to make him overconfident - thus trying to make him fail.
 * 3.6: Macbeth is told misleading prophecies that make him feel he will be unconquerable, but he becomes enraged when the witches show him the final vision of Banquo's descendants becoming kings, and denounces the entirety of witches and fate - interestingly he holds onto the prophecy made that he feels makes him invincible.

What suspicions does the Lord have about Macbeth? The Lord suspects that Macbeth is creating trouble for himself as he angers Northumberland and keeps acting in a tyrannical manner. He seems to suspect that Macbeth is not as he seems and thinks that he has become corrupt and will upset the balance of Scotland.

4.1 __What does Macbeth want in this scene?__ I think what Macbeth wants most in this scene is an untroubled state of mind. He believes that his troubled thoughts that are preventing him from sleeping are caused by the fact that he is in danger, though in reality it is caused by his troubled consequence that is a result of him killing Duncan. Thus, in a desperate attempt to allow his mind some peace he goes to see the weird sisters who gave him his previous prediction so that he can know what he should do to ensure that his future will be safe - as he desperately wants to think untroubled thoughts.

__What stands in his way?__ After talking with the weird sisters Macbeth believes that Macduff is the thing which is standing in his way. The weird sisters tell him that he should beware the thane of Fife - Macduff - and thus Macbeth believes that without Macduff he would be safe. Yet the thing that is really standing in his way is his own actions. It is these evil actions that he has taken which are stopping him from being able to have a clean conscience and which is stopping him from sleeping at night - not the danger he feels from Macduff.

__How does Macbeth attempt to overcome these obstacles in his way?__ He attempts to gain peace of mind by getting rid of what he believes is standing in his way - Macduff - thus he kills him. He is now so accustomed to murder than I do not think he sees any other way to alleviate the problem, and I believe he has killed so many people by now that he does not see murder as an action that is very hard to do and which has a devastating and degenerative effect on your soul as he thought in the beginning of the novel.

Act 5 __How has Lady Macbeth been transformed by the end of the play?__

Lady Macbeth has become more similar to how Macbeth was at the beginning of the play, and the guilt she feels about what they have done has overwhelmed her. She is beginning to feel regret for all that she has done, and because of the weight that it has upon her conscience she is becoming mentally unstable.


 * //"It is an accustomed action with her to seem thus washing her hands. I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour...Out, damned spot! Out, I say!... What will these hands ne'er be clean?" (5.1 line 28-44)//
 * Here it shows that the evil deeds Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have committed have irrevocably stained Lady Macbeth's conscience, and thus her hands will never be clean of blood. Now she herself is aware of it and the guilt is drowning her. This is a direct contrast to when she told her gibbering husband that a little water would clear them of this act. Although she sits there for fifteen minutes cleaning her hands, she cannot get the blood off them, and she cannot make her conscience clean. She acts more like her husband did at the beginning of the play - scared and worried with the weight of her guilt heavy on her shoulders. But its effect is much more profound upon her - perhaps because she has more guilt to bear - thus her mind itself is addled.


 * "Hell is murky. - Fie, my lord, fie a soldier, and afeared? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?" (5.1 line 37-30)


 * Here Lady Macbeth says something similar to what she said before, as she berates Macbeth about acting suspicious - telling him that he must not be afraid as no one would know it was them. However, now, it is very ironic, since it is she that is acting suspicious and unnerving her maid and the doctor whilst her husband appears to be less and less troubled as the play progresses. Her speech seems to have lost the connotation that it previously had, and there is less force behind her words - as though she is merely saying them to calm herself. The manner in which she cut herself off from saying "Hell is murky" shows that this is the case - she knows the truth but wants to distract herself from it.

Final Conclusions __What is the main idea of the story?__ There seems to be two real main ideas in Macbeth. One is the corrupting nature of power, and the other is the christian ideal of how evil deeds will eventually be punished. The most obvious example of corruption in Macbeth is Macbeth himself and Malcom, Duncan's son, says of him that "this tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues, was once thought honest." (4.3 line 12-13) allowing us to reflect back to the beginning of the book where Macbeth was in fact honored for his courage and loyalty. He was afraid to do wrong deeds, and this is a startling difference from the cruel, emotionless shell that we are shown in the final act. Furthermore, this book shows that the punishment befits the crime. All the wrongdoings are punished in the end, and good triumphs over evil. The punishment must not always be inflicted by other people - as it was in the case of Macbeth when Macduff cut his head off - and can be self inflicted from one's own conscience. Lady Macbeth was tortured and on the brink of insanity due to her own thoughts and her own guilt, getting up at night, washing her hands and muttering "out damn spot". In the end she kills herself, driven to madness by her guilt.

__What can we learn from the characters?__ We can learn the value of a clean conscience. At the beginning, Lady Macbeth does not seem to know the importance of a clean conscience, and is all to ready throw hers away in exchange for power, money and position. Yet after she achieves all of these things she is still not satisfied and is haunted and driven to insanity due to the terrible actions she had to execute in order to gain these qualities that seemed so important beforehand. Her maid says after seeing her that she "would not have such a heart in [her] busom for the dignity of the whole body." (5.1 line 55-56) Meaning that she would prefer not to have all of the titles and nobility that is attributed to Lady Macbeth as a whole if it came at the price of the mutilated conscience that Lady Macbeth evidently possesses.

__Do you see any reoccurring words, deeds, situations, consequences, mistakes? Select two items from the preceding list and give examples from the play.__

Some reoccurring words are blood and hand
 * Blood:
 * "Blood will have blood" (3.4 123)
 * "Blood hath been shed 'ere now" (3.4 77)
 * "Be bloody, brave and resolute" (4.1 79)
 * Hand:
 * "The handle towards my hand?" (2.1 33-34)
 * "Wash this blood clean from my hand?" (2.2 65-66)

Some reoccurring consequences are the further killings that must come as a consequence of previous killings
 * After killing Duncan, Macbeth is forced to kill the two guards to hide his guilt
 * "Oh yet I do repent me of my fury that I did kill them" (2.3 108-110)