AC+DK

Act 5 Scene 1 Lady Macbeth

Outline of Basic Events
 * The gentlewoman discusses about Lady Macbeth's weird behavior
 * The doctor and the gentlewoman watch and listen as Lady Macbeth talks when she's sleepwalking.
 * They learn about Lady Macbeth's secrets about killing Banquo and also the King.
 * Both the physician and the gentlewoman are shocked to hear her speak in such a way
 * They notice that she's filled with pain and guilt
 * Doctor tells gentlewoman that he can't cure Lady Macbeth, and tells her to watch Lady Macbeth.

This scene is very important because it shows how Lady Macbeth has changed from her previous state in Acts one and two. She is more frightened in this scene, which shows how much guilt she knows she has from all the evil deeds she has committed. It also shows how much Macbeth and Lady Macbeth had changed roles; Macbeth became much more ambitious while Lady Macbeth became much more reserved. Also, I was able to learn more about the doubts that people had in the country, from the words that she said from sleepwalking and also from the conversation between the doctor and the gentlewoman.
 * What do you think are the key purposes of your scene?**

From this scene, I found out that Lady Macbeth's guilt had finally caught up to her. I had sort of felt sorry for her because she had no way of going back to her previous state of her life without extreme amounts of guilt and sadness. I also noticed that Lady Macbeth was lonely in the idea that she had nobody to talk to about her psychological problems of guilt and depression.
 * What are your reactions to this scene?**

Character Report
Lady Macbeth wants to get rid of her guilt for all the acts that she has done. She tries to convince herself that everything is fine and that she is safe, but inside, she knows that she cannot clean the guilt away. Lady Macbeth wants to believe that she can clean the "bloody" hands that she has used for planning with Macbeth the killing of Banquo and King Duncan.
 * What does the character want in this scene (this is the objective)?**

The guilt that was building inside her had been Lady Macbeth's motivation for talking and walking in her sleep. All the acts of planning the killing of King Duncan and supporting Macbeth in Banquo's death had built up inside her. She tries to relieve that guilt in act five scene one.
 * What is your character's motivation for doing what he or she does?**

Lady Macbeth notices that she can't change the past and that she won't be able to wash away the guilt. What she had committed could not be undone, which she notices clearly.
 * What obstacles stand in his or her way?**

Lady Macbeth tries to get rid of her guilt by trying to wash her hands when she notices that her murderous acts can not be undone. In the process of trying to wash her hands during her sleepwalk, she hopes to convince herself that she will be safe from harm of those who want revenge.
 * What happens when your character confronts these obstacles?**

In act 5 scene 1, Lady Macbeth has some distinctive elements in her speech such as doubtful and at the same time furious. She is frightened to death of what she has done and it can be imagined that she is studdering in some of her lines. Many parts, she seems to be shouting out loud and quiet in very awkward moments. Lady Macbeth in this scene could be noticed as somewhat of a psychopath, who has lost her mind. She speaks like a person who would pay at a cost of anything if she could get the guilt off her hands. Lady Macbeth also would try to sound a little mysterious and sort of shocked at the same time.
 * Are there any distinctive elements in your character's way of speaking?**

Lady Macbeth is trying to convince herself that her guilt can be cleaned away. She notices that she has committed terrible crimes which she now regrets. She acts as if she is talking to Macbeth most of the time in her sleepwalk, and doesn't notice the gentlewoman or the doctor at all during her sleep. It seems as if she is saying her thoughts out loud during this scene. Since she is asleep, I believe that she is saying her thoughts out loud in her sleepwalk, with the gentlewoman and the doctor listening to her.
 * What is your character thinking during the scene (this is the subtext)? (How does he or she react to the other characters and events?)**

Performance Reflection
1. Evaluate the performance of your group. What went well? What didn’t go well? In my group, I believe that most of our lines and the performance went well, except for maybe a few parts for me. I had to look at my script since I had not memorized my lines, so I had tended to focus on the script sometimes more than how I should be acting when reading out my lines. In this scene, Lady Macbeth should have acted like a person sleep-walking, but I don't believe it was truly realistic in my performance, because my eyes had been moving up and down from trying to look at the audience and the script at the same time. Also, I don't think there was enough movement of gestures and walking from place to place between the Doctor and the Gentlewoman.

2. How well did you contribute to your group? I think I contributed a lot to my group, because I had taken the responsibility of the main character's role in this scene. Since I was the main character of the scene, I think it was sort of obligatory for me to try to contribute a lot to my group. In the play rehearsals, I had tried to set up the stage and some of the movements that each of our members should do, and also some areas where I thought there should be more emotion and feelings with the lines that were said.

3. How well did you perform as an individual? I thought I did pretty well as an individual, but I believe that I could have done better in almost every category in the rubric. Performing in front of people had made me a little nervous, causing some of my parts to sound awkward and not do as well as I could have.

4. What could have improved your scene performance? In my scene performance, a little more planning with the movements of entering and exiting could have been done to make the performance more realistic. Also, more emotions could have been acted out by each and every character in this scene.

5. How did the scene performance help you better understand the play. It helped me realize how Lady Macbeth would have felt during her time, and also why the doctor and the gentlewoman would have reacted the certain way that they did after watching Lady Macbeth. I was able to understand the reasons to her stress and guilt much more clearly than before as I was acting her lines out to an audience.