For this post, please copy a short passage from the later acts of the
play, and discuss what you think the passage means and why it is
significant to the play as a whole. What complicated themes or ideas
are being explored in the passage as well as in the whole play? Why are
these themes or ideas important (in other words, "it's interesting, but
so what?").
Finally, just add a few thoughts about
your personal reactions to the play and your final thoughts about the
play now that you have finished it.
This blog post is due by Monday, April 13th. Thank you, Mr. Telles.
The part of the end that I thought was significant was when Lady Macbeth committed suicide and Macbeth's reaction. Macbeth's reaction was surprisingly cold. "She should have died hereafter;
ReplyDeleteThere would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day 20
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. " (Act 5 scene 5).
He seems to imply that she was going to die sooner or later. He says that life itself is not worth much and it comes and goes. He says that her death isn't that significant because life is just like a moment on stage and exits soon enough. It struck me as surprising since Lady Macbeth was his wife and he loved and cared for her throughout the book. She was his advisor and spurred his plans to action and helped him. It's surprising that he didn't feel any emotions really after her passing since she played such a huge role in his life and plots. I think it shows how much Macbeth has changed as a person. He lost most of his conscience about right vs wrong. In the beginning, Macbeth was hesitant to kill Duncan and it was Lady Macbeth who spurred him on. Macbeth thought he was doing something wrong, or at least it wasn't entirely ethical. Macbeth even had a conscience when he killed his friend Banquo, as his ghost haunted him. Later on, his conscience started to deteriorate when he sent people to kill Macduff's wife and children. By then, he didn't feel bad about it. His reaction to Lady Macbeth's death shows the new callousness he's adopted into his personality. He is able to be emotionally detached to violence and death to the point where it doesn't matter that his own wife died because of what she helped him do. Her involvement in his plotting drove her to suicide in the first place, so Macbeth could arguably have been responsible indirectly for that too, yet he feels no remorse or regret. In the book as a whole, it illustrates the same thing, that Macbeth's deteriorating conscience drives him to commit more heinous acts and feel no moral qualms doing it to get what he wants.
Act 4, scene 2 page 135 "Son: Was my father a traitor? Lady Macduff: Ay, that he was. Son: What is a traitor? Lady Macduff: Why, one that swears and lies. Son: And all be traitors that do so? Lady Macduff: Everyone that does so is a traitor and must be hanged. Son: And they all must be hanged that swear and lie? Lady Macduff: Every one. Son: Who must hang them? Lady Macduff: Why, the honest men." this passage is important to the play as a whole because it represent the theme of the few innocent suffering for the greedy and corrupt masses. it reflects upon how Macbeth, in the beginning of the play kills Banquo just for knowing the witches predictions. more than that too; nearly every one who Macbeth kills in the play is innocent. it is also ironic that someone as young and innocent as Macduffs son is the one to bring out this theme in such a clear way. i personally like tragedies, and Macbeth is no exception. I particularly like how the play shows how he is not remorseful and decides to go out so dishonorably. it leaves him tragic indeed, but not easily pitied.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth has just found out that Lady Macbeth has committed suicide due to her guilt that caused her to go insane. It is an ongoing theme in the play that Macbeth does not take responsibility for his actions and how they affect others. So, when Macbeth receives the news he tries not to think about it because so much is going on and he has also just been told that Birnam Wood is coming to Dunsinane. He compares Lady Macbeth and her death to a 'brief candle' meaning that her death was untimely like a candle that burned too fast. He goes on about life being meaningless and idiotic for a while and then breaks down. "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.", Macbeth says. He is saying that life is meaningless and can go away at any second. Macbeth becomes so devastated and shocked by his wife's death that he thinks that life has lost all meaning. He rants on about life being pointless because it is just the journey to death and that when you are dead there is nothing left of you. Also, I think that Macbeth becomes guilty and realizes that Lady Macbeth went insane from the guilt of the murders. This shows that Macbeth recognizes that he did wrong and in my opinion he knows that his wife did not influence him, it was him the whole time making the decisions. Macbeth’s realization of this causes him to lose all hope and respect for life itself and is important because it shows that only this big of an event could have triggered Macbeth coming to his senses.
ReplyDeleteOne excerpt from the play that I found meaningful was Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking passage. Lady Macbeth says,” Out, damned spot; out, I say. One, two,—why, then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? 5.1.30-34 “ Although she did not say as much as other Macbeth speeches, her actions in this scene are meaningful. Prior to this point, Lady Macbeth has been constantly driving Macbeth to perform gruesome deeds. She does this by questioning his manliness which is a huge soft spot for most of the men in the play. In these lines, Lady Macbeth says,”hell is murky”. At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is filled with greed and welcomes thoughts of evil spirits as well as betrayal. Despite all of this though, we see that she is guilty of her actions and ultimately believes she is going to hell. This can also be directly related to the “ not being able to fill the big shoes” theme. Lady Macbeth was supposed to be Macbeth’s rock while he spun into murder land. However, Lady Macbeth is human and because of her humanity she unraveled to the point of no return. Though Macbeth hardly needed any assistance by Act 5, she was unable to continue being his driving force.
ReplyDeleteA passage I found to be significant comes at the end of scene 1 act 4. Macbeth gets word that Macduff fled to England and says,
ReplyDelete"Time, thou anticipatest my dread exploits:
The flighty purpose never is o'ertook
Unless the deed go with it; from this moment
The very firstlings of my heart shall be
The firstlings of my hand. And even now,
To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done:
The castle of Macduff I will surprise;
Seize upon Fife; give to the edge o' the sword
His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls
That trace him in his line. No boasting like a fool;
This deed I'll do before this purpose cool.
But no more sights!--Where are these gentlemen?
Come, bring me where they are."
Basically what Macbeth is saying is that if someone doesn't do something the second they think of it, they will never get to do it. He also says that from that point on when he has a desire to do something his going to immediately put his thoughts into action no matter what, starting with having Macduff's castle raided and killing his entire family. This is a turning point in the play, Macbeth has already killed in the play but it was out of perceived necessity and you could tell it wasn't easy for him to come to terms with, but this is different. He is now having an entire family slaughtered out of revenge and anger just because he has the urge to do so. This shows Macbeth truly turning into a psychopath who enjoys killing also playing with the theme of thoughts turning into actions and the separation between the two. Macbeth says he now is going to do the deed before the purpose cools. Which means he is now acting on impulse and clearly his impulses are evil at heart. This indicates that Macbeth had this evil inside him the whole time, it just took the witches predictions and his pursuit of power to let it out and trample over any goodness that was in him. This is the moment in the play when all kindness in him is gone, he is now going to act upon whatever evil thought that pops in his head without remorse. In the beginning of the play he was trying to detach himself from his evil deeds, but at his point he is fully embedded into his role as an evil power hungry man.
A short passage I found from Act 3 Scene 4 is “It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood. Stones have been known to move, and trees to speak; Augurs and understood relations have. By maggot pies and choughs and rooks brought forth. The secret’st man of blood.--What is the night?”. This line is said by Macbeth. The theme or idea being explored in this passage and the whole play is blood. I think that this line is pretty much saying “There is an old saying that the dead will have their revenge. Gravestones have been known to move, and trees to speak, to bring guilty men to justice. The trickiest murderers have been revealed. How late at night is it?” The quote is said when Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo at his feast. It is significant in the fact that Macbeth is starting to feel guilty or fearful of what will happen to him regarding the murders he has committed. Macbeth states that the blood he has lost will come back for revenge on him - blood will have blood. He starts to understand that the act of killing will only lead to more killing; either in punishment against him or because he will be forced to kill everyone he thinks is a threat to him.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Macbeth play was very confusing and hard to follow. A lot of the time I could not follow what was going on, especially because of the confusing language.
In Act 5, scene 1 while Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking she says “Out, damned spot; out, I say. One, two,—why, then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?”, this passage is greatly important to the play as a whole because it displays how someone's guilt can change the way they see things. The tables turn once the guilt is passed on from Macbeth to Lady Macbeth. In the earlier acts of the play Macbeth was the one having trouble sleeping and believed the blood had stained his hands, his wife manipulated him throughout that time to believe that he killed to prove his manliness but once the blood was on her hands she couldn't handle the guilt any longer. Eventually it played a huge role in the reason for her suicide. This passage just stood out to me, it expresses how Shakespeare presented the topic of a guilty conscience eating away at someone.
ReplyDeleteThroughout Macbeth there has been many significant scenes that are significant to the play as a whole. In Act 5 Scene 1, lines 30-34 we listen to Lady Macbeth as she sleepwalks and says:
ReplyDelete“Out, damned spot; out, I say. One, two,—why, then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?
In this scene Lady Macbeth sleepwalks through the castle. As we see in the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is the “brains” behind killing Duncan as she hopes to help her husband become manly enough to do it. She also was the one who put the blood on the guards for Macbeth and told him that if they wash their hands it will be as if nothing happened. Although, as the play goes on she begins to show her guilt about all the killing and it starts to get to her. She is not able to be the backbone for Macbeth as we reach Act 5 due to all the horrible deeds she and Macbeth have done.
Over all I thought that this play was interesting, however it got confusing at times due to the different words shakespeare chooses to use.
In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, there are many important quotes, some repeated and others being longer speeches with powerful meanings behind them. The repeated quotes were mostly spoken by the witches, such as “fair is foul, and foul is fair”, which is treated almost like a motto by them. On page 177 of the book, in Act 5, Scene 5 Lines 20-31, there is a long speech that was spoken by Macbeth just after his wife died. He says,
ReplyDelete“She should have died hereafter.
There would have been a time for such a word.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle.
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
This is a meaningful passage since it represents Macbeth’s reaction on spot of his wife’s suicide. His emotion at this time was unpredicted by the reader, and this passage is covered in complication. His sadness and despair mixed with his mediocre expectancy of the situation created a version of Macbeth through emotion that was one of a kind. The reader will most likely expect there to be much more grief and sadness for Macbeth as he finds out he will never see his wife again, but Shakespeare created the story so that Macbeth’s idea of her death is that it is more of a symbol than anything else. The quote “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow; Creeps in this petty pace from day to day; The last syllable of recorded time” of the passage implies that because of Lady Macbeth’s death, there will be a pivoting change which will completely affect how things are from then on, and that is what Macbeth is mainly focused on when he first finds out. This is a very important piece of the play since it represents an ending for Macbeth and his routine in killing people. All throughout the book, from Duncan and on, every murders committed by Macbeth was in some way fueled by his wife, so when she dies, a big change occurs for him. In committing these ongoing crimes, Macbeth tended not to take responsibility for his actions. With those two points put together, the days for Macbeth were all so similar, almost like they were going in a loophole. The theme of manliness was where it all started, and his wife pushed him to kill and commit crime after crime. The catch of the story is in this passage when her own guilt kills her and Macbeth is left with emotion and a discouraging outlook on life. I think it made sense how this play by Shakespeare finished, and this passage marks the beginning of the ending that came together.
In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, there are many different passages in which complicated themes or ideas are being explored. One of the passages that stood out was in Act 5, Scene 8, right after Macduff had killed Macbeth. Instead of leaving him there to die, he carried out the body and then returns later to his men with Macbeth’s head, which had been severed from the rest of his body.
ReplyDeleteMACDUFF
Hail, king! For so thou art. Behold where stands
The usurper’s cursèd head. The time is free.
I see thee compassed with thy kingdom’s pearl,
That speak my salutation in their minds,
Whose voices I desire aloud with mine.
Hail, King of Scotland!
This passage is important due to the reoccurring theme of manliness vs. femininity. By not only killing Macbeth but severing his head from his body, Macduff is dubbed as superior and seen as the “toughest” and “strongest”. By slaying Macbeth and taking his head, Macduff is removing all power and control that Macbeth possessed, and this is so important to the central plot of the play. By killing Macbeth, Macduff is seen as almost invincible because Macbeth was like a dictator, who had power over everyone and could do anything he wanted. Nobody wanted Macbeth to be king, but Macduff is the only one to actually take away his kingship, because, like the witches had said, he was “not born of a woman”. I think because this passage reflects on so many important themes and ideas that are portrayed through the play is the reason it stood out to me so much.
Personally I enjoyed the play as a whole, even if it was a bit confusing and hard to get into. Due to the difference in writing between English then and modern English, I found myself to get a little confused in transitions. Sometimes I felt as though scenes were drawn out too long, and over dramatized, but it was a very well written play, especially considering the timeline of when it was written by Shakespeare.
Cruz ortiz
ReplyDeleteThe passage I chose in William Shakespeare's,"Macbeth", That is of the utmost significance was a brief one which reads," I dare do all that may become a man; a Who does more is none." To me, this small excerpt is saying that Macbeth will do whatever it takes to become worthy of being called a man, but anything more than what is necessary to achieve manhood is not considered being a man. This passage stuck out to me because it strongly relates to the theme of the overall play. Death is a huge theme in Macbeth that is mentioned several times.Plus, it is also highly hypocritical coming from Macbeths lips. At the start of the play, Macbeth is being verbally punished by Lady Macbeth. She says if he didn't kill king Duncan, then he was not a man. So, insulted and humiliated, he proves Lady Macbeth wrong, and he kills Duncan. Supposedly, he is now a man. Nothing more, nothing less. Macbeth gets easily Manipulated with awesome power though, and he continues to kill without remorse. This ultimately leads him to his untimely death. I loved this excerpt just because I found it humorous that Macbeth, out of all people, would say this. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. To be honest, I read most of it on sparknotes because Shakespeare's language, at times, was too much for me and it was hard to comprehend, but I still loved it. For me, it was unlike other Shakespeare plays that I read because it actually kept me intrigued.
Though there are many interesting and meaningful passages in Macbeth, I found that one in particular that truly stood out to me.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth: My name’s Macbeth.
Young Siward: The devil himself could not pronounce a title more hateful to mine ear.
Macbeth: No, nor more fearful.
Young Siward: Thou liest, abhorred tyrant. With my sword I’ll prove the lie thou speak’st.
The fight and Young Siward is slain.
Macbeth: Thou wast born of woman. But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn, brandished by man that’s of a woman born.
At first glance this passage does not seem to carry any deep meaning, however with a closer look it is clear that this is the farthest thing from the truth. Young Siward, an insignificant soldier, represents all of the people in Macbeth’s life, including outsiders looking in, and how they now perceive him. Because of the brutality in Macbeth’s acts of betrayal, his image has now been contorted into that of a selfish monster, compared to the pinnacle of evil; the devil. This scene shows how slandered his name has become due to the murders he has committed. But more importantly, this makes it extremely evident that the consequences of his actions have broken the core foundation of his morality and cleanliness he once retained. And although Macbeth realizes this, he allows himself to further darken for the sake of a crown. And at this point even if he wanted to he could never go back on what he has done. He has altered the universe in such a way as to take another being from it, and those people could never be replaced, and his actions never undone. This is the very moment when Shakespeare awakened my own fears. That other people have the same capability as Macbeth, myself included. To ruthlessly due whatever action to achieve their goal regardless of what they must do, even if it means to change the universe in an enjoyable way as he has. In a way its almost suggestive that humanity can be corrupted with the slightest temptation. For this very reason I cannot decide if I like the play or not. Though I enjoy that it challenged my thoughts on the world and how we live, I also prefer to focus on the beauty of life.
"enjoyable" was supposed to say undo able...
DeleteThroughout the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare,,there are many excerpts that vividly explain the hidden themes and central ideas the play is trying to display. One passage that really stuck out to me was when Macbeth is talking to his wife about all the ruthless acts of violence he has committed as king.
ReplyDeleteMethought I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep', the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast,
Although very brief and subtle,the passage truly shows what Macbeth is going through in terms of guilt and stress for what he has done. Mentioning the he cannot sleep, he cannot will himself to relax and mainly, he is losing whatever sanity he had left. And even though he hates what he has become, he cannot will himself to break the chain. He continues to kill and without remorse. Which Is exactly what he did to Macduff’s entire family. Macbeth had to have known that when he listened to the witches when they said he would become king that it was not going to be as easy and perfect as it sounded. But he would have done whatever it took to become and stay king even if the witches said he would have to murder. The passage although focused on the fact that he cannot sleep, also displays what is happening around him. Lines four and five display how what he is doing as king is creating a snowball effect of pain and suffering to the people around him. Macbeth is saying how with every kill he commits, he is making life for the victim’s lovers miserable, like Macduff’s family and Malcolm’s father Banquo.And most importatnly, Lady Macbeth ends up committing suicide because of the guilt that has been building up inside of her dueto the fact that she and her husband destroyed people's lives. Although very brief, the passage from Macbeth truly goes into detail about what the lifestyle Macbeth has chosen has done to him and the people around him.
The play Macbeth by, Shakespeare wrote in 1606 starts off in a castle in North Scotland. In Act five Scene one Lady Macbeth is caught sleepwalking. This scene is important to the play as a whole because this scene showed the downfall and guilt of Lady Macbeth which lead her to commit suicide in act five scene five.
ReplyDelete“Out, damned spot; out, I say. One, two,—why, then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?”(Act 5. Scene 1. Lines 37-42 Lady Macbeth)
Lady Macbeth's conscience finally caught up with the deeds that the Macbeths committed on her questioning his manly hood. The motif of blood shown in this quote symbolizes her guilt in the participation of the murders. This scene is important because it shows that Lady Macbeth has reached her breaking point. Another motif shown in this scene is hallucinations seeing the blood on her hands and being unable to get it clean. Hallucinations also show the guilt of the Macbeth's. This passage stood out to me because Lady Macbeth has been the one behind making Macbeth murder others contributing to his paranoia leading him to kill countless others and at this point in the play she shows weakness for the first time so I found this passage interesting and significant. I thought this play by Shakespeare was intriguing and it kept me hooked until the end.