Macbeth IV Reading Journal

Scene I – This scene is very frightening, the presence of the doctor shows that there is something clearly wrong with Lady Macbeth. As we see Lady Macbeth’s insanity, unlike with Macbeth we feel no sympathy for her. The audience would feel she deserves this illness as previously throughout the play we have always seen her as a cruel woman on the dark side. The sleep walking shows how disturbed Lady Macbeth is. Sleep is the most peaceful time when evil is stripped away, yet she cannot rest. When Lady Macbeth is asleep, she is her real self but when she is conscious she is controlled by the witches. This link to the weird sisters creates a slight empathy in the audience.

Scene II – This contrasts with the previous scene as it is short and snappy. It speeds up with the action building up anticipation for the climax. Angus makes a connection with the blood imagery from previous scenes when he says; “murders sticking on his hands.” It is clear to the audience how Macbeth is viewed by the rest of the characters, names such as; “tyrant,” and “dwarfish thief,” belittle him and show how much respect he has lost.

Scene III – In this scene it is clear to the audience how out of his depth Macbeth is. He doesn’t act as a king and fulfil his role, we see that he is still a soldier at heart as he prepares for the battle too early when putting on his armour. Macbeth is isolated here; he has no one loyal left to support him as he pushed everyone away with his cruel actions. The presence of Seyton adds emphasis to the evil in the play as his name is linked with the devil. This creates a dark and gothic atmosphere as in the era the play was set in, Satan was a terrifying figure. For Macbeth to be associating with someone linked to such evil shows the extent to which he has fallen. When speaking of his wife he is cold and formal; “how does you patient, doctor?” He doesn’t refer to her as a person let alone someone he has promised to love, therefore reflecting how far their marriage has deteriorated.

Scene IV – This is a very short and snappy scene as it has a fast pace leading up to the battle. Seywards rhyme at the end helps the flow and rhythm of the scene. Macbeth is called a “tyrant,” throughout this act showing that everyone around feared him as he abused his power and position in society.

Scene V – Macbeth’s reaction to Lady Macbeth’s death is unusual, he is unnaturally composed and reserved at the news. Instead of mourning he rants about life and the inevitability of death. He belittles his wife’s existence and strips her life of any meaning. He spoke in a cold manner, generalising her death and not paying any attention to the qualities of her. Macbeth fears merely being a pawn controlled by greater forces. He doesn’t want to be just a “poor player,” and this is why he acted in the way he did to claim the throne.

Why are the Witches in Macbeth?

I think the witches are in the play because they are generally known for representing the supernatural side of the world. Whenever they enter, the scene is set with thunder and lightning which is a parallel to the dark nature of the witches. Their presence adds mystery to the play as they talk in riddles and rhyming. "again, rain," "done, won," "drum, come," etc. This sing song method of talking ties in with their spells and dark magic. There is also a very dramatic element to the presence of the witches, " a drum! a drum!" The beat and the rhythm of the drums exaggerates what the witches are telling Macbeth and Banquo and makes the scene very tense. Shakespeare portrays the witches in a very wicked manner and this adds to the gothic nature of the play. Almost immediately in act 1 we see this as they are discussing the torture of an innocent sailor, this foreshadows the terror to come into the play and also links them into the horror that is lurking in the future. I also think the witches play an important part because they set of the chain reaction of events as they give the idea of becoming king to Macbeth. Without this nudging of the witches, Macbeth never would have had the desire to become king and would not have set himself onto the path of self destruction.

Macbeth - Act III

Scene I - This is a very dark and sarcastic scene. Macbeth says; "fail not our feast." in an overly friendly manner and this is very two-faced as he knows for certain Banquo will not be there. Banquo's description of his friendship with Macbeth is very sincere and genuine, emphasising the betrayal on Macbeth’s behalf. Banquo believes their bond is eternal and “forever knit.” This makes the audience sympathise with him and shows the extent to which Macbeth has fallen into darkness. The language used adds to the theme of the supernatural. The word “hush,” is used and this gives a sense of the tension and mystery that would be on stage. There is a spiritual side to the supernatural and Shakespeare uses words such as “oracles,” and “prophetic” to create this. The scene ends with; “thy soul's flight, if it find heaven, must find it tonight.” This dark imagery confirms Macbeth's evil plot and foreshadows the upcoming doom creeping up on Banquo.

Scene II – Lady Macbeth uses rhyming here which comes as a shock as the sing song nature is very feminine which is unlike her, she previously claimed; “unsex me,” in an effort to become more masculine. This also links her to the witches and their evil power as it has connotations of magic. She contrasts with Macbeth and instead of them traditionally becoming one within their marriage they are two very separate characters. Macbeth is openly guilty whereas Lady Macbeth is very detached and has little compassion for him. Sleep is linked through the whole play and in this scene the audience learn that Macbeth is having nightmare and is unable to rest. This is because sleep is peaceful and innocent so Macbeth is kept awake due to his emotional turmoil and fear or trusting anyone else. The supernatural imagery used is very violent but also links to nature. “Bloody,” “full of scorpions is my mind,” and “shard-borne beetle.” The use of sinister language hints at what is to come as even nature is at war with itself.

Scene III – The first murder on stage takes place and this emphasises the shock of the death of Banquo. “Who did strike out the light,” represents that any hint of goodness has disappeared with the death of Banquo, reminding the audience of the dark nature of the play. As Banquo enters he is suspicious; “it will be rain tonight.” This gloomy imagery foreshadows his murder and he is aware of something evil in the air. Seeing the murder actually on stage is the first real glimpse of the violence and clearly shows how far Macbeth has gone as he is willing to have his best friend murdered.

Scene IV – In this scene the insanity of Macbeth is revealed as he begins to go crazy in the presence of other people. This is a very important supernatural point of the play as his guilt is manifested as a ghost which could either be a figment of his imagination or real. The ghost is very significant as it is a guilt release for Macbeth because he had others kill Banquo whereas he had killed Duncan and felt the repercussions himself. Macbeth's visions represent nature's form of revenge by playing with his mind. Lady Macbeth is very patronising to Macbeth as he is losing his mind. “are you a man,” she is degrading him by questioning his masculinity and treating him in a demeaning manner. This is subtly hinting that she is in control. Macbeth tries to get himself together by responding to her question with; “aye, and a bold one.” However the presence of the ghost soon forces him to lose whatever control he had regained. We begin to see cracks appearing in Lady Macbeth and Macbeth's façade. Words such as; “Fear,” “shame,” “look,” and “behold,” show the weak spots as their crimes start to catch up with them. Previously they had spoken in riddles but now their acts were becoming clearer as it was becoming such an effort to keep up the lie of innocence.

Scene V – This scene returns to the witches as if carrying on from earlier. There is an emphasis on the witches control over Macbeth so his actions are not truly his fault. They should not have told Macbeth of his future but instead have left it to fate the way it was supposed to be. The supernatural here is based on destiny and magic; “spells,” “charms,” ”illusion,” and “spirit.”

Scene VI – The relevance of this scene is questionable but I think it is very important. It is heading to the climax of the play and there is a foreboding nature of what is lurking in the future for Macbeth as Macduff heads to England to retrieve help.

Coursework Update

Today i finished planning my essay, I have decided on the main themes that I will compare between the two novels and have a planned structure to follow. I am going to compare two of the characters from A Thousand Splendid Suns and one from The Colour Purple, then write about sacrifice as this is a recurrring theme in both of the books. My next paragraph will be on hope and how it is continually destroyed in each of the women. Then I am going to write about the bonds that form between these women as they console in each other and deal with the tragedies life has dealt them. I will conclude by writing about the similar ways that woman are portrayed in both novels and how this in turn effected their lives.

Reading Journal - Gothic Elements in Act I

Scene I – The play begins with three witches which immediately implements a gothic theme as they represent darkness and black magic. The scene is set with thunder and lightning which creates a parallel to the witches, letting the audience know they are on the edge of something evil.

Scene II – There is talk of a bloody soldier in this scene, this foreshadows Macbeth’s future role in the play that will also involve more bloodshed. The language is very gothic, words such as; “merciless,” “rebel,” “bloody execution,” and “reeking wounds,” are used to emphasise the evil in the atmosphere.

Scene III – The witches use brutal, cruel language here using phrases like “killing swine.” They gruesomely discuss the torture of an innocent sailor using words such as “drain” and “hang.” They create a mysterious atmosphere by having such a close bond which we see as they talk in riddles, their unity creates the image of power as no other force can come against them. As they tell Macbeth his future they increase the mystery of the scene by leaving when he was desperate to hear more. As they hear the news that Macbeth is to be Thane of Cawdor, we see the seed in Macbeth’s mind as he starts to allow himself to believe he could one day be king, and thoughts of murder are already surfacing. However he throws away the idea saying; “whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs.”

Scene IV – The king talks about the Thane of Cawdor’s deception which is linked in with the gothic theme as by deceiving the king, Cawdor was living in darkness; “there’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.” The king also declares that his son Malcolm will be heir to his throne, which threatens Macbeth’s new found desire to be king. Macbeth realises this could stop his prophecy coming true; “for in my way it lies.” Thoughts of murder reappear, but he is frightened by his “black and deep desires.”

Scene V – As Lady Macbeth hears of the prophecy, she immediately starts plotting and we see her part as a gothic lead begin to emerge in the play. She knows they have to kill King Duncan, but is aware that Macbeth is too soft a man to carry it out. She cries out to the heavens “unsex me here,” wishing for herself to be like a man, who traditionally is the only one capable of murder. There is again the use of gothic language, giving the sense of evil; “make thick my blood,” “murdering ministers” and “smoke of hell.”

Scene VI – The king comments on how lovely Macbeth’s castle is, this is a great contrast to the foreboding events the audience know is coming. Macbeth and his wife are slyly plotting the King’s murder as he relaxes in their home.

Scene VII – Macbeth has serious doubts about killing King Duncan, highlighting the difference in character between him and Lady Macbeth. We see just how evil and cruel Lady Macbeth is in her attempt to convince Macbeth to carry out their plan. She pleads, saying she would easily kill a baby no matter how sweet, if she had promised it to Macbeth. Eventually Macbeth agrees and they plan to frame the guards by getting them drunk. He comments on Lady Macbeth’s manly nature, as she is so willing and hardened to murder. The theme of deception is used again as a gothic element. “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” This theme of the unknown creates a darkness and mystery as the audience is enthralled to see what happens next.

Director's Blog - Act I Scene III

In this scene, there are a lot of gothic elements created by Shakespeare. The witches use dark language such as "killing swine." This short, blunt statement shows their brutality and how little murder means to them. The actors should make words like this very sharp to get across how vile the witches are. The "weird sisters" appear to have a very strong bond, their lines are similar and repetitive reflecting their force therefore making them more powerful. They talk in riddles which the audience wouldn't understand, this emphasises their connection and relationship to each other. The use of thunder to set the scene is very effective as it is parallel to who the witches are. The scene should be a great open place, similar to moors. The atmosphere created should be creepy and tense to have the audience captivated with what the witches are talking about.
When the drums come in, the should be extremely dramatic to heighten tension and draw in the audience. The witches chanting together again represents their unity, their words should be exactly in time with each other. Words like "peace" and "wound" should be pronounced almost like hissing sounds to suggest evil connations linked with a snake. This is like the devil, establishing a gothic presence as Macbeth and Banquo approach.
Macbeth appears to be the gothic lead as after arriving his first line is "so foul and fair a day I have not seen." This foreshadows his destructive nature later in the play, so should be heavily emphasised. Banquo's statement "you should be women; and yet your beard forbids me to interpret" can be interpreted as merely just a comment on the difficulties of distinguishing the witches as humans or something else because them seem neither male nor female. However it could also be coming from a feminist approach, stating the witches should be male because they are not acting in the tradition female manner. Either way, the actor should say it spitefully as it is a harsh comment. As the scene continues it is clear Macbeth isn't as trusting as Banquo, he should appear uneasy and on edge as he feels very tense in this strange situation. However he should also appear intrigued as what they say is promising to him so when they vanish he should appear desperate to hear more.

Coursework Summary

My coursework is a comparison of A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Colour Purple. I am going to write about the way woman are treated and how they deal with this. The two books are very similar, both of the protagonists grew up in difficult backgrounds and ended up in arranged marriages where they are abused and mistreated. Both women deal with this by finding love in a companionship with fellow women. They learn lessons such as how to love and be loved in these friendships.
In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam grows up feeling rejected and worthless in the world. Her mother kills herself and her father leaves her to sleep on the street. She is forced into a marriage with an older man who verbally and physically abuses her until Laila comes into her life years later. Through Laila’s side of the story we start to see how woman are mistreated and imprisoned in their own homes. Mariam and Laila become best friends under very unusual circumstances and form a close bond as they are united together in standing up to Rasheed.
In The Colour Purple, Celie is abused from very early on in her life, she is raped and beaten by her father and then her husband. The only love she knows is her sister Nettie and she is soon taken away from her. She is told her children are dead and she soon believes she has no one left in her life. When Shug Avery comes into her life, things begin to change for her. She is taught about love and about her femininity.
My ideas for titles so far are; “ In the novels A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Colour Purple, compare how women are mistreated and they deal with this.” Or, “In the novels A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Colour Purple, how similar are the lives of Mariam, Laila and Celia?”