Sarah Afif, Blogger #1, 12/13/18

Sarah Afif
12/13/18
Pd. 7
Blogger #1

Today's lesson was centralized around how Shakespeare’s use of complex character development illuminated central themes and contributed to Macbeth as a whole. We broke down Macbeth's famous soliloquy in Act 3 Scene 1, and used our close reading and annotating techniques to get a better understanding of it. We also answered the following questions:

1. What is the tone of Macbeth’s soliloquy? Prove this assertion.
The tone of Macbeth's soliloquy is quite frightened. Macbeth continually repeats the he is afraid of Banquo, and Banquo threatens him reaching the throne. Banquets cleverness and smarts also overpower that of Macbeth's. We hear panic in Macbeth's voice as he is struck with the realization that if he doesn't kill Banquo and Fleance, he would have killed Duncan for no reason.
2. Identify the historical allusion in the soliloquy. How does this allusion create mood.
The historical allusion is related to Marc Antony and Octavius Cesar. Marc Antony and Octavius Cesar were notorious enemies and eventually, Marc Antony committed suicide and Octavius became emperor. This relates to the soliloquy as it signifies that Marc Antony is Macbeth and Banquo is Brutus. Macbeth thinks that Banquo is Cesar and he himself is Antony, and believes that Banquo will outsmart him and reach the throne. Therefore, this historical allusion creates a fearful mood as we know Macbeth fears Banquo, just as Marc Antony feared Octavius Cesar. We also see Macbeth's unchecked ambition. Once he kills one person to get to the throne, he would have to kill dozens of others who could get in his way. Therefore it is always tempting for him to use violence in order for him to become king, which he ends up doing because he is overly ambitious. 

3. Explain the significance of Macbeth’s dynamic shift to the plot and theme of the play. 

Macbeth's shift shows that he is losing himself and becoming more like Lady Macbeth. He begins to be "a snake in the grass" and hides his true feelings. This is significant as it leads to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth becoming susceptible to guilt. It also brings up the association between manliness and cruelty. Lady Macbeth firmly believes that men should be cruel and she convinces Macbeth to believe the same thing. Therefore, for the majority of the play, Macbeth lacks moral constraints and ends up killing dozens of people.

Today's lesson brought forth many of the vital themes of Macbeth including: 

-unchecked ambition

-how cruelty and manliness are related

-fate

All three of these themes intertwined in the lesson we learned today. Macbeth now believes that in order to be a real man, he must perform acts of violence and be cruel (an outdated concept if you ask me). This correlation that he believes exists, leads him to kill again and again. This is also due to his unchecked ambition, as he will do whatever it takes to get to the throne. Fate also plays a role in this as Macbeth is driven to insanity by the witches prophecy of Fleance taking the throne. This is another contributing factor to Macbeth's brutality. 

1. How is Macbeth motivating the murderers?

He is “brainwashing” the murderers in a sense. He uses reverse psychology, accusing  the murderers of being less manly if they don't murder Banquo. He says their lives are full of poverty because of Banquo and he challenges their manliness. 

2. How do the murderers feel about life?

They feel that they had a poor life that was worth nothing, and Macbeth takes advantage of this by blaming this on Banquo. He says that Banquo is the reason for the murderers poor fortune, trying to give them a motive to kill.  

3. Why doesn’t Macbeth commit the deed himself?

Macbeth doesn’t commit the deed himself because him and Banquo share mutual friends and therefore, he could not be seen doing such a deed because their friends would get suspicious. 

4. What is Fleance’s fate?

Fleance’s fate is that he will become king, as the Witch’s prophecy states that Banquo’s sons will be kings. 

5. What is the connection between Fleance’s fate and the witches prophecies?

The witch’s prophecies predicted that Fleance would be a threat to becoming king.