12/9/19 Iris Lee PD 5

12/9/19

Iris Lee

Period 5

Blogger #14

Aim: How does Act III, scenes IV-VI function as essential plot movement to structure Macbeth's ultimate fate?

We began today's class picking up from where we left off on Friday. We continued the scene where Macbeth sees the Ghost of Banquo. After finishing the scene, we followed up with some discussion questions.

1. What is truly perturbing Macbeth about the Ghost?

Macbeth initially thought killing King Duncan and Banquo would solve all his problems. However, the build up of all his guilt, anxiety, and regret of murdering and his fear of being caught caused more stress than getting rid of such.

2. How does the Ghost dismantle Macbeth as a King and as a character?

During this scene, everyone watches Macbeth as he hallucinates. This ruins his image because before, Macbeth was seen as brave and held a high status. However, now his refusal of sitting and his hallucinations makes him look "crazy". Previously, in one of our other lessons, we learned when you are a crazy person, you do not necessarily question any thoughts. Linking back to the murder of King Duncan, in that scene, Macbeth saw a dagger floating and questioned if it was real. This scene, Macbeth does not question seeing the Ghost of Banquo. In fact, he kept trying to say that there is someone there but, clearly there is no one. Everyone sees this situation and Macbeth sort of reveals that he killed Duncan and Banquo from his hallucination and fear.

3. Is the Ghost real? What evidence do you have to prove your assertion?

The Ghost is not real, Macbeth is the only one seeing it, everyone else at the party was confused as to what he was seeing. The guests were attempting to offer him an empty seat to sit and chat, however he continuously refused to sit because he saw the Ghost of Banquo in the seat. The guests were bewildered when they saw Macbeth's reaction and thought he was crazy.

4. How do the guests at the banquet react to Macbeth? Why is this significant?

The guests at the banquet were confused because they kept trying to offer Macbeth a seat but he was seeing the Ghost of Banquo although there was no one there. This is significant because the guests reserved the seat for the king but he refuses to sit and says there is already someone there, meanwhile there really wasn't. This makes him lose his status as a king and character because the "King" is hallucinating and he is supposed to be conscious and not be going crazy.

5. What do you see happening for Macbeth?

I see Macbeth caught in a murder spree because after killing King Duncan, he had to go after Banquo, and since Macbeth himself does not have a son, Fleance would be the next king, however Macbeth wanted the follow up King to be under his descent. After killing Fleance there will be more people to kill and eventually he will become the "king of grass".

---

After discussing these questions, we read an article on "10 Things You Didn't Know About Guilt".

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201411/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-guilt

1. REACTIONS TO GUILT: Was Shakespeare ahead of his time?

My group believed he was ahead of his time because when comparing the article to Macbeth, he follows all the 10 reasons behind guilt.

2. Is Macbeth a "bad" person? How can we determine the quality of a person's character?

Macbeth is not necessarily a bad person, the murders were an impulsive decision, as he was still filled with regret and guilt after both murders. When imagining a "bad" person, murderer, or villain, we picture a person who does not necessarily feel regret after murder. 

---

Reflection:

From today's lesson, I learned that Macbeth's murders reveals a part of his character and fate. He seems to make impulsive decisions and when guilt reached him, he was having difficulty thinking straight (hence the hallucination of the Ghost of Banquo) and he had a constant thought about Banquo in his mind (Then comes my fit again. I had else been perfect... But now I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in to saucy doubts and fears.) I learned how Macbeth portrays his deep feelings through guilt and the way he expresses it in many ways.