Continuing Macbeth, the class proceeded to read Shakespeare's Macbeth Act 1 Scene vii, beginning the discussion by watching the Macbeth film for 10 minutes or so and then analyzing Macbeth’s 2nd Soliloquy about the decision to assassinate King Duncan.
(I don’t have the movie, but here’s the link to the audiobook! The second best thing!) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pGBQsQoWvA0
As a class we discussed the soliloquy, finally concluding from the confusing Olde English that Macbeth is battling an inner conflict. To kill or not to kill; this causes inner turmoil within Macbeth’s mind as he weighs the pros and cons of the decision. He fears that killing King Duncan would unleash a divine punishment on him, where “tears would drown the wind”. However, on the bright side, he would get peace of mind knowing that the prophecy of the witches would be fulfilled. In addition, Lady Macbeth serves as the character who continues to pressure Macbeth into going through with it. She, as a character, is an opportunistic, yet manipulative woman who influences Macbeth more than his thoughts.
This soliloquy also conveys Macbeth’s beliefs, showing that he is superstitious and ambitious to get what he wants, yet he is also introspective and somewhat cowardly when it comes to following through with his plans.
The class then went into their groups and wrote these contradicting statements into two boxes, separating the Pros from the Cons.
Most of the bullet points were the same as what we discussed, but there was a student who deduced that if Macbeth were to kill Duncan, he could sequentially kill the other two vulnerable heirs in the house as well, therefore guaranteeing his inheritance. Though, it would be suspicious to be the only surviving heir of Cawdor when all the others were murdered in one’s own house. That thought caused the class to rethink their Pros and Cons in light of that hypothetical.
That’s pretty much the gist of what happened in this class! It was a bit shorter because of the movie clip, but I think we got a lot of good information. Now it’s time to reflect on what we’ve learned!
This class was based on analyzing Macbeth’s character and how he’s developing, as well as how he’s reacting to the influences of the characters around him. He was so set on killing Duncan, promising his wife that it would be done and they’d be on Easy Street. However, because of Duncan’s presence in the house, he begins to rethink his decision, causing Lady Macbeth’s influence to become more intense and begin to pressure him.
In the real world, it’s great to improve upon this analysis of how certain people interact and evolve based on outside stimuli from other things and people. It’s almost as if, you know…that’s how REAL people function.
Hey, by the way, have you seen that there’s a new Macbeth? They made a 2021 remake, I didn’t even know. It’s coming out on Christmas of this year. I guess I’ll go watch it for…educational purposes.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HM3hsVrBMA4
Well, that’s all for the blog today! Rate me five stars or the Macbeth curse will ensnare your family with a myriad of cursed hijinks for eternity! :)
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