Aim: How is the motif of promises highlighted through the use of imagery?/How are the major symbols in Macbeth used to create allusions and connections?
We began this lesson by finishing up the previous lesson’s slides. We were to discuss the answers to eight questions about Act I, Scene VII of Macbeth within our groups before sharing our answers with the entire class.
The first question asked us to explain the conflict that existed between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Our group concluded that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s conflict stemmed from Macbeth’s indecisiveness and unwillingness to go through with his plan to kill King Duncan. While Macbeth considers abandoning the entire idea, Lady Macbeth encourages him to follow through with the plan. When the entire class shared answers, we found that many other groups said similar things. Group 5 connected the conflict to a more broad concept of love versus loyalty, with love representing Lady Macbeth encouraging Macbeth to kill Duncan and duty being Macbeth’s loyalty and service to the king.
The second question asked what Lady Macbeth planned to do in order to assist Macbeth in killing Duncan. From reading the scene, we found that Lady Macbeth planned to provide King Duncan’s two guards with wine, making them drunk and forgetful. This would give Macbeth an opportunity to murder Duncan in his sleep. Ms. Peterson elaborated on Lady Macbeth’s plan, adding on how the drunkenness and forgetfulness of the guards would provide a scapegoat to blame for when King Duncan is found dead.
The third question was about different character types, and which ones best represented Macbeth’s character. Our group said that Macbeth was a dynamic character. A dynamic character is a character who undergoes significant change throughout the course of the story. Macbeth is represented by this character type since we can see him change throughout the scenes, from his introduction as a strong, loyal warrior for King Duncan, to when he meets the three witches who influence Macbeth into considering killing Duncan. The class also said that Macbeth was a round character. A round character is a multi-dimensioned character who is more developed than other characters. Most of the time, these characters are the protagonists of their stories.
The fourth question asked what made Macbeth’s character flawed. We said that his character was flawed because Macbeth was easily influenced and manipulated by other people. An example of this would be when Macbeth received the three witches’ prophecy that he would become king, an event that would start him off on his plot to kill King Duncan in order to fulfill the prophecy. Ms. Peterson brought up how it was ironic that on the battlefield, Macbeth is a strong, courageous, ruthless captain, but he is easily led and manipulated by others in encounters with other characters.
The fifth question asked which character demonstrates the most umbrage, or offense. After discussing with my group, we concluded that Lady Macbeth demonstrates the most umbrage since she is the most committed to the plot to kill Macbeth, even more committed than Macbeth himself. The class had similar answers, with some groups saying how Lady Macbeth is more aggressive in that she actually creates a plan to kill Duncan whilst Macbeth is still mostly indecisive.
The sixth question asked us to list the qualities that would make Lady Macbeth a good assassin. Connecting to the last question, we said that Lady Macbeth’s commitment to a task made her a good assassin. With commitment, she is willing to do anything to accomplish her task. We also said how Lady Macbeth has the trust of King Duncan, since she was the one who greeted Duncan and demonstrated xenia and hospitality. The class also brought up how Lady Macbeth has less of a personal connection with King Duncan than Macbeth, making it easier for her to kill him without any doubts, hesitation, or remorse.
The seventh question compared the conflict between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as a conflict between love and duty. We were asked to determine in the end, which of two wins out. Our group determined that in the end, love won out since Macbeth is manipulated by Lady Macbeth to carry out his plan to murder Duncan instead of remaining loyal to the king (duty).
The last quest asked what the role of manipulation plays throughout Scene VII. The class said that manipulation plays a large part in the scene, since as Macbeth finally convinces himself that he won’t kill Duncan, it is Lady Macbeth’s manipulation that brings him back and re-convinces him to follow through with the plot.
After finishing discussion of the eight questions, we moved on to the next lesson.
The do now for this lesson had us tell a message to a partner. The only catch was that we could only use images to convey our message. We couldn’t speak or write to our partner. My partner, Joshua, drew a person climbing a staircase inside of an arrow. I interpreted this message as ambition since I could deduce that the staircase and the arrow represented moving forward and persevering through challenges. My interpretation of the image’s message was confirmed by Joshua. When we got back together, Ms. Peterson asked if it was easy or difficult to understand what our partners were trying to tell us. Most people said they had a relatively easy time trying to decipher the images’ meanings. Some people had difficulties since the images that their partners used required a little bit of external knowledge to understand, such as a character from a video game. However, it was concluded that it was best to be as direct as possible, to keep things short and sweet in order for your partner to have the easiest time deciphering your message.
After the do now, we learned more about symbols, and what they really are. Symbols have to be a tangible, real thing, while the idea it represents does not have to be. Symbols were instrumental in helping humans communicate, with historic examples of symbolic communication being Egyptian hieroglyphics and Mesopotamina cuneiform. We also learned that symbols can be found in many places, such as road signs and dreams. Ms. Peterson used an example of symbols in a dream, bringing up how falling in a dream is symbolic of guilt or regret in one’s life. Personally, I have experienced falling in a dream at least once, so I gained a new understanding of what those dreams mean.
Afterwards, we moved on to a group activity where each member of the group had to draw a tree. There weren't any specific guidelines to how the tree needed to look, just that it had to be a tree. I drew an apple tree being blown in the breeze. I specifically drew this since to me, fruit growing on trees represented life and prosperity, while the breeze blowing leaves off the tree’s branches represented serenity and calmness. Unfortunately, the period ended before we received further directions on the group activity.
Reflection
Today’s lesson was focused around a deeper dive into Macbeth’s character, and the factors and people his decisions are influenced by. By analyzing his character and interactions with others, I was not only able to gain a deeper understanding of who Macbeth is, but also who Lady Macbeth is. I was able to see how Lady Macbeth easily manipulated Macbeth, and was able to gain a better understanding of their relationship. I am now able to utilize these character analysis techniques to other stories that I read in the future in order to gain a better understanding of what motivates them, how they change over time, and how others affect the way they think. Although we ran out of time before we could complete the next lesson, I still learned a great deal about symbols, both in literature, and in the real world. By completing the do now where we had to tell a message using only images, I can see why symbols became so important and crucial for early human communication and understanding. With expanded knowledge of character types and symbols, and am able to become a much more effective close reader, able to pick up on smaller details as we continue Macbeth.
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