Aim: How has Macbeth’s interactions with multiple characters, coupled with various or conflicting motivations, advanced the plot or developed the theme?
Today, we began the class not with the do now, but with classwork that remained unfinished from Friday. We had a class discussion about questions pertaining to Act I Scene II of Macbeth.
How has the captain proven himself to be a valuable asset, according to Malcolm?
The captain saved Malcolm, who is the eldest son of the king of Scotland, from the rebellion’s captivity. This has proven him to be extraordinarily valuable.
In the first act and scene we see Macbeth introduced by the “3” witches (a foreboding mention). How he depicted in this scene compared to the previous? Is this an accurate depiction, considering what happened to Macdonwald?
The class agreed that Macbeth has been described as someone who is brave, loyal, and all these other good characteristics. However, we all noted that he has killed Macdonwald in a horrific fashion, which may not be considered to match up with these characteristics.
Who is Macdonwald and how does his role in the rebellion conclude?
Macdonwald was a traitor to Scotland who led rebel forces, and his role concluded when he was killed and brutally beheaded.
How is verbal irony used in this scene?
It seemed like Banquo, Macbeth and their men were winning handsomely, forcing the enemies to retreat. However, there was a fresh army ready to face them. The irony that was used is when the captain was being sarcastic, saying that Banquo and Macbeth were afraid of this army, such as sparrows to eagles, or hares to lions. Banquo and Macbeth were not scared at all and came out victorious.
In what capacity has the “Fair is Foul...” motif been echoed and applied in this scene?
Macbeth is celebrated as being gallant and brave, but his actions against Macdonwald, in particular, were very gruesome, slicing him from his naval to his jaw.
Explain the irony in Duncan’s last 3 lines.
In these last three lines, Macbeth is being given the title of a traitor, whereas he has proven himself to be very loyal.
Why do you believe Shakespeare chose to have characters mention Macbeth’s name twice, yet we still have not met him?
With this method, we get an outsider’s perspective of Macbeth so that we are already forming an opinion about him before we meet him. This could prepare a juxtaposition between expectations and reality.
We then moved on to today’s lesson with the do now.
Do Now: WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION
Describe a time when you or someone you know had some supernatural telling, i.e., tarot cards, psychics, etc., and you/they believed what was said. Explain why you/they believed it.
In the class discussion, Nikita said that back in Russia, his mother went to a psychic and was told that she would have two successful sons. He says that whenever psychics come up in conversation with his family, she always mentions the encounter to affirm the legitimacy of some psychics. Elizabeth discussed her aunt, whom her family members joke about as being a witch. She told stories about how whenever someone slights her, something bad happens to them. An example that she provided was that once her aunt had a dog groomed poorly, and when they passed by that same grooming place, it had closed down.
How do most people react to predictions about their future?
Eric noted how many people become paranoid and afraid that those predictions may become true. We all agreed that generally, it all depends on how superstitious that person is. People who are less superstitious may be less susceptible to believe predictions about their future.
What may happen to the person if some of the things seem to come true?
There were several things that were discussed that could happen, such as that person frequenting the psychic more and more, or possibly trying to take advantage of the situation, trying to either make the predictions come true or try harder and harder to avoid them.
At this point in the lesson, characters were assigned for people to read, and we began to read scenes 3 and 4. To recap scene 2, we now know that the witches will meet again, as the war happening in scene 2 has concluded, and Banquo and Macbeth have won. The witches said in the first scene that they would meet again under these conditions.
In scene 3, the witches all get together as they have foretold. They all tell each other what they have been doing. Through this encounter, we can truly understand the nature of these witches. When witch #1 encountered a woman who did not let her have a chestnut, the witch made her husband’s life an absolute living hell. He was a sailor, and his ship was taken off course and disallowed the ship from docking with any ports. Ms. Peterson brought up a very fitting quote, “Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink,” which points out the irony in a ship that is unable to replenish its supplies, especially freshwater for drinking.
How are The Witches Powers limited?
Nikita commented that they are not able to directly kill anyone. They have to manipulate the natural elements. A witch cannot snap her finger and explode a ship, she must change the currents and tides to make it crash.
Things not noted on the chart:
Aside: There can be other characters, however, the character is talking directly to the audience.
Soliloquy: It is as though you jumped into a character’s mind and pulled out their deepest thoughts. Similarly to an aside, they are not at all perceived by other characters
Today’s lesson takes place over the course of two days. This marks the end of the first day’s lesson.
Reflection:
Today’s lesson was focused mainly on the reading of scenes 3 and 4. Along with the actual reading, a good deal of time was spent trying to understand the meaning of what happened, especially at the beginning of scene 3, due to the period being cut short. Through this, I learned to break down and decipher the meaning of a text. Together as a class, we went through the part of the scene when the witches are conversing, sharing what they have been doing since their last meeting in the first scene. With this discussion style of learning, it was a lot easier for me to break down the text and make it digestible. As my classmates and Ms. Peterson would note particular details in the passage, I found myself looking back at some points and finding I had misunderstood or looked over a small portion of the line, which led to a larger misunderstanding. This will be useful in the future, as we will obviously be looking at more of Shakespeare and Macbeth, which can at times be difficult to understand. In addition, understanding difficult wording will always be important in life in general. An example of this could simply be decoding industry jargon in a work setting.
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