After the questions from yesterday, we moved on to the soliloquy. Before we begin, soliloquy by definition means, ‘a monologue, especially in a play, that is delivered by a character who is alone or unaware of the presence of other characters and that reveals the thoughts or feelings of that character’. Macbeth’s soliloquy in this act is the first of seven in Macbeth, and shows Macbeth’s personal conflict with himself on whether to take action with Duncan’s regicide.
The alliteration in the fourth line “This supernatural soliciting” shows Macbeth’s internal desires for the throne.
The personification in “Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / And make my seated heart knock at my ribs” shows the fear that Macbeth feels at his own thoughts.
The last two lines “and nothing is / But what is not” is an antithesis that shows that Macbeth is losing touch with reality due to his thoughts of taking over the throne.
Consider the way things have transpired thus far. Can you see any possible conflicts as a result? If so, between who?
(Summer) Macbeth vs. self - Macbeth is debating with himself whether or not to take the witches’ prophecy into his own hands.
Macbeth vs. King Duncan - There is going to be future conflict between King Duncan and Macbeth due to Macbeth’s aspirations of being king.
(Joel) Banquo vs. Macbeth - they said that they would speak with free hearts, and especially when Macbeth says that, which shows that he’s going to be the one to break the promise.
Teamwork -> Discussion
How would you describe King Duncan’s attributes, upon first meeting him?
Joshua : King Duncan is gullible and he’s too trusting of other people’s characteristics because he knows that Banquo and Macbeth are heroic beings which is why Duncan places so much trust in them, while they can also contribute to their downfall.
Summer : King Duncan’s attributes would be trusting and responsible ruler. He’s trusting of his subjects and generous about rewards. He repents his actions of trusting the Thane of Cawdor in the first few lines of dialogue in Scene I, Act IV.
What is the foreshadowing in King Duncan’s assertion, “There’s no art / To find the mind’s
construction in the face. / He was a gentleman on whom I built / An absolute trust” ?
Sofia : He’s saying that you can’t really read people’s minds just based on their facial expressions and you can just act however you want while thinking the complete opposite.
Summer : In the first two lines, it shows that King Duncan thinks that people can’t see what people think only by their physical expressions. And the next two lines show the irony and foreshadowing of what’s to come because it foreshadows Macbeth’s possible betrayal against King Duncan.
Joel : In the metaphor, Duncan refers to being fed and full of Banquo’s accomplishments and how if Banquo chooses to continue and be loyal to Duncan, he’ll be able to accomplish greater things.
Summer : Duncan uses metaphor to describe the role he has as a king and him planting the seeds for his faithful Lords’ (Banquo and Macbeth) accomplishments.
Summer : King Duncan’s attributes would be trusting and responsible ruler. He’s trusting of his subjects and generous about rewards. He repents his actions of trusting the Thane of Cawdor in the first few lines of dialogue in Scene I, Act IV.
Do you consider any of his attributes to be potential character flaws? If so, which?
His fatal character flaw would be his naiveness and trusting the people around him, especially when Macbeth is on the edge of killing him.
What is the foreshadowing in King Duncan’s assertion, “There’s no art / To find the mind’s
construction in the face. / He was a gentleman on whom I built / An absolute trust” ?
Sofia : He’s saying that you can’t really read people’s minds just based on their facial expressions and you can just act however you want while thinking the complete opposite.
Summer : In the first two lines, it shows that King Duncan thinks that people can’t see what people think only by their physical expressions. And the next two lines show the irony and foreshadowing of what’s to come because it foreshadows Macbeth’s possible betrayal against King Duncan.
Joel : In the metaphor, Duncan refers to being fed and full of Banquo’s accomplishments and how if Banquo chooses to continue and be loyal to Duncan, he’ll be able to accomplish greater things.
Summer : Duncan uses metaphor to describe the role he has as a king and him planting the seeds for his faithful Lords’ (Banquo and Macbeth) accomplishments.
Joel : Duncan was talking to Macbeth at the time and Banquo on the side saying “I will plant thee and then I will feed you until you keep growing and growing.” Duncan means that the more you do for the better, the better the treatment will be towards his subjects. Macbeth is in it for the perks and benefits while Banquo truly wants the best for the kingdom.
Banquo responds by continuing the metaphor to show his loyalty towards Duncan, whereas while Duncan’s more trusting of Macbeth, Macbeth is about to betray him. Below is a drawing of Banquo and a depiction of his valor and loyalty in battle.
Banquo responds by continuing the metaphor to show his loyalty towards Duncan, whereas while Duncan’s more trusting of Macbeth, Macbeth is about to betray him. Below is a drawing of Banquo and a depiction of his valor and loyalty in battle.
Macbeth is impacted by Duncan’s naming of his son because Macbeth feels like he should be the King of Scotland after all he’s done as a subject of the king. These thoughts were first instigated by the witches' prophecy but was propelled into action after Malcolm was named Prince of Cumberland.
Reflection :
Today was the second part in our two-day lesson with reviewing Scene IV. Act I, Scene IV is a major turning point within Macbeth’s own mind and the story. The scene opens up with King Duncan and Malcolm with Malcolm reporting the death of the Thane of Cawdor, showing how even traitors are buried with respect. Duncan then goes on to repent, specifically with the lines “There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face” which is a complex way of saying that no matter what people say or do, you can never know what they think. At the moment that Duncan says this line is when Macbeth answers, foreshadowing his betrayal against his king. After Macbeth, Banquo, and Duncan share their regards with one another, Duncan shares the news that he’ll be naming Malcolm as the Prince of Cumberland, meaning that he will be the future king. A few lines later, in the aside dialogue, is when we truly get to see what Macbeth is thinking. With the phrase, “Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires” is when Macbeth finds the fuel for furthering his ambitions and aspirations of becoming the King of Scotland.
After going over the Scene IV questions, we watched the movie version of Scene I-IV.
Summary of Scene IV
The majority of Scene IV is shown through King Duncan and his strengths and flaws that lead to Macbeth’s possible betrayal. It can be seen that Duncan is a righteous and responsible ruler although he can be overly trusting which already cost him through the Thane of Cawdor. He repents on his actions while reciting how much he trusts Macbeth which is ironic in its own sense but also foreshadows what Macbeth’s future actions are going to be in terms of becoming King of Scotland.
Reflection :
Today was the second part in our two-day lesson with reviewing Scene IV. Act I, Scene IV is a major turning point within Macbeth’s own mind and the story. The scene opens up with King Duncan and Malcolm with Malcolm reporting the death of the Thane of Cawdor, showing how even traitors are buried with respect. Duncan then goes on to repent, specifically with the lines “There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face” which is a complex way of saying that no matter what people say or do, you can never know what they think. At the moment that Duncan says this line is when Macbeth answers, foreshadowing his betrayal against his king. After Macbeth, Banquo, and Duncan share their regards with one another, Duncan shares the news that he’ll be naming Malcolm as the Prince of Cumberland, meaning that he will be the future king. A few lines later, in the aside dialogue, is when we truly get to see what Macbeth is thinking. With the phrase, “Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires” is when Macbeth finds the fuel for furthering his ambitions and aspirations of becoming the King of Scotland.
No comments:
Post a Comment