Aim: How are the major symbols in Macbeth used to create allusions and connections?
Today’s lesson was a continuation of yesterday’s lesson.
Do Now: Draw an image of a tree and compare it with your team's drawings.
My drawing:
Edward’s drawing:
Mikita’s drawing:
Emily’s drawing:
Our drawings were very similar. Ms. Peterson explained to us that we had very similar drawings because we grew up in the same environment. This shows us that the environment that we grew up in has a significant impact on us as a whole.
After we did the Do Now, we discussed signs, signifiers, and signified.
Spirit Reading:
Signifier (word) → Signified (symbol):
Signifiers can be anything that represents or signifies something.
The signified is the concept that the signifier refers to.
The sign is made up of the signifier and signified. The sign is anything that can be used to communicate.
There are many different kinds of signs.
Symbolic or arbitrary signs are signs where the relationship between the signified and signifier is conventional and are culturally specific, like how the cross (signified) symbolizes Christianity (signifier).
Iconic signs are signs where the signifier actually resembles the signified. For example the ocean can symbolize the vast sea.
A link that helped me understand signs better was: https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-iconic-and-vs-symbolic-signs/
Complex ideas are shaped by personal backgrounds and experiences which in turn, influence symbols. Different interpretations of symbols lead to different ideas.
Class Discussion:
After spirit reading these definitions, we discussed as a class, symbols like the American flag, Statue of Liberty, and the Bald Eagle. We came up with symbols like the American flag because we were raised in America and we learned about these symbols at a very young age. This is another example of how the environment we grew up in has impacted us.
After we discussed about signs and symbols as a class, we went on to review what allusions were:
Allusions are references to historical, literary, or biblical events or characters. Allusions can reference pretty much almost everything. What’s important is that the allusion IS NOT explained in the text.
You are supposed to understand the allusion through prior knowledge.
Allusions help contribute to a theme.
There are many different types of allusions:
Biblical: refers to the Bible or other religious works
Classical: makes references to Classical literature
Literary: makes references to any other literary work
Historical: makes references to any historical event
One common allusion that we’ve seen is a biblical allusion to the Garden of Eden.
Teamwork:
Having been refreshed on what allusions were, we were tasked as a team to find:
Any allusions in Macbeth
Why allusions are significant
Why would authors use allusions rather than explicitly say something
Some allusions that we’ve seen in Macbeth reference are: a biblical allusion to the Garden of Eden, a historical allusion to King James I’s accusation of witches sinking his ship, an allusion to Ireland and Irish soldiers, and a biblical allusion to Golgotha.
Allusions are significant because they can help develop the story and characters. They are also significant because they help create connections to other works or events.
One way an author would use allusions is to pay respect and the historical context of when the author was writing this. Another reason why is that allusions provide a simple way to explain and show a complex situation.
As you can see, Shakespeare littered Macbeth with allusions. There are multiple historical and biblical allusions.
Common Symbols:
On the next slide, Ms. Peterson gave us a chart of symbols and what they symbolize and they are all used in Macbeth.
We went deeper into “sleep” as a symbol:
Sleep is often used as a symbol of “little death”.
This biblical connection is a very old saying.
It was said that when we sleep, our spirit travels to the dream realm to recharge. Without recharging, we will die.
We ended the lesson with a few minutes to spare.
Reflection:
What did I learn?: I learned some common symbols that are used in literature like sleep, red, and serpent. I also learned about what signifiers, signs, and signified mean. I also learned about the different kinds of signs, symbolic signs and iconic signs. I also learned about allusion and the details of it. Armed with the knowledge of what allusions are, we uncovered many allusions that Shakespeare used in Macbeth and why authors use allusions in general. Something I learned during class that wasn’t stated was that the environment we are raised in can heavily influence us. This is shown when we did the Do Now and when we talked about symbols we see in our daily lives.
Why did I learn it?: I learned about everything above because having this knowledge handy is crucial for reading and understanding Macbeth, which we are reading in class. This kind of knowledge is also very handy when we will read other literary works later on or on our own.
How will I use what I learned?: I will use this knowledge to further understand Macbeth and to understand the little but important details in the play. I will also use this knowledge to understand other literary works, music, and art because symbolism and allusions can pop up pretty much almost everywhere.
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