Aim: How are the major symbols in Macbeth used to create allusions and connections.
Do Now: WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION
Why are people concerned with the details of political murders?
Having an important political figure, especially one that is loved, or held great power, is killed could have a big influence and cause unrest. It brings the idea that, “If someone is able to kill such an important figure, what could happen to us”.
What dramatic killings have gripped the American people?
One of the most notable ones is JFK that is often brought up, a United State president that was more recently assassinated. Some other more notable mentions are George Floid, who although alive was not a political figure, with his death he brought huge protests and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Outside the United States there is also Princess Diana whose death was so influential that even in the United States she is brought up when mentioning important political figures who were assassinated as she was greatly loved by her people.
Mrs.Peterson started the class with Scopes Monkey Trial to refresh our understanding of allusions. The Scopes Monkey Trial wanted to test the constitutionality of teaching Darwinism in schools, and whether it would go against creationism. Mrs Peterson started the class with a reference to this mock trial to further connect it to Inherit the Wind, one of the main characters Drummond, said to another character “Wake up sleeping beauty, this isn’t the garden of eden” which uses allusions twice with a reference to sleeping beauty and the garden of eden.
GROUP DISCUSSION
Working with our teams, considering the emotions that might be accompanied / associated with breaking the law. We identified the emotional stages one might experience Before, During, and After such an act.
Before the act, some may not have the courage to actually commit the act, although some may be excited/confident if they have already committed the act before. One could also doubt if it’s the right decision and is hesitant on whether they should actually commit the act or if it was just a spur of the moment thought.
During the act if one’s an experienced killer they could feel no emotions and run on autopilot and muscle memory. One could also be abnormally energetic and excited, getting high on the rush of adrenaline when committing the act.
After the act one may feel guilty or breakdown as their head clears and they realize their actions. They could also feel satisfied from finally committing the act, or even anxious with the thought of getting caught. There would also be some people who may feel excited to see the outcome of what they did, seeing people cry, and the unrest they caused, and happily taking in others misery.
Moving on from our group discussion, in class we read Macbeth, Act II, Macbeth’s 3rd and famous Soliloquy.
In the Soliloquy there were symbols and important things to note such as…
Clocks/Time (12am) - 12 is a symbol of 3
Lack of Moon (Darkness)- Something bad/evil will happen
Bell - Signal to Macbeth to do the deed
Knell Bell - Funeral Bell, death
Torch (Light)- Good/Righteous
Sleep- Death
Concluding the lesson we started and left off on a group discussion question, to review Macbeth’s 3rd Soliloquy “Is this a dagger...”and interpret the meaning and obtain a central idea.
REFLECTION
Today’s lesson helped me refresh my understanding of symbolism and allusion. Mrs.Peterson’s examples of allusion from Inherit the Wind really helped me have a better grasp on allusions as examples from Macbeth could sometimes be more complicated in comparison to references to sleeping beauty and the garden of eden which were more recognizable for me thus easier to understand. In addition, the whole class discussion on the death of political figures assisted me to understand the consequences of King Duncan's death and why MacBeth might be hesitant towards it by connecting it to real world examples of people with similar power and influence as King Duncan. King Duncan was a good king and liked by his subjects, similar to Princess Diana. He also held immense power and political influence similar to JFK. These similarities helped me wonder if the death of King Duncan would also lead to a similar uproar and unrest as the deaths of Princess Diana and JFK. A death that would still be remembered years later, and thousands of conspiracies on why and how they died. If so, this may not look good for MacBeth who holds the idea of assassinating King Duncan. Moving on, in teams we looked into the mind of a criminal, how someone would feel, before, during, and after breaking the law. My group, and the class came up with a general consensus that before the act, one would feel hesitant, hold doubt, or in special cases, be excited and confident if they have already broken the law before. During the act similarly one may feel excited, and energetic due to the increase of adrenaline, or in contrast feel nothing at all and move solely on muscle memory. After the act, once one’s head clears they could break down, feel guilt, question themselves, and become anxious. Of course there will still be those who feel excited and satisfied. From this discussion I took away the idea that the emotion one might feel could depend on both their character and the amount of times they have already committed the act. Lastly, after reading Macbeth, Act II, Macbeth’s 3rd and famous Soliloquy, I gained a better understanding of symbolism in Macbeth. With Mrs.Peterson’s help we were able to identify the small yet important symbols within MacBeth, with the major ones being darkness and light, and others such as the knell bell which I learned was a funeral bell which stood for death. More specifically the symbolism of the torch helped me see symbolism in a new light. Before, I did not think to further delve into the torch, thinking more on the symbolism of the torch itself rather than what it created. With today’s lesson I hope to be able to better spot allusions and symbolisms within MacBeth and future literatures, and think about situations within novels by connecting it to real world situations.
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