We started the class off by finishing the lesson from yesterday, answering the teamwork questions. Then we started to watch the movie adaptation of Macbeth. The scene that we started with corresponds to act ii scene ii [42:07—50:30—approx. 14:21]. The scene starts with the murder of King Duncan. In the original play, the murder was not shown, but in the movie adaptation, the brutal act was showned, with Macbeth stabbing Duncan multiple times. Another noteworthy change would be that in the adaptation, Duncan was shown to have woken before being killed. After that we started the new lesson.
Aim: How is the play simultaneously lightened and darkened through Shakespeare’s implementation of “comic relief”?
Do now: Working with our teams, we started a discussion of conspiracy theories in the US:
We did not land on the moon.
Vaccines cause autism.
Illuminati
COVID - 19 is not real.
Next we launched into a whole class discussion about the do now. Conspiracy theories that they came up with included that JFK was killed by two people. Another one would be 911 was an inside job.
We then started to learn about the gunpowder plot of 1605: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19mZzOKUoHBfIueNggg2wEDJjXJA5IbYC/edit#slide=id.p1
The gunpowder plot of 1605 related back to Macbeth act ii as both included a plot to kill the king. However one difference would be that the gunpowder plot did not work and ended in the torture and death of the plotters while in Macbeth, the plot worked and it ended with the death of King duncan.
Comic Relief –(N):A humorous scene or speech in a serious drama which is meant to provide relief from emotional intensity and, by contrast, to heighten the seriousness of the story.
It is noted that Shakespeare liked to use comic relief to ease the seriousness of his plays.
Next we started reading Macbeth—Act II, iii [2 pgs—Enter Macbeth] The Famous “Porter’s Scene”. This scene was a comic relief, with jokes to lift the seriousness of the mood after the killing of Duncan.
NOTES:
Porter: Was responsible for a Castle Entrance and for the guardrooms. They also ensured no one entered/left w/o permission.
Knocking: Was eerie b/c of the Bubonic Plague; i.e. Knocking for the dead Shakespeare created the first “knock knock” joke as a result of this scene.
We ended the class by trying to interpret the jokes in act ii scene iii:
Jokes about the Farmer explanation: The farmer represented greed, as he hoarded many crops to sell for the famine that never came.
Reflection:
What did I learn: Throughout today’s lesson, I learned about the gunpowder plot and how it connects to Macbeth. I also learned about what comic relief is and how Shakespeare uses that in his plays. When analyzing one of his comic reliefs, I learned about how it is a comic relief, what it means and to what history context it relates to. I also learned some fun facts about Shakespeare and his plays as well as facts about the gunpowder plot. What stood out to me was how the plotters were tortured, including specific details as to how they were being kept alive when they were being drawned.
Why did I learn it: I learned these facts so that I can better understand the play Macbeth. Shakespeare plays in general are hard to understand, so using outside references helps greatly with understanding and establishing a connection to understanding his plays.
How will I use what I learned: I will keep in mind the things I learned today so that in future lessons on the topic of Macbeth, I can retain what I learned today to help analyze the play and what each character’s lines and actions signify and foreshadow.
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