Aim: How do The Witches set the mood and foreshadow events for the play?
Do Now:
For today’s do-now we were asked to look at ourselves and share some of our character traits, good or bad. Emily said that she had a tendency to act without thinking, and Ms. Peterson said that she worked extremely hard. I myself thought about my high intellect but also my indecisiveness. I learned that many of the traits that we deem as good or bad can be quite the opposite of their assumed position depending on the situation and how that person goes about acting upon them. For example, Peterson’s hard work ethic might be great at getting a lot of things done quickly, but can easily turn into overexertion and be exploited by others if left unchecked. These were great points to make as we began to analyze the character traits of a few of the cast in Macbeth, as many of the characters have traits that can be both good and bad, depending on the scenario in which they are found, such as great ambition or high confidence, and become detrimental to the characters as these traits are left unchecked.
Characterization:
Here we reviewed how we as an audience could receive information about a story’s characters either through direct or indirect characterization. In direct characterization the author directly states facts about the character, while in indirect characterization, the audience is left to come up with their own profile of the character based on the character’s actions, dialogue, thoughts, the thoughts of other characters, and also the actions of other characters. We were reminded of the STEAL method of character analysis: speech, thoughts, effects on others, actions, and looks.
Reading and Summary:
Today we read Act 1, Scene 2 of Macbeth. Essentially what happens is that King Duncan receives word of Banquo and Macbeth’s victory over the rebels and Norwegians, as well as the bravery of the two army captains. Macbeth is especially brave as he fought his way through the rebel line and personally executed and beheaded Macdonwald, a rebel leader, and placed his head on a pike. Duncan also learns of the betrayal from the Thane of Cawdor, who used to be a friend of his. Duncan orders the Thane to be executed, stripped of his titles, and his lands, and plans to give them to Macbeth when he returns.
This battle is the battle the three witches were referring to in the previous scene. Foreshadowing and irony are shown by the king planning to give Macbeth, one of his most loyal soldiers, the title of a traitor, which also foreshadows Macbeth’s betrayal of the king.
Groupwork:
After the reading, we split into our groups to characterize the characters of Banquo, Macbeth, and Macdonwald. My groupmates, Darren, Angel, and Selina believed that Banquo and Macbeth were both military captains and brave fighters. This is shown when a large number of Norwegian troops land with the Thane of Cawdor in an attempt to kill the already exhausted armies of Banquo and Macbeth after the rebels had been defeated. Despite being extremely exhausted, the Norwegians and the traitorous Thane are fought off by the two captains, demonstrated in this line: “Norway himself, with terrible numbers, assisted by… the Thane of Cador, began a dismal conflict...and to conclude, the victory fell upon us.” We also characterized Macbeth as ruthless, shown by his brutal execution and display of Macdonwald’s head: “For brave Macbeth...carved out his passage...till he unseamed him from the nave to th’ chops, and fixed his head upon our battlements.” And finally, we can characterize Macdonwald as a merciless traitor to King Duncan, a prominent rebel leader, and very much dead after what Macbeth did to him, according to the injured Captain and other nobles’ description of what had taken place.
How has the captain proven himself to be a valuable asset, according to Malcolm?
The captain saved Malcolm, the eldest son and crown prince of Scotland from capture and likely execution by rebel forces: “This is the sergeant who, like a good and hardy soldier, fought ‘gainst my captivity.”
In the first act and scene we see Macbeth introduced by the “3” witches (a foreboding mention). How is he depicted in this scene compared to the previous? Is this an accurate depiction, considering what happened to Macdonwald?
Macbeth is seen as a person up to no good in the first scene, while Macbeth is presented as a brave and skilled general in the second scene. But considering what happened to Macdonwald, Macbeth is definitely capable of some truly deplorable and gruesome actions.
Who is Macdonwald and how does his role in the rebellion conclude?
Macdonwald is a rebel leader and traitor to King Duncan. He ends up being slain by Macbeth, and has his head placed atop a pike and held aloft as an example to the other rebels, as well as a sign of victory over the rebels.
How is verbal irony used in this scene?
Verbal irony is shown through Duncan when he states that he will no longer be deceived by the Thane of Cawdor, despite the fact that Macbeth will become the new Thane of Cawdor and backstab Duncan.
In what capacity has the “Fair is Foul…” motif been echoed and applied in this scene?
The motif represents a paradox that has been fulfilled partially by the Thane of Cawdor, who used to be a good friend to King Duncan, turning traitor.
Explain the irony in Duncan’s last 3 lines.
The title of Thane of Cawdor is going to be given to Macbeth, despite the fact that the previous Thane is a traitor and he is giving a traitor’s title to one of his most loyal generals.
Why do you believe Shakespeare chose to have characters mention Macbeth’s name twice, yet we still have not met him?
Shakespeare probably wants us to know exactly what others think of Macbeth prior to meeting him, and give the audience an idea or expectation as to what kind of person Macbeth is before we even meet him.
Reflection:
Today I learned how to determine character traits through inference by looking at hints the author drops throughout a story. I also learned of the duality of certain character traits which can be either very helpful, or outright detrimental to a character, depending on the situation the character finds themselves in or how such character traits manifest themselves in the character’s actions. I can use these to further evaluate my own character, my strengths, and my weaknesses by taking a look at how my character traits can help or harm me. Knowing the duality of character traits also allows me to draw more accurate conclusions about what might happen to a character or what a character may do later in the story judging by their character traits presented to me so far, or what would happen if their trait got out of the character’s control. This knowledge would be especially useful in Shakespeare’s plays, as there is often quite a lot of foreshadowing done, not only through prior events, but also how characters view and interact with one another, and Macbeth is no exception to this. I was also refreshed on direct and indirect characterization, and applied STEAL to today’s reading of Macbeth to determine the characteristics of some of the characters, mainly Macbeth. I was also given context of the play’s allusions and vocabulary, as well as what happens in Act 1, Scene 2. I can remember and apply this information presented to me later down the line as we dive deeper into Macbeth, as well as any other plays by Shakespeare. In conclusion, today’s lesson gave me an idea of who Banquo and Macbeth are and a deeper understanding of Shakespeare, and the dangers of unbridled character traits like ambition and the lust for power.
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