I haven’t had a moment to catch my breath since early this afternoon!
My uncle has banished me from his court and the town on pain of death. I can still scarcely believe how it has changed since only this morning. It seems one moment I’m eating breakfast with my dear cousin Celia, and the next we’re fleeing for our lives, disguised as beggars! For now we are paused beneath a tree while Touchstone fetches bread from a nearby inn, and I have a minute to write this entry. My heart is still pounding beneath the man’s shirt and coat I am hidden inside.
We are going to the Forest of Arden to find my father, whom I have missed terribly ever since his own banishing. I can’t wait to see his face again. Celia and I have discussed it, and we think the only way to travel safely to him is to disguise ourselves. She is traveling under the name Aliena, and I am pretending to be a young man called Ganymede. My heart still stands still in fear when I think of our predicament, but I know we will be able to use our wits to get out of any unpleasant situation. Hopefully my uncle will come around to see the error of his ways, but for now he is the only thing back home I do not miss.
But in all this mess, I have almost forgotten about the young wrestler! I met him only earlier today, and I would give my heart to him in an instant. He is Duke Rowland’s youngest son, and a fine wrestler. I wish I could see him again, but I fear it cannot be. For I am banished, and we must find my father.
--Rosalind
Monday, March 16, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Macbeth LRJ 6
Intense, tragic, and thought-provoking, Shakespeare's Macbeth poses questions that cut to the essence of what it means to be human. Through the story of an ambitious lord who’s insanity steadily increases with each crime he commits, the audience faces the question, how far should one go in a quest for power? With each new character influencing and pressuring Macbeth to new, dangerous heights, the audience wonders if one should ever really trust in others. Finally, at the climax of the play when all the pieces of the story fit together just before they are destroyed, the audience is forced to contemplate if one can ever really be absolved of their sins.
However, Shakespeare doesn’t quite abandon the audience after asking his deeply provocative questions. Though he never directly provides the answer, it can be guessed through the intricate dialogue and character interactions. Before Macbeth becomes too immersed in his greed and lust for power, he admits to his fears of gaining it the wrong way. “…that but this blow/ Might be the be-all and end-all here,/ But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,/ We’d jump the life to come.” (Shakespeare 39) In the beginning, at least, Macbeth feared going too far might result in eternal and immovable consequences.
None of the advice given to Macbeth turns out to be good and solid, so the audience is left to assume Shakespeare doesn’t believe in trusting others or prophecies. Especially in the case of the witches, where they feed into his security and inflate it into full-blown arrogance, is Macbeth most especially led astray. “Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care/ Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are.” (Shakespeare 127) Macbeth finally realizes his mistake when he cries to Macduff, “And be these juggling fiends no more believed/ That palter with us in a double sense,/ That keep the word of our promise to our ear/ And break it to our hope.” (Shakespeare 187)
The final question is the most controversial and least obvious of them all. Shakespeare never does more than hint at his belief on whether or not sins are unforgivable. The two key villains in this story are also the heroes, which leaves the audience with a strange paradox. Macbeth has hallucinations of his victims and his wife literally tries to was blood from her hands in her sleep each night. This seems to answer the question with both a yes and a no. The fact that they do these things over and over again until their death begs the answer that no- sins as treacherous as theirs never go away, and the guilt never fades. However, doesn’t the fact that they feel this quilt and regret at all mean they deserve forgiveness? The audience is left to puzzle that one out on their own.
However, Shakespeare doesn’t quite abandon the audience after asking his deeply provocative questions. Though he never directly provides the answer, it can be guessed through the intricate dialogue and character interactions. Before Macbeth becomes too immersed in his greed and lust for power, he admits to his fears of gaining it the wrong way. “…that but this blow/ Might be the be-all and end-all here,/ But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,/ We’d jump the life to come.” (Shakespeare 39) In the beginning, at least, Macbeth feared going too far might result in eternal and immovable consequences.
None of the advice given to Macbeth turns out to be good and solid, so the audience is left to assume Shakespeare doesn’t believe in trusting others or prophecies. Especially in the case of the witches, where they feed into his security and inflate it into full-blown arrogance, is Macbeth most especially led astray. “Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care/ Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are.” (Shakespeare 127) Macbeth finally realizes his mistake when he cries to Macduff, “And be these juggling fiends no more believed/ That palter with us in a double sense,/ That keep the word of our promise to our ear/ And break it to our hope.” (Shakespeare 187)
The final question is the most controversial and least obvious of them all. Shakespeare never does more than hint at his belief on whether or not sins are unforgivable. The two key villains in this story are also the heroes, which leaves the audience with a strange paradox. Macbeth has hallucinations of his victims and his wife literally tries to was blood from her hands in her sleep each night. This seems to answer the question with both a yes and a no. The fact that they do these things over and over again until their death begs the answer that no- sins as treacherous as theirs never go away, and the guilt never fades. However, doesn’t the fact that they feel this quilt and regret at all mean they deserve forgiveness? The audience is left to puzzle that one out on their own.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Macbeth LRJ 5
Act V is the climax of the entire play, and it contains themes that were present in previous acts. Death, anger, and defeat all played major roles in this act. Lady Macbeth has become so depressed from her hidden guilt she commits suicide. Macbeth has grown even more paranoid, and kills several people out of sheer anger. The witches’ prophecy that none born from a woman will be able to harm him has made him extremely arrogant. “Thou wast born of woman. /But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn, /Brandished by man that's of a woman born.” (Shakespeare 183) However, when Macduff reveals his birth was unusual and he in fact was not born, Macbeth is afraid for the first time. “Accursèd be that tongue that tells me so, /For it hath cowed my better part of man… I'll not fight with thee.” (Shakespeare 187) Too stubborn to surrender, he fights and is killed. The fact that every one of the witches’ prophecies came true is significant because Macbeth grew to be too arrogant to listen to the warnings. In his mind, the prophecies where he was all-powerful were the only ones that mattered. When he finally realizes the witches and spirits were tricking him, it is far too late.
One of the image patterns in Act V is the presence of medicine or drugs. In scene two, Caithness, a Scottish noble, says, “Meet we the medicine of the sickly weal, /And with him pour we in our country's purge /Each drop of us.” (Shakespeare 167) He is referring to Malcolm, who will soon be king and thereby hopefully repair Scotland from the terrible things Macbeth has been doing. Later, in scene 3, Macbeth rages to the Doctor, “And with some sweet oblivious antidote/ Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff /Which weighs upon the heart?” (Shakespeare 171) He realizes that Lady Macbeth is truly ill, and he has no one left but her. He is enraged and terrified at the prospect of losing her. Finally, Macbeth makes another reference to medicine, saying, “What rhubarb, senna, or what purgative drug, /Would scour these English hence?” This time he wants someone to find an easy answer to the problems Scotland is facing. One quick fix would be perfect, for he is too caught up in his power to want to work for it. The image pattern of medicine and drugs in Act V is important because it shows Macbeth is getting desperate, beginning to realize the danger he, his wife, and his country are in. He wants there to be one easy fix for all his problems. Another affect of drugs are to make everything seem to go away, which is probably what Macbeth wants. He is deep into an irreversible mess, and he will never be able to pull himself out.
One of the image patterns in Act V is the presence of medicine or drugs. In scene two, Caithness, a Scottish noble, says, “Meet we the medicine of the sickly weal, /And with him pour we in our country's purge /Each drop of us.” (Shakespeare 167) He is referring to Malcolm, who will soon be king and thereby hopefully repair Scotland from the terrible things Macbeth has been doing. Later, in scene 3, Macbeth rages to the Doctor, “And with some sweet oblivious antidote/ Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff /Which weighs upon the heart?” (Shakespeare 171) He realizes that Lady Macbeth is truly ill, and he has no one left but her. He is enraged and terrified at the prospect of losing her. Finally, Macbeth makes another reference to medicine, saying, “What rhubarb, senna, or what purgative drug, /Would scour these English hence?” This time he wants someone to find an easy answer to the problems Scotland is facing. One quick fix would be perfect, for he is too caught up in his power to want to work for it. The image pattern of medicine and drugs in Act V is important because it shows Macbeth is getting desperate, beginning to realize the danger he, his wife, and his country are in. He wants there to be one easy fix for all his problems. Another affect of drugs are to make everything seem to go away, which is probably what Macbeth wants. He is deep into an irreversible mess, and he will never be able to pull himself out.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Macbeth LRJ 4
There are several purposes of the scene with Lady Macduff in Act IV. In the conversation between her and her son, the audience senses the closeness between the two and immediately like them. She gently teases him, saying things like “Thou speak'st with all thy wit; and yet, i' faith,/ With wit enough for thee.” (Shakespeare 135) and “Poor prattler, how thou talk'st!” (Shakespeare 137) They are kind, loving people, and the stark contrast between them and what Macbeth has become is apparent right away. Macbeth is becoming truly crazy, for he slaughters them for the sole reason of hurting a man he has become slightly suspicious of. The audience begins to realize there is no going back for Macbeth, for he has become too cruel and heartless to kill an innocent child and his mother.
Macbeth’s character has grown worse and worse with each passing day. Each new murder kills a part of himself. Though he sometimes seems to realize it, he does nothing to restrain himself on the belief he is unable to go back, so he might as well kill even more innocent people. His character used to be much kinder, but it is changing more and more rapidly. Others are noticing, which is why by the end of Act IV he has no friends left but his wife -- Banquo is dead and all the other lords are suspicious and frightened of him. Macduff, formerly a close friend of Macbeth, has gone to meet Malcolm in England, for he hates the new king even before he learns of his family’s murders. “Not in the legions/ Of horrid hell can come a devil more damned/ In evils to top Macbeth.” (Shakespeare 143)
Macbeth’s character has grown worse and worse with each passing day. Each new murder kills a part of himself. Though he sometimes seems to realize it, he does nothing to restrain himself on the belief he is unable to go back, so he might as well kill even more innocent people. His character used to be much kinder, but it is changing more and more rapidly. Others are noticing, which is why by the end of Act IV he has no friends left but his wife -- Banquo is dead and all the other lords are suspicious and frightened of him. Macduff, formerly a close friend of Macbeth, has gone to meet Malcolm in England, for he hates the new king even before he learns of his family’s murders. “Not in the legions/ Of horrid hell can come a devil more damned/ In evils to top Macbeth.” (Shakespeare 143)
Macbeth LRJ 3
In Act III of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and her husband are switching roles. She is becoming the careful one, comforting her husband as he obsesses over murder. “Come on, gentle my lord,/ Sleek o'er your rugged looks. Be bright and jovial/ Among your guests tonight.” (Shakespeare 93) She tries to calm him down in preparation for the feast he hosts, for though she is becoming more cautious, she is still conscious of their public image. Macbeth, on the other hand, is now becoming cruel and cold. He believes he is too far into blood to turn back now, so he might as well keep murdering. He is also becoming paranoid. “Oh, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife! Thou know'st that Banquo, and his Fleance, lives.” (Shakespeare 93) The fact that Fleance, his true contender (according to the witches’ prophecy) is still alive, scares Macbeth.
An image that appears over and over again in Act III is blood. Macbeth makes many references to it throughout, and it appears in literal form when the murderer reports back to Macbeth, drenched in Banquo’s blood. Macbeth says “bloody cousins,” meaning Malcom and Donalbain’s guilt; “bloody distance,” in this case meaning he hates Banquo with a passion; and “bloody and invisible hand,” which here means the night has murdered Banquo. When the murderers appear, Macbeth observes, “There’s blood upon thy face… ‘Tis better thee without than he within.” (Shakespeare 99) This is just another way of saying he is glad Banquo was murdered and gone forever.
The themes of paranoia, horror, and retribution are portrayed in Act III through dialogue and allusions. When Macbeth says, “But now I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in/ To saucy doubts and fears. --But Banquo’s safe?” (Shakespeare 101) his choice of words reveal a lot about himself and the themes of this act. First he talks about his all-encompassing fear, enough that he would reveal it in a dinner party in front of many important nobles. However, when he says that Banquo is “safe” as opposed to “dead,” he hints that though he might be glad his enemy is dead, he secretly envies him and the security death brings upon its victim. This theme of desiring death appears several other times throughout the act and the entire play.
An image that appears over and over again in Act III is blood. Macbeth makes many references to it throughout, and it appears in literal form when the murderer reports back to Macbeth, drenched in Banquo’s blood. Macbeth says “bloody cousins,” meaning Malcom and Donalbain’s guilt; “bloody distance,” in this case meaning he hates Banquo with a passion; and “bloody and invisible hand,” which here means the night has murdered Banquo. When the murderers appear, Macbeth observes, “There’s blood upon thy face… ‘Tis better thee without than he within.” (Shakespeare 99) This is just another way of saying he is glad Banquo was murdered and gone forever.
The themes of paranoia, horror, and retribution are portrayed in Act III through dialogue and allusions. When Macbeth says, “But now I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in/ To saucy doubts and fears. --But Banquo’s safe?” (Shakespeare 101) his choice of words reveal a lot about himself and the themes of this act. First he talks about his all-encompassing fear, enough that he would reveal it in a dinner party in front of many important nobles. However, when he says that Banquo is “safe” as opposed to “dead,” he hints that though he might be glad his enemy is dead, he secretly envies him and the security death brings upon its victim. This theme of desiring death appears several other times throughout the act and the entire play.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Macbeth LRJ 2
In Act II, Macbeth appears to have more positive qualities than negative ones. He does not want to kill the king, and after he goes through with it, he is full of fear and remorse. “I'll go no more:/ I am afraid to think what I have done;/ Look on 't again I dare not.” He can’t bring himself to go back into the room to incriminate the servants for Duncan’s murder, which shows he still has a bit of humanity left. However, the fact that he goes through with the murder and then covers it up shows he is becoming crueler. He kills the servants to prevent them from confessing their innocence and pretends to be shocked and saddened when the rest of the household learns the news. “Had I but died an hour before this chance,/ I had lived a blessèd time, for from this instant/ There's nothing serious in mortality./ All is but toys. Renown and grace is dead.”
Lady Macbeth continues to be more savage and cruel than her husband. After he has committed the murder, she scornfully says to him, “My hands are of your color, but I shame/ To wear a heart so white.” This refers to how though her hands are as bloody and guilty as his, she is disgusted by his weakness. She is an extremely good actress, however, and when the household finds out about Duncan’s death, she goes as far as to pretend to faint to keep up the appearance of shock. She exclaims, “Help me hence, ho!” right before she falls to the ground.
The image of a sword or dagger appears many times throughout Act II. The first scene opens on Banquo talking to his son Fleance, and letting him hold his sword. “Hold, take my sword.” Later that scene, when Macbeth is alone, he sees a vision of a bloody dagger and takes out his own to compare it. “Is this a dagger which I see before me,/ The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee./ I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.” In the next scene, Lady Macbeth takes the bloody daggers used for the murder and wipe them on the servants so her husband will not be suspected. “Why did you bring these daggers from the place?/ They must lie there. Go carry them and smear/ The sleepy grooms with blood.” Finally, in Scene 4, there is yet another mention when Donalbain says, “Where we are,/ There's daggers in men's smiles.” The theme of daggers is important because it represents the murder of the king and the slow severing of Macbeth’s conscience and sanity.
Lady Macbeth continues to be more savage and cruel than her husband. After he has committed the murder, she scornfully says to him, “My hands are of your color, but I shame/ To wear a heart so white.” This refers to how though her hands are as bloody and guilty as his, she is disgusted by his weakness. She is an extremely good actress, however, and when the household finds out about Duncan’s death, she goes as far as to pretend to faint to keep up the appearance of shock. She exclaims, “Help me hence, ho!” right before she falls to the ground.
The image of a sword or dagger appears many times throughout Act II. The first scene opens on Banquo talking to his son Fleance, and letting him hold his sword. “Hold, take my sword.” Later that scene, when Macbeth is alone, he sees a vision of a bloody dagger and takes out his own to compare it. “Is this a dagger which I see before me,/ The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee./ I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.” In the next scene, Lady Macbeth takes the bloody daggers used for the murder and wipe them on the servants so her husband will not be suspected. “Why did you bring these daggers from the place?/ They must lie there. Go carry them and smear/ The sleepy grooms with blood.” Finally, in Scene 4, there is yet another mention when Donalbain says, “Where we are,/ There's daggers in men's smiles.” The theme of daggers is important because it represents the murder of the king and the slow severing of Macbeth’s conscience and sanity.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Macbeth LRJ 1
Macbeth is an honorable man with good intentions. However, his great love for his wife blinds him from her not-so-honorable actions and he allows himself to be led into an awful situation that might possibly lead to his downfall. “Yet I do fear thy [Macbeth’s] nature;/ it is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness” (Shakespeare 31). Lady Macbeth is not an evil woman, but she has enormous ambition for herself and for her husband. She won’t allow anything to get in her way, and even asks the spirits to make her less gentle and more ruthless. “Come, your spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,/ And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/ Of direst cruelty…” (Shakespeare 33). Banquo, the commander of the king’s army, seems like an upstanding, moral man who puts his duty before all else. He is loyal to the king and to Macbeth. “Noble Banquo,/ That hast no less deserved nor must be known/ No less to have done so, let me enfold thee/ And hold thee to my heart” (Shakespeare 27).
There are several important themes in Act I. Mystery and danger play a large part, especially in the first scene with the witches. They all chant “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,/ Hover through the fog and filthy air” (Shakespeare 7). Macbeth and Banquo stumble upon them and hear their prophecies, which introduces the next theme of betrayal. When Macbeth hears “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (Shakespeare 17) the idea to murder the king is planted in his and his wife’s minds.
One of the most striking images in Act I is when Lady Macbeth declares “I would, while it was smiling in my face,/ Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums/ And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn to you” (Shakespeare 43). This reference to smashing a baby’s head is important because it both expresses Lady Macbeth’s utter devotion to her husband, and the suggestion of the beginnings of insanity.
There are several important themes in Act I. Mystery and danger play a large part, especially in the first scene with the witches. They all chant “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,/ Hover through the fog and filthy air” (Shakespeare 7). Macbeth and Banquo stumble upon them and hear their prophecies, which introduces the next theme of betrayal. When Macbeth hears “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (Shakespeare 17) the idea to murder the king is planted in his and his wife’s minds.
One of the most striking images in Act I is when Lady Macbeth declares “I would, while it was smiling in my face,/ Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums/ And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn to you” (Shakespeare 43). This reference to smashing a baby’s head is important because it both expresses Lady Macbeth’s utter devotion to her husband, and the suggestion of the beginnings of insanity.
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