Response to Macbeth Act2

This act is about how Macbeth murders King Duncan. I thought this was interesting, because Macbeth had been feeling pressure from his wife to do it when he didn't really want to do it to get the crown in the first place-- no matter how enticing this prophecy sounded to him. This says a lot about Macbeth's integrity. He doesn't want to cheat his way to the top. However, the same cannot be said for Lady Macbeth. She depicts a very dominant role, considering she is a woman in the Elizabethan Era. Women in that time and for a few hundred years after that still didn't have the same mentality or will as Lady Macbeth.
This scene is what I have decided to write about for my paper. I find their intentions/wills to be somewhat ironic. I'm surprised Macbeth actually went through with this conspiracy. I thought his innocent conscience would keep him from doing it, and therefore maybe we would have seen Lady Macbeth commit the crime. After all, she's the one who wanted this to happen for the sake of the crown. But I wonder how Macbeth will adapt or change once he is King of Scotland. Will he still feel guilty? Will anyone find out? What will become of him?

Casi F.

Macbeth Act II Response

Am I the only one who is still having a little trouble keeping up with all the changing characters and scenes and everything? Maybe I am...anyway this is my response to act two.

"Go get some water,
And wash this filthy witness from your hand.
Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
They must lie there: go carry them; and smear
The sleepy grooms with blood."
(Shakespeare 50)

This is, to me, one of the most important lines because it tells a lot without actually saying a lot. Literally it just means that Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to get cleaned up and return the daggers to the room where Duncan was killed and make it seem like the guards did it.  I don't think she thought this plan out too well.  Why would the guards kill Duncan and then fall asleep in the room? I don't know about you, but if I were to kill someone I probably wouldn't want to take a nap immediately following it...
Another thing is that Macbeth shows no real sign of honor in this.  He didn't necessarily want to kill Duncan. He was not 100% confident in his actions.  He listened to Lady Macbeth because she just wants to be the queen.  If she wanted something so badly, she should have done it herself.
The action that Macbeth took changes the whole story around.  With Duncan gone, we don't really know what to expect.  Will Macbeth get away with it?  Will Lady Macbeth suffer any consequences for convincing Macbeth to commit this crime?  What if someone else takes the throne, or what if someone returns the favor to Macbeth and he never gets to have the glory of being king after he went through what Lady Macbeth told him to?  There is quite a bit to think about as we read on more in the story.

Macbeth Act 2

In this reading in act 2 scene its about how Macbeth is talking his guilt toward what he had done like killing Duncan. In act 2 Macbeth wonders in his mind weather or not if he will get away with what he has done and will he ever get the blood off his hands. When he confronts his wife and tells her what he has done, she tell him to wash his hands with water and it will come off easily. When i read this I feel like that there is a miscommunication between him and his wife. I also feel when i was reading this act that the wife of Macbeth does not know or understand the full gravity of the situation. When she does figure out what happen she got really mad because Macbeth left the dagger at the scene of the crime and calls him a coward for not going back and getting it. After reading this i got really interested because I felt that i was part of the story and I felt that it was really happening in real time.

"Will all great Neptune ocean wash this blood clean from my hand (Macbeth Act 2 scene 2)

Macbeth Act 2

"Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" (William Shakespeare Act 2, Scene 2)

In act 2 scene 2, Macbeth is talking about his guilt for killing Duncan. In this line, Macbeth is wondering if the guilt will ever go away and if he can ever rid the blood off his hand. When Macbeth's wife comes out to see Macbeth, she replies that the water will clean off the blood easily. But I feel like there is a disconnect between the couple, because Macbeth feels terrible about it and his wife doesn't completely understand her husband is upset about killing Duncan. The wife gets mad when she realizes that he didn't leave the daggers behind and instead of understanding that he doesn't want to go back in the room, she calls him a coward. There is definitely some tension between the two. Maybe I'm imagining things.

I think that it is interesting that we only read about killing Duncan before and after it happens, but don't see anything written about him actually in the act. I wonder why Shakespear wrote it like that. I like Macbeth and Shakespeare. I read it in highschool and we did a couple of projects and acting scenes from it, which was fun. It really helped me understand things better by acting it out and going over the play line by line to decipher the meaning.

Lena

Macbeth Act 2 - 10/25

What I find the most interesting in Act 2 is all the foreshadowing. In my first reading response I talked about how the witches and their supernatural power kept me interested, but there was foreshadow present in Act 2 without the witches being present. It seemed like some people in the story already felt that a murder was going to take place, that they could feel the negativity in the air. Lennox told Macbeth the morning after the murder that "The night has been unruly." He said that people "Lamentings heard i' th' air, strange screams of death" - implying that they heard death in the night air. "The obscure bird clamored the livelong night"- which means an owl hooted all night because the owl is the omen of destruction. I think Lennox's rendition of the night before scared Macbeth even further, he was already nervous that he would be caught and was unsure of his actions.

Another piece of Act 2 that really interested me was Porter's analogy about being drunk. It was so funny because it's true! I didn't quite understand what he was saying until I read the modern version, and I understood it completely. It's funny how even in Shakespeare's time, being drunk had the same effect that it has on a lot of men today.

"It provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance." - just hilarious!

ACT 2 - MACBETH

"Malcolm and Donaldbain, the King's two sons,/Are stol'n away and fled, which puts upon them/Suspicion of the deed(34)."

From these lines we gain the knowledge that other people are beginning to blame the murder on Duncan's sons. Although MacBeth feels guilty and is guilty, others aren't realizing the same thing. This was part of the scheme that Lady MacBeth was planning, she wanted to make it look like someone else did the act. When MacBeth told her that he still had the knives he used with the murder, she was upset with him and demanded that he took them back as soon as possible.

The play is becoming very interesting and all of the manipulation makes the story even more suspenseful. As I said before, I read a couple of other Shakespeare plays and so far, I think, this is one of the most interesting to me. It's not easy to read, but it's not difficult to try to figure out what certain lines and phrases mean. I feel like with poetry, we had to read it completely blind-sided, but with this you can piece the puzzle together.

Macbeth: Act II Journal

There is no specific text that I will specifically right about; but as a whole, Act II got juicy. Lady Macbeth is so persistant and demanding that I find it hilarious, due to the fact that back during that time women weren't seen as dominant characters. She was the mastermind behind the death of King Duncan, but plays it off so well. With the attack in mind, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth executed the murder smoothly and diligently. Then, guilt stated to set in his (Macbeth) mind as he looked at the blood on his hand that still clenched the dagger. He became dilusional and scared all at once. That didn't seem to phase his wife though. She knew what it had to take to become the first lady and she did just that. Planning the murder, executing and painting the murder scene fell through unbelievably, that it started to point fingers toward Duncan's two sons as they fled soon after the revealing of his death. Them leaving made it suspicious, having in mind that once the King dies, the eldest son is whom takes the throne. With Malcolm and Donalblain fleeing, they have become suspects along with the groomsmen who were painted with the murder. I enjoyed this act because it was suspenseful and interesting all at once. Duncan's death was so blunt, that it left me saying "oh" as I flipped the pages. I'm ready to see what happens next, the more I read, the more my memory is being refreshed from my High School days in acting this play out.

MACBETH ACT 2

"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red." (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 63-66)

In this quote, Macbeth acknowledges that fact that he is guilty. Though the blood can be washed from his hands, the guilty feeling he is suffering cannot be.  He is wondering if the Roman god of the sea’s ocean will wash the guilt from his hands. He recognizes that his hand committed the deed. If he were to try and wash his guilt clean, he knows his hand would turn the many and vast seas red with blood, making the green color of the oceans a pervasive red because of his dreadful actions in killing Duncan.

I am starting to get into the play more and finding myself excited at times wanting to read it. Although, I am still struggling throughout, finding it extremely hard at times to understand was is truly going on. While this is difficult for me I am enjoying researching and finding definitions of different words that helps me understand the play more.   

Reading Responce 10/25

“These deeds must not be thought
After these ways; so, it will make us mad” (William Shakespeare 26).

This quote from Lady Macbeth in Act 2 Scene 2 of Macbeth, displays Macbeths feelings after committing a murder. I believe this quote summarized the entire act thus far. Just before Lady Macbeth stated this, she was waiting for Macbeth to kill Duncan and return to her. During the murder Lady Macbeth heard a noise and thought that the bodyguards woke up before he finished. Once Macbeth came back he was deeply shaken because of the events that took place. This is when Lady Macbeth tries to get him to calm down and tells him not to think about it like this because it will make them crazy. After reading this there was a couple of things that stuck out to me. The main thing being that he actually committed the murder after he stated that they “will proceed no further in this business” (William Shakespeare 21). Another observation being, after the murder both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth acted surprised of the murders. Both of these events made a certain impress on me mainly because there not the good characters one would think. In the beginning I thought Macbeth was a hero and good to his people but he now seems to be the opposite. And still Lady Macbeth is being more of the dominate character which is not what most females were at this time. All of this now leads me to wonder if the people will ever find out who really committed the murder of Duncan?

Macbeth Reading Response Act II

"The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures" (Shakespeare, 27)

This quote is said by Lady Macbeth to Macbeth.  At this point in the Act Macbeth has just work up the courage to kill Duncan but his subconscious keeps on trying to make him feel guilty by speaking to him and scaring him.  Macbeth has just said that this voice has just told him that "Glamis hath murder sleep, therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more." (Shakespeare,27)  In this quote I believe that sleep is referring to the calm state of mind.  And so once Macbeth completes the deed and kills King Duncan, Macbeth will forever have a heavy guilt over what he has just done.  He will literally not be able to sleep because he mind will become so restless.  Then in Lady Macbeth's response to his worries, she is saying that those who are asleep and  those who are dead are one in the same.  When you are sleeping you can not physically take action with what is going on around you and the same happen when you are dead.  Lady Macbeth is calling Macbeth a cowered and thinks that he should be taking initiative and owning up to what he has just done.  She is saying that the sleeping and the dead remain still and lifeless like pictures and they can not do anything to harm him because those who were asleep during the time that Macbeth killed Duncan can not prove that it was he who killed the King. Now this leaves me wondering how the play will end.  Because Macbeth is definitely suffering from a guilty conscious and Lady Macbeth seems unaffected.  I wonder if maybe Lady Macbeth will end up taking all the blame and covering for Macbeth or if she will frame him and tell everyone that it was him?

MacBeth Act II

"The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee." (2:1:35)

I found it crazy how delusional that MacBeth got right before the murder was committed. He talked to himself and was imagining a dagger in front of his face. The fact that he took it as a sign to commit the murder was intriguing. He was opposed to the whole idea until he started hallucinating and felt that the deed needed to be done. I feel as if this is the start of the whole story now because the king is dead. The rest of the characters do not know anything pertaining to the murder and I think it will be interesting to watch everything unravel. We also learn that two of the chamberlain were killed and that threw in a little twist to everyone else's confusion. MacBeth lost his cool and began to freak out, and I believe that is why the two chamberlain were killed. Lady MacBeth got under his skin but, he thought he would be able to handle it better.

Macbeth Act II

“I am afraid to think what I have done.” (2.2.53)

Lady Macbeth got angry that Macbeth brought the daggers with him instead of leaving them with the sleeping chamberlains. She commanded him to go back in and leave the daggers with the sleeping grooms so it is obvious they killed Duncan, “Go carry them and smear the sleepy grooms with blood” (2.2.52-53). Because Macbeth was in shock after what he had done, he refused to go back to Duncan’s room. Lady Macbeth made a comment about the weakness of her husband and went back to put the daggers into Duncan’s room and to smear some blood on the chamberlains. From her command to Macbeth, it is obvious that Macbeth did not kill the chamberlains, because Lady Macbeth mentioned “the sleeping grooms…” Later in the play we learn that the chamberlains were also killed when Macduff came from Duncan’s room screaming after finding everybody dead, “They stared and were distracted” (2.3.101). This means that the only person entering Duncan’s room after Macbeth killing Duncan was Lady Macbeth. It must have been her who killed them. Because Shakespeare writes Macbeth as a play, we are lacking the description of emotions the characters must be going through, especially Macbeth, who must have been surprised the grooms are also dead. Knowing the only person who might have done it was his wife, he blames it on himself, “Oh, yet I do repent me of my fury, that I did kill them” (2.3.103-104). This results in a fact that Lady Macbeth is a cold, manipulative, and ambitious woman who cannot be stopped by anybody in achieving her bloody goals.

Macbeth Act II

“That would make good of bad and friends of foes” (Macbeth, Act II, Sc. IV, line 41)

This was the last line of Act II and I found it intriguing how it was a line of paradox, good to bad, friend to foe, and I think it really relates to the whole act itself. Macbeth has killed Duncan and this brings chaos and disorder as the characters are all suspicious and afraid. After the killing of Duncan the chaos can be seen as Ross says, “By th’ clock ‘tis day, and yet dark night strangles the traveling lamp” (Macbeth, Act II, Sc. IV, line 6-7) this shows that it’s dark despite the day which is paradoxical and inverted, then the the Old Man says, “Tis unnatural… A falcon, tow’ring in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed” (Macbeth, Act II, Sc. IV, line 10-13), then Ross speaks again, now about his horses, “turned wild in nature… Contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would make war with mankind” (Macbeth, Act II, Sc. IV, line 16-18). The examples show unnatural images as an owl eats the hawk, and the horses turn wild and against man when horses and man are actually supposed to have a tame and friendly relationship. Everything explained in those quotes are unnatural just like the killing of Duncan because nobody knows who did it and it’s a disruption of order in terms of hierarchy and society because in society murder is seen as an unnaturally occurrence and in terms of hierarchy the king is dead and Macbeth ends up becoming the king, but that’s not his rightful place.

Second Response to Macbeth, by William Shakespeare

“But wherefore could not I pronounce ‘Amen?’ I had most need of blessing, and ‘Amen’ stuck in my throat” (Macbeth, Act II, Sc. II, line 30-34).

In this passage, Macbeth is talking with Lady Macbeth after he kills King Duncan. Macbeth is recalling how he is unable to ask for God’s blessing right before he commits the murder. Although these lines do not contain much imagery, the tone in which they are written conveys a sense of desperation and guilt as Macbeth thinks about what he has done. This passage is intriguing to me because it highlights the truth that every human being, whether or not they are aware of it, has a conscience, or a sense of right and wrong. Macbeth knows that what he is doing is wrong, and that is why he feels that he could not ask for blessing upon his evil act. I also find it interesting to note that if Lady Macbeth did not urge Macbeth on to the gruesome task, Macbeth would have likely listened to his conscience and refrained from killing the king. I feel that Lady Macbeth bears an equal or greater amount of blame for the murder because she plants the idea in Macbeth’s mind, frames the servants, and executes the whole plot except for the actual murder. Lady Macbeth knows that murder is wrong, but she chooses to reject what she knows to be right in order to achieve her own ends. Although Macbeth is a fictional story, it is amazing to see how many parallels there are between the Shakespearean era and modern times. Shakespeare must have had a great understanding of human nature and its many flaws and imperfections in order to write a story that is relevant across the ages.

Macbeth Act 1 Reading Response

"Macbeth: So foul and fair a day I have not seen."

This line, i feel sets the tone for not only the first act but also for the entirety of the play. This line shows a sense of foreboding and a sense of confusion. For me, that in the emotional tone of the whole play. There are large sections of the play that are filled with an air of despondency and fear of what is to come in many of the chracters. There are also many instances in the play that the characters feel confusion, both between other characters and within themselves. The inner confusion faced by the characters also seems like inner turmoil over what they have done and what they see as they must do. The confusion between chracters is also seen in the form of miss-communication, both intentionally and unintentionally. This play is one of Shakespeare's tragedies and this line is one of the many that create ans atmosphere of fear of what is to come.

Samantha Smiley

MACBETH ACT 1

Having to sit down and read MacBeth, I find it very difficult. I always seem to lose track of which character says what because I am trying to read it as if it was a regular novel. I also do not like reading it because it is written almost as if it is a poem with all the different rhyme schemes. It also seems as if it is written in a completely different language at times. However, I am still trying to to learn from this experience and trying understand William Shakespeare and the play MacBeth.

First Witch "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!"
Second Witch "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!"
Third Witch "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!"

I am still trying to understand the purpose of the witches in the play and who they are because Macbeth and Bonquo are questioning the reality of the witches. However, in these quotes I find as if they will be for shadowing the future. I believe that Macbeth will betray someone in order to be King. I think this because the "all hail" is referred to by Shakespeare, Juda's betrayal to Jesus. Overall I am enjoying the struggle to find out the meaning of things, however I am really finding it difficult to read.

"Macbeth" Reading Response Journal

“And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths” (Shakespeare, 51)

This quote by Banquo in the third scene of act one was by far my favorite. I haven’t read the play, but I know enough about the plot to realize that this quote foreshadows the tragic fate of Macbeth. At first glance, Macbeth is a loyal soldier to King Duncan and worthy of high praise. Macbeth is also highly ambitious, and with each scene his thirst for glory becomes more of an obsession. It doesn’t help that his wife prods him into embracing these desires instead of laying them to rest. After I finished the first act, I started looking for connections to Macbeth in modern media. I couldn’t have been rattling my brain for two minutes before I immediately thought of Brian De Palma’s classic 1983 gangster film, Scarface. It is impossible to watch the meteoric rise and violent downfall of Tony Montana without picturing the famous highlander. I am excited about reading Macbeth. I was supposed to read this play for my Literature class when I was a senior in high school, but “Snowpocalypse” compelled the teacher to cut the unit completely. I am looking forward to see what happens next, especially with Banquo. He came across as a likeable character, and I am interested in seeing what role he plays in Macbeth’s usurpation of the Scottish throne.

MacBeth Reading Response

I have read a few Shakespeare novels in the past, but have not read any recently or throughout any of my college learning. It certainly takes some time to get used to his writing style, words, and character plot so when I began reading the first couple pages I felt like it was going to be very hard for me to even get though ACT 1. However, after reading more into the plot and getting familiar with some of the characters, the reading because easier although it still isn’t easy to understand at times. It’s almost as if the brain needs to get used to a different language until we begin to comprehend Shakespeare’s writing.

ACT 1, as most other beginning pages or a novel, is very difficult to get used to because there are different characters and roles that I was trying to understand. At the beginning the novel seemed to be going in different directions, and it was very difficult for me to follow a story line. However, once the plot began developing the plot against Kind Duncan and his murder. I think it's interesting to see how the time frame that the plot is written in potrays how normal murder was at the time. If someone wanted to take another person's title, murder would be the answer and it would justify. The one thing I do not like about the novel is that it introduces witches, especially very early on in the ACT, because it makes the novel seem more fictional and it is difficult for me to imagine the characters in my mind. 

Macbeth by Shakespeare

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair"(3)

This line from Macbeth is very common and has been excessively dissected. However, the line serves as a theme for the entire Act 1. The line is a simple idea of the false truth being portrayed as the only truth and vice versa. The theme is reflected throughout Act 1. First, the witches give Macbeth and Banquo a glimpse of what their future looks like. The witches themselves are evil however, they tell the true prophecy. Thus, they are portrayed as evil but they really are telling the true future of the two. Next, Lady Macbeth acts extremely loving and seems to care for Macbeth's throne. However, she is the one who directed Macbeth's mind towards the wrong direction of killing Banquo and her thirst for power is clearly evident based on this act. Furthermore, Macbeth has been poratrayed as a loyal and brave soldier. However, the climax where he kills Banquo shatters his image of being innocent. Thus, what seems the truth is not necessarily the actual truth and there is much more behind it. Furthermore, the 'foul is fair' will be further explored in the rest of the novel. Thus, this line is greatly significant as several themes can be tied to this one line. The novel is hard to read and looking up terms at the bottom gets tedious. However, after reading it twice or a few more times, the content is quite straightforward.

Macbeth Reading Response

Now that our class is reading Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, I am not necessarily as excited to sit down and read this play. I have been reading Shakespeare in school beginning with sonnets in eighth grade and most recently read “Hamlet” my senior year of high school. I have fond memories of falling asleep with my face between the pages of my Hamlet book.

This time around I am trying to keep an open mind and actually read the text closely. I still loathe reading old English texts but I feel like class discussions will help clarify any misunderstandings. Already in my reading I found a quote that just sounds ridiculous when read aloud in act 2, scene 1, page 2. “So I lose none In seeking to augment it, but still keep my bosom franchised and allegiance clear, I shall be counselled.” Coming across sentences like this in the reading is kind of disheartening and the extra effort to analyze context and look up words makes reading more of a task than an activity. I definitely prefer reading books from the 20^th and 21^st centuries but I think I am up for the challenge of reading a Shakespearian play from the 17^th century in my sophomore year of college.

Reading Responce 10/18

“We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honored me of late, and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people, which would be worn now in their newest gloss, not cast aside so soon” (Shakespeare 21).

This quote is from “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare and it displays how Macbeth no longer wants to kill Duncan. Moments before telling this to Lady Macbeth, Macbeth realizes that the king is a relative who loves him and that if he murders him he would be committing a sin. He states to Lady Macbeth that he wants to enjoy his position longer. A question I have and can’t wait to find out is if Lady Macbeths taunts will affect him and/or if he will carry out the murder. After reading this act for the first time I was very confused and didn’t understand much of it at all. I read it again, and then one more time to get a better understanding. The main thing that stuck out to me was the language, or the way he rights. It is very amazing but at times very hard to interpret the point that Shakespeare is trying to get across. Some of the things that I do that help me interpret this play include, breaking down the individual scenes before moving on, acting out the actual play, and if necessary use a modern English version. Overall I do not have much experience with plays so I'm looking forward to read and analyze this play and get a better understanding of plays in general.

What i felt about Macbeth Part 1

When I first read Macbeth part 1 it was very hard for me to understand because it was really a long time since high school that i read Macbeth. When I was in high school i read Romeo and Juliet. when i read this it was hard at first but i was able to break it down and figure out what the novel is saying. When i was reading Macbeth part one I had to keep a dictionary with me to figure out what I did not understand. What I also had to do when i was reading was to look for an english version of what I was reading. I had to read it out loud and write cliff-notes or footnotes to better understand the context. From what I read in part one i found it very interesting to read when i finally understood what the context was saying and I am looking forward to how the rest of the novel goes. Over all im having a fun time and enjoying the story cause i enjoyed reading Romeo and Juliet.

MacBeth Reading Response

It's been a while since I've read Shakespeare, so I had to keep flipping back and forth to the Dramatis Personae to keep everyone straight. I also had to read all of the footnotes too, because some of the language  didn't make sense to me.

I haven't read MacBeth before now. And I think I am going to be re-reading Act One before next week. I was a little confused as to what role the witches actually play and what was going on with MacBeth. I was wondering how he could be the Thane of Glamis and (later) Cawdor as well as (later) King of Scotland? On page 10, MacBeth asks the witches how he could be Thane of Cawdor when there is already living Thane of Cawdor. But then the witches "vansih" and it's just kind of left in the air. I'm curious for a more detailed explanation.

On another note, I'm not sure what kind of female influence Lady MacBeth is suppose to portray, but I do like that she is able to speak more than a few words. She can be forthright sometimes. But then again, I'm sure that has more to do with the fact that there's not many female roles to begin with aside from her servant, the witches, and Hecate. The rest are males.

I think the idea about listening to it would probably help too! I don't think the footnotes and my notes are enough when there are so many characters to differentiate.

Casi

Macbeth Act I Response

In highschool I've read Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. However, we usually read them as a class and reading/interpreting it for myself is going to be new. I like to read it aloud with someone though because it gives a more realistic feel for the story. I actually like act one because of all the conniving and scheming that is going on. Macbeth says," What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature;/ It is too full o'th' milk of human kindess." From these two lines, I took that Macbeth thought it unnatural for the witches to be so kind-hearted to him. He thinks there is something else that they want secretly. I also found it astonishing that the wife, Lady Macbeth, was more persistent to go through with the murder than Macbeth was. She laid the whole plan out for him and he just agreed. I'm interested in seeing what the rest of the story will unfold. I also want to see who else is going to die because in most of Shakespeare's plays there are numerous killings.

Macbeth

Macbeth is a(n) interesting play. I remember acting this out in theater back in High School. As i was reading, certain scenes popped out at me and it made it seem kind of clear; but like poetry, plays are hard to read and comprehend. It helped reading with others and trying to summarize after each scene what we had just read. The line that stuck out to me was when Lady Macbeth and Macbeth were speaking about how they're planning to kill King Duncan. They sneakily plan an attack against him as he sleeps, framing his guards so, Macbeth can finally be king. "When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two Of his own chamber, and us'd their very daggers. That they have done't?" (Shakespeare, 36) This was a thought out process that will lead Macbeth to take over after all, just like everyone wants. With the blood and daggers pinned on the guards, it will seem suspect and believable that they are the ones at fault, while Macbeth and his wife carry on and act in disbelief like the rest. Its the perfect setup. Lady Macbeth, to me is an interesting character. To be a lady she doesn't show the "lady like" qualities. Her lines display her to be so vulgar, demanding and manipulative. This scene I shared, shows how she is the mastermind behind King Duncan's death, As we read further, we will see more manipulation I feel like from her character. She reminds me of a "go-getter" and she wants to be known and royal, and with her husband being King she will be able to have that title. Interesting first act, now I think if I see the play, the pieces will come back to me all at once.

Macbeth Reading Response

I have always enjoyed Shakespeare's poetry, for that is all I have read for him. I have seen the movies such as Romeo and Juliette and I've quite enjoyed them. In high school, we always analyzed his sonnets, and I always found them very artistically beautiful. From the style, to the rhymes, to the messages, to the word choices. And speaking of words, you will need a dictionary with you to be able to fully understand what he is trying to say, because the type of English he writes in is very dissimilar to the English we use today. I still don't know how I feel about Macbeth yet. I want to read more to see what it's all about. When I mentioned to a friend of mine that I was reading Macbeth for English class, he said: "Oh that's a great book, you're going to enjoy it!". So that got me a little excited to read it. When I first started reading though... To be honest, I didn't understand anything. I had to look back and forth at the footnotes to be able to stay focused. In scene 1 of Act 1, three witches meet in a a dark scary place, and I concluded that from my own imagination since in plays you don't really get much setting description. They use words like "heath", "anon", "kerns"... I have never seen these words before, which made it a little difficult for me to understand the text. However, through moving on with the reading, I started getting used to reading the footnotes right when I don't understand something. What I also noticed is that the play is written in verse, which is pretty interesting. So that made me wonder about how would it be acted out in real life. Shakespeare continues with introducing more characters to the play like Ross, Agnus, Banquo, and Macbeth... I am pretty sure there will be more characters in this epic, but I still don't understand the connections. I am looking forward to reading this work until the end.

- Sara

Macbeth - Reading Response 10/18

What most interests me in Macbeth are the witches. They just add a hint of entertainment to the story for me. I can imagine them popping up and speaking in proverbs to Macbeth and Banquo. And I can imagine two grown men cowering at the presence of supernatural beings. Anything supernatural interests me, and it makes this story more interesting. Every time the witches appear, the plot thickens. The prophecy that they tell Macbeth in the beginning is the basis of the entire plot. Macbeth is dreaming to be king, and the witches just validate his want for power. In a way, the witches are the most important component of the story line. Without them, the story wouldn't be so intense and anxious as we wait to see if their prophecies come through.

The witches also give the play a grungy type of eerie feel to it. I love the imagery that's presented, it makes the story so much easier to enjoy and divulge in when the dialogue is sometimes hard to understand. I think that with Shakespeare, you have to find something that you can attach to and really be interested in to hold your attention and to make you want to understand what's going on. This element for me, are the witches. I can't wait for them to show themselves again!

MacBeth Reading Response Oct 19

I "read" MacBeth in high school. My teacher told us to look over, not read, but look over, different random parts of the play and then we'd just end up watching that part of the movie during the next class. I honestly didn't fully grasp the play since we didn't even go over it and its entirety. We also never fully discussed it since we just watched the movie. I plan on reading and trying my hardest to fully understand it. So far, in Act I, I find the story and characters interesting. I find the sneaky conversations and the peer pressure some what relatable, if I am understanding what is going on.

"The interim having weighed it" (Shakespeare 13).

In the footnotes, it says that this phrase means "having considered the matter in the meantime." It is difficult to learn and understand this Elizabethan language he chose to write in. I also noticed that everyone is trying to get to MacBeth's head, but he is trying to decide his own fate and what he wants to do with Cawdor. He was peer pressured into this situation and even his wife is encouraging the murder. I finally an understanding of Shakespeare's work and I find it interesting: in the style of writing and the plot.

Macbeth Response

I found Macbeth wonderfully intriguing. There was this motif of disruption of order that I kept seeing throughout the book.  As there’s a play on words with “foul and fair” Macbeth says, “So foul and fair a day I have not seen” (Shakespeare 1.3.38) and this shows a disruption of order in the nature as he uses a paradox of foul and fair, the day is good and bad at the same time which gives a very ominous feeling of insecurity, and even before Macbeth quotes that paradox, in Act 1 scene 1 the witches say all together, “fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Shakespeare 1.1. 12). There’s also part in the play where Banquo is talking about the witches and he says, “You should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so.” (Shakespeare 1.3 .45-47) and this shows a disruption of order in gender roles and norms as women shouldn’t be having beards and also just watching Macbeth and his wife their social roles have changed as Macbeth’s wife seems to be more manly than Macbeth. There is also a disruption in hierarchy seen as Macbeth thinks of becoming the thane of Cawdor and he says, “The thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?” (Shakespeare 1.3. 109-110) and this represents how if Macbeth tries to become the thane of Cawdor he’s disrupting the order of hierarchy because the “borrowed robes” implies that since they’re borrowed they don’t suit/fit him well, just like how he shouldn’t disrupt the hierarchy and try to become the thane of Cawdor.

Macbeth Response

I remember reading Macbeth in high school, but never quite understood it. It was kind of like poetry. Like a different language. We also read Romeo and Juliet so I think part of the reason it was hard to understand is because I would get the two stories mixed up. Lets hope this time I can get it right.
The very beginning of Macbeth was always unclear to me.  I never understood why there were three witches chanting spells and such. Re-reading it again and having seen the movie in high school still did not help. I just do not really see the connection to Macbeth.  The very first line asks when the three of the witches are going to meet again.(Shakespeare 2) I would rather know why they are meeting now than when they are going to meet again.  They also mention how they will meet Macbeth on the heath. (Shakespeare 2)
This passage, to me, would make more sense if we had background knowledge about the witches, Macbeth, and locations and everything.  In my book there were a few pages before the actual story begins describing the time period, location, etc. of when Macbeth was written, but not when it takes place. I am hoping that next class we can review what we read as we did with "Oysters". I don't think I was the only one who got a better understanding of poetry after we reviewed it. I hope that we can do the same with this so we can understand the story better. Right now I'm kind of lost.

MacBeth Response

"Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me fom the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty." (Shakespeare, 17)

These are the words that Lady MacBeth speaks when she has discovered how the witches have told MacBeth that he would be king. Lady MacBeth is an interesting character because she does not act very "lady-like". She is very dominant and manipulative person. She does whatever is needed to obtain whatever she wants. From the quote from above the phrase "unsex me" is an interesting phrase because to me its meaning that she wants to be stripped of her womanly limitations and do the things that she wants to do. MacBeth even says to her "For thy undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males" (Shakespeare, 22). What he is saying is how Lady MacBeth has such a dominating personality that its very masculine. This character reminds me of Jezebel from the Bible. She is known for her overpowering behavior where her authority surpassed that of the King's. To me I believe that Lady MacBeth is the same.

Macbeth Reading Response

"If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly.  If th'assasination could trammel up the consequence and catch with his surcease success-that but this blow might be the be-all and the end-all!" (Shakespeare 1.7 1-5)

At this point of the play Macbeth is speaking to himself and contemplating all that he has heard from the three witches regarding his future.  He feels that in order for him to become king he needs to kill the present king.  In this quote Macbeth thinks that if killing the king will make him king then he should just get it done with quickly.  All though out Act one Macbeth is struggling with this recent news that he is has been given about becoming king.  After hearing this news he plans to take matters into his own hands instead of letting fate run its path.  This aside that Macbeth has seems like it may become an important foreshadowing of what is to come later in the play.  For Macbeth it seems that he is becoming his own worst enemy because he always seems to over think things and is becoming to eager about gaining the title as King.    From the moment that he finished talking to the three witches he began questioning how he is going to successfully accomplish these future predictions.  The witches have planted this seed inside his mind and he will not stop until he has becomes King.  I wonder why Macbeth is trying to take action so quickly at becoming King, why not just wait and see if King Duncan is going to give him the title.    

Macbeth

"When you durst do it, then you were a man' and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man" (1.7.49-51).

I have never known what Macbeth is about so I even read the introduction in the book hoping it will give me some overview or ideas about the story. To my understanding, the introduction described Macbeth as a tyrant and a really bad sneaky person, however, when I read the first act, Macbeth seems to be a good worrier who fights for his king Duncan. Until he tells his wife about the three witches who tell him he will be a king one day. She makes this plan how to kill Duncan so Macbeth can be a king. But Macbeth is not as bad of a person as she is; he reconsiders killing the king because he is afraid of circumstances that might come afterwards. His wife gets mad and mentally forces him to the murder; she tells him that he is not a man if he does not kill the king. She indirectly changes his mind by saying he would be more of a man if he committed the murder. Because Macbeth loves her so much, he does not want to look as a week person to her, thus he eventually agrees with her killing plan.

Reading the book is as hard as I thought it would be. I have to translate every word I do not understand because English is not my native language, and use the notes at the bottom of each page to help me interpret the meaning of the story. I need to read some passages multiple times so they make sense to me. Even this is the first act, the story is getting very dramatic and I wonder if Macbeth kills the king.

Hana

Response to Macbeth, by William Shakespeare

“Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here; and fill me, from crown to toe, top-full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood, stop up th’ access and passage to remorse, that no compunctious visitings of nature shake my fell purpose nor keep peace between th’ effect and it” (Shakespeare, 1055).

In this quote, Shakespeare is describing Lady Macbeth as she plans to kill the present king, Duncan. The author’s imagery, through his choice of descriptive words, paints such a vivid picture that I can almost see Lady Macbeth’s grey face as she swears a mortal curse. This soliloquy is written in a tone of darkness, and, yet, I find that it is one of the easiest passages to understand because evil thoughts and cruel intentions are common to all human society, regardless of the time period. I also find this passage intriguing because, before reading this story, I would have thought that Lady Macbeth would be a womanly heroine. Yet, Shakespeare's description of Lady Macbeth is just the opposite. The qualities that are generally considered more feminine, such as gentleness and compassion, are thrust aside as Lady Macbeth asks to be “unsexed” by evil spirits and filled with the “direst cruelty” (1055). I find it especially disturbing to see these characteristics in Lady Macbeth because I usually hope that the main female character in a story will be a noble person with whom I can relate. However, Lady Macbeth’s heart is set only on evil, and, while we are all sometimes tempted to do wrong, I cannot approve of Lady Macbeth’s continuously wicked thoughts and plans. Thus, with some reluctance, I must see her as the antagonist, even though I had hoped she would be the protagonist. I then wonder, what will be Lady Macbeth’s end? Will her evil scheme come to pass? Will the consequences of her plan prove too heavy for her human conscience to bear?

Field Work

“Our moon was small and far, was a coin long gazed at brilliant on the Pequod’s mast across Atlantic and Pacific waters” (Heaney 45).

After we pointed out in the class that Heaney mentions many nature signs in his poems, I began to pay attention to them. In the poem Field Work, I can tell in every verse, he mentions some kind of nature, such as “…smell of the coal…, …big-eyed cattle…, ring-wormed chestnuts…, Atlantic and Pacific water…” (44, 45). In this poem, he talks about his wife; he is watching her in the garden or the field working and realizing how beautiful and perfect she is to him. He especially mentions her beauty and perfection in the fourth part. I interpreted the quote mentioned at the beginning of this blog as they might not be wealthy “…our moon is small…” (45) and the vision of wealth if any is far “…and far…” (45) but they still have a long future together, which Heaney compares to the boat Pequod that sailed across the Atlantic and Pacific ocean. As I was reading Heaney’s autobiography, he was born and grew up at a farm where his father focused on selling cattle but, later in life, his family moved from the farm. None of the sources mentioned Heaney had a farm with his wife. Therefore, he might be talking about his mother in this poem. Even though his family moved from the farm, they moved to a different rural areas; that is why Heaney mentions nature very often in his poems.

Hana