...serpent under’t (1.v.63-66) Speaker: Lady Macbeth Just as Lady Macbeth was introduced in the play, he receives a letter from Macbeth stating the witches’ prophecy and how they came true. Once Macbeth arrives and informs her that the king is to arrive soon, Lady Macbeth says that he won’t be able to see tomorrow and explains how it is a good idea to kill Duncan so that Macbeth could become king. She explains that they will act as they normally would for any feast, and pass time until it is appropriate to carry out their plan. Macbeth should watch what he does and says; to look like a harmless and innocent flower. On the other hand, she wants him to be devious and act like a serpent hiding underneath the flower. By saying this, Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to hide the fact that they planned to have the king murdered, so that Macbeth won’t be suspected as the murderer. This quotation is an excellent example of animal imagery because Lady Macbeth emphasizes the fact that Macbeth is to act like a serpent. Serpents are one of the most common animals used for imagery. In this case, the serpent is used to symbolize the evil within Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. The theme which is best presented in this quotation is appearance and reality. Macbeth was known to be a loyal and true man who served the king. However, Lady Macbeth was able to persuade him into killing Duncan in order for Macbeth to gain the title as king. Killing the king was an example of an evil plan, but because they were to...
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...A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S MACBETH LINDA NEAL UNDERWOOD S E R I E S E D I T O R S : W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth 2 INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare developed many stories into excellent dramatizations for the Elizabethan stage. Shakespeare knew how to entertain and involve an audience with fast-paced plots, creative imagery, and multi-faceted characters. Macbeth is an action-packed, psychological thriller that has not lost its impact in nearly four hundred years. The politically ambitious character of Macbeth is as timely today as he was to Shakespeare's audience. Mary McCarthy says in her essay about Macbeth, "It is a troubling thought that Macbeth, of all Shakespeare's characters, should seem the most 'modern,' the only one you could transpose into contemporary battle dress or a sport shirt and slacks." (Signet Classic Macbeth) Audiences today quickly become interested in the plot of a blindly ambitious general with a strong-willed wife who must try to cope with the guilt engendered by their murder of an innocent king in order to further their power. The elements of superstition, ghosts, and witchcraft, though more readily a part of everyday life for the Renaissance audience, remain intriguing to modern teenagers. The action-packed...
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...Macbeth is presented as a suffering victim, who then plummets into a downward spiral where he becomes a symbol of evil. When we first encounter Macbeth, the witches have just foretold the three prophecies. Macbeth is enamored with the idea of becoming king one day. Looking for advice Macbeth confided in his wife, Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth’s immediate reaction is that she has always pinned for the throne and was going to find a way to obtain it. Ultimately Lady Macbeth conjured up the idea to kill King Duncan. She later presents her matoltocal plan to Macbeth. At first Macbeth is not willing to go through with her plan. He thinks it is unjust and that there are other ways to obtain the throne. However Lady Macbeth uses her power of persuasion and lores her husband into a trap. She does this by stating, “When you durst do it, then you were a man.”(Shakespeare 1.7.49) Lady Macbeth tries to take away Macbeth sexuality by saying in the quote that if he does not complete this deed he will be less of a man in her eyes. She continues to go into more depth and say that she will no longer love him either. Lady Macbeth picks apart Macbeth until there is nothing left. She took away Macbeth...
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...tragic and heroic life. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the titular of the play is a great example of a tragic hero. Firstly, Macbeth is already of high status from the beginning of the play, and is brave in battle to win the war for Scotland; surely this makes him a hero. Next Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his, that is a desire for power and to be king. These flaws play an important role in the outcome of his life. Finally Macbeth’s obsession with the prophecies, and the murders he commits mainly leads to his downfall or periopetria. Although, a hero usually lives a triumphant life their personality can lead to their downfall and death. Too start off with Macbeth’s bravery and courage won the day for Scotland in defeating Norway and Macdonowald. First, brave and loyal Macbeth storms through the battle with Banquo defeating Sweno, in an insane fight for which his, “brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution.” Macbeth fought so courageously that the battle “ memorized another Golgotha.” In this case Macbeth is definitely a hero. Second, in the beginning of Act 1 scene 2 Duncan is in Awe of how valiant and noble of a soldier Macbeth is. “ O valiant cousin! Worthy gentlemen.” Even though Macbeth is Duncan’s cousin he is till filed with absolute joy about Macbeths accomplishment. Third, the king promotes Macbeth to thane of Cawdor. “ And with this former title greet Macbeth.” As Duncan takes this title away from the traitor and awards it to Macbeth, he becomes even more suspicious with...
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...Lady Macbeth is a character in Shakespeare's Macbeth (c.1603–1607). She is the wife to the play's protagonist, Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman. After goading him into committing regicide, she becomes Queen of Scotland, but later suffers pangs of guilt for her part in the crime. She dies off-stage in the last act, an apparent suicide. According to some genealogists, Lady Macbeth and Duncan's wife were sisters or cousins, where Lady Macbeth had a stronger claim to the throne then Duncan's wife. It was this that incited her jealousy and hatred of Duncan. The character's origins lie of the accounts of Kings Duff and Duncan in Holinshed's Chronicles (1587), a history of Britain familiar to Shakespeare. Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth appears to be a composite of two separate and distinct personages in Holinshed's work: Donwald's nagging, murderous wife in the account of King Duff, and Macbeth's ambitious wife Gruoch of Scotland in the account of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth is a powerful presence in the play, most notably in the first two acts. Following the murder of King Duncan, however, her role in the plot diminishes. She becomes an uninvolved spectator to Macbeth's plotting, and a nervous hostess at a banquet dominated by her husband's hallucinations. Her fifth act sleepwalking scene is a turning point in the play, and her line, "Out, damned spot!," has become a phrase familiar to many speakers of the English language. The report of her death late in the fifth act provides the inspiration...
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...Macbeth and Gender John J. Armes, M.Ed. Ashford University June 4, 2018 Dominance; This theme occurs in so many of William Shakespeare’s plays because it is vital to the creation of conflict within a storyline. The Plot of Macbeth would have never advanced if the foresight given by the witches did not make Macbeth willing to take power away from Duncan and become king himself. Many of Shakespeare’s female characters have also been willing to obtain power; however, achieving power was not as easy as it was for men. Women were not put into leadership roles as easily as men were; they had to seek them out. Lady Macbeth from Macbeth is a the perfect example of a woman who took action to control her own life and the lives of those around...
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...point in their life, whether it is directly or indirectly. One famous and rather memorable example of a mental disease takes place in a Shakespearean play, Macbeth; which is the story of a loyal soldier who falls into the depths of darkness and despair as he seeks the crown while disregarding any ramification (Bevington). Early in the play, Macbeth’s mental state is a commonplace. He seems to be content with himself. But, as the story progresses so does his mental health. He turns into an unrecognizable man whose guilt causes him to go insane. Belatedly, the witches, his wife, his hallucinations, and his tragic flaw cause Macbeth’s descent into madness. The opening of the play introduces supernatural...
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...manipulative wife, a pushover husband, and a treacherous plan to be king into the mix, it can lead to divorce…or in this case, death. In the play Macbeth, gender roles and relations are a prominent theme throughout the play. This recurring thematic element is especially illustrated in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's actions as individuals as well as a couple. Their perception of gender specific roles for male and females, as well as their personal adaptation to unforeseen situations in the play, caused them to reexamine the preconceived notions of acceptable male - female relations and ultimately led to their demise both as individuals and as a couple. During the opening acts of the play, specifically acts I and II, Macbeth’s persona could be described as timid and humble; on the other hand, his counterpart -Lady Macbeth, had ruthless, devious, and manipulative character traits. From the beginning, Lady Macbeth was undoubtedly not a typical wife. She broke the status quo of the stereotypical 11th century wife of the soon-to-be Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland. She did not stay in her castle and perform mundane wifely duties; on the contrary, she was a go-getter, and her robust nature often made her seem more manly than her husband. In fact, she wanted to become a man, so she could do the things her timid husband would not. She knows Macbeth is ambitious, but fears he is too “full o th’ milk of human kindness” to take the necessary steps to make himself king. “...come you spirits...
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...To what extent is masculinity associated with evil and violence in Macbeth? Evil is a theme widely explored by Shakespeare in his plays and “Macbeth” is no exception. This play demonstrates violence in relation to evil and evil in turn is a reflection of the desperation and anxieties of the characters in “Macbeth.” The question of whether masculinity is associated with evil and violence is easily answered as the main character in this horrific tragedy is Macbeth himself, who commits a range of heinous crimes from murder to dabbling with witchcraft. However, the extent to which masculinity is related to evil is more obscure. In this essay I am going to show that evil and violence in “Macbeth” is not monopolised by masculine characters. To show this I will be analysing female characters who demonstrate strong evil qualities and personalities such as Lady Macbeth, The Witches and Hecate. I will also discuss Banquo, Macduff and King Duncan because these characters represent chivalry, nobility and honour of human characters, even though they are male. The first character I will be looking at is Macbeth himself. This is because he is the central character and focus of the entire play. From the outset Macbeth is depicted as a fierce war hero: “Till he unseamed him from the nave to the chops, And fixed his head upon our battlements.” (Act 1: Scene 1: Lines 22 – 23) The captain using the...
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...Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Bloom's Classic Critical Views alfred, lord Tennyson Benjamin Franklin The Brontës Charles Dickens edgar allan poe Geoffrey Chaucer George eliot George Gordon, lord Byron henry David Thoreau herman melville Jane austen John Donne and the metaphysical poets John milton Jonathan Swift mark Twain mary Shelley Nathaniel hawthorne Oscar Wilde percy Shelley ralph Waldo emerson robert Browning Samuel Taylor Coleridge Stephen Crane Walt Whitman William Blake William Shakespeare William Wordsworth Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Edited and with an Introduction by Sterling professor of the humanities Yale University harold Bloom Bloom’s Classic Critical Views: William Shakespeare Copyright © 2010 Infobase Publishing Introduction © 2010 by Harold Bloom All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For more information contact: Bloom’s Literary Criticism An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data William Shakespeare / edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom : Neil Heims, volume editor. p. cm. — (Bloom’s classic critical views) Includes bibliographical references...
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...fourth EDItION Critical Thinking A student ' s Introduction Ba ssha m I I rwi n I N ardon e I Wal l ac e CRITICAL THINKING A STUDENT’S INTRODUCTION FOURTH EDITION Gregory Bassham William Irwin Henry Nardone James M. Wallace King’s College TM TM Published by McGraw-Hill, an imprint of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 DOC/DOC 0 ISBN: 978-0-07-340743-2 MHID: 0-07-340743-7 Vice President, Editorial: Michael Ryan Director, Editorial: Beth Mejia Sponsoring Editor: Mark Georgiev Marketing Manager: Pam Cooper Managing Editor: Nicole Bridge Developmental Editor: Phil Butcher Project Manager: Lindsay Burt Manuscript Editor: Maura P. Brown Design Manager: Margarite Reynolds Cover Designer: Laurie Entringer Production Supervisor: Louis Swaim Composition: 11/12.5 Bembo by MPS Limited, A Macmillan Company Printing: 45# New Era Matte, R. R. Donnelley & Sons Cover Image: © Brand X/JupiterImages Credits: The credits section for this book begins on page C-1 and is considered...
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...material to their individual teaching styles, resulting in an exceptionally versatile text. Highlights of the Fourth Edition: Additional readings and essays in a new Appendix as well as in Chapters 7 and 8 nearly double the number of readings available for critical analysis and classroom discussion. An online chapter, available on the instructor portion of the book’s Web site, addresses critical reading, a vital skill for success in college and beyond. Visit www.mhhe.com/bassham4e for a wealth of additional student and instructor resources. Bassham I Irwin Nardone I Wallace New and updated exercises and examples throughout the text allow students to practice and apply what they learn. MD DALIM #1062017 12/13/09 CYAN MAG YELO BLK Chapter 12 features an expanded and reorganized discussion of evaluating Internet sources. Critical Thinking thinking, using real-world examples and a proven step-by-step approach. A student ' s Introduction A student's Introduction everyday culture and critical thinking. It covers all the basics of critical Critical Thinking Ba ssha m I Irwin I Nardone I Wall ace CRITICAL THINKING A STUDENT’S INTRODUCTION FOURTH EDITION Gregory Bassham William Irwin Henry Nardone James M. Wallace King’s College TM bas07437_fm_i-xvi.indd i 11/24/09 9:53:56 AM TM Published by McGraw-Hill, an imprint of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002. All rights reserved. No part of...
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