Author: Clive Rogers

Practice

Rising Action Events:
In Act 1, the rising action event consists of Macbeth deciding to kill the King after speaking to his wife and hearing the prophecy of the witches.

Rising Action Events:
In Act II, the rising action mainly entails Macbeth killing King Duncan. His sons react, and the people of the castle talk of ominous symbols and harrowing predictions.

Rising Action Events:
During Act III, the conflict rises even further when Macbeth tries to kill Duncan’s children to secure his prophecy. He fails (only killing one of them) and his guilt takes the form or an apparition of Banquo himself.

The events are linked by cause and effect because Macbeth’s actions are directly influenced by the events before them. Due to the prophecy made at the beginning of Act I, the events in Acts II and III are effects of Macbeth’s desire to make the prophecy come true (or subsequently avoid the negative effects of the witch’s predictions, such as the rise to power of Banquo’s son). Macbeth acts with motivations to influence his own future. An example of this is the need to kill Banquo because he had already killed the King and the prophecy warned of Duncan’s bloodline.

Crisis/Turning Point of Act III:
The turning point of Act III is when the ghost of Banquo appears as a vision to Macbeth while he is gathered with his friends. This event leads those with him to suspect him of malice and his facade is broken. During this scene he is at his weakest and most vulnerable, and those close to him start suspecting his guilt and planning attack.

Predictions:
The reader might predict that Macbeth will have a downfall in the coming acts. He seems to be on the verge of his lies catching up with him, and his state of being crumbling. Most likely, the actions of Macbeth will begin to cause him tragedy.

Close Read the Text

Comp>

Macbeth’s plan to murder both Banquo and Fleance are only successful in part. When he sends out the two guards, they succeed in only stabbing Banquo and not Fleance, who gets to escape. Fleance escapes into darkness as the two murderers return.

During the banquet scene, Macbeth acts strangely when he senses/sees the presence of Banquo’s ghost. Already, Macbeth feels guilty with thoughts of remembrance of Banquo through toasts and speeches, but when he sees Banquo’s ghost he is offput enough to stop the party.

During Act iii of Macbeth, Macbeth uses his newfound power to tie up loose ends in the witches’ prophecy by orchestrating the murder of Banquo and Fleance to prevent their rise to the throne. He succeeds only in murdering Banquo, as Fleance escapes. During a banquet, the ghost of Banquo sits at the table and is unseen by all but Macbeth. This unsettles him enough to stop the dinner party. In other scenes, the witches and royalty of England both separated conspire to hurt Macbeth.

Research to Clarify

One unfamiliar detail from the text might be the emergence of King Edward of England. Upon research, this King is known as “King Edward the Confessor” and he was king of England from 1042-1066.

Concep>

Refer to the Chart above to answer Exercise 1

Refer to Chart on Exercise 1 to complete page 296.

Refer to Chart on Exercise 1 to complete page 296.

Refer to Chart on Exercise 1 to complete page 296.

Refer to Chart on Exercise 1 to complete page 296.

Refer to Chart on Exercise 1 to complete page 296.

Assignment

Pretending as a p>As they had seen me with these hangma n ‘s hands :
List’ning their fear, I could not say “Amen.”
When they did say “God bless us!” (286). Macbeth has some intense feelings of guilt and regret about killing the king, but decided to cover it up to protect his throne and his wife.

Reflect on Your Writing

In my evaluation of Macbeth, his deep sense of regret and guilt are driving factors toward the main issues in his character. What may have been lacking are his relationships to power and order, because I (as an audience member) have not yet witnessed how Macbeth is as a leader and King.

In my evaluation, I used Macbeth’s words hinting at guilt towards his wife. However, there are plenty of examples in Act I and II of Macbeth going back-and-forth about the emotional morals and overall ethics of killing King Duncan.

Practice 1

Within the lines 33-39 in scene i, there is mostly the presence of iambic foot. The passage itself has the rhythm of iambic pentameter, probably due to the authors decision to have Macbeth speak as high-born people would. The stressed words in the passage are “dagger” and “heart” which help to create the dreadful tone of Macbeth before the murder of the King.

For answers to question 1, see part A.

Practice 2

In the lines 1-2 from Scene ii, “That which hath made them drunk hath made
me bold: “, (283), consists of anapestic foot.

b) the structure of the lines deliberately exploits the difference in meanings to the words “drunk” and “bold”.

c) With these lines, Lady Macbeth is admitting her boldness to alcohol and the drunken state she is in because of it. It may allude to her character not having courage while sober.

Practice 3

Refer to Chart above to answer Excerise 3 on Page 294

Refer to the Chart in Exercise 3 to complete page 294

Refer to the Chart in Exercise 3 to complete page 294

Refer to the Chart in Exercise 3 to complete page 294

Refer to the Chart in Exercise 3 to complete page 294

Refer to the Chart in Exercise 3 to complete page 294

Close Read the Text

Words in the text following the word “Hath” in Act 2 Scene ii: drunk, bold/ quenched, fire. These words are interesting because they are used as opposites.They have opposite meanings and contradict the word before it, even though the word “hath” vaugely means “to have” which might suggest agreement.

Analyze the Text

A) The reactions to the King’s death by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have large differences. For examp>B) Macbeth chose to react this way because it allowed him to distance himself from the obvious gains he receives now that the King is dead. Lady Macbeth fainted when she heard of the King,(“Help me, hence, ho!), 290, which was probably done to avoid any questioning of her.

Macbeth is most likely disturbed by his reaction to the mans p>As they had seen me with these hangman ‘s hands :
List’ning their fear, I could not say “Amen.”
When they did say “God bless us!” ” (284). He feels that he has done an injustice that has turned his religion against him. This p>Stuck in my throat. ,284).

The p>of hell gate, he should have old turning the key, 286″, he is commenting ironically on the devilish murder that Macbeth committed.

Why These Words

Two words that relate to the concept of betrayal from Act II are “guilt” (286), “treason” (286), and “malice” (290).

Patterns of Word Changes

To make these words into adjectives (“vice”, “danger”, and “marvel”) they become “vicious”, “dangerous” and “marvelous”. To make the words remit, rely, and vigilant into nouns, they become “Remittance”, “Reliance” and “Vigilance”.

Comp>

In the first scene of Act 2, Macbeth has a vision where a dagger points towards him from the place where King Duncan sleeps. These images remind him of the murder he decided to commit, and they haunt him as Lady Macbeth rings a bell to signal it is time.

The murder of the King is discovered by Macduff, who was sent to check on he King in the morning after the murder. he comes back to report to Macbeth the murder of King Duncan.

Ross and the Old Man in Act 2 Scene iv talk about the mysterious circumstances under which the King Duncan died. More than this, they discuss how natural (an unrelated) effects of the day are strange: how dark it is during the day, how Duncan’s horses died, and how an owl killed a hawk.

During Act 2, the murder of the King is the main event. Under the cover of night, Macbeth kills the king with the help of Lady Macbeth, whom drugs the guards and helps Macbeth clean up after the murder (she decides to frame the guards). During the murder, Macbeth hears people in the castle waken and has haunting thoughts about what he has done. In the morning, Macduff finds the king and wakes the castle, which leads Macbeth to act surprised and Lady Macbeth to faint. A porter makes jokes and Donalbain and Malcolm escape the castle as Macbeth gets crowned king, and he king is buried.

Research to Clarify

Example: What is a porter? In Act 2, Scene iii there is an extended dialogue with a porter, whom research reveals is similar to a janitor. This job still exists today in a similar way to the job performed by the porter in Macbeth’s castle.

Research to Exp>

Research Question: What does the use of the word “Gorgon” mean in relation to how Macduff saw the King when he discovered him dead? Does Shakespeare allude to Greek Gods and goddesses frequently in his plays?

Concep>

Refer to the chart above to answer page 280

Refer to the chart in Exercise to complete page 280

Use chart in Exercise 1 to complete page 280

Refer to Exercise 1 to complete page 280

Refer to Exercise 1 to complete page 280

Refer to Exercise 1 to complete page 280

Assignment

Examp>If you decided to be the confidant of Macbeth, you would remind him that with killing the king came ultimate power. As king, Macbeth would do a better job of ruling Scotland than King Duncan, who Macbeth tells is meek and unassuming. You could remind Macbeth that after the service that he did for the king (which ultimately made him the Thane of Cawdor) that he deserves this position.

Create Your Character

Refer to the chart above to answer page 279.

Refer to the chart in Exercise 1 to answer page 279

Use the chart in Exercise 1 to answer page 279

Use the chart in Exercise 1 to answer page 279

Practice

Refer to the chart above to answer page 278.

Refer to Exercise 1 to answer chart on page 278

See Exercise 1 to complete page 278.

Close Read the Text

Lines such as “When the hurlyduryl’s done/ when the battle’s lost and won” (261) and “Where the place/ upon the heath” invoke childlike rhyme schemes that directly conflict with the otherwise scary and evil nature of the witches. It’s this contrast that makes the rhyming patterns unsettling, as if warping a childlike device to be dark.

Analyze the Text

Macbeth, upon seeing the witches, goes into a “rapt” state (264), which is translike and hypnotic. Banquo is more level-headed, and even inquires into the witches beards (“and yet your beards forbid me to interpret”) and prohecy’s, asking why he was not given one, (“to me you speak not”) (264). Macbeth feels fear, whereas Banquo is only interested.

As a guest at the house of Macbeth, the king announced that his son Malcolm will be the next King of Scotland. Macbeth hates to hear this, (“The Prince of Cumberland!’) and is effect to start planning the murder of those who stand in his way, (“Let not light see my black and deep desires”) (269).

The reasons that Macbeth gives for not killing the king are that he,”[am] a kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed, and his host”) (273). He also admits, that although the King is “meek”, that he is not a bad ruler. He agree that he has no strife upon the King, only “vaulting ambition”, (273). He decides not to kill the King after the soliloquy.

Why These Words

The words “captivity” and “treason” relate to actions that are involved in war and conflict. Additionally “assault” , “rebellion”, and (as stated in the text) “revolt” all have meanings that are similar to the violence expected in war.

Practice

Example; one of the worst treasons to commit on the battlefield is the assault of your own army. On the grounds of war, a revolt is never accepted from within the army, and you will be called a rebellious spirit, and if you flout an attitude that conflicts with other soldiers, your time spent on the battlefield will be short.

Word Study

The latin root -bell means war, and therefor influences the meaning of the words it is p>
Belligerent:means to be hostile and aggressive. Similar in aggression to that of wartime.
Bellicose: a willingness to fight. Related directly to violence and war, such as in the the words.
Antebellum: reflects the period of after-war, such as the Antebellum period after the Civil War.The root -Bell functions again to put the word in frame of wartime.

Comp>

The three prophecy that the witches predict are that 1) Macbeth will become King of Scotland, 2) that he will also be named Thane of Cawdor, and 3) That Banquo’s heirs will be kings.

Lady Macbeth fears that Macbeth is not up for the task of killing the king when he is their guest. This act would fulfill the witches prophecy, which is what she wants. She worries that Macbeth will be, “It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness (270), and not kill the king.

ACT 1: Three witches introduce the audience to a character called Macbeth, who is a soldier that is slated to become the next “Thane of Cawdor”. Later, when Macbeth returns from battle and disembowelment, he and his friends discuss the prophecy and the expectations, in which the current Thane of Cawdor was killed for being a traitor. A character named the Captain goes off to be treated, and Macbeth has plans to have King Duncan as a guest. His wife, Lady Macbeth, initiated an idea to kill the king, and gives herself over to the witch’s power. She convinces Macbeth to kill the king, citing his manhood and power, and Macbeth ultimately gives in.

Research to Clarify

Example: In researching the word “thane” it is defined as a person who owns land directly from the King, and was common in the Shakespearean times of Scotland.This land was usually a gift for service, so it would make sense that Macbeth would receive land for his heroic war service to the current king.

Research to Exp>

Some examples include:”The Three Witches” by Alexandre- Marie Colinor “Macbeth and the Witches” by Granger. Both can be found online and in reproductions.

Media Connection

In most of the Act I, it seems as though the witches spark a thought that Lady Macbeth elaborates on to the point of completion. When the witches suggest that Macbeth will become the “Thane of Cawdor”, it evokes mostly confusion and wonder from Macbeth. However, Lady Macbeth makes a commitment to reject her womanhood in order to kill the king. It is her ultimate argument, and plead that his manhood will not be retained if the King lives, that makes Macbeth go through with the killing.

Concep>

Refer to the Chart Above for guidance on Exercise 1

See question 1

See question 1

see Question 1 for chart

Go to Question 1

Refer to Question 1 Chart