Owen Zheng Pd 5 11/12/19 Blog

Owen Zheng PD 5 11/12/19

Sophomores 2020 Blogger #32

AIM: How is imagery used to highlight the motif of promises?

Do Now:

Review Macbeth’s soliloquy, especially the conclusion

How does the imagery Macbeth illustrate his development as a character?

Fusaro: What are the pros and the cons of killing Duncan? 

(Today we starts discussing the ups and downs of getting rid of King Duncan. A point mentioned today is that its better to kill King Duncan now and get it over with rather than suffering trying to rid him later. A counterpoint to that is guilty conscience and xenia that it will not be easy to be king as they will try to find who kills the king and the people next in line will be paranoid. To add on, the concept of karma and divine right was introduced and the example that the universe will turn against conspirators through an example of chalices that if you poison a chalice at a dinner party, karma will make sure the chalices will swap and you may be drinking from that chalice. Divine rights means God will be mad if the king is killed. So in the end. Macbeth decides not to kill King Duncan as he can’t cover it forever and someone will find out sooner or later as too many people will be suspicious.)

Students debating the pros and cons of killing King Duncan

What could this possibly mean?

What is the meaning of this image?
(Someone mentions that a lady is seeming bursting into a room in a nightgown, waking someone up in a hurry. She infers that it must be nighttime if the lady wearing a nightgown. Another points out her expression, describing it as it’s full of fear and she must be warning or attempting to evacuate the sleeping person. To add on, they continue to describe it as she is in a hurry, no shoes, fast slew of the flame, a candle rather than a torch. The sleeping people in the background seems confused and alarmed at what the lady is doing.)

Reading Act 1 Scene 7

(Lines 40-49 continues on as Lady Macbeth shrewdly tells Macbeth he dare not rather he would, meaning he rather not do anything at all than doing something he would regret. She compared him to a cat in the adage; Cat eating fish but would not get his feet’s wet, rather being handed fish. Macbeth argues by doing nothing is doing everything, as he already has the praise and acknowledgement of the court. She goes on threatening him to smash his child head to bits if he fails, signifying she may have lost it and to tell him to grow up or lose it all. She offers her hand in the murder by swaying the guards, offering them wine and flirting. He must up hold his end of the deal to kill Duncan or she will kill his child. This signifies the major flaw in his character is that he’s naïve, easily swayed by any suggestions of anyone else and thus easily manipulated into doing terrible things.)

Discussion 

(Lady Macbeth is obviously wrong the head and he easily sway into doing terrible things.)

 What did I learn?

I learn that Macbeth has a fatal flaw of easily persuade and being manipulated by his psychotic wife leading him to his destruction.

Why did I learn it?

I learn it to understand Macbeth grim meaning of blackmail, manipulation, and coercion, how the tragedy usually occurs due to fact the major flaw in the character like Macbeth.

How will I use what I have learned?

I will use what I have learned by connecting any motifs or connections/references to Macbeth in other works as Macbeth has a great deal of influence in today’s literature.