Goal of literary essay: "Looking at the text as a work of art, demonstrating clear critical judgment and explaining to the reader of your essay how the enjoyment of the text is assisted by literary devices, linguistic effects and psychological insights; showing how the text relates to the time when it was written and how it relates to our world today.
TIPS: look at individual feedback and class feedback, construct a quote sheet, come up with three different thesis statements - three points each
Power
- What does this play show us about power? - everything happens because of power - the witches' prophesy makes the Thane thirst for power - especially when Malcolm becomes The Prince of Cumberland
- [how do people change from power]
- ["power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely
John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton,
- Power without morality is not good - the Thane loses his morality - [look at I vii and compare to V v]
- Killing his best friend to keep future power - he's not even in danger of losing it
- Not good power: "give sleep to our nights; meat to our tables" (III iv)
- Play starts with Duncan - people like him (again, look at I vii soliloquy)
- What kind of power do the witches have - they could use their power for good, not bad
- Is the prophesy good or bad in and of itself?
- Power can be used in different ways [can compare Malcolm, Duncan and Macduff to the Thane]
- Later III vi - Hecate says the witches need to "fix their mistake"
- What about the Lady's quest for power (I v) - she calls on the devil to "make thick [her] blood" - she encourages her husband to kill in order for her to gain power [what is the effect? Does she enjoy her power?]
- Macduff always sees the truth "wherefore did you so?" (II iii)
- Macduff uses his power in a good way - he has morality with power
- Ambition for power…
- "if we should fail-" (I vii) - motivated to kill
- [what benefit did the Thane receive from power?]
- [power is seductive/ temptation]
- [why do people want power?]
- The Thane loses his morality to attain power
- [think of beginning of play questions - how much ambition is too much ambition?]
- [what do the Thane and the Lady lose from their blind desire for power?]
- I v 47-58 - Lady's speech "unsex me now" - willing to get rid of her femininity
- Lose their humanity
- In this play the Thane does receive power from the people (power with no support doesn't seem to work very well)
- Being the Thane of Cawdor is not enough - to keep the power he has to kill everyone he sees as a threat
- Power to know the future -
- "ill-gotten gains"
- Focus on how to keep the power
- Obsessed by prophesy
- To stay in power became paranoid (insomnia)
- Corrupts him to believe in the witches
- Used to think what would happen (I vii) then "I have forgot the taste of fears" (V v)
Morality
-what is morality?
- Goals - how does this connect?
- Example - Lady shows morality - III iv - the Thane doesn't tell her about murdering the Macduff household or Banquo
- Beginning of the play - Thane I vii - does not want to kill the king - 12 reasons
- The Thane's morality is dynamic - first - he questions - then it gets easier and easier "we still have judgment here" (I vii) - thinks of the repercussions of his actions
- Hiring murderers - is this even worse than killing people oneself
- Duncan promotes Malcolm (I iv) - the seed is in the Thane's head "a step I must o'erleap…"
- Starts off noble and loyal as introduced in I ii - reported by the sargeant
- Would the Thane have killed the king if he didn't know the prophesy? [does it matter? The prophesy symbolizes temptation - does it matter how bad thoughts come into our heads?]
- [what makes good people do bad things?]
- II ii - the Thane is afraid to look at what he has done - he cannot wash the blood from his hands - could not say "amen"
- [Lady goes from "a little water clears us of the deed"(II ii) to "all the Perfumes of Arabia could not get the smell of blood from these hands" (V i) ]
- Jealousy contributes to the Thane's downward spiral
- Only wants to keep the power once he kills
- No time or patience to think about his own morality once he has power
- "she would have died hereafter" (V v)
- Power changes people [can compare the Thane to Duncan - is he corrupt?]
- Lady becomes crazy - why?
- How Thane's morality changes throughout the play
- Compare and contrast Thane and Lady's morality
- [what about the way the Thane treats his servants in the end]
Betrayal vs Loyalty
- Play starts off with betrayal
- The Thane starts off as one of king's most loyal subject
- [is the Lady loyal throughout?]
- [What role does loyalty play in our lives?]
- Betrayal starts when the Thane kills the king
- The Lady starts with disloyalty right away
- If the Thane didn't want to do that - he would have stayed strong - temptation!
- Lady questions Thane's masculinity
- Strength of character
- [it takes strength of character to remain loyal]
- [fortitude]
- Real men have strength of character - stay strong - be the man [she tries to appeal to his manhood in III iv (banquet scene) - he ignores her]
- Saddest thing about betrayal is it never comes from your enemies [opposite of "keep your friends close and your enemies closer"]
- [Malcolm and Donalbain: "the nearer in blood, the nearer bloody" (II iii)]
- [Thane is kin of Duncan]
- [does Macduff betray anyone? Does he betray his family? Is he a traitor]
- How does one achieve loyalty? - people loved Duncan - but both The Thane and Macdonwald betray him
- Duncan's judgment is poor
- Whole Scottish, English, Irish army against the Thane in the end
- Duncan says I iv 11 - there's no art in the mind's construction in the face" (he laments trusting Macdonwald)
- The witches betray the Thane
- The Thane is only loyal to himself
- How do the witches' deceive the Thane
- Who could the Thane trust?
- Hecate III v - wants the witches to deceive the Thane - look at the second set of prophecies?
- Thane can't trust anyone - has to kill everyone around him.
#Power corrupts #power without morality is bad (real life?), ambition #downfall of power #greed and power #good people do bad things - why #breaking morality gets easier #insanity and morality #guilt #greed #pride #temptation #consequences of lack of morality #loyalty is difficult # excuses # strength of character # fortitude #motivation and pride
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