This might make a great thesis statement!
This link has been bookmarked by 102 people . It was first bookmarked on 15 Jul 2006, by ehbien.
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In a barbaric era, population pressures made war and even the slaughter of one community by another a fact of life. Survival depended in having a capable warlord to protect life and property, prevent infighting, and protect from distant enemies. Groups of warlords would unite under the nominal leadership of one king to promote their common interests and war on more distant nations. While people pretended to believe in "the divine right of kings" and "lawful succession", continuing effective leadership was assured by warlords killing off the less capable family members.
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Holinshed credits Macbeth with both of these victories, but let's think. Macbeth cannot have fought two battles 500 miles apart at the same time
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Much of what goes on in this short play is what is NOT said.
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most (all?) of the actual murders occur off-stage, since without any between-act curtains, the story had to be written so that somebody would remove a dead body from the stage. Thanks.
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Macbeth was written specifically to be performed for, and to please, King James I.
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The witch persecutions were a monument to human stupidity. James may have really believed that there was a secretive sect devoted to malicious evil. Or he may have been just another cynical politician trying to unite people against a common imagined enemy with different cultural practices.
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Of course, the witches "equivocate" with Macbeth in reassuring him that he will not be vanquished until the forest moves, and not be killed by anyone born of woman.
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A Matthew Gwynn held a pageant to greet James I, in which three boy-actors played Sibyls and prophecied his future greatness and mentioned Banquo.
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- James supposedly told John Harrington that before the execution of his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, there was an apparition of "a bloody head dancing in the air".
- An accused witch named Agnes Thompson, who had been tortured, told James and his court that on Halloween of 1590, two hundred witches had sailed into the town in sieves.
- In his book on witches, James wrote that they would give deceptive and double-meaning prophecies.
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Macbeth says he sees more kings afterwards. Shakespeare has turned the nature spirits of his sources into witches for the witch-hunting king's enjoyment.
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repeated theme of "What is a real man?" Like nowadays, there is no consensus.
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Third Murderer really is. It's evidently somebody who knows Banquo and Fleance. The usual suspects include Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, or a servant or thane. All these people are supposed to show up momentarily at Macbeth's dinner party, without bloodstains.
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It seems reasonable that he would send somebody knowledgeable to help two disenfranchised persons (not professional hit men) kill a mighty warrior and his teenaged son.
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hird Murderer is someone familiar with Banquo's habits ("... he usually does ... ")
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I am wondering whether the First Murderer was reluctant to kill a child. In other words, you will have to decide for yourself!
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Producing Macbeth is supposed to be unlucky. Fires, falls, and weapon injuries have plagued past productions. Superstition requires those involved in productions not to say the play's title, but rather "The Scottish Play". There are silly urban legends about the boy actor who first played Lady Macbeth getting sick and Shakespeare having to fill in, and Queen Anne closing the theaters after people thought the deviltry of the play had caused a bad storm. Some people think that the play's vision of evil, with witches, demonic familiars, and so forth explains the bad luck. You will have to decide for yourself.
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"Who would have thought the old man would have so much blood in him?" Lady Macbeth goes psychiatric (definitely) and commits suicide (maybe). Hearing of this, Macbeth just says "She should have died hereafter", meaning "She should have picked a different time to die." He then launches into English literature's most famous statement of the meaninglessness of life. He considers suicide, which the Romans considered the dignified thing to do under such circumstances. But he decides it would be more satisfying to take as many people as possible with him. For the word "juggling", see I Henry VI 5.iv.
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Erin Payne-Christiansenstrange assortment of information on Macbeth, loosely organized and casually delivered
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Courtney RudatCurrency: January 2005.
Relevance: Summary/commentary on Macbeth
Authority: Ed Friedlander, M.D. Not a credible source.
Accuracy: Information is relevant to the summary of Macbeth but author adds commentary and speaks plainly; talks with uncertainty
Purpose: This site brings up valid points in Macbeth but in an unprofessional way. The author wants to call attention to these points.
I chose to include this website because I feel it is a good example of a non credible source students should be aware of. Unprofessional setup. -
07 Sep 11
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Aaron GavinWeek 5
This is a resource for students
This would be good for an introduction to Macbeth -
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07 Jun 11
Brandi GrahamSite with lots of background info for Macbeth.
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Amanda Williamspossibly use for introductory activity or pre-reading activity?????
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Jeanne SkotnickiGood resource of background information on the play. Discussion of themes is a good source of guiding questions.
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Samantha JA website with links, discussions, and more all relating to Macbeth.
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Rhondda PowlingThe site provides lots of background and some speculation about the play. Offers some gruesome and entertaining facts about the play. Very easy to read.
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Add Sticky NoteMacbeth is supposed to upset people
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Public Stiky Notes
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