Reading Journal - Act IV

Act IV – Scene I:

·         Macbeth vows to kill Macduff and his family

·         The apparition states that Macbeth should “Beware Macduff”, yet the witches don’t say why he should fear him.

·         Macbeth fully trusts them, even though he is without Lady Macbeth.

·         It is the first time that Macbeth seeks the witches, rather than them looking for him.

·         Loss of sanity?

·         He goes to see them – does he tease them, almost taunting them?

·         Macduff – rebellion – gone to England

·         Macbeth is ruthless to assert his dominance.

Act IV – Scene II:

·         Macduff’s wife and children are killed – it’s ironic because previous to their killing Macduff’s son and wife discuss good and evil.

·         Ross and Macduff’s wife talk about how Macduff has left for England – he does for the right reasons (to protect his family) however they still end up getting killed.

·         It’s the first time we see the orders being acted out because of Macbeth’s actions.

·         Its also the first time that we see children and wholly innocent characters die in such a brutal way.

·         Macbeth is quick to kill of the Macduff’s because of their threat to the throne.

Act IV – Scene III:

·         Malcolm tests Macduff’s loyalty.

·         Ironic – dramatic, Ross say’s Macduff’s wife and children and OK, yet later he tells Macduff that they are dead – this helps to justify his revenge.

·         Human impact and suffering at the hands of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the first time we have seen the consequences of their actions.

·         Moral interpretation and stance? Human nature.

·         Killing of children and women signifies innocence?

·         The killing adds a human element to it.

·         Macduff’s guilt – he wasn’t there to protect his children – makes their death even sadder.

Reading Journal - Act III.

Act III- Scene I:

·         Banquo shows he is suspicious and suspecting the king, but he knows to be quiet.

·         “Our fears in Banquo stick deep”, and “My genius rebuked” – shows that Macbeth fears Banquo knows of his dirty deeds, he is contemplating how to solve this?

·         Witches prophesied Banquo’s children will become king – because of this Macbeth fears that he will be killed.

·         “Come fate into the list...” – he is calling on the witches to change their prophecy.

·         “Barren sceptre”- fruitless crown, implying that Macbeth cannot have children? Lady Macbeth makes a reference that she had children. “I have given suck” the word sceptre implies that it is a phallic object as well. This adds to his fear of losing the crown.

·         Macbeth cannot kill Banquo himself – talking to the murderers convinces him to kill Banquo in reality. He then tries to justify it to himself.

Act III – Scene II:

·         Lady Macbeth speaks in rhythmic couplets, which is poetic like the witches.

·         Alliteration “Destroy, Destruction, Dwell, Doubtful”

·         When Macbeth enters it changes.
·         “O full of scorpions is my mind dear wife!” – Imagery, tortured mind.

·         Macbeth’s last lines are rhyming couplets which mirrors Lady Macbeth's.

Act III – Scene III:

·         You see the murder happen on stage, it is muddled and messy.

·         The scene is fast, the short lines due to the stichomythia make the scene frenzied.

Act III – Scene IV:

·         Insanity, lightening, repressive, totalitarian dictatorship.

·         Transition to regular Gothic, this is a change in Lady Macbeth's character.
·         Does it show a deterioration of the mind? The dagger in Macbeth’s soliloquy is not seen, therefore is Banquo visible?

·         Macabre dance in the film version, is it the dance of death?

·         Macbeth learns that Banquo is dead and that Fleance has escaped. The news of Fleance’s escape angers Macbeth “the worm that’s fled  Hath nature that in time will venom breed” showing that if Fleance had died, his position as king would have been safe.

·         Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manhood – reversed roles? Two halves of the same person?

Act III – Scene V:

·         The witches meet with Hecat – the goddess of witchcraft.

·         Hecate scolds them for meddling in the business of Macbeth - shows that there are powers higher than the witches that mere mortals cannot tamper with.

Act III – Scene VI:

·         Lennox and another lord discuss what has happened to the kingdom.

·         Banquo’s murder is blamed on Fleance, who has fled

·         Both men suspect Macbeth, whom they call a “tyrant,” in the murders of Duncan and Banquo.

Reading Journal - Act II.

Act II – Scene I:

·         Soliloquy

·         “heat oppressed brain?” – Heat of the moment.

·         Questioning his heroism, overwhelming thoughts.

·         “Thou marshall’st me the way I was going” – military style precision, a word associated with an idea or direction.

·         Macbeth likens himself to a rapist – ‘Tarquin’ Lucrece.

·         “Moves like a ghost” – swift movements as if it’s not him – invisible.
·         Procrastinating ‘while I threat, he lives’.

Act II – Scene II:

·         Duncan’s death = an air of mystery, hard to stage, killing someone successfully.

·         Lady Macbeth shows signs of having a conscience – “had he not resembled my father as he slept” -possible signs of guilt.

·         Quickly pace, tremulous and anxious.

·         Stichomythia .

·         He’s remorseful, regretful, sorry it’s come to an end in this way “This is a sorry sight”

·         Lady Macbeth likes the idea of the blood? Thrilling to her?

·         She undermines him “ a foolish thought” .

·         “I could not say ‘amen’” -  a sense of guilt again, lost his religion.

·         Shakespeare uses colourful imagery “White”, “Red” and “Green”.

Act II- Scene III:

·         Comical scene?

·         Lady Macbeth ‘swooning’ – acting, clever deception.

·         Malcolm and Donalbain leave to England and Ireland. Suspicion may fall on them, back then family kill family.

·         Malcolm and Donalbain’s departure is overshadowed by Macbeth – “I did kill them”.
·         Paralleling porter scene and Macbeth.

·         Drunk on power.

·         The relevance of the porter? Is he needed?

·         Darkly satirical.

·         How did he get drunk?

·         He references death, does he know that Duncan is dead?

·         He makes MacDuff seem more regal and worthy of his title.

·         Don’t take the scene literally, it is not meant to make sense.

·         It parallels what a mess the situation Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are in.

·         Is it there to purely please a Shakespearean audience?

·         The DVD version = comic relief?

·         Sexualised

·         Contrast of light and dark = Gothic.

Act II- Scene IV:

·         The Macbeth’s become royalty

·         Thanes etc should go to the coronation; however it’s happening too quickly.

·         Noble or cautious?  - They don’t want to give Macbeth allegiance.

·         The Old Man and Ross discuss events that will happen – foreshadowing the rest of the play.

·         They talk about Duncan’s death being represented in his horses “And Duncan’s horses – a thing most strange and certain...turn wild in their nature...”

·         Philosophical in the way that the scene ends – “That what make good of bad, and friends of foes!”

Reading Journal - Act I.

Act I – Scene I:

·         Witches planning – what about?

·         Who is Macbeth? Why are the witches interested in him?

·         Enigmatic opening.

·         “Thunder and Lightening” = Gothic weather – pathetic fallacy

·         Begins with a question.

·         Stichomythia

·         “Fair if foul, and foul is fair” – alliteration – good and bad

·         Foreshadowing the rest of the play?

·         Allows interpretation.

Act I – Scene II:

·         Stage directions “Bleeding Captain” – the audience is drawn to this, blood = Gothic.

·         “What bloody man is that?” – Another reference to blood.

·         “Brave Macbeth” – the reader/audience learn more about Macbeth, he has to earn his respect (he won the battle). Glorifying him by describing how he killed others – “Brandished steel”

·         “Execution” – makes it appear that the opposition in the war did not bother to fight back.

·         “unseamed him” Macbeth does not stop at just killing him, he decapitates him – “fixing his head upon our battlements”

·         The captain is dying – is he a reliable source? Not seeing things straight? Distorted vision?

·         It’s not about the winning, it’s how you win.

·         Macbeth is seen as a great warrior.

·         “Cannons overcharged” = the soldiers are eager.

·         “Doubly redoubled” = mimics the sounds of the swords striking, and the amount of times they strike – a lot.

·         Macbeth gains the title, showing he is honourable and had valour.

Act I – Scene III:

·         The witches’ prophesy, over Macbeth’s future.

·         When the witches meet Macbeth, they know and use his name – he is confused and shocked by this, as well as them calling him Thane of Cawdor.

·         This can be interpreted differently – AO3 – alternate views.

·         Ross makes Macbeth and Thane – by suggesting it.

·         Macbeth struggles with temptation – Banquo argues not to.

·         Macbeth – fear, self-doubt, confused.

·         Puzzled Macbeth thinks through the possibilities, and hopefully plots.

·         “cannot be ill, cannot be good”

·         Whose murder yet is but fantastical”

·         ‘Fantastical’ is it real or imaginary?

·         Comical interpretation?

·         Rhythmic.

·         The three witches are always together – one entity – chanting together

·         Multiple personality disorder?

·         Not people but a force.

·         3 witches represent the past, present and future.

·         1^st witch – uses nursery rhyme – which can be scary.

·         Macbeth has fast speaking patterns

·         No set pace but it is deemed as a quick scene – a lot of rhetorical questions.

·         Stichomythia – fast moving conversation.

·         It’s not what he says, it’s how he says it.

Act I – Scene IV:

·         What is Gothic about Macbeth in Act I?

·         The king has no reason not to trust Macbeth – Ironic.

·         “Our duties are to your throne...”

·         “let not light see my black and deep desires”

·         Do or die situation – leave, accept or go for it opportunity.

·         Poetic rhythm, Shakespeare changes the tone of the play – similar to the chanting of the witches.

·         Prose to poetry.

·         Prolepsis.

·         Macbeth is associated with trust; however his planned speech reveals how he really feels.

Act I – Scene V:

·         Lady Macbeth – we question her motives and sanity.

·         Lady Macbeth plants the seed of thought/train of thought into Macbeth – on the murder of the king – shows her dominance over him.

·         The king is coming – kill the king.

·         Gothic language – “Raven”, “blood”, and “Croaks” - the language reflects her evil.

·         Does she have or oppose a moral dilemma?

·         “Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark” – doesn’t want God to see/ know of what her plans entail – sense of guilt?

·         “Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t” – reference to religion (Adam and Eve) they’re hiding their true identity.

·         The letter are the beginning of the scene, symbolises secrecy.

·         Lady Macbeth and Macbeth – two sides of the same person – Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? “Doppelganger”?

·         No build up to greatness like Macbeth – the first time we see her she is true and evil.

·         No ambiguity when reading or seeing Lady Macbeth.

·         Lady Macbeth has dominance over this scene because she has the most lines – “leave the rest to me”

·         She is his catalyst?

·         Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have the same ideas – however he is not as open about it – “deep desires”

·         Lady Macbeth doesn’t want to feel remorse?

·         She’s determined to follow through

·         Masculine lines – ‘battlements’ – Gothic

·         “Innocent flower” society’s rules, links to Lamia, Femme Fatal - women lead men astray?

·         Links to Adam and Eve – Eve eats fruit and gets them both chucked out.

·         Empowering or manipulative?

·         Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are the same entity – same name, same personality, same lifestyle?

·         Repressed feminism?

·         The scene consists of Lady Macbeth’s opinion and personality.

·         The letter pre-plans the kings death, shows Lady Macbeth's true nature, as she becomes arrogant.

·         “metaphysical aid” and “fate” oxymoron

·         Megalomania behaviour?  

·         Parent and child behaviour, Lady Macbeth looks down upon Macbeth.

·         Sexual death and erotic seduction.

·         Lady Macbeth is Gothic; it shows us the side of human nature that we don’t want to accept.

·         She is the brains over his brawn.

·         Her tongue is her weapon.

·         Duality?

Act I – Scene VI/VII:

·         Macbeth discusses intent of murder – justifies killing the king.

·         “Ambitious” soliloquy shows that he is just as outgoing as Lady Macbeth; it makes her look less evil.

·         He’s not weak, he just has a conscience.  

·         Lady Macbeth questions his masculinity.

·         She twists innocence into a framework for evil. “His boneless gums. And dashed his brains out”

·         Dark Irony?

·         Macbeth enters alone – means that he does not have to hide how he feels – he can express everything freely.

·         Double meanings – “Bloody” can be a literal, or cursing.

·         Plague – incessant and painful.

·         “New-born babe” – implies innocence.

·         “Falls on the other” – he predicts his own end.

·         “Horrid deed” knows what he is doing/planning.

·         Lady Macbeth = passionate  -‘thy love’

·         He begins to retreat from the idea of murder, showing that he has a conscience  -“No Further in this business”

·         Lady Macbeth is manipulative – blackmail – “Valour” twists the idea of bravery, similar to the twisting of innocence.

·         “be so much more the man” – she questions his masculinity, which he has already proved – insulting his manhood.

·         “I have given suck” – post traumatic stress disorder? Dead children.

·         “Boneless gums” again twisting the idea of purity.

·         Lady Macbeth: “swinish sleep” – she shows the pure essence of evil, as the king has done nothing to wrong her in any way.

·         Macbeth – revitalized “men-children only!” – The punctuation shows this – fear of his wife?

·         “False face must hide what the false heart doth know” – links to Dorian Gray – hiding personality, aesthetics.  

End of Act notes/review:

·         Prophecy = an aspect of the Gothic, foundation of the Gothic and the characters build on it.

·         Scheming of the murder is Gothic by Lady Macbeth

·         Not romantic, it is a strong bond between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth

·         Moral dilemma, character indecision?

·         Summoning of evil – Lady Macbeth and the witches call to a higher power

·         Lady Macbeth and Macbeth – have a strong bond – which alienates them from society.

·         The letters have a Gothic influence on the audience; it strikes a fear of the unknown as it is not coming directly from one person.

·         The twisting of innocence “dashed his brains out”

·         Subverting gender roles of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.

·         Rhyme – it is spell like, witches and Lady Macbeth

What is Gothic about Act I in Macbeth?

It can be argued that in Act I of Macbeth there is lots of language to suggest that it is a Gothic play. For example the witch’s prophecy introducing Macbeth as the eponymous character, is Gothic because of the rhythmic structure that Shakespeare uses “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”. This rhythmic and alliterative chanting used by the witches, suggests to the audience that they are casting a spell on Macbeth. This can be seen as Gothic because the audience is aware of the unknown elements of the prophecy, striking a fear from within.

Another element that is Gothic within Macbeth is at the beginning of the second scene, where the Captain glorifies Macbeth’s war status. The idea that Macbeth ‘smoked with bloody execution’ implies that he is a fierce warrior because he is covered in the blood of another man, therefore the audience is able to deduce that Macbeth had a reason to perform the ‘execution’as it seems deserved. If Macbeth ‘carvèd out his passage’, it suggests that he easily attacked the enemy, showing his strong capability and professionalism in war. However we cannot assume that he did because the Captain is an unreliable informant. He is bleeding profoundly therefore it is possible that his memory and general ability is distorted. When on stage, this scene can be viewed as Gothic because of the huge amount of red blood covering the stage. The colour red is associated with warning, meaning that this flash of bright scarlet is a form of conscious prolepsis in the play.

Lady Macbeth is a Gothic character in the play because she is able to twist and manipulate the idea of innocence into something grotesque. Particularly in scene five, when she demands that Macbeth should “look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t”. This suggests that she is the dominant personality within the relationship because she is ordering Macbeth to be more masculine. The subverting of the gender roles in the play, allows Shakespeare to create a scene where the woman shocks the audience. Lady Macbeth frequently shocks the audience, for example by stating that she wants to “dashed the brains out” of a young child or baby. The darkness of this scene surprises the audience because a woman is traditionally encouraged to be nurturing and loving towards any child, as it is intertwined with their human nature. Nevertheless Lady Macbeth seems to destroy the image of a loving and caring wife by showing her hatred of the king.