Lady Macbeth Speech

                             Here is my Lady Macbeth Youtube speech. Enjoy! :)

Riddle 3

This riddle is probably the most difficult to decipher out of the three. However, the message is surprisingly simple. The witches tell Macbeth to be proud and not to worry, for he cannot be harmed "until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him" (IV.i.90-94). My first impression is that of confusion since a forest cannot pick itself up and walk over, leading me to think that there is a metaphorical meaning to it. Finally, reading on, I realize that the witches' words are to be taken quite literally. While the actual trees did not suddenly become human, the army disguises themselves as the forest and descends upon Macbeth's castle. Once again, Macbeth fails to understand the witches' implications and he naively believes that he can not be defeated. In my picture, I displayed the scene as it is, where soldiers, camouflaged by the forest, advance towards Macbeth's castle, where he is just starting to realize the witches' deception. 

Riddle 2

In this picture, I have shown Macduff's mother giving birth to him through Caesarean Section. The witches claim that Macbeth can be as bold as he wants and can laugh at his enemies, because no one "of woman born" (IV.i.79-81) can harm him. This phrase is very misleading and fools Macbeth into thinking that he is invincible. However, the witches are malevolent and their words are shrouded with doubt. What their words are really conveying is that anyone who is born normally, that is, from their mother's womb is of woman born. Albeit, Macduff was not born like the norm and so he has the potential to harm Macbeth. In this case Macbeth fails to delve deeper into the riddle's meaning and is lost to his own desires. Due to his ignorance, Macbeth is tricked once again and his life is lost in the hands of these sinister witches. 
Many times, we are deceived into believing what we want to hear, like in Macbeth's case. However, more often than not, what we want to hear is not necessarily the truth. Thus, it is important that we are able to separate veracity from wishful thinking so that we can better protect ourselves and not find ourselves in Macbeth's situation. 

Riddle 1

The above picture portrays Macduff, in orange, beheading Macbeth. Through the witches' pellucid warning, "beware Macduff; beware the Thane of Fife" (IV.i.71-72), Macbeth is warned about the imminent confrontation with his biggest threat yet. While it seems as though this is a clear warning for what is about to happen, Macbeth is most likely confused by this sudden caution. Earlier, the witches warn him that Banquo's heirs would take his throne and now they are saying it is Macduff who threatens his crown. Hence, full of worry, Macbeth sends men to kill Macduff's wife and son. This, in turn fuels Macduff's vengeful desires which ultimately leads to him beheading Macbeth. If it were not for the witches' warning, Macbeth would not have killed Macduff's family which would have saved him from his peril. From this riddle, it is obvious the tables have turned and the witches are now plotting against Macbeth. As the phrase "fair is foul and foul is fair" (I. i. 11) suggests, whosever's joy is the witches' distress and so they plan to take down Macbeth and rid of his pleasures as being King. 

Macbeth Prezi Presentation, Acts 1-3

Here is the link:

http://prezi.com/p7n5b2lhtju2/edit/#6_24309637

Macbeth Twitter Account

Here is the Link to Macbeth's Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/Macbeth1607

Macbeth Act 1~~ Character Profile

MACBETH

I have chosen to write about Macbeth because I feel that he is the most developed and complicated character in the play so far. His personality changes throughout Act 1 and I find his thoughts to be very intriguing. From the play, it is understood that Macbeth is a respected Scottish general of the King's army. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth has just won a bloody battle against a traitorous Macdonwald and a rebel army from Norway led by the Thane of Cawdor. This displays his courageous and valiant character and his loyalty to King Duncan. When he initially learns of the witches' prophecies, he is baffled and doubtful. For him, the thought of being the Thane of Cawdor and to be crowned King "Stands not within the prospect of belief" (I.iii.74). This shows that he has never had any thoughts of being King  or any thoughts alike, which proves he is originally a naive and righteous character. However, the witches plant an evil seed in his mind, which changes his perspective of his potential. When he is informed that he has indeed been made Thane of Cawdor, he is convinced that what the witches claim is true. Thus, what had seemed impossible before suddenly becomes a possibility. Nonetheless, Macbeth hesitates when he realizes he might have to murder Duncan to gain the crown and so he thinks "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir." (I.iii.143-144). This reveals that he would rather be elected peacefully as king than have to shed blood to earn the title. His desire for the crown is doused when he decides to temporarily forget about the matter as he heads over to Duncan's castle to accept his title. There, his determination is rekindled when he learns that Duncan's son, Malcolm is to be the future King. This goes against what the witches have told him and he thinks "The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step On which I must fall down, or else o'er leap, For in my way it lies." (I.iv.47-50). This shows that he becomes defensive of his right and immediately views Malcolm as a threat. 

After reading through the first act and carefully analyzing his character, I believe Macbeth to be a very decent and honourable man. He is loyal to his King, humble and indifferent to the use of violence. However, his weakness is that others easily influence him. In the play, the three witches influence him and cause him to see things in a new light and to think in a new way. So far, I have witnessed a few changes in Macbeth's character and I begin to see a new attribute creeping into his personality: greed. As I progress further into the play, it will be interesting to see how this trait will develop and affect his  future actions. 

(Image Link: http://www.josephshore.com/Macbeth%20Act%204.jpg)

Macbeth Act 1~~Destiny, Fate, Influence

HAIL! HAIL! HAIL!

In Act 1, the witches earn Macbeth's trust when he is indeed given the title of Thane of Cawdor, true to the witches' predictions. Their words consequently influence Macbeth to ponder about taking action to fulfill the other prophecy of crowning himself king. He believes that this is destined to happen to him since the witches have already predicted it. While it seems that the witches are good at predicting the future, I sense that their words are shrouded with deception and loopholes. For every gain, there's a price to pay and I am positive the witches will make sure that something terrible happens in order for Macbeth to get what he wants. Although the witches have set Macbeth's destiny, I hope he will decide to disregard the witches' predictions and seal his own fate by playing it safe and staying just as he is. Should he choose to heed to the witches' words, I believe he will face many hardships and miseries in the future.
In my opinion, I believe that a supernatural force controls destiny, but our fate can be decided by ourselves. Every action or decision we make directly affects what our fate will be. In this case, the witches provide the supernatural force that sets Macbeth's destiny. However, whether he chooses to act upon these predictions will determine the "fate" of his fate. This balance between supernatural and natural forces is a main part of the theme and so the witches' role in the story is vital. They stimulate the conflict in the story where Macbeth is in conflict with a supernatural force and with himself. Without the presence of the witches, Macbeth would not even begin to think of crowning himself king. Therefore, not only do the witches provide structure in the story by stimulating the conflict, they are also the main driving force in Macbeth's actions and development of the plot.

(Image Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/english/macbeth/images/witches1_546x307.gif)

Macbeth Act 1~~My First Thoughts

Having started reading Macbeth, I feel the urge to avoid creepy, old ladies at all costs! Needless to say, the three witches have made a strong opening impression, although not in a very positive way. The line that they recite, "fair is foul, and foul is fair" (I.i.11) reveals their wicked and twisted personality; they find evil and bad things good, while righteous and pleasant things are considered vile. While this has made me wary of their presence, I am also a bit intrigued as to how their predictions will play out. I am positive that they will play a major role in Macbeth's downfall and will be the main reason why this play is coined a tragedy. I also look forward to see how Macbeth's character will change throughout the play when he gets raised to the King's position. I am equally interested in Banquo's character because the witches predict that "[he] shalt get kings" (I.iii.67), which means that his heirs will challenge Macbeth's position as King. Another character that I find compelling is Lady Macbeth. Although she is not introduced thoroughly in the first act, I feel that she will prove to be a key player in Macbeth's journey to kingship. 

Through all these years in high school, I have become fairly acquainted with Shakespearean plays. I can only say acquainted, but not capable of deciphering his literature, whether it is his language or "sense of humour". In fact, I find it impossible to fully understand his plays without referencing to a source (i.e. a visual representation) as back up. This is expected since his works were all written to be acted out. However, while I have read Shakespearean comedies like "A Midsummer's Night Dream" and "Twelfth Night", I have had little experience with his tragedies. With the exception of "Romeo and Juliet", I have barely touched on any other Shakespearean tragedy. I have a faint idea that Macbeth will end in murders and tears, but I am curious of how the details will all come together. All in all, I am looking forward to learning more about Macbeth and the darker side of Shakespeare's writing. 

(Image link: http://damnedspot.wikispaces.com/file/view/Macbeth_Wordle.png/147168713/820x449/Macbeth_Wordle.png)