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)