Response to Evan

I agree with Evan's argument that Lady MacBeth seems to be the driving ambition behind her husband.  At this stage in the play it seems as if she is the one who wants him to be king instead of MacBeth himself.  Where MacBeth is on the fence, Lady Macbeth's mind is made up and it is her decisiveness that pushes MacBeth to murder.  I agree that at this stage, she is very cunning and very dangerous.  Evan, your prediction that Lady MacBeth shall become the all-powerful Queen may be a little ambitious, but as this play shows, ambition without a regard for ethical values can carry you far.

Why Read Shakespeare?

Why Read Shakespeare?

Read the following speech delivered by Dr. Michael Mack for the 2008 Freshmen convocation at Catholic University of America. In your AP blog, respond thoughtfully to the following prompts:

According to the article, what are some reasons that students find Shakespeare difficult to understand? What does Mack present as an answer to this?

The author presents the idea that students have a hard time understanding Shakespeare because it was not meant to be understood; at least the first time through. He compares his answer to listening music.  One must read shakespeare again and again to truly pull apart the meaning and understand the beauty.  Just as a song might seem ordinary at first and then become beautiful as the listener begins to separate the guitar lines, the bass lines, the drum lines, and the meaning of lyrics from the song, so does Shakespeare reveal itself to the reader after multiple repetitions.

     2. According to Mack, when you finally “get” Shakespeare, what do you actually get?

When you finally "get" Shakespeare, you are getting a mirror into the real world, experiencing the real world vicariously through his books.  Just as science and history give you a glimpse into that area of the real world, shakespeare gives you insight for life.  "When you learn to read Shakespeare you are learning to read the world," says Mack.  Shakespeare uses his stories to teach you about the world.  His characters relate to yourself or someone you know.  This provides a virtual world to help understand what is going on in your own life.   Shakespeare depicts love, loss, and emotions in a way that can help guide you through yours.  The more Shakespeare you read, the more you are able to read the real world.

     3. List and summarize five convincing arguments in answer to the question “Why read Shakespeare?”

-The first argument Mack made was why do anything at all?  The question why simply leads to many more questions more ambiguous than the first. Why read Shakespeare?  Why learn Literature?  Why learn?  His answer is to learn for the love of learning and to utilize what you have learned as you go forth in the real world.

-Mack argues that Shakespeare provides the reader with the "skill of skills."  The ability to polish your mind.  Since people tend to switch jobs so often and sometimes delve into areas outside their realm of expertise, it is more important than ever to hone the fundamental real world skills that make a person successful in any field.  By reading shakespeare, you learn about the world and how to handle real life situations, better equipping you with the fundamental skill needed to survive and adapt outside the area of your particular major.

-The third reason Mack gives is that Shakespeare teaches the reader about relationships. Love and love sickness thread Shakespeare's plays and, as Mack says, will save you from many a bad date.

-Shakespeare is necessary to read because it connects the head and the heart.  Mack says that reading about the heart and understanding your own emotional state is critical as a human being.  Reading about the heart connects your heart with your head and helps you grow as a person in life and in faith.

-Mack makes that argument the getting to know shakespeare is getting to know where ideas come from.  For example the idea that love and marriage coincides dates back to shakespeare.  Furthermore, reading the roots of ideas gives a better understanding of the life you live today.

     4. Which one of these arguments do you find most convincing? Why?

I find the idea of reading and rereading a very convincing thought.  Mack's parallel between music and Shakespeare resonates very true to me.  Understanding shakespeare is like understanding and art and being able to play an instrument is like being able to read shakespeare.  His "Why learn?" argument got me thinking as well, and I linked it once again to his music idea.  Why do music?  The answer is because it makes you feel something and learn something about yourself.  Just like biology, chemistry or physics, Shakespeare teaches you about yourself and the world around you.  These arguments were very convincing to me and did achieve his goal of making me wan to learn.

The Power of the Witches

I wonder whether the three witches truly have the power to speak the future or whether they are simply nudging MacBeth towards an inevitable fate.  Banquo says that devils often tell half truths in order to "win us to our harm."  I believe this is the case for MacBeth.  Their foretelling moved him to the point of killing Duncan.  While Banquo wisely lets events take their natural course, it is MacBeth that is taken over by this curse.  Throughout the play, the three witches serve as the unconscious temptations of the human mind.  Their dark, supernatural aura makes the characters believe their foresights, but I believe that their power comes through understanding the vulnerabilities of each individual and preying on their weaknesses.  They tell the future of MacBeth by telling him what he subconsciously wants to hear.  The witches prey on his ambition and serve as a subconscious driving force behind his actions.

Ambition

The beginning of the play depicts a very interesting situation between ambition and morality.  MacBeth emerges as a successful general and Thane of Glamis without so much as a dream of becoming king.  It is amazing how, when the idea is put forth by the witches, the prospect of becoming king goes from nonexistent to mind-consuming.  When the witches profesy MacBeth to become the king, he is left with two choices: wait patiently and trust that he will someday come to power, or take action to ensure his destiny.  The ambition driving MacBeth makes it seem as if it is his duty, not passion, to kill the king, and that this route is the only available course of action.  When MacBeth questions the idea of killing Duncan in innocent blood, it is his wife, Lady MacBeth that acts as the driving force behind his self-promoting treachery.  MacBeth ultimately cannot withstand the idea of supreme power, and succumbs to ambition by killing the king.  This play serves to show what happens when ubridled ambition is not hindered by a moral compass.