Monday, December 9, 2013
Things are unwinding...
Several events happened in Act Four. Select one of these events and explain its importance in the play. Do not just explain what the scene is about; include what the play reveals about Macbeth and Scotland. You may chose from the scene with Lady McDuff and her son, the scene in which Macduff tries to persuade Malcolm to come to Scotland and claim the throne, or the scene in which the doctor talks about Edward the Confessor. (The deadline to post a response is midnight, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I found the scene with Lady Macduff and her son to be very interesting. It really showed me another contrast between Macbeth and Macduff when Lady Macduff said her husband "wants the natural touch". which is saying he lacks human kindness, where as Lady Macbeth said her husband had too much "milk of human kindness". This contrast really shows how the two characters are foils of eachother. They are basically opposites. This is just another part in the play where Shakespeare builds up the idea that something big might happen between Macbeth and Macduff. While Lady Macduff is talking to her son, she goes on about her husband's dishonesty and lack of loyalty. I was amazed that Shakespeare would have the little boy say what he said because it makes him appear to be wiser than children his age should be. He basically told his mother that the world is full of dishonest men. It almost seemed as if the child was consoling the mother when it should have been the other way around. I really enjoyed reading this scene for these very reasons.
Like Katie, I found the scene with Lady Macduff and her son surprising and interesting. Lady Macduff and her son have a great relationship, one that Lady Macbeth will never have. This scene mainly shows how Macbeth will not stop until he gets what he wants. Since Macbeth knows that Macduff is going to come to fight him, he decides to kill anyone involved with him. I think this scene also reveals that Macbeth covets what others have. Macbeth does not have any children and Macduff does. Macbeth is also trying to get rid of Macduff's treasure that he keeps near to his heart. "If you can't get it, get the next best thing."
While all of these parts of the act show some insight on Macbeth and Scotland, the scene in which Macduff tries to persuade Malcolm to come to Scotland and claim the throne reveals a great deal about what Scotland is like with Macbeth in charge. Macduff really cares about Scotland, so, in this scene, he tries to convince Malcolm to fight back and claim his throne. Macduff basically says that Macbeth is a tyrant and that Scotland is chaotic under his control. However, as the scene progress and Malcolm falsely names his faults, Macduff thinks that Malcolm will be no better than Macbeth. Even though these qualities are false, they show which to what Macbeth's new-found evilness can be compared. It also appears that Scotland is a land packed full of items because the land and people could fulfill Malcolm's false wishes.
Post a Comment