1. What are the witches planning at the beginning of the act?
2. What happened to the original Thane of Cawdor and why did he lose his title?
3. How do the wicthes greet Macbeth after the battle? Why?
4. What is the significance of Lady Macbeth's "unsex me" scene?
ROY:
ReplyDelete1. The witches at the beginning of the act plot the ultimate rise and fall of Macbeth. They plot to put Macbeth in power, with his rightful attainment of the title, the Thane of Cawdor. They then present kingship to him, but with a price. They state that Banquo will be happier in the end than Macbeth which foreshadows events yet to come. They also state that Macbeth will be the loser in the end, which is yet to be seen.
2. The original Thane of Cawdor was fighting, initially, on the side of Scotland against the Norwegian kingdom. However, the original Thane of Cawdor betrayed the Scottish and therefore gave up his title in the name of treachery. He lost his title because King Duncan found out from a wounded soldier that the Thane of Cawdor betrayed him. This led Macbeth to ascend to the throne.
CARTER
ReplyDelete1) The witched are planning to "meet with Macbeth" (I.i.7) After the battle they will meet with Macbeth and perform some sort of witchcraft. Then in scene iii, they tell Macbeth that he will become Thane to Cawdor, and later king. They also tell his companion Banquo that he shall beget kings.
2) The original Thane of Cawdor was a "most disloyal traitor" (I.ii.54). He fought for the Norwegians , and lost, damning him. King Duncan says that "Go pronouce his present death, and with his former title greet Macbeth" (I.ii.67-8). He is sent to excecutoin, and the hero of the battle, Macbeth, is given his title and wealth.
3) They greet him as "Thane of Glamis!...Thane of Cawdor!" (I.iii.48-9). They greet him as this because they precognated that he would receive this title. Macbeth is confused by this, thinking the old Thane still alive. This is part of the witches' plan to deceive Macbeth and send him to a dismal end, by giving him power, and then making him corrupt and neurotic.
4) The significance of the scene is that, throughout the whole story, masculinity is accompanied by viscousness and violence. This quote is important because it shows that Lady Macbeth has all of those qualities, but her gender prevents her from acting on it. She then gets Macbeth to do her bidding by questioning his manhood by saying "What beast was't, then, that made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man..." (I.vii.48-50).
1)First, they plan upon meeting each other once again “Upon the heath. There to meet Macbeth” (Shakespeare 5). When they do meet again, they are with Macbeth and Banquo, hailing Macbeth and referring to him as “Thane of Glamis…Thane of Cawdor…king hereafter” (Shakespeare 15). They prophesize of his power in the future, and then tell Banquo that his children will be kings. Their plan is to show them the future, and I think, cause changes in their actions.
ReplyDelete2) The Thane of Cawdor is a traitor to Scotland. He betrayed Scotland is a very important battle. Ross refers to him as “that most disloyal traitor” (Shakespeare 9). They decide to strip him of his “thane-ness” and instead give it to Macbeth. This is shown through the king, Duncan, stating that “No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive…with his former title greet Macbeth” (Shakespeare 11)
ROY:
ReplyDelete3. The witches in the scene appear in a foolhardy manner. They appear, talking about how they cursed an unsuspecting sailor. This provides for the audience a sense of respect for what the witches can do. They then appear and tell Macbeth their three prophesies: 1, that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor, and 2, that he will be the king as well. They then go on with their third prophesy that states that Banquo will be the father of many generations of kings.
4. In Lady Macbeth's "Unsex me" scene, she discovers, within her own self, an alter ego of darkness and jealousy. She asks the gods to help her in her decision to become more powerful within Macbeth's life. She wants to have power over her husband and to control, or at least influence what he does from this point onwards. The role of lady Macbeth becoming, essentially, "Unsexed" is to provide for her an alter-ego of masculinity. She, in turn, becomes a man through this scene and goes on, for the rest of the play, as a male character.
ROY:
ReplyDeleteHere are some quotes to backup my previous responses:
1. "When shall we three meet again...When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won... Where the place...There to meet with Macbeth...Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air." (Shakespeare 1.1.1-12)
2. "Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky and fan our people cold. Norway himself, with terrible numbers, assisted by that most disloyal traitor, the Thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict…" (Shakespeare 1.2.51-55)
3. "I'th' shipman's card. I'll drain him dry as hay. Sleep shall neither night nor day hang upon his penthouse lid. He shall live a man forbid…" (Shakespeare 1.3.17-21) "Hail! Hail! Hail! Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Not so happy but much happier. Thou shalf get kings, though thou be none. So all hail, Macbeth and banquo!" (Shakespeare 1.3.62-68)
4. "The race himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements. Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the two top-full of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood; stop up th'access and passage to remorse, that no compunctious visitings of nature shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between th'effect and it! Come to my woman's breast and take my mil for gall…." (Shakespeare 1.5.39-48)
CARTER
ReplyDelete1) The witches, being of dark arts and evil, plan to make misery of peoples' lives, like at the beginning of Act 1 Scene 3. They plan to do this with Macbeth, by telling him of these grand things he will accomplish, knowing that he will go to all costs to achieve them.
2) The Thane of Cawdor, on his death, was said to have "very frankly he confessed his treasons, implored Your Highness' pardon, and set forth a deep repentance" (I.iv.5-7). This shows that he was a generally nice man who simply made a wrong turn and payed for it.
3) They greet Macbeth as a hero and a king. He is confused and presses for more information about their prophecies, but they disappear. This causes Macbeth to wonder if the witches really had the power to see the future, and if he will truly be king.
4) In these scenes, it is obvious Lady Macbeth wears the pants. She controls her husband with an iron fist, and has him murder his king to gain power, power she can use. The "unsex me" scene shows that she wishes she could do the deed herself and not even get her husband involved.
CARTER
ReplyDelete1) The witches' evil craft drives the plot of the plan. Their telling of Macbeth's ascension leads him to a dark fate, one they most likely foresaw.
2) After learning about Cawdor's repentance, King Duncan states that the thane was a man he put a lot of trust in, and that he was sad it had to come to what it did.
3) The witches' arrival also has much pomp and flourish. They appear suddenly, give hinting to a grand future, then vanish, leaving Macbeth and Banquo in awe.
4) Macbeth later states that because of Lady Macbeth's cunning and unnerving cruelty, she should only give birth to boys, those being "male" traits.
CARTER
ReplyDeleteTo Roy:
I like how you included that Lady Macbeth continues to stay in a vile and evil nature until her *spoiler* demise. I also liked how you added that the witches' prophecy about Banquo latter worries Macbeth.
ROY:
ReplyDeleteTo Carter:
I liked your response to question number three and how you stated that Macbeth was unaware yet slightly cautious of the witches. I would also like to add that he later on in the story may go against the witches and try to take things into his own hands. This is how he ultimately meets his demise. *SPOILER*...
Amelia
ReplyDeleteFirst off, the no name one above is mine.
3)The witches greet him as "Thane of Glamis" "Thane of Cawdor" and "king hereafter". They are foretelling Macbeth of his future, and the power he will hold as not only Thane, but as king. They are also showing of their own power, the fact that they know the future and hold all the answers.
Amelia
ReplyDelete4) The "unsex me" scene is a very important plot point in the play. This scene is about Lady Macbeth wishing to be able to hold power, make decisions, and control others. In essence, for this time period, to be less womanly. She knows that if she was a man, others would respect and fear her more, and she wants that kind of power. She no longer wishes to wait for a man, Macbeth, to do things for her.
1.At the very beginning of the act they are planning to meet with Macbeth. To be specfic they are going "when the battle's lost and won." The witches end their short meeting by saying the famous line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air."
ReplyDelete2. Ross explains what happened to the original Thane of Cawdor when he says,"...Assisted by that most disloyal traitor, the Thane of Cawdor, beg on dismal conflict, Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapped in proof, confronted him with self-comparisons, point against point, rebellious arm 'gainst arm, curbing his lavish spirit; and to conclude, the victory fell on us." (9). Thane of Cawdor, the "disloyal traitor", was confronted and lost. Ducan explains that he will be put to death and the title will go to Macbeth.
Lauren Steiner
1. In act 1 scene 3 the witches show their darker side. For example, the First Witch says that she was stealing chestnuts from a lady and being meanly persistent. Then later it sounds like the First Witch is going to haunt a man: "I'll drain him dry as hay. Sleep shall neither night nor day hang upon his penthouse lid. He shall like a man forbid." (13). I think this bring out the inner personalities of the witches and helps to develop their characters
ReplyDelete2. I don't think Macbeth understands that Thane of Cawdor is a traitor when he says, "The Thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?". I feel as thought this may be foreshadowing. Macbeth also states, "My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise, and nothing is but what is not" (21). The line "nothing is but what is not." sounds like hes saying that nothing is really what is seems which is like what the witches said also.
LAuren Steiner
3. Alright this may be a little off subject, but i would like to put out there that i think it is ironic how when the witches and Macbeth meet after the battle Macbeth enters saying "so foul and fair a day I have not seen." (13). When Macbeth says "foul and fair" it is like how the witches ended their last seen at the beginning of the book. Okay, so now back on track, the witches greet Macbeth by hailing him and calling him "Thane of Glamis" and "Thane of Cawdor" and "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!" I cannot pick out why they greet him like this because it is not stated explicitly. After the witches say these confusing things toward MAcbeth he questions why he would be called Thane of Cawdor once again and also does not understand how they would know.
ReplyDelete4. I think what Lady Macbeth is really saying is that she doesnt not want the bad news to transcend her in her "unsex me" sentence. She wants to become stronger as well: " "Make thick my blood; stop up th'access and passage to remorse, that no compunctious visitings of nature shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between th' effect and it!" (31).
Lauren Steiner
CARTER
ReplyDeleteTo Amelia:
I like how you pointed out how Lady Macbeth would have a lot of power and command if she was male, having those "male" traits. Also your answer in #1 brings up the main point of the Terminator movies, is the future what we make it or set in stone???
To Lauren:
I agree that it is ironic that Macbeth says that after the witches. I also like your last quote on number 4, I think it shows the inner mechanisms of Lady MacBeth very well.
Amelia
ReplyDeleteTo Carter: BAM BAM BAM BAM TEEEERRRRMINATOOORRR.
I think we control our life. The slightest thing can change our decisions, as seen all through history. Sometimes information about the future actually ends up changing the future, because we're striving so hard to achieve what that information tells of. I think this is the exact reason the witches told Macbeth of the power; they wanted to screw with his head, and his future.