Welcome Back!
Tuesday, 1.5
Please have your spirals out.
Today’s Agenda
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Course Overview
Do now: WYK about Shakespeare
Shakespeare Kahoot
Revenge, Power, and Greed Statements
(finish for homework as necessary)
Course Overview
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Macbeth – power, greed, murder, war…good
stuff!
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Brave New World – sex, drugs, mind control
(and no, I’m not kidding!) It’s a wild ride but so
crazy fun!
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Serial – a podcast that delves into the detail of a
murder case – get ready to listen!
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And then ….graduation!
Writing Do Now
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I know it has been two years since you have
read a Shakespearean play. Shame on you for
not reading him in your spare time.
So, what do you remember about
Shakespeare?
Shakespeare Discussion
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Hesitancy regarding reading Shakespeare.
What’s the deal?
Why is he important? Why do we still read his
works?
Revenge, Power, and Greed
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Respond to the statements and quotes on
your handout.
Be prepared to share your thoughts with
the class.
The drama continues…
WEDNESDAY, 1.6/THURSDAY, 1.7
Today’s Agenda
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Stamp/Discuss Revenge Opinnionaire
through Kahoot
Macbeth Background
Michael Fassbender and cast interview
Curse of Macbeth
Themes and Motifs in the play
Begin viewing the film and tracking plot
points
by William Shakespeare
1605
Macbeth overthrows the rightful King of Scotland
The Real Macbeth…
King
of Scotland who
killed King Duncan
Reigned 1040-1057
Had a legitimate claim to
the throne
Was a strong leader
Had a successful reign
Died as a result of battle
injuries
Macbeth Information
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Probably in tribute to King James I
King had an interest in the supernatural
Shortest Shakespearean play
 You’re welcome.
The plot is violent with an overriding feeling of evil.
Shakespeare creates a serious, sinister mood by having
most of the play take place at night
He emphases the supernatural such as witches, dreams,
spells, and ghosts.
So, what’s Macbeth about?
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Witches
Murderers
Crazy Dreams
Crazy Wives
Crazy Kings
It’s awesome.
Shakespearean clips
Michael Fassbender on playing Macbeth
Macbeth Trailer and Interview
The Curse of Macbeth
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The practitioners of rituals like the
supernatural twist Shakespeare used to
please the king were not amused by the
playwright’s public exposure of their
witchcraft, and as a punishment they decided
to cast their own spell on the play that still
haunts it to the day.
The Curse continued . . .
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Supposedly, saying the name “Macbeth” inside a
theater will bring bad luck to the play and anyone
acting in it. The only exception is when the word is
spoken as a line in the play.
To reverse the bad luck, the person who uttered the
word must exit the theater, spin around three times
saying a profanity, and then ask for permission to
return to the theater.
To avoid the curse in the first place, most people
refer to Macbeth as one of several nicknames – “The
Scottish Play” is the most popular.
Even if the name is not uttered, there are
still strange stories related to the play . . .
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During the first performance, Shakespeare was
forced to play Lady Macbeth when the boy
designated to play her was overcome with sickness
and died backstage.
King James was so displeased with the play that he
banned it for five years.
In Amsterdam in 1672, the actor playing Macbeth
substituted the stage dagger with a real one and
killed his co-star Duncan in front of a live audience.
But wait, there is more . . .
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In 1721, the army was called in because some hecklers were
annoying the actors on stage, and the actors responded by
attacking the hecklers with their swords.
In 1934, the British actor Malcolm Keen turned mute on stage
and his replacement developed a high fever and had to be
hospitalized.
In 1937, a twenty-five pound stage weight crashed within an inch
of Laurence Olivier who was playing Macbeth. Later in the same
play, his sword broke on stage and flew into the audience hitting
a man who later suffered a heart attack.
In 1942, three actors in another production died and both the
costume designer and the set designer committed suicide.
A 1971 version of the play was plagued by two fires and seven
robberies.
So, what’s Macbeth about?
Witches
 Murderers
 Crazy Dreams
 Crazy Wives
 Crazy Kings
 It’s awesome.
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Thematic Ideas in Macbeth
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Guilt
Ambition
Appearance versus reality
Loyalties
Fate and Destiny
Power
Fear
Motifs
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Motifs are defined as the recurrent presence of
certain character types, objects, settings, or
situations in diverse genres and periods of folklore
and literature.
Examples of motifs include swords, money, food,
jewels, forests, oceans, castles, dungeons, tests of
skill or wisdom, journeys, separations and reunions,
chaos brought to order.
Motifs in Macbeth
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The supernatural
Hallucinations
Nature, including weather
Colors
Blood
Daggers
Approach to Macbeth
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We’re going to approach the study of Macbeth in
an untraditional way.
Before we read the first few scenes, we’re going
to watch a film version with Patrick Stewart and
Kate “Crazy Eyes” Fleetwood.
The film uses the original Shakespearean language
but pays homage in staging and costume to the
1930’s era, especially Stalinist Russia.
As we watch the movie…
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Please take notes on your viewing guide.
We will stop periodically to clarify major plot
points.
You will earn participation points for your
attentiveness and work ethic as we view the
film. Fyi, you can’t earn a learning task grade
if your are not here!
After watching the movie…
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We will closely read and analyze a few scenes
from each act.
You will be expected to remember the plot
and characters.
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Don’t be the person who asks, “Who is Macbeth
again?” in the middle of Act III. I’ll lose it.
We will be focusing on the language and
literary devices.
Writing in Macbeth
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As you read Macbeth, you will be doing quite
a bit of writing.
The biggest mistake on both your
Frankenstein essays and your final was not
embedding evidence, so we’re going to
practice.
Rule:
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You should always have more commentary
than concrete detail in your essay.
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For every quotation you use, you must have
at least one sentence that elaborates upon
that sentence.
Suggestion:
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Ideally, you have one that leads up to the CD,
and then another one after that elaborates
upon it.
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Ex: While watching the family, the creature
decided that the best course of action would be to
reveal himself to them. He knew that he “required
kindness and sympathy” like any other social
creature (95). The creature needed to form a
relationship with someone else in order to feel
complete.
Frankenstein Example
Original: Finally, after being pushed away by the family after
revealing himself, the Creature decides to take revenge.
“There was none among the myriads of men that existed who
would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my
enemies? No: from that moment I declared everlasting war
against the species, and , more than all, against him who had
formed” (99).
Changed:
Finally, after being pushed away by the family upon revealing
himself the creature laments that since “there was none … that
existed who would pity or assist [him]” so “from that moment
[he] declared everlasting war against the species” (99).
Vengeance overcame the creature where love and compassion
once resided.
How do you cite a Shakespearean
play?
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Brutus is one of Caesar’s closest friends; however,
he may be persuaded to betray Caesar if the cause
is just. Although Brutus loves his friend, he also
“love[s] the name of honor more than [he] fear[s]
death” or any other punishment (I.ii.94-5). Brutus
will always be more loyal to honor and Rome than
he could ever be to a single person.
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The citation is (Act number.scene.line number).
Expectations for future writing
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Direct textual evidence (quotations)
Embedded evidence
Correct citations
Analysis, not summary