FINAL ADVICE

You now have everything I could possibly give you (short of writing the assignment for you!)

Remember, as a high ability class, a certain degree of the preparation comes from you. You should have been spending time re-reading the key scenes, rewatching the film, and finding differences/similarities between the two representations of Lady Macbeth.

High ability students such as yourselves should be able to have a good go at a task like this even without any of the notes or film analysis sheets that I have given you, so you are more than prepared.

Don't stress.

This assignment is worth 12% of your English Literature GCSE - just to put things into perspective. The exam you sat in the summer was worth 50%!!!!

Well done to everybody who came back for over an hour after school today to work on notes. You are all stars.

For those who couldn't make it, here is what we discussed.

Intro - Talk about how things have changed between 1606-2006 - Attitudes towards women - The rise of suffrage - Women in 1606 not even allowed to act - the confines of theatres - modern day effects etc.

Talk about anything that you see as being relevant to the different portrayal of LM. Talk about mental illness and how that is viewed as different now.

Then - Go on to focussing on your set scenes in turn. Try to write about 5 PEE paragraphs for each scene. The mark scheme says that you have to comment on:

LANGUAGE - What LM and other characters say, and how this is different

FORM - What sort of language they use/formality/power/who speaks most

STRUCTURE - How the play fits together, which bits are added, taken out etc.

Now not all of your points will fit into LANGAUGE, FORM or STRUCTURE. That is ok, but just make sure you comment on all of them quite a lot in your essay. FOCUS ON LANGAUGE. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT YOU INCLUDE LOTS OF QUOTES (But you knew that already!)

As for timings, you have 2 hours in total to do this, meaning it will probably be spread across 3 lessons.

For tomorrow's lesson simply focus on the intro and the first 2 set scenes. If you get on to commenting on Act 5 scene 1, you are rushing it - so spend time writing some fantastic notes for this over the weekend.

Now - over to you. Do your best and don't stress :)

NW

Film Analysis Act 5 Sc 1

Act 5 Scene 1

1:14:50

Lady Macbeth is shown wide eyed and smiling brightly as she reminisces about her baby. She is wearing very little make-up and looks natural (which might make her look less manipulative and more trustworthy/pitiful).

When talking about the procedure in the hospital, she says ‘They cut me open.’ This generates sympathy for LM, but also puts into our minds the idea that she has been hurt before. This is not like in the original script at all where LM merely talks about her crimes as she is sleep walking.

1:15:18 “Some night Joe and I sat looking at him in his little box.” This adds a totally human element to the two characters. The fact she refers to them by their first names, and the scenario we imagine them in, looking after their sick child, means we can feel nothing but sympathy for them as a couple.

In a modern setting, this couple would have received counselling for their grief – not like in the original script where the audience would not find sympathy in their hearts at all.

“…all hooked up with tubes.” LM begins to cry at the memory of her trauma, evoking more sympathy.

“We didn’t go to sleep.” – an interesting comparison to the original text. In the original text LM is sleep walking in this scene. Here, she is merely dillusional and thinking back to this sad time when she could not sleep. Sleep is used as a powerful image here to show her mental state.

1:15:30 – “I held him once” – Sympathy for LM again.

1:15:45 – Begins to smile again when she says “he put his little mouth to me” – interestingly, LM looks at her happiest when she is reminiscing about being a mother, a role which (in this version) she has been robbed of. Little is made of her role as a mother in the original.

1:15:50 – “and then he died” – followed by a very long/dramatic pause to allow us to feel sympathy for the character.

1:16:00 – “The size of the coffin: It was so small, it made me laugh.” shows us the deteriorated mental state of LM.

All this time, the director has chosen to have LM deliver this monologue whilst the camera angle is panned in close to her face which makes the scene seem very personal and upsetting. At this stage, the camera pans out, and we realise that LM is actually standing at the front of the restaurant, again emphasising her mental state.

The sympathetic and confused reactions of the onlooking customers signifies the sympathy they feel for her loss/worry (despite the fact that we know she is a criminal) – totally different to original.

Onlookers are blurred to signify the fact that LM has lost contact now with the outside world and is completely introverted.

Camera pans out to show a distant and lonely shot of LM.

Film Analysis of the interim scenes...

These parts do not correspond to our key scenes, but may be worth mentioning anyway...

Doesn’t apply to any set scene but is relevant for the character of LM

47:40 – LM leads police press conference.

52:40 LM sings ‘Oh Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz’. Shows how materialistic she is.

53:00 – 1:04:00 – Macbeth gradually becomes more power hungry and starts showing signs of going a bit mad. He also confesses to taking drugs and tells ‘Banquo’ ‘I’m just a bit wired’ when he begins to act strange.

1:08:44 – M goes crazy at the feast. He says to LM ‘Why won’t you look at me? You look at yourself in the mirror, but you won’t look at me.’ ‘Am I worse than you?’

It also becomes obvious that LM has been coaching him what to say.

1:09:00 – LM remains calm as M has a breakdown

1:10:20 – LM partly blames M for the breakdown of the relationship ‘ We were together once but then you stopped talking to me.’ Implies that the murder hasn’t bothered her, but the fact that he is shutting her out is.

1:10:45 – LM is watched by M in the shower. He sees her covered in blood. Image of blame from director.

1:12:00 -  LM starts to look bothered/out of control when the customers leave the restaurant. Ie, when the restaurant gets out of control.

Film Analysis Act 1 Scene 7

Act 1 Scene 7

30:30 – She is shown as caring towards M, bandaging his hands and looking after him.

30:46 – “You’ve done this. You’re a knifeman Joe, you know how it feels.”

M protests, but LM replies with “It’s all set up. You do this, and we win EVERYTHING.” There is no emphasis on fate. She very much sees this now as ‘winning’.

31:00 – Talks about her baby. I know how it feels to have a baby feed at my breast’ ‘There was a smile wasn’t there?’ Makes us feel sorry for her. They are portrayed as a struggling young family.

Macbeth seems ‘persuaded’ by her crying over the baby. After this, the scene cuts.

33:00 – ‘IN another life I’d make a pass at you’ ‘In another life I’ll let you’. Implies that she uses sex to influence Duncan. Also, it could be implied that there is more to their relationship than friendship. Not something we see in the original.

‘Bewitching woman.’ Duncan. ‘Bewitching’ is when someone has the ability to influence you in an almost supernatural way. It is an interesting comparison. In the original text, LM is ‘in league’ with evil spirits. In this version, she ‘bewitches him’ him sex/flirting.

Because of Duncan’s attempts to flirt with LM, the audience sees him more as ‘deserving’ of his death. Perhaps this makes us more sympathetic towards LM/M?

35:00 LM summons M to the murder by ringing him on his phone. This replaces the ‘bell’ which we see in the original text. Giving LM more control over the situation.

36:15 LM goes to great lengths to ‘set up’ the foreign dish washers so that it will look like they have killed Duncan. This shows huge plotting on the part of LM. She had to have all of this in place well in advance.

38:00 M’s famous soliloquy where he considers whether or not he should be doing what he is doing does not feature in this film. This means that LM is shown as being far less outwardly persuasive towards M.

In the original script, we do not see/witness the murder so this whole scene gives us a different perspective on the characters involved

39:00-41:00 – Crucially, M decides he can not go back in to Duncan’s room to finish the job. LM actually goes in and takes part in the crime, meaning that she is portrayed as being far more involved/to blame than in the original script.

41:40 – M says that the police will know that the second knife ‘didn’t go into’ Duncan. At which point LM gives him a knowing look and says ‘Remember, we’re in this together.’ She is portrayed as being more evil, plotting and calculating here than the original LM. She has actually gone into Duncan’s room and stabbed the corpse to make it look more convincing.

42:00 She is shown to be totally psychopathic when she says ‘It was easier for me’ and smiles/kisses M.

Film analysis - Act 1 Sc 5

This is my analysis of the section of the film which roughly corresponds to Act1 Sc5

You have this already - and it does not exactly correspond...

Act 1 Scene 5

3:30 – 4:00 – Relationship between M and LM

10:15 – 11:00 – M is annoyed by Duncan even before LM’s intervention

11:00 – 11:30 – Duncan flirts with LM implying a flirty relationship.

14:00 – “Michelin stars” – M looks bothered and looks to LM for comfort. This is before she even knows about the predicition.

15:50 – Duncan ‘predicts’ his own demise by announcing he will stay in the guest room and jokes that ‘he won’t see anything of the following day’. LM looks disapprovingly.

16:30 – ‘Run over by a bus’ – LM appears in the doorway to wintess Duncan’s comment that if he goes under a bus, the restaurant will be M’s. At this point, LM still hasn’t said anything but her facial expressions show that she is thinking about the matter.

17:15 M and LM are both equally annoyed about the restaurant going to Duncan’s son. ‘He is more like a hairdresser than a chef’ LM ‘Everything we’ve built is gonna go to a hairdresser’ M

‘I hate the injustice’.

LM reminds him that Duncan will get all the glory and asks ‘Are your going to let that go?’

She flirs with him and rubs noses as she persuades him – use of sex.

Both are drunk (drinking from hipflask)

19:00 Macbeth seems happy with his working conditions. LM tells him that Duncan is paying him in ‘charm and blarney’. She tells him to his face that he is ‘too full of the milk of human kindness’ to wind him up. ‘What kind of man is it?’

Always whispers in his ear.

19:37 – M challenges her physically and goes to pull away, but she seduces him.

20:00 – LM implies to M that they should kill him. M never actually speaks. It is assumed they both know what she means.

21:15 – forces Macbeth to sack workers even though he does not want to. Shows power

25:40 – She is very nice to Duncan and acts like she is really supportive of him.

28:00-30:00 LM makes M more angry by sending Duncan out to meet guests when the food is ready to go. She engineers a reason for M to dislike Duncan. Not what she does in original.

Note writing session tomorrow after school

Self explanatory really! I will stay behind after school in L25 to help with pointing you in the right direction with your notes, for anyone who is struggling to get started.

Try and let me know during the day, and pass the message on.

NW

A song...

:)

Nirvana - All Apologies (Unplugged)

What you should have so far Act 1 Sc 7

M delivers a huge soliloquy at the start of this act during which he states that  First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door,  Not bear the knife myself. – Doesn’t show this side in the film, there LM doesn’t have to persuade him as much.	“Wouldst thou have that Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,      And live a coward in thine own esteem?” – LM Here, the word ‘coward’ is used to represent somebody who does not follow their dream fully.
M speaks at length when LM is not in the room. When she enters, she dominates him in terms of amount of speech.	“Prithee, peace: I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none. “ – M disagress with LM here stating that if he goes ahead with the crime then he is not a man. LM then has to persuade him further. This disagreement does not take place in the film. She has more of a job of persuading him in the original text.
“why have you left the chamber? “ LM – Shows her dominance over M that she is able to question him like this. She is ‘in charge’.	“What beast was't, then, That made you break this enterprise to me? “ – Rather than questioning his manhood, LM questions his humanity.
“Was the hope drunk Wherein you dress'd yourself? hath it slept since?  And wakes it now, to look so green and pale” She questions M’s commitment to the task here. IN a way it comes across as taunting but not as blatant of insulting as the ‘What kind of man is it…?’ In the movie. Less insulting.	“And, to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man. “ – Like is the film, she eventually talks about his masculinity but offers a positive view of it, telling him
“From this time Such I account thy love.” – LM bases her view of their love on his commitment to this task. Not the same as in the film.	I have given suck, and know  How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me:  I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this.
“Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valour As thou art in desire?” Again, LM shows that, for her, the importance of killing Duncan is to fulfil a ‘desire’. She knows that it is wrong but is following a dream.	MACBETH - If we should fail?  LADY MACBETH We fail! But screw your courage to the sticking-place,  And we'll not fail.
Uses lots of questions in style. Macbeth questions her back and answers are given. Much more calm than in film. In the film, questions are made to taunt until M loses patience.	Will I with wine and wassail so convince      That memory, the warder of the brain,      Shall be a fume

What you should have so far - Act 1 Sc 5 analysis

When LM reads Macbeth’s letter she speaks purely in prose. However, when she starts to speak herself, her dialogue gradually morphs into poetry as she usues Iambic Pentameter increasingly. This implies that what she has to say is important and that she is a plotting character.	Lady Macbeth seems to be preoccupied with the idea that Macbeth is to be King due to fate. “Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have thee crowned withal” line 28-2. This, in some people eyes, shows hat she does not believe she is entirely responsible for the act, she believes she is just fulfilling destiny.
Lady Macbeth says ‘Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised’ line 15-16. This portrays Lady Macbeth as a very determined and stubborn character who has made up her mind about this matter even though she has only just heard the prediction.	When LM hears from the Messenger that the King is staying with them tonight, she says ‘He brings great news’ line 37, showing that her plot to kill the king has formed in her head. She is shown as devious to the point that she will even admit her joy in front of the servant.
She says that she fears Macbeth’s nature is ‘too full o’the milk of human kindness.’ Lines 16 This shows that she sees kindness as a weakness and not a virtue. She implies that people only gain success by being cruel.	“Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to toe top-full of direst cruelty’ 40-42. Here, LM’s dealing with the occult are clearly shown. She is portrayed almost as a supernatural character (or at least with supernatural help)
Lady Macbeth says of Macbeth “What thou wouldst highly, that wouldst thou holily.” Line 19-21 What this means is that whenever Macbeth does anything important, he wants to do it in a ‘holy’ way. This implies that he has religious/Christian principles, and this is what is holding him back.	“Stop up the access and passage to remorse” 45. A very important line. Lady Macbeth expects to feel sorry for what she has done and begs the spirits to help her not to feel sorry. This shows that she knows what she is doing is wrong.
Lady Macbeth is shown as quite a bossy character. She says ‘Hie thee hither’ line 26 which means come home quickly. Whilst this is not exactly shocking these days, it would possibly have appeared quite unusual to an audience at the time to see a woman being so bossy towards her husband (even though he is not actually there at the time).	“Come thick night…that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanke of the dark to cry ‘Hold, hold’.Lines 49-54 As above.
She wants Macbeth to come back quick so that she can ‘pour my spirits in thine ear’. This is the first hint that Lady Macbeth is dealing with supernatural forces. She seems to be implying that she will slowly persuade him to kill the King. But the mention of spirits makes us think of the occult.	“bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue; look like th’ innocent flower but be the serpent under it.”64-67. LM instructs Macbeth how to cunningly make Duncan feel at rest but really to plot against him. This shows her devious side. Perhaps the spirits are at work already?

Act 5 Scene 1

Act 5, Scene 1

SCENE I. Dunsinane. Ante-room in the castle.

    Enter a Doctor of Physic and a Waiting-Gentlewoman

Doctor

    I have two nights watched with you, but can perceive
    no truth in your report. When was it she last walked?

Gentlewoman

    Since his majesty went into the field, I have seen
    her rise from her bed, throw her night-gown upon
    her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it,
    write upon't, read it, afterwards seal it, and again
    return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast sleep.

Doctor

    A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once
    the benefit of sleep, and do the effects of
    watching! In this slumbery agitation, besides her
    walking and other actual performances, what, at any
    time, have you heard her say?

Gentlewoman

    That, sir, which I will not report after her.

Doctor

    You may to me: and 'tis most meet you should.

Gentlewoman

    Neither to you nor any one; having no witness to
    confirm my speech.

    Enter LADY MACBETH, with a taper
    Lo you, here she comes! This is her very guise;
    and, upon my life, fast asleep. Observe her; stand close.

Doctor

    How came she by that light?

Gentlewoman

    Why, it stood by her: she has light by her
    continually; 'tis her command.

Doctor

    You see, her eyes are open.

Gentlewoman

    Ay, but their sense is shut.

Doctor

    What is it she does now? Look, how she rubs her hands.

Gentlewoman

    It is an accustomed action with her, to seem thus
    washing her hands: I have known her continue in
    this a quarter of an hour.

LADY MACBETH

    Yet here's a spot.

Doctor

    Hark! she speaks: I will set down what comes from
    her, to satisfy my remembrance the more strongly.

LADY MACBETH

    Out, damned spot! out, I say!--One: two: why,
    then, 'tis time to do't.--Hell is murky!--Fie, my
    lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard? What need we
    fear who knows it, when none can call our power to
    account?--Yet who would have thought the old man
    to have had so much blood in him.

Doctor

    Do you mark that?

LADY MACBETH

    The thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now?--
    What, will these hands ne'er be clean?--No more o'
    that, my lord, no more o' that: you mar all with
    this starting.

Doctor

    Go to, go to; you have known what you should not.

Gentlewoman

    She has spoke what she should not, I am sure of
    that: heaven knows what she has known.

LADY MACBETH

    Here's the smell of the blood still: all the
    perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little
    hand. Oh, oh, oh!

Doctor

    What a sigh is there! The heart is sorely charged.

Gentlewoman

    I would not have such a heart in my bosom for the
    dignity of the whole body.

Doctor

    Well, well, well,--

Gentlewoman

    Pray God it be, sir.

Doctor

    This disease is beyond my practise: yet I have known
    those which have walked in their sleep who have died
    holily in their beds.

LADY MACBETH

    Wash your hands, put on your nightgown; look not so
    pale.--I tell you yet again, Banquo's buried; he
    cannot come out on's grave.

Doctor

    Even so?

LADY MACBETH

    To bed, to bed! there's knocking at the gate:
    come, come, come, come, give me your hand. What's
    done cannot be undone.--To bed, to bed, to bed!

    Exit

Doctor

    Will she go now to bed?

Gentlewoman

    Directly.

Doctor

    Foul whisperings are abroad: unnatural deeds
    Do breed unnatural troubles: infected minds
    To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets:
    More needs she the divine than the physician.
    God, God forgive us all! Look after her;
    Remove from her the means of all annoyance,
    And still keep eyes upon her. So, good night:
    My mind she has mated, and amazed my sight.
    I think, but dare not speak.

Gentlewoman

    Good night, good doctor.

    Exeunt 

Act 1 Scene 7

Act 1, Scene 7

SCENE VII. Macbeth's castle.

    Hautboys and torches. Enter a Sewer, and divers Servants with dishes and service, and pass over the stage. Then enter MACBETH

MACBETH

    If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
    It were done quickly: if the assassination
    Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
    With his surcease success; that but this blow
    Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
    But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
    We'ld jump the life to come. But in these cases
    We still have judgment here; that we but teach
    Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
    To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice
    Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice
    To our own lips. He's here in double trust;
    First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
    Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
    Who should against his murderer shut the door,
    Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
    Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
    So clear in his great office, that his virtues
    Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
    The deep damnation of his taking-off;
    And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
    Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsed
    Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
    Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
    That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur
    To prick the sides of my intent, but only
    Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
    And falls on the other.

    Enter LADY MACBETH
    How now! what news?

LADY MACBETH

    He has almost supp'd: why have you left the chamber?

MACBETH

    Hath he ask'd for me?

LADY MACBETH

    Know you not he has?

MACBETH

    We will proceed no further in this business:
    He hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought
    Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
    Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
    Not cast aside so soon.

LADY MACBETH

    Was the hope drunk
    Wherein you dress'd yourself? hath it slept since?
    And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
    At what it did so freely? From this time
    Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard
    To be the same in thine own act and valour
    As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
    Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
    And live a coward in thine own esteem,
    Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,'
    Like the poor cat i' the adage?

MACBETH

    Prithee, peace:
    I dare do all that may become a man;
    Who dares do more is none.

LADY MACBETH

    What beast was't, then,
    That made you break this enterprise to me?
    When you durst do it, then you were a man;
    And, to be more than what you were, you would
    Be so much more the man. Nor time nor place
    Did then adhere, and yet you would make both:
    They have made themselves, and that their fitness now
    Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know
    How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me:
    I would, while it was smiling in my face,
    Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
    And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you
    Have done to this.

MACBETH

    If we should fail?

LADY MACBETH

    We fail!
    But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
    And we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep--
    Whereto the rather shall his day's hard journey
    Soundly invite him--his two chamberlains
    Will I with wine and wassail so convince
    That memory, the warder of the brain,
    Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason
    A limbeck only: when in swinish sleep
    Their drenched natures lie as in a death,
    What cannot you and I perform upon
    The unguarded Duncan? what not put upon
    His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt
    Of our great quell?

MACBETH

    Bring forth men-children only;
    For thy undaunted mettle should compose
    Nothing but males. Will it not be received,
    When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two
    Of his own chamber and used their very daggers,
    That they have done't?

LADY MACBETH

    Who dares receive it other,
    As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar
    Upon his death?

MACBETH

    I am settled, and bend up
    Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.
    Away, and mock the time with fairest show:
    False face must hide what the false heart doth know.

    Exeunt

The Key Scenes themselves...Act 1 Scene 5

I will provide you with clean copies of these in the CA. These are just for revision purposes.

Act 1, Scene 5

SCENE V. Inverness. Macbeth's castle.

    Enter LADY MACBETH, reading a letter

LADY MACBETH

    'They met me in the day of success: and I have
    learned by the perfectest report, they have more in
    them than mortal knowledge. When I burned in desire
    to question them further, they made themselves air,
    into which they vanished. Whiles I stood rapt in
    the wonder of it, came missives from the king, who
    all-hailed me 'Thane of Cawdor;' by which title,
    before, these weird sisters saluted me, and referred
    me to the coming on of time, with 'Hail, king that
    shalt be!' This have I thought good to deliver
    thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou
    mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being
    ignorant of what greatness is promised thee. Lay it
    to thy heart, and farewell.'
    Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be
    What thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature;
    It is too full o' the milk of human kindness
    To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great;
    Art not without ambition, but without
    The illness should attend it: what thou wouldst highly,
    That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,
    And yet wouldst wrongly win: thou'ldst have, great Glamis,
    That which cries 'Thus thou must do, if thou have it;
    And that which rather thou dost fear to do
    Than wishest should be undone.' Hie thee hither,
    That I may pour my spirits in thine ear;
    And chastise with the valour of my tongue
    All that impedes thee from the golden round,
    Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
    To have thee crown'd withal.

    Enter a Messenger
    What is your tidings?

Messenger

    The king comes here to-night.

LADY MACBETH

    Thou'rt mad to say it:
    Is not thy master with him? who, were't so,
    Would have inform'd for preparation.

Messenger

    So please you, it is true: our thane is coming:
    One of my fellows had the speed of him,
    Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more
    Than would make up his message.

LADY MACBETH

    Give him tending;
    He brings great news.

    Exit Messenger
    The raven 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 toe top-full
    Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood;
    Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
    That no compunctious visitings of nature
    Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
    The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
    And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,
    Wherever in your sightless substances
    You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night,
    And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
    That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
    Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
    To cry 'Hold, hold!'

    Enter MACBETH
    Great Glamis! worthy Cawdor!
    Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter!
    Thy letters have transported me beyond
    This ignorant present, and I feel now
    The future in the instant.

MACBETH

    My dearest love,
    Duncan comes here to-night.

LADY MACBETH

    And when goes hence?

MACBETH

    To-morrow, as he purposes.

LADY MACBETH

    O, never
    Shall sun that morrow see!
    Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
    May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
    Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,
    Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower,
    But be the serpent under't. He that's coming
    Must be provided for: and you shall put
    This night's great business into my dispatch;
    Which shall to all our nights and days to come
    Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.

MACBETH

    We will speak further.

LADY MACBETH

    Only look up clear;
    To alter favour ever is to fear:
    Leave all the rest to me.

    Exeunt 

Three Key Scenes Overview

Some people have been saying that they are finding it difficult to remember what happens exactly in each of the key scenes, so here we go!

Act 1 Scene 5

At Macbeth's home, the castle of Inverness, Lady Macbeth reads a letter from her husband concerning his meeting with the Witches. She is immediately aware of the significance of their prophetic words and, on being informed that King Duncan will be paying a royal visit to Inverness, makes up her mind to carry out the murder of the king in order to hasten the prophecy. In doing so, she suggests that her husband is weak — he contains too much of "the milk of human kindness." When Macbeth arrives from the court of Duncan, bearing news of the king's forthcoming visit, his wife makes her plans clear to him.

Act 1 Scene 7

Alone, Macbeth ponders the deed that he is about to perform. He is aware of the powerful reasons for murdering the king, but is nagged by self-doubt arising from his fear of retribution both in heaven and on earth and by his likely loss of reputation. However, any such fears are dismissed by his wife in the same practical tone that she used in Act I. Her taunting of her husband's weakness, coupled with the efficiency of her own plan, convince Macbeth that he should take on the "horrid deed."

Act 5 Scene 1

Lady Macbeth has gone mad. Like her husband, she cannot find any rest, but she is suffering more clearly from a psychological disorder that causes her, as she sleepwalks, to recall fragments of the events of the murders of Duncan, Banquo, and Lady Macduff. These incriminating words are overheard by the Doctor and a lady-in-waiting.

Incidentally, when I searched Google for these summaries (like you could have done - just sayin...) the first thing that came up, when I typed in 'm', was 'Matalan'. Really, Matalan? Is there nothing in the whole world more significant or important than Matalan?! We live in worrying times, people.

NW

Example paragraph...

Hi everyone,

Here are some example paragraphs. This is taking a little longer than I anticipated but, rest assured, we will not begin the CA if you are not totally prepared for it.

If it means that I can't get everything you need on the blog tonight, then it simply means I will give it to you tomorrow, and we put the CA back a day. Don't stress :)

Anyway, you paragraphs should look like this...

Remember PEE

(Point) One way in which we could compare the character of Lady Macbeth between the two versions is through the way she dresses. (Evidence) For example, when the play was originally staged in theatres such as The Globe, the tradition would have been for the character to dress in typically feminine attire, possibly a long flowing dress, to accentuate her femininity. Many productions often have Lady Macbeth dressed in dark colours in order to hint at the idea that she is an evil character because she has been praying to evil spirits. (Point) However, in the modern adaptation 'Shakespeare Retold', which is set in a restaurant, Lady Macbeth is wearing clothing which is totally different to what we would expect. (Evidence) For example, throughout the film, Lady Macbeth is wearing a red trouser suit which makes her look more masculine in her appearance than a traditional interpretation of the characters. (Now explain the significance of what you have just said). This is interesting because in the modern adaptation of the play, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as being more masculine as she is wearing traditionally masculine clothes. This suggest that she has to act more manly in order to do her job as manager of the restaurant. In a way, this is similar to the character of the original play who asks for the spirits to 'unsex her' in order to make her more masculine so that she can carry out the murder. Both versions of character, using different methods, need to act mroe masculine in order to progress with what they are doing.

You could even add on...

This is even more interesting in the case of the modern Lady Macbeth as now, in society, women should not really have 

As you can see, it really is that simple. Just think of about 4/5 different ways that you can compare LM in each set scene, and write a paragraph like this. In you EXPLAIN bit, you simply need to use your knowledge of the time difference to make it make sense.

Extra time for CA

Hi all,

As I'm sure you can all understand, whilst I have tried my hardest to get everything on the blog this weekend, it hasn't been totally possible.

However, you now have full and detailed guidance on essay plans and paragraph templates.

The Act 5 stuff is something I won't be able to give you until tomorrow unfortunately. There has simply been too much other stuff to get done this weekend, and I don't think it would be fair for you to only have a few hours to look over it before beginning the assessment.

Because of that, we will treat tomorrow's lesson as a final preparation lesson, and begin the CA the following lesson.

So, revise what you have, and don't stress.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, :)

NW

PS. Beat it down.

For those of you who don't quite get it...

Here is an essay plan.

Intro - Talk about the general differences between the two eras. We have talked A LOT about this, so you should have a good few points to make about why LM would be particularly different today compared to in 1606 (the year Macbeth is thought to have first been staged/written).

Include:

*Attitudes towards women
*The way plays were performed and staged back then (the difference in theatres/lighting/sound etc)
*The difference in the average theatre audience.

etc

Once you have set the scene with your intro, you need to go on to the main body of the essay. You have three set scenes which we have annotated and discussed in detail. So work your way through the scenes one by one, writing PEE paragraphs to show the similarities/differences between both version of LM.

You have 2 hours to write. I would imagine that you should try to write about 5 paragraphs for each key scene.

Try to include a range of points.

Make points about LM's actual speech - How is what she says different, and how does that affect your view of her?

How has the director changed the structure/events in the play, and how does this affect your view of LM? (eg, does it make her seem nicer/more sinsister - does it make her look more/less to blame?)

How does LM interract with other characters and how does that affect your view of her?

Look at how she talks to others. Does she have the majority of the speech or is she quite quiet? Does she interrupt? Does she have power?

CONTEXT - Where possible, try to talk about HOW/WHY these changes have occurred with reference to what has changed. 

These are all just ideas of things you could say. Considering you only need to make about 5 points per scene, this shouldn't be a problem for you!

Then...Conclude! What are the main, obvious differences between the original LM and the new one?

Dead easy :)

Example paragraphs to follow,

NW

The general feel of the assignment...

It really isn't difficult.

Over the space of a couple of hours, you are simply telling me how LM compares between the original and the new version of Macbeth.

Your points can refer to SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES.

You already know many of the points to make.

You can talk about:

*Her personality
*The things she says
*How much to blame she is
*To what extent she influences Macbeth
*Her dress
*Her physical appearance
*Where she lives/works
*How her mental state is presented
*Use of MUSIC :)
*Use of props
*The structure of the text/ the order that things happen.

This should not be an assignment where you struggle for ideas.

I will post the 'film analysis' and ACT 5 SC1 analysis on here within the next couple of hours. Maybe some songs too...

NW

Blogging today...

Between now and 5ish, I will put a load of stuff on here as promised.

NW

MACBETH CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT

Afternoon everyone,

As its such a nice day, it seems only right that I sit here in the dark, blogging.

:\

Let's begin by putting your minds at rest over this upcoming controlled assessment.

IT REALLY IS QUITE SIMPLE!

I can sum up what you need to do in just a few sentences. So here we go...

Task: Compare how Lady Macbeth is presented by Shakespeare and in one other adaptation of the play.

Sound simple?

All you have to do is look at 3 key scenes (Act 1 Sc5, Act 1 Sc7, Act 5 Sc1) and say how Lady Macbeth compares between the original script and the film that we watched.

So...

The first thing all of you must do if you haven't already is WATCH IT AGAIN.

Here it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjw1HXjpYJw

If you begin watching it now, you will be done by 20 past 1! So get on it.

More posts to follow so stay tuned.

NW