BELLSHAKESPEARE ONLINE RESOURCES MACBETH- POST-PERFORMANCEE LEARNING ACTIVITIES ACTIVITY ONE: The Language of Ambition Reading and Writing Macbeth is often referred to as a play that reeks of driving ambition. Macbeth himself is considered deeply flawed. Is it i his ambition that is his character flaw or is it his weakness at the time of the murder of Duncan? Lady Macbeth first hears of the witches prophecy in a letter from Macbeth. Act 1 Scene 5 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 e 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 kindnesss 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 playy 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 doo Than wishest should be undone. Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine t 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.
Lady Macbeth is enticed by the possibility of Macbeth becoming King. Shee urges him to fulfil the witches prediction. Her monologue inn Act 1 Scene 5 showss the audience the depth of her desire: The raven himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrancee of Duncann Under my battlements. Come, you spiritss That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-fulmy blood; Of direst cruelty! make thick Stop up the accesss and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of naturee 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! (1:5:37-52) 3. 4. 5. 6. What is Lady Macbeth s driving force? Which is stronger; her ambition for herself or for her husband? Howw do you know? What words and thoughts show the depth of her ambition? What ideas does she carry from Macbeth s letter into her following monologue? She says, unsex me here, take my milk for gali. Whatt do these images suggest? Is her imagery grotesque? Why?
ACTIVITY TWO: The Character s Innerr Monologue Practical Drama When we read lines on the page they mean one thing, but when the lines are read aloud by an actor they may assume an additional meaning. When read aloud a with movement, the meaning may alter or develop even more. A great way for students to create a meaningful scene is to allow the students to play with the meaning and thoughts of the t characters within that scene. This T can bee done by improvising the unspoken thoughts of thee character the inner monologue. Creating this inner monologue is an interesting, inspiring, and frequently entertaining way to bring a scene to life and to clarify characters objectives. In groups of four, two studentss play the characters and two playy their respective consciences speaking the inner monologue. Students can use the following sample fromm Macbeth and then continue creating their own version of the inner monologue. Studentss can then take an excerpt from elsewhere in Macbeth and in groups create the inner monologue for the two characters in the scene. Scenes to try include: Lady Macbeth andd Macbeth in Act 2 Scene 2; and Macbeth and Banquo in Act 2 Scene In the example below Ivana Chubbuck (2005) suggests that thee inner monologue is written in handwriting under the actual lines of script. Try acting out this scene from Act 1 Scene 4. You will need four actors, one person for each of the following characters: Duncann D (Duncan s Inner r Monologue) Macbeth M (Macbeth s Inner Monologue) Duncann There s no art To find the mind s construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built An absolute trust. D You can t always trust the ones you think you can trust. Enter Macbeth, Banquo, Rosss and Angus O worthiest cousin, The sin of my ingratitude even now Was heavy on me. Thou art so far before, That swiftest wing of recompense is slow To overtake thee. Would thou hadst less deserved, That the proportion both of thanks and payment Might have been mine. Only I have left to say, More is thy due than moree than all can pay. D Ah my dear Macbeth, I trust t this man like my own son. I cannot c thank him enough for his loyalty and service.
Macbeth The service and the loyalty I owe, In doing it, pays itself. Your highness part I to receive ourr duties, andd our duties Are to your throne and state, children and servants, Which do but what they should by doing everything Safe toward your love andd honour. M Of course King Duncan thinks I am loyal but he hasn t heard what the Weird Sisters have predicted.
ACTIVITY THREE: Contrasting relationships Writing and Practical Dramaa In Macbeth there is a marriage: In Macbeth there is a close male friendship: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Macbeth and Banquo Identify the attributes of these relationships. Consider dominance and submission, leaders and followers, negotiators and the obedient. 3. Think of other partnerships through the ages and try to match actual people from history with the pairs in the play. For Macbeth and Lady Macbeth you could consider a well-known real-life,, or fictional couple. For example: Marge Simpson convincing Homer to murder Mr Burns. A sportsman s wife convincing him to murder the team captain. c For Macbeth and Banquo you could consider the portrayal of friendship in a film you may have seen. When you have chosen an alternative couple, consider who might be the King in their world. Select a scene that focuses on ann aspect of the Shakespearean relationship and improvise this scene as the alternative couple.
ACTIVITY FOUR: : Ambition,, betrayal and revenge through the ages Reading, Research, Writing PART A. Ambition, betrayal and revenge are evident throughout history. The eventss in Macbeth can be compared to real leaders in world history including Saddam Hussein, Stalin, Hitlerr and political figures. Think of tyrannous rulers you may have heard about in the news, history class or in your own wider reading and viewing. 3. 4. Could the lives and actions of these figures be connected to ambition and betrayal? Did these rulers experience acts of revenge from those they may have betrayed? Make a list of five major events inn the world in recent times. Did these involve acts of betrayal, stimulated by ambition? Choose an event in world history from your list and create a dot-point timeline which identifies a potential act of revenge and the events leading up to it. PART B. 3. 4. 5. Find evidence of acts of revenge in fiction. Consider ann act of revenge that may have occurred in any other story, from Voldemort in Harry Potter to a character on your favourite TV show or film. Create a timeline of the events leading up to the act of revenge. r What was the cause of the vengeful act? What would happen to the plot if this vengeful act did not occur? Explain the events in your timeline in terms of ambition, betrayal and revenge.
ACTIVITY FIVE: Who is to blame? Critical Thinking In the very first scene of the play, Macbeth is a celebrated war hero with a great future ahead of him. He is then greeted with a mysterious prophecy from the Weird Sisters, which then determines the course off the play from what could have been a very different story. We know the events of the play, but what is not clear is who steers the story to its tragic conclusion. Is it the Weird Sisters fault for planting the idea in Macbeth s M mind and igniting his imagination? Is it Lady Macbeth s fault for her ambitious insistence on Macbeth to becomee King prematurely? Or is Macbeth the only one to blame, as master of his own fate? CLASSROOM DEBATE 3. 4. 5. Divide the class into four groups Group 1 will present their case ass to why Macbeth is to blame. Group 2 will present their case ass to why Lady Macbethh is to blame. Group 3 will present their case ass to why The Weird Sisters are to blame. Group 4 will act as the jury, asking questionss of each group, and deciding who has the most convincing case. The jury can also determine whether other groups are allowed to interrupt presentationss to rebut statements made. m Each group should work to form a strong case using evidence fromm the text in order to convince the jury of their character s blame. Hold a debate in the classroom, with one member of Group 4 elected judge to order proceedings. Each group will present their case, be questioned by the jury, then asked to finalise their statement. Encourage all members of the group to speak on the matter. Group 4 will then weigh up all thee arguments, summarising them, ncluding the most convincing points. They will then present their findings to t the class, and announce one character as guilty.
REFERENCES: Pre and post-performance activities Bayley, P, (1985) An A-B-C Of Shakespeare, Longman Group, UK Chubbuck, I, (2005) The Power Of The Actor, Currency Press, Australia Crystal, David & Crystal Ben, (2002) Shakespeare s Words: A Glossaryy & Language Companion, Penguin Books, London Gibson, R. (Ed.), ( 1993) Cambridge School Shakespeare Macbeth, Cambridge University Press, UK Gibson, Rex, (2000) Stepping Into Shakespeare, Cambridge University Press, UK Rozakis, L, (1999) The Complete Idiot ss Guide to Shakespeare, Penguin, USA