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Macbeth by Shakespeare


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I only know about it because we performed several Shakespearian plays at college (I'm an HND Drama Luvvie - LOL!) and had to do textual analysis of several others. It was barely touched upon when we did Higher English so I'd basically heard of it, but didn't have a clue what it actually was before studying it at college. Even so, I've actually forgotten most of what we were taught. :roll:

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If it's any comfort Kylie, I've never studied iambic pentameter in school so when I was asked to write a Shakespearean sonnet for my BA it took me several ridiculously long emails from my uber-nice Close Reading professor for me to have a clue how it all worked. I then promptly proceeded to forget the lesson - yet the letters after my name tell me you can fail to understand iambic pentameter and still have a good clue about Shakespeare in general :roll: so I wouldn't get too hung up about not getting it, I don't either!

 

That said, Stephen Fry's The Ode Less Travelled contains the single clearest attempt at explaining iambic pentameter I have ever read, so maybe he can help?

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I guess I'm missing something in the rhythm then, but that doesn't bother me because I'm enjoying it anyway. I think I'll just continue to read it as I have been.

 

You give it a particular rythm when you read? I'm impressed. I just read it as I would fiction basically :) Except a few parts which called out to me more and which I tried reading out loud, as if I had been acting them :roll:

 

Is paying attention to the rythm something you all do?

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Is paying attention to the rythm something you all do?
No:lurker: call myself a Shakespearean scholar! Then again, English poetic rhythm does not come naturally to me (in Italian poetry, lines are measured by number of syllables; none of this 'beats to the line' malarkey) so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
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I don't pay particular attention to the rhythm when I'm reading it, but then, when we were rehearsing, we spoke the lines as if there were no pentameter involved. I tend to read plays with the play going on in my head and quite often choose a part (sometimes more than one!) as "mine" and find myself reading that part aloud. Not that I read plays very often, mind you. Actually, I do that with regular fiction too! :roll:

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Sirinrob, I've been enjoying your insighful comments into Macbeth. :lol:

 

 

Thank you Kylie for that :D. Now for some more :blush:

 

Lady Macbeth's first two speeches are wonderful, you definitely get the impression she is taking charge, as she wants to be Queen NOW! Line 26 'That I may pour my spirits in thine ear,| And chastise with the valour of my tongue' is a motif that Will used in Othello (Iago) and Hamlet (Claudius).

 

The scene between Lady Macbeth and Duncan is one of surface politeness, Lady Macbeth's last speech is chilling as on the surface she is acceding to the King his rights, but the subtext is 'Thats all going to change very soon'.

 

Macbeth's soliloquy, is one of brooding on the consequences of deeds in this life on future lives. Towards the end of this speech Macbeth seems to be concluding that his ambition is overreaching. The following exchange between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is one that Lady Macbeth has the upperhand. She berates him for not keeping to his promise to murder Duncan, attacking his masculinity. Once she outlines a practical plan he agrees, if only to get a quiet life:roll:

 

As a side note, line 61 'But screw your courage to the sticking place' is used as catch phrase in 'A Fraction of the whole' by Steve Toltz :lol:

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I'm not sure if I've even remotely ecplained that in any understandable way - LOL!

 

Yes, it was very understandable, thanks! I now have a better idea of it. :D

 

Shall I comPARE thee TO a SUMmer's DAY

Thou ART more LOVEly AND more TEMperATE

Rough WINDS do SHAKE the DARling BUDS of MAY...

 

You didn't come across as know-it-all at all Janet! And these examples are great, thank you!

 

You give it a particular rythm when you read? I'm impressed. I just read it as I would fiction basically :lol: Except a few parts which called out to me more and which I tried reading out loud, as if I had been acting them :blush:

 

Oh no, I don't give it a rhythm at all. I'm like you: I just read it as fiction. :lol:

 

No:lurker: call myself a Shakespearean scholar! Then again, English poetic rhythm does not come naturally to me (in Italian poetry, lines are measured by number of syllables; none of this 'beats to the line' malarkey) so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

 

I'm reassured by your comments, Giulia!

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Don't get me started on the whole Freudian readings of Shakespeare thing, or I might just have to ban myself :D the way I see it is, applying modern day theories and terminologies to centuries-old texts is dreadfully anachronistic, like those olden films where the Romans had wrist-watches.

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