Assignment #4

The End

Through the course of this unit, we have all read and thoroughly analyzed Shakespeare’s play Macbeth academically as a work. Although we have looked over aspects, both pertaining to the novel itself and its historical, societal context, we have never really expressed our opinion on the book. There was blood, there were tears, there was murder, and there were witches! The play was dark, and ultimately very depressing, but we loved it.

One of the most admirable things about Macbeth is how it appealed, 500 years later, to a contemporary audience. Shakespearean dialogue is definitely not something we are completely used to; nobody uses “thee” and “doth” in their day to day speech. However, the violence, the gore, and the carnage in the play are fit for the most gruesome of the latest Hollywood horror features, the most violent rap track on the radio. For this reason, we as adolescents in the 21st century find this production more interesting than the other Shakespeare plays we have studied such as Midsummer’s Night Dream.

On the whole, our unit of studying Macbeth was a unique and enjoyable experience. The blog was a fun assignment because it allowed us to share our knowledge with others, while reading what others have learned. Since we do not normally get such unusual assignments, this experience captured our attentions greater than any Shakespeare study in previous years. However, the most interesting component of this year’s study was comparing Macbeth to other forms of the play in different media. By examining the play from different viewpoints, we were able to develop our own opinions about characters and themes, and draw individual conclusions from the text.

Thanks for reading for the past couple months.

Assignment #3

What is Catharsis?

Catharsis is the release, removal, or purging of strong emotions or emotional tensions through an overwhelming or strong experience. For example, a cathartic experience could take form in a violent movie. The second-hand violence that the viewer experiences may purge the viewer’s need for violence in real life; whether or not this actually happens is debatable. There are several ways in which catharsis manifests itself to affect an audience. However, the end result is the same; through catharsis, the audience will have a sense of completion, and they are rid of any negative feelings towards the characters.

What are the term’s roots?

Catharsis comes from the Greek word καθαρός and it literally translates as “to purify, purge”. It originated in Classical Greece as an ancient medical term, as the process where one expels what is strange to the organism and deleterious to the body. Aristotle was the first to write about catharsis in his book Poetics, where he commented on how people can feel cured and relieved when they hear the sacred chants which influence the soul.

Historically, catharsis has also had its applications in religion. In order to escape from unclean influences a man had to purify himself and the objects around him. For example, in the Old Testament, catharsis was accomplished by washing and bathing. From the medical point of view, catharsis was used to rid a person of disease or plague, caused by religious and moral sins.

Applications in Macbeth: Warning: Some spoilers

Catharsis of the audience

The main example of catharsis would be Macbeth’s death because the audience is both stunned and it seems the foul acts have been purged away. Throughout the play, audiences become disgusted and disconnected from Macbeth because of his notorious crimes. For example, in Act 3.1 Macbeth orders assassins to kill his closest friend, Banquo. This sudden decision shocks the readers and makes them feel that Macbeth's actions are no longer justified. At the end of the play, the culminating fear and disgust aimed at Macbeth is purged through the killing of Macbeth.

The killing of King Duncan can also be thought of as catharsis because it cleanses and it brings an end to the suspense. Shortly after, the feelings of the audience are purged because they no longer feel the anxiety they felt before while anticipating the murder of King Duncan. Another catharsis occurs when the audience is relieved of Lady Macbeth's problems when she commits suicide near the end. Although it is not explicitly mentioned, the idea when passed to the audience may create a catharsis. However, the above two examples are only cathartic in nature because they are very short-term and only affect a small portion of the play watcher's emotions.

For the purpose of our assignment, the only true catharsis would be the first example because it purges the audience from all of their emotions which have accumulated during the play.


Works Cited

Brown, Larry A. "Aristotle on Greek Tragedy." January 2005. 1 Feb 2007 http://larryavisbrown.homestead.com/Aristotle_Tragedy.html

Brunius, Teddy (May 1, 2003). Catharsis. February 1, 2007. http://etext.virginia.edu/cgi-local/DHI/dhi.cgi?id=dv1-36

Pucci, Bruno (n.d.) Catharsis from Greek to the Culture Industry. February 2, 2007.
http://construct.haifa.ac.il/~ilangz/oslo/pucci_newton.htm

Underwood, Mick. "Mass media: effects." 21 June 2003. Cultsock. 1 Feb. 2006.
http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/media/efterms.html

Assignment #2

King James, Daemonology and Newes of Scotland

Shakespeare wrote Macbeth shortly after King James published two books on daemonology. The books gave Shakespeare information about the current trends of witchcraft. This allowed him to incorporate the various supernatural elements in the play in order to create a play that was captivating to audiences.

King James VI and I (1566-1625) was the King of Scotland, the King of England and the King of Ireland
- He was a very popular author because of his accessible prose style and thus he was well-liked not only amongst the higher educated class but with the common folk as well
- Amongst his works is a two-volume exploration of witchcraft and daemonology

In 1591, King James published his work Newes of Scotland
-The Newes of Scotland was the earliest tract of Scottish witchcraft, published in 1591
- It appeared in the form of a pamphlet
- It is a historical account of Scottish witch persecution, with details of condemnation, torture and execution of a victim of the Scottish witch hunt
- The witch hunt lasted a year (November 1590 to December 1591)
- At first, country people of lower social standing were accused (a healer, a servant, a boatman, a schoolmaster)
- Later, the accusations were directed towards people with higher social status (the wife of an Edinburgh burgess, a daughter of Lord Cliftonhall, a senator of the court of justice)
- Today, this book is often treated as a footnote to King James’ Daemonology (1597)

In 1597, King James published his other work, Daemonology
- The book was published shortly before Shakespeare wrote Macbeth
- Daemonology is divided into three parts
- It is written in a conversational style, a dialogue between two people Philomathes and Epistemon
- He describes how to find evidence of a person practicing witchcraft
- King James also discusses witchcraft, necromancy, possession, demons, were-wolves, fairies and ghosts
- In 1603, King James passed a law that ordered the death of anyone who acted "to consult, covenant with, entertain, employ, feed, or reward any evil and wicked spirit, or to utter spells."
- This law was first used in the trial of the Pendle witches, where nine people were convicted and hanged
- This trial had cataclysmic effects, beginning several decades of witch hunts in England, and the hanging of hundreds of so-called witches

There are also a few parallels between King James and which are unrelated to the theme of witches.
- One of the parallels is based on an assassination attempt of King James; due to religious issues, a group of people attempted to kill him by hiding gunpowder under the Parliament buildings.
- On his way home from his honeymoon, King James experienced a violent storm. A couple of citizens confessed that they were attempting to destroy James through magical means. Agnes Sampson, the traditional healer, declared that the Earl of Bothwell encouraged 200 "witches” to gather at Auld Kirk where the devil told them to conjure the storm by throwing a cat into the sea. In Macbeth, Shakespeare draws on this event and King James’ interest in witches and creates the Witches characters.
- Doctor Fian was accused of plotting against James VI of Scotland, and was tortured into a confession; in Scotland the hunt for witches was even bloodier and more ruthless than in England. In Scotland torture was permissible to obtain a confession, unlike in England.

Works Cited

Hippodrome State Theatre (n.d.). Macbeth Perspectives. 31 January 2007. http://www.thehipp.org/macbeth_perspectives.html.

King James the First (n.d.). Daemonology and Newes of Scotland . Edited by G. B. Harrison. 31 January 2007. http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/kjd/index.htm.

Thompson, E. H. (1995). More Newes from Scotland – the woodblock illustrations of a witchcraft pamphlet. 31 January 2007. http://homepages.tesco.net/~eandcthomp/newes.htm.

Assignment #1

- Edited version, context established. February 1, 2007 -

It is important while analyzing a work with universal impact, such as Macbeth, to pay especially close attention to the reliability of a source. There are plenty of websites out there that simply cut and paste or give an abridged version of the play. Over time, various writers contribute their own interpretations, their own input. For this assignment, we examined the e-text version of University of Virginia and evaluated the reliability of the source compared to the Oxford Shakespeare's edition.

The Electronic Text of the University of Virginia provides a reliable version of Act I scenes one and two of Macbeth. Firstly, the text is from an institute of higher learning, and thus the text would have been thoroughly reviewed and revised. Furthermore, upon first glance, one can see this electronic version is very comprehensive. It contains the entire play, subcategorized by scenes within each act. Lastly, the text itself is very easy to read. It is presented in an organized fashion with appropriate spacing between character headings. The only major drawback to this version of the text is the lack of line numbers, which can be frustrating to readers when examining longer scenes.

Despite being a reliable text for its accuracy of the text, the University of Virginia’s online version is not a carbon copy of the Oxford Shakespeare edition. There are numerous minor differences in punctuation, spelling, and stage directions. In the electronic version, spelling differences occur with some specific nouns, such as Macdonwald on line 9 and Norweyan on line 31. Some words are shortened, such as show’d and compell’d on lines 15 and 30, respectively. In addition, there are a few stage directions that are added and omitted. At the beginning of both scenes in the University of Virginia’s edition, there is an added stage direction which describes the setting, yet these directions are not present in the Oxford print version. It writes, “A desert place” and “A camp near Forres”, giving readers and description of the location of the scene (Macbeth 1.1, 1.2). In the middle of Act 1.2, there is another difference in stage directions between the print version and the e-text version. The Sergeant, or Captain, is directed to exit, and only Ross enters, while in the Oxford Shakespeare copy the stage directions tell both Ross and Angus to enter.

On the whole, these differences do not affect the overall ideas, character information, or understanding of the plot of the two scenes. In conclusion, the University of Virginia e-text presents a reliable version of Act I scenes I and II because it provides accurate text, albeit with insignificant changes in punctuation, spelling, and stage direction.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Edited by Nicholas Brooke. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Macbeth. 1998. Electronic Text Center of University of Virginia Library. 18, January 2007. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/MobMacb.html

P.S. We are very, very sorry that this is late!