Macbeth

“A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything. ” Baba says these words to Rahim Khan while he is talking about Amir at the end of Chapter 3, and the quotation reveals important traits in both Amir and Baba. With these words, Baba sums up one of Amir’s major character flaws—his cowardice—and Baba shows how much value he places in standing up for what is right. Baba is reluctant to praise Amir, largely because he feels Amir lacks the courage to even stand up for himself, leaving Amir constantly craving Baba’s approval.

Amir’s desire for this approval as well as his cowardice later cause him to let Assef rape Hassan. The quotation also foreshadows the major test of Amir’s character that occurs when he must decide whether to return to Kabul to save Sohrab. As Amir searches for redemption, the question he struggles with is precisely what concerned Baba: does he have the courage and strength to stand up for what is right? “I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world.

Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. ” When Amir says this, toward the end of Chapter 7, he has just watched Assef rape Hassan,and rather than intervene, he ran away. Amir says he aspired to cowardice because, in his estimation, what he did was worse than cowardice. If fear of being hurt by Assef were the main reason he ran, Amir suggests that at least would have been more justified. Instead, he allowed the rape to happen because he wanted the blue kite, which he thought would prove to Baba that he was a winner like him, earning him Baba’s love and approval.

The price of the kite, as Amir says, was Hassan, and this is why Amir calls Hassan the lamb he had to slay. He draws a comparison between Hassan and the lamb sacrificed during the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha to commemorate Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son to God. In this context, Hassan was the sacrifice Amir had to make to get the kite and ultimately to gain Baba’s affection. “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for he last twenty-six years. ” At the outset of Chapter 1, just as the book begins, Amir writes these words. With them, he hints at the central drama of the story and the reason he is telling it. To the reader, the quotation functions as a teaser. It piques the reader’s interest without revealing exactly what Amir is talking about, and from the time period Amir mentions, twenty-six years, the reader gets an idea of just how important this moment was. As the story unfolds, we realize that the deserted alley Amir refers to is where Hassan was raped, and that this event has largely defined the course of Amir’s life since.

This is what Amir means when he says that the past continues to claw its way out. Try as he might to bury it, he was unable to because his feelings of guilt kept arising. As a result, he figuratively continues peeking into the alley where Assef raped Hassan, literally meaning that he keeps going over the event in his mind. “There is a way to be good again. ” (pg. 2) Rahim Khan said this to Amir to encourage him to help Hassan’s son escape Afghanistan. ”And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You can’t love a person who lives that way without fearing him too.

Maybe even hating him a little. ” (pg 15) This is Amir’s assessment of his father. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb. ” (pg. 76) Here Amir describes the look on Hassan’s face as Assef and two others rape him. The look reminds Amir of a sacrifical lamb. I envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with. ” (pg 165) Amir makes this comment to the reader after Soraya tells him the whole story of how she ran away with a man and shamed her family. He wishes he could tell what secrets he carries around, too. Baba had wrestled bears his whole life . . In the end, a bear had come that he couldn’t best. But even then, he had lost on his own terms. ” (pg 174) Baba has died and Amir sums up his life with these words. The Search For Redemption Amir’s quest to redeem himself makes up the heart of the novel. Early on, Amir strives to redeem himself in Baba’s eyes, primarily because his mother died giving birth to him, and he feels responsible. To redeem himself to Baba, Amir thinks he must win the kite-tournament and bring Baba the losing kite, both of which are inciting incidents that set the rest of the novel in motion.

The more substantial part of Amir’s search for redemption, however, stems from his guilt regarding Hassan. That guilt drives the climactic events of the story, including Amir’s journey to Kabul to find Sohrab and his confrontation with Assef. The moral standard Amir must meet to earn his redemption is set early in the book, when Baba says that a boy who doesn’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything. As a boy, Amir fails to stand up for himself. As an adult, he can only redeem himself by proving he has the courage to stand up for what is right.

The Love and Tension Between Fathers and Sons Amir has a very complex relationship with Baba, and as much as Amir loves Baba, he rarely feels Baba fully loves him back. Amir’s desire to win Baba’s love consequently motivates him not to stop Hassan’s rape. Baba has his own difficulty connecting with Amir. He feels guilty treating Amir well when he can’t acknowledge Hassan as his son. As a result, he is hard on Amir, and he can only show his love for Hassan indirectly, by bringing Hassan along when he takes Amir out, for instance, or paying for Hassan’s lip surgery.

In contrast with this, the most loving relationship between father and son we see is that of Hassan and Sohrab. Hassan, however, is killed, and toward the end of the novel we watch Amir trying to become a substitute father to Sohrab. Their relationship experiences its own strains as Sohrab, who is recovering from the loss of his parents and the abuse he suffered, has trouble opening up to Amir. When we got to Kabul, I [Rahim Khan] discovered that Hassan had no intention of moving into the house. “But all these rooms are empty, Hassan jan. No one is going to live in them,” I said. But he would not.

He said it was a matter of ihtiram, a matter of respect. He and Farzana moved their things into the hut in the backyard, where he was born. I pleaded for them to move into one of the guest bedrooms upstairs, but Hassan would hear nothing of it. “What will Amir agha think? ” he said to me. “What will he think when he comes back to Kabul after the war and finds that I have assumed his place in the house? ” Then, in mourning for your father, Hassan wore black for the next forty days. (16. 24-25) You may be confused by the voice here. It’s actually not Amir – Rahim Khan gets one chapter in the book.

Rahim Khan recounts his trip to Hazarajat to find Hassan and bring him back to the house in Kabul. When Hassan does move back to the house with Rahim Khan, he refuses to live where Baba and Amir lived. Does Hassan’s refusal suggest that Hassan is only Amir’s servant and the two never achieved an equal friendship? (Side question: Does Hassan sense – on some unconscious level – Baba’s true relationship to him? Is that why he mourns Baba for forty days? ) I felt like a man sliding down a steep cliff, clutching at shrubs and tangles of brambles and coming up empty-handed. The room was swooping up and down, swaying side to side. Did Hassan know? ” I said through lips that didn’t feel like my own. Rahim Khan closed his eyes. Shook his head. [… ] “Please think, Amir Jan. It was a shameful situation. People would talk. All that a man had back then, all that he was, was his honor, his name, and if people talked… We couldn’t tell anyone, surely you can see that. ” He reached for me, but I shed his hand. Headed for the door. [… ] I opened the door and turned to him. “Why? What can you possibly say to me? I’m thirty-eight years old and I’ve just found out my whole life is one big fucking lie!

What can you possibly say to make things better? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing! ” (17. 57-63) Rahim Khan tells Amir about Baba’s betrayal of him, Hassan, and Ali. Here’s the story: Baba slept with Sanaubar, Ali’s wife, and fathered Hassan. But Baba never told Amir or Hassan about it. We wonder if Rahim Khan’s revelation makes life easier or harder for Amir. On the one hand, Amir sees, for the first time, the similarities between himself and his father. Now he knows he wasn’t the only one walking around with a ton of bricks (a. k. a. secret guilt). But does this really help Amir?

Is it comforting at all to know his father made similar mistakes? Amir’s betrayal of Hassan brings him closer to Baba in ways he couldn’t have predicted. Although the two don’t share the same secrets, they do share the secrecy of guilt. “You know,” Rahim Khan said, “one time, when you weren’t around, your father and I were talking. And you know how he always worried about you in those days. I remember he said to me, ‘Rahim, a boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything. ‘ I wonder, is that what you’ve become? ” (17. 4) Rahim Khan has just asked Amir to rescue Sohrab from Kabul. Amir is initially resistant, so Rahim Khan tries three times to convince Amir to undertake the task. (The task is obviously a redemptive quest because there’s no reason Amir has to rescue Sohrab. Rahim Khan tells Amir he has enough money to get Sohrab, so it seems like anyone could have performed this task. ) Anyway, Rahim Khan gives Amir three reasons why he should rescue Sohrab. One, because your father thought you couldn’t stand up for anything and here’s your chance to prove him wrong. Second, it’s my dying wish that you rescue Sohrab.

And third, Hassan was actually your half-brother, so you owe it to him. We think all these reasons add up and Amir agrees to rescue Sohrab. Of course, the third reason seals the deal, but they’re all important and end up motivating Amir. How could he have lied to me all those years? To Hassan? He had sat me on his lap when I was little, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, There is only one sin. And that is theft… When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. Hadn’t he said those words to me? And now, fifteen years after I’d buried him, I was learning that Baba had been a thief.

And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he’d stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor. His nang. His namoos. (18. 5) This is a central moment in the novel because it revises our picture of Baba, and thus our picture of Amir. Amir’s guilt, all these years, has partly resulted from Baba’s very strict adherence to a personal code. Baba’s set of principles include honor (nang), pride (namoos), and loyalty. Now Amir finds out the following: not only did Baba “steal” Ali’s honor and pride, but he stole a sense of self from Hassan, and a brother from Amir.

What are you supposed to do when you find out the single most important figure of authority and morality in your life strayed from his principles? That’s right, go on a personal quest of redemption to rescue your half-nephew from a sadistic, Mein Kampf-toting member of the Taliban. I unfolded the letter. It was written in Farsi. No dots were omitted, no crosses forgotten, no words blurred together – the handwriting was almost childlike in its neatness. (17. 7)| First, it’s amazing that Hassan learns how to read and write as an adult. But even more amazing is the aura of innocence still surrounding Hassan.

Hassan lives through a tragic attack at a young age. His best friend, Amir, betrays him. He and his father leave their home. War comes to Afghanistan. But through all this, Hassan holds onto something like innocence. Chapter 16 – 17 Going to Kabul becomes a test of Amir’s honor, loyalty, and manhood. Amir is clearly afraid to go. He knows the city is extremely dangerous, and in returning there he would risk everything he has, including his life and the welfare of his family. Kabul will also undoubtedly recall memories of Hassan and his past that Amir would rather not confront.

Rahim Khan recognizes that the decision is a difficult one for Amir. To convince him, he brings up the conversation he once had with Baba, when Baba said he feared that Amir would not be able to stand up to anything as a man if he could not stand up for himself as a boy. Amir concedes that Baba may have been right. Then Rahim Khan reveals that Ali was not Hassan’s father, and implies that Hassan was, in fact, Baba’s child. Hassan and Amir, then, would be half-brothers, and Sohrab would be Amir’s nephew, obligating Amir further to find the boy. The dilemma brings together the tensions Amir has struggled with in the novel.

By rescuing Sohrab, Amir can become the man that Baba always wanted him to be, and he can finally atone for the ways he failed Hassan as a friend. “Do you know what I will tell Daoud Khan the next time he comes to our house for dinner? ” Assef said. “I’m going to have a little chat with him, man to man, mard to mard. Tell him what I told my mother. About Hitler. Now, there was a leader. A great leader. A man with vision. I’ll tell Daoud Khan to remember that if they had let Hitler finish what he had started, the world be a better place now. ” (Hosseini 43) Assef claims that Hitler was his role model.

He has a same point of view as Hitler has. He wants the country to be one race, one religion and one belief. This is also related to the holocaust in WWII. We all know that Hitler’s actions fund the worst actions in human society because he started the WWII. He was also racist against people who have different beliefs and race. Similarly, Assef copied Hitler and isolated the Hazaras from the rest of the country. This prove that his attitude toward the country and those Hazaras end him up with suffering the serious consequences. Assef and Hitler‘s actions are the worst actions in human. His blue eyes flicked to Hassan. Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watan. They dirty our blood. ” He made a sweeping, grandiose gesture with his hands. “Afghanistan for Pashtuns, I say. That’s my vision. ” This is a significant because this quote does a good job in terms of portraying Assef’s attitude toward those Hazaras. Assef said this when he is harassing Hassan. We all know that Amir was put in a situation where he has to decide whether he has to stand up for himself or following the belief of Pashtun bully.

Assef harassed Hassan and Amir for not following their beliefs and he eventually joined Taliban and killed tons of Hazaras. This harassment due to different religion lead to the worst action the Taliban has done and this lead to the disunity of the country. Assef slipped on the brass knuckles. Gave me an icy look. “You’re part of the problem, Amir. If idiots like you and your father didn’t take these people in, we’d be rid of them by now. They’d all just go rot in Hazarajat where they belong. You’re a disgrace to Afghanistan. ”

This quote indirectly tells us that Assef’s attitude will lead Afghanistan to downfall and his point of view will drive him forward to join the Taliban to kill those Hazaras. He thinks Pashtun who spend time with the people with a different religion are disgrace to Afghanistan. His point of view is the same as Hitlers. He think those Hazaras should be always oppressed and Afghanistan is the land only for Pashtun. This is an unfair way of differentiating people. Afghanistan will have the potential to become more united without Taliban’s prejudice and the attitudes toward people with different religion.

A. J. Wronski Shakespear Style Analysis Mr. Mettey English IV December 19, 2012 In the play Macbeth, William Shakespear uses several stylistic devices. These devices help contribute meaning to the central themes of the play. One of the main devices used by Shakespear to convey the theme, the fall of man, is symbolism. Strange occurences, birds, and blood are all symbols that hlep convey this theme. The first examples of symbolism are the strange occurences after Duncan is murdered. After Duncan is murdered, Ross and the Old Man talk about many strange things that are happening.

They talk about how its unusually dark when its daytime and how an owl attacked a falcon. They also talk about how Duncan’s horses were acting strange and how they, “Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out, Contending ‘gainst obedience”(2. 4. 16-17). The fact that these strange occurrences happen right after Duncan’s death means that they could symbolize his death or his downfall which supports the theme of the fall of man. The symbolism of birds also helps convey the theme of the fall of man. Birds are used many times throughout the play as symbols but once in particular before Duncan is murdered.

While Lady Macbeth is talking about her thoughts to murder Duncan she says, “The raven himself is hoarse/ That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan”(1. 5. 36-37). Ravens are birds that usually symbolize death. This raven symbolizes the death of Duncan that is soon to come which conveys the fall of man as Duncan will soon fall. Blood is also a very strong symbol in this play. After Macbeth kills Duncan, his hands are stained with blood. Lady Macbeth tell him to just wash it off and forget about it but Macbeth can’t do that.

Macbeth questions if, “All great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/ clean from my hand”(2. 2. 58-59)? Macbeth is saying that nothing will ever be able to wash away the blood of Duncan off his hands. This blood symbolizes the strength of Macbeths guilt and hints that that this guilt could possibly be his downfall in the future. The symbolism that Shakespear uses in Macbeth is very strong. Its helps clearly convey the theme of the fall of man. Through the use of the symbols of the strange occurences, birds, and blood the theme of the fall of man is clear throughout the play.

?The world is governed more by appearances than by realities. Throughout society people are judged based on their appearance. This is unfortunate because appearance can be deceiving. In William Shakespeare’s play are not what they seem. Some people may change because they think that their true self does not fit in society while others pretend to be something they are not. In the theme of appearance versus reality Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have an image but as the time passes by their true personalities began to show. Macbeth portrays himself differently from his true inner self.

He pretends to be a strong and intelligent person but from inside he is weak and indecisive. When Macbeth first confronts the witches’ prophecies he says, “Come what may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day” (1. 3. 152-153). Macbeth is leaving his future to ‘chance’. He wants to appear noble and strong but in the end he refutes his statement by killing Duncan and Banquo to get to the throne. Also, when Lady Macbeth explains the plan to Macbeth he asks “If we should fail? ” (1. 7. 59). He is still afraid of the consequences of his actions. His actions look pungent but he does not have any reason to kill Duncan.

Macbeth has a debate within himself to murder King Duncan or to spare his life. Macbeth hesitation to kill Duncan proves in realty he is a weak man. Lady Macbeth represents herself as a beautiful and powerful woman in society but she is as weak as her husband Macbeth. To convince Macbeth to follow the plan she says “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 plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn” (1. 7. 54-58). Macbeth asks for her help, but she responds by being harsh to him to keep up her appearances.

Even when Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost, instead of helping him, she tells him to go to bed and stop imagining weird things. Lady Macbeth appears heartless toward others. However, one night a gentlewomen and a doctor see her sleep waking and mumbling “Out, damned spot! Out, I say! ” (5. 1. 25). She appears to be wide awake but she is unconsciously revealing her true self. Her guilty conscious leads to her downfall through suicide. In this scene her appearance crumbles. She seemed powerful and unsympathetic, but in reality her guilt of Duncan’s murder driver her crazy proving she has become weak.

In Macbeth the theme of appearance versus reality is shown through the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They both revealed a fictitious picture of their personality even though on the inside they are different people. Macbeth’s indecisive personality leads to his destruction. The iron lady, Lady Macbeth appears to be a tough woman, who feels no guilt. But in the ending she shatters to pieces because of her guilt-ridden conscious. No matter what one appears to be reality will defeat appearance. People can put disguise on reality for time being but in the end truth reveals itself.

Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all, As the weird women promised, and I fear Thou played’ st most foully for ’t. Yet it was said It should not stand in thy posterity, But that myself should be the root and father Of many kings. If there come truth from them— As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine— Why by the verities on thee made good, May they not be my oracles as well, And set me up in hope? But hush, no more. BANQUO Now you have it all: you’re the king, the thane of Cawdor, and the thane of Glamis, just like the weird women promised you. And I suspect you cheated to win these titles. But it was also prophesied that the crown would not go to your descendants and that my sons and grandsons would be kings instead. If the witches tell the truth—which they did about you—maybe what they said about me will come true too. But shhh! I’ll shut up now. Sennet sounded. Enter MACBETH, as king, LADY MACBETH, as queen, LENNOX, ROSS, LORDS, LADIES, and attendants. A trumpet plays.

MACBETH

Enters dressed as a king, and LADY MACBETH enters dressed as a queen, together with LENNOX, ROSS, LORDS, LADIES, and their attendants. MACBETH Here’s our chief guest. MACBETH (indicating BANQUO) Here’s our most important guest. LADY MACBETH If he had been forgotten, It had been as a gap in our great feast, And all-thing unbecoming. LADY MACBETH If we forgot him, our big celebration wouldn’t be complete, and that wouldn’t be any good. MACBETH Tonight we hold a solemn supper, sir, And I’ll request your presence. Let your highness Command upon me, to the which my duties Are with a most indissoluble tie Forever knit. BANQUO Whatever your highness commands me to do, it is always my duty to do it. Original MACBETH Ride you this afternoon? MACBETH Are you going riding this afternoon? BANQUO Ay, my good lord. BANQUO Yes, my good lord. MACBETH We should have else desired your good advice— Which still hath been both grave and prosperous— In this day’s council, but we’ll take tomorrow. Is ’t far you ride? MACBETH We would have liked to have heard your good advice, which has always been serious and helpful, at the council today, but we’ll wait until tomorrow. Are you riding for?

BANQUO As far, my lord, as will fill up the time ‘Twixt this and supper. Go not my horse the better, I must become a borrower of the night For a dark hour or twain. BANQUO I’m going far enough that I’ll be riding from now until dinner. Unless my horse goes faster than expected, I will be back an hour or two after sunset. We hear our bloody cousins are bestowed. In England and in Ireland, not confessing Their cruel parricide, filling their hearers With strange invention. But of that tomorrow, When therewithal we shall have a cause of state Craving us jointly. Hie you to horse. Adieu, Till your return at night. Goes Fleance with you? MACBETH We hear that the princes, those murderers, have hidden in England and Ireland. They haven’t confessed to cruelly murdering their own father, and they’ve been making up strange lies to tell their hosts.

But we can talk more about that tomorrow, when we’ll discuss matters of state that concern us both. Hurry up and get to your horse. Good-bye, until you return tonight. Is Fleance going with you?  I wish your horses swift and sure of foot, And so I do commend you to their backs. Farewell. MACBETH I hope your horses are fast and surefooted. And with that, I send you to them. Farewell.  Let every man be master of his time Till seven at night. To make society The sweeter welcome, we will keep ourselves Till suppertime alone. While then, God be with you! Everybody may do as they please until seven o’clock tonight. In order to make your company even more enjoyable, I’m going to keep to myself until suppertime. Until then, God be with you! Exeunt all except MACBETH and a SERVANT | Everyone exits except MACBETH and servant.

Sirrah, a word with you. Attend those men Our pleasure? You there, let me have a word with you. Are those men waiting for me? To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared. ‘Tis much he dares, And to that dauntless temper of his mind, He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear, and under him, My genius is rebuked, as it is said Mark Antony’s was by Caesar. He chid the sisters When first they put the name of king upon me And bade them speak to him. Then, prophetlike, They hailed him, father, to a line of kings. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown And put a barren scepter in my grip, Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, No son of mine succeeding. If ’t be so, For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered; Put rancors in the vessel of my peace Only for them; and mine eternal jewel Given to the common enemy of man, To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!

Rather than so, come fate into the list, And champion me to the’ utterance. Who’s there? To be the king is nothing if I’m not as safe as the king. I’m very afraid of Banquo. There’s something noble about him that makes me fear him. He’s willing to take risks, and his mind never stops working. He has the wisdom to act bravely but also safely. I’m not afraid of anyone but him. Around him, my guardian angel is frightened, just as Mark Antony’s angel supposedly feared Octavius Caesar. Banquo chided the witches when they first called me king, asking them to tell him his own future. Then, like prophets, they named him the father to a line of kings. They gave me a crown and a scepter that I can’t pass on. Someone outside my family will take these things away from me since no son of mine will take my place as king. If this is true, then I’ve tortured my conscience and murdered the gracious Duncan for Banquo’s sons. I’ve ruined my own peace for their benefit. I’ve handed over my everlasting soul to the devil so that they could be kings. Banquo’s sons, kings! Instead of watching that happen, I will challenge fate to battle and fight to the death. Who’s there! The FIRST MURDERER It was yesterday, your highness. Have you considered of my speeches?

Know That it was he, in the times past, which held you So under fortune, which you thought had been Our innocent self. This I made good to you In our last conference, passed in probation with you, How you were borne in hand, how crossed, the instruments, Who wrought with them, and all things else that might To half a soul and to a notion crazed Say, “Thus did Banquo. ” MACBETH Well, did you think about what I said? You should know that it was Banquo who made your lives hell for so long, which you always thought was my fault. But I was innocent. I showed you the proof at our last meeting.

I explained how you were deceived, how you were thwarted, the things that were used against you, who was working against you, and a lot of other things that would convince even a half-wit or a crazy person to say, “Banquo did it! ” I did so, and went further, which is now Our point of the second meeting. Do you find Your patience so predominant in your nature That you can let this go? Are you so gospels To pray for this good man and for his issue, Whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave And beggared yours forever? MACBETH I did that and more, which brings me to the point of this second meeting. Are you so patient and forgiving that you’re going to let him off the hook? Are you so pious that you would pray for this man and his children, a man who has pushed you toward an early grave and put your family in poverty forever?

The valued file Distinguishes the swift, the slow, the subtle, The housekeeper, the hunter, every one According to the gift which bounteous nature Hath in him closed, whereby he does receive Particular addition, from the bill That writes them all alike. And so of men. Now, if you have a station in the file, the Not worst rank of manhood, say ’t, And I will put that business in your bosoms, Whose execution takes your enemy off, Grapples you to the heart and love of us, Who wear our health but sickly in his life, Which in his death were perfect. | MACBETH Yes, you’re part of the species called men. Just as hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, piels, mutts, shaggy lapdogs, swimming dogs, and wolf-dog crossbreeds are all dogs. But if you list the different kinds of dogs according to their qualities, you can distinguish which breeds are fast or slow, which ones are clever, which ones are watchdogs, and which ones hunters. You can classify each dog according to the natural gifts that separate it from all other dogs. It’s the same with men. Now, if you occupy some place in the list of men that aren’t down at the very bottom, tell me. Because if that’s the case, I will tell you a plan that will get rid of your enemy and bring you closer to me.

SECOND MURDERER

My lord, I’ve been so kicked around by the world, and I’m so angry, that I don’t even care what I do. And I another So weary with disasters, tugged with fortune, That I would set my life on any chance, To mend it or be rid out. The FIRST MURDERER I’m the same. I’m so sick of bad luck and trouble that I’d risk my life on any bet, as long as it would either fix my life or end it once and for all. So is the mine; and in such bloody distance That every minute of his being thrusts Against my near’ st of life. And though I could With barefaced power sweep him from my sight And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not, For certain friends that are both his and mine, Whose loves I may not drop, but wail his fall Who I myself struck down. And thence it is, That I to your assistance do make love, Masking the business from the common eye For sundry weighty reasons. | MACBETH He’s my enemy too, and I hate him so much that every minute he’s alive it eats away at my heart. Since I’m king, I could simply use my power to get rid of him. Within this hour at most I will advise you where to plant yourselves, Acquaint you with the perfect spy time, The moment on ’t; for ’t must be done tonight, And something from the palace; always thought That I require a clearness. And with him— To leave no rubs nor botches in the work— Fleance, his son, that keeps him company, Whose absence is no less material to me Than is his father’s, must embrace the fate Of that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart. I’ll come to you anon. | MACBETH (interrupts him) I can see the determination in your eyes. Within the next hour, I’ll tell you where to go and exactly when to strike.

It must be done tonight, away from the palace. Always remember that I must be free from suspicion. For the plan to work perfectly, you must kill both Banquo and his son, Fleance, who keeps him company. Getting rid of Fleance is as important to me as knocking off Banquo. Each of you should make up your own mind about whether you’re going to do this. I’ll come to you soon.  How now, my lord! Why do you keep alone, Of sorriest fancies your companions making, Using those thoughts which should indeed have died With them they think on? Things without all remedy Should be without regard. What’s done is done.  What’s going on, my lord? Why are you keeping to yourself, with only your sad thoughts to keep you company? Those thoughts should have died when you killed the men you’re thinking about. If you can’t fix it, you shouldn’t give it a second thought. What’s done is done. We have scorched the snake, not killed it. She’ll close and be herself whilst our poor malice Remains in danger of her former tooth.

But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer, Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep In the affliction of these terrible dreams That shake us nightly. Better be with the dead, Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, Than on the torture of the mind to lie In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave. After life’s fitful fever he sleeps well. Treason has done his worst; nor steel nor poison, Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing Can touch him further. But the universe can fall apart, and heaven and earth crumble before I’ll eat my meals in fear and spend my nights tossing and turning with these nightmares I’ve been having. I’d rather be dead than endure this endless mental torture and harrowing sleep deprivation. We killed those men and sent them to rest in peace so that we could gain our own peace. Duncan lies in his grave, through with life’s troubles, and he’s sleeping well. We have already done the worst we can do to him with our treason. After that, nothing can hurt him further—not weapons, poison, rebellion, invasion, or anything else.

So shall I, love, And so, I pray, be you. Let your remembrance apply to Banquo; Present him eminence, Both with eye and tongue: Unsafe the while that we Must lave our honors in these flattering streams, And make our faces vizards to our hearts, Disguising what they are. That’s exactly what I’ll do, my love, and I hope you’ll do the same. Give Banquo your special attention. Talk to him and look at him in a way that will make him feel important. We’re in a dangerous situation, where we have to flatter him and hide our true feelings. I feel like my mind is full of scorpions, my dear wife. You know that Banquo and his son Fleance are still alive. 40 | LADY MACBETH But in them, nature’s copy’s not eterne. Then be thou jocund. Ere the bat hath flown His cloistered flight, ere to black Hecate’s summons The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums Hath rung night’s yawning peal, there shall be done A deed of dreadful note. MACBETH Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, Till thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night, Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day And with thy bloody and invisible hand Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond Which keeps me pale. Light thickens, and the crow Makes wing to the’ rooky wood. Good things of day begin to droop and drowse; Whiles night’s black agents to their preys do rouse. Thou marvel’ st at my words: but hold thee still.

Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill. So, prithee, go with me. It’s better you don’t know about it until after it’s done when you can applaud it. (to the night)Come, night, and blindfold the kindhearted day. Use your bloody and invisible hand to tear up Banquo’s lease on life, which keeps me in fear. (to himself) The sky’s getting dark, and the crow is returning home to the woods. The gentle creatures of the day are falling asleep, while night’s predators are waking up to look for their prey. You seem surprised at my words, but don’t question me yet. He was given exactly the same orders we were. Ourself will mingle with society And play the humble host. Our hostess keeps her state, but in the best time, We will require her welcome. | MACBETH I will walk around and mingle with all of you, playing the humble host.

Macbeth:She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in the petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle, Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing. 5. 5 17-28) Act 5, Scene 5 Commentary In act 5, scene 5 of Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses metaphors, diction, mood and tone to emphasize the concept that life is meaningless, in order to suggest the theme of ambition without moral constraints. Upon hearing of his wife’s death, Macbeth reflects on how pointless his own life has become. Shakespeare uses tone to declare Macbeth’s feelings toward life. Throughout this passage, the tone is very bitter and cold. “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. (5. 5 26-28) After hearing a women’s cry, Macbeth realises his own mortality, and he speaks scornfully. While reflecting on how meaningless his life has become, an angry mood is established. Once realising his life is full of noise and melodrama, he sees that he really failed and his life does not signify anything. He quickly becomes enraged at how his life has turned out. Shakespeare has a very specific diction, and in this particular passage, he chooses to use repetition. “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” (5. 18) BY repeating ‘tomorrow’ over and over, the boredom of life in general is stressed by dragging the word out. He also chooses to use “petty pace” (5. 5 19) and “dusty death” (5. 5 22), forming alliterations. The use of similar sounds put emphasis on the fact that the days are just dragging on dreadfully, which only lead to death. All through Macbeth’s soliloquy, Shakespeare incorporates various metaphors, one of which compares life to a bad actor who wanders and worries on stage. “Life’s but a walking shadow, a oor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. ” (5. 5 23 -25) Macbeth believes that life is just an illusion, and once you are done wandering around, you just disappear and leave nothing important behind. He also compares life to a candle. “Out, out brief candle. ” (5. 5 22) The brief candle is one that is dimly lit – that no one wants – and burns out quickly. The candle symbolizes how short and dull life is. By adding “Out, out” (5. 5 22) Macbeth shows how he wants the candle to burn out.

He is contemplating suicide and does not want to live anymore because he is ashamed of his life. This entire passage is centred on the concept that life is insignificant, which exemplifies the theme of ambition without moral constraints. Due to Macbeth’s ambitions, he is in too deep to turn around. It is far too difficult to turn around and stop killing, so his choice is to just keep going. Up until this time, Macbeth had expected to win the battle between him, Malcolm and Macduff. He thought winning this war would finally bring him happiness again.

Once Lady Macbeth died he realised that is not the case. His actions went unchecked by any morals, which just led to the destruction of his life. Lady Macbeth killed herself because she could handle the guilt anymore, and now that his wife is gone, he sees the damage and realises that he failed at making his life noteworthy. The theme of ambition without moral constraints is shown through Macbeths realization that life is futile, that is presented by Shakespeare’s use of metaphors, diction, mood and tone.

Summary Macbeth meets Banquo in the courtyard of his castle. Banquo is restless because he cannot decide how he feels about the witches and their prophecies. Macbeth pretends indifference but casually agrees to talk about it if Banquo would like. They agree, and Banquo leaves. Macbeth again takes time to examine the pros and cons of going through with the plot and begins to see illusions, starting with a dagger floating in the air in front of him. He seems to go back and forth but eventually decides to kill Duncan. Enter To come on stage. Court A courtyard, possibly the forecourt. bearing a torch before him

Fleance is carrying a torch because this scene is set at night. Since the play was originally performed in the open air, in the afternoon, the torch helps us accept that it’s night. she The moon. I take, ’tis later I assume that it’s later than midnight. Most people had no accurate way to tell time. Clocks were few and watches had not been invented. There’s husbandry in heaven; Their candles are all out. husbandry — conservation All the candles of heaven (the stars) are dark, unseen. The night is cloudy. Take thee that too. Banquo asks his son, Fleance, to take something else he’s been carrying, in addition to his sword. A heavy summons lies like lead upon me  . . . Gives way to in repose! Banquo is tired and wants to sleep, but he can’t. This is a problem since he knows he’ll worry over unwelcome thoughts if he stays awake. He prays, briefly, that he won’t be bothered by thoughts we naturally would think when we have the time to reflect on things. Give me my sword. Banquo immediately asks for his sword back again, since someone is approaching. It’s dark, so he can’t yet tell it’s Macbeth. Who’s there? Banquo asks “Who’s there? ” — challenging the stranger to identify himself. not yet at rest? Why haven’t you gone to bed?

The king’s a-bed The king has already gone to his sleep in unusual pleasure and Sent forth great largess to your offices. The king has been in an unusually good mood and has given gifts in great measure to your household. This diamond he greets your wife withal, By the name of most kind hostess Here’s a gem the king asked me to give to you, to give to your wife, as thanks for all her kindness as hostess. shut up.  In measureless content. The king has now gone to bed in his private chamber, where he is locked in — “shut up” — for the night, completely happy with the way things are — “in measureless content. Being unprepared,  Our will became the servant to defect; Which else should free have wrought. I wasn’t expecting all this (I was unprepared), so I left the dinner early (I “defected”). Otherwise, I would have remained the whole time, and done what anyone would normally have done. Macbeth may be making excuses. Possibly he had so much on his mind that he couldn’t be a good host and left earlier than expected. Possibly he just wanted time, alone, to think. All’s well. I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters: To you, they have shown some truth. Banquo first says that there’s no harm done.

He then invites Macbeth to talk about their meeting with the witches, by stating that he dreamed of the weird sisters — the sisters of Fate — the three witches. He also reminds Macbeth that they have spoken truth so far. I think not of them Macbeth is lying, trying to appear unconcerned. He definitely has been thinking about what the witches have said. Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve. We would spend it in some words upon that business. If you would grant the time. But, if we have nothing better to do, we can talk about that, if you want. I don’t mind. Macbeth wants to conceal how eager he is to talk about this. At your kind’ st leisure. When it’s convenient for you. If you shall cleave to my consent. It shall make honor for you. If you agree to act with me, join me, when it’s time to do so, you’ll benefit from it. So I lose none. In seeking to augment it, but still, keep. My bosom is franchised and allegiance clear. I shall be counsell’d. As long as this doesn’t involve doing anything dishonorable, and as long as I can stay loyal and true, I’ll follow along. My bosom franchised and allegiance clear — my heart belongs to the king.

I shall be counsell’d. — I’ll agree with your plans. The difference between the two men is becoming clear — Macbeth is willing to do anything, including murder Duncan, to get to the throne; Banquo won’t even pursue honor for himself if he has to give up any virtue to get there. Good repose the while! Sleep well until we get together to talk about this. Macbeth is probably just covering up, acting naturally. As we’re about to see, he has already decided to act, and probably feels no more need to discuss things with Banquo. Is this a dagger which I see before me. The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. dagger — sturdy, medium-sized knife, with a blade up to a foot long. let me clutch thee. I have thee not — Macbeth is trying to grasp the dagger’s handle, but there’s nothing there. Macbeth has begun to see things, guilty visions, even before he has started down the road of murder. He is afraid of the immediate future, afraid of what he is planning to do. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible. To feeling as to sight? or art thou but. A dagger of the mind, a false creation. Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?

Aren’t you able to be touched, just as you can be seen? Or are you just a vision, an imagined thing, an artifact of a fevered brain? I see thee yet, in form as palpable. As this which now I draw. I can still see you, just as solid-looking as this real dagger I now draw from its sheath. Thou marshall’ st me the way that I was going. And such an instrument I was to use. Your appearance encourages me to pursue what I was going to do (murder Duncan), and I was going to use a dagger to do it, so this must be a true indicator of what lies ahead. Mine eyes are made the fools o’ the other senses. Or else worth all the rest; I see thee still. And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood. Which was not so before? My eyes are either worthless (deceived by a false vision), or else they’re the most capable of my senses (able to perceive what my other senses cannot). I still see the dagger, and now I see flowing blood on the blade and handle — that wasn’t there earlier. There’s no such thing:  It is the bloody business which informs. Thus to my eyes. This is unreal. It’s the horrifying act I’m contemplating that makes these visions appear.

Now o’er the one half-world. Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse. The curtain’d sleep. One half the world is in the night, asleep, and nightmares take advantage of dreamers witchcraft celebrates. Pale Hecate’s offerings, and wither’d murder.  Alarum’d by his sentinel, the wolf. Whose howl’s his watch, thus with his stealthy pace. witches dance with Hecate (chief goddess of spells and witchcraft), and murder approaches (alarmed by its sentinel, the wolf). With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design. Moves like a ghost. Tarquin was the son of a Roman king, infamous for his rape of Lucretia. This story has been the subject of many artworks, including Shakespeare’s own poem, “The Rape of Lucrece. ” For more information about this story, see the Wikipedia article regarding Sextus Tarquinius. Thou sure and firm-set earth. Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear. Thy very stones prate of my whereabout Macbeth is asking, dramatically, even the earth to not hear him walking, or know which way he goes, for fear the stones themselves would speak the truth they know — that he’s now going to murder Duncan. This is likely also a reference to Jesus entering Jerusalem — when told he should quiet his disciples, Jesus responded “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. ” Or, in other words, the truth cannot be silenced. Macbeth is hoping to evade this proverb. prate — speak, talk And take the present horror from the time, Which now suits it. Make the present less horrifying than it is. Whiles I threat, he lives: Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives. While I stand here talking about it, Duncan is still alive. Words are cold and weak, compared to the heat and strength (importance) of deeds.

I go, and it is done The bell has rung. It’s time to act. It’s settled. the bell invites me The bell summons me. Macbeth is still hoping he can evade at least part of the responsibility for what he’s about to do. Now he’s making the bell partly responsible. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell. That summons thee to heaven or to hell. Even now, Macbeth half hopes that the murder might not happen after all. He thinks that if Duncan doesn’t hear the ringing of the bell (the knell), maybe he (Duncan) won’t have to die. But Macbeth proceeds, in spite of his doubts and misgivings. In an aside, the character speaks privately to himself for a moment, or directly to the audience, or privately to some (but not all) of the other characters present. As a matter of convention, an aside is always a true statement of what the character thinks. A character speaking in an aside may be mistaken, but may not be dishonest. An aside (again as a matter of convention) cannot be heard by those not spoken to. Exit He leaves the stage. Exeunt Banquo and Fleance. Exeunt — Latin, literally “they leave. ” Banquo and Fleance leave the stage, leaving Macbeth alone with a servant.

Questions from pg 495

1. How does Frost make the buzz-saw appear sinister? How does he make it seem, in another way, like a friend?

• a. The first line, “The buzz-saw snarled and rattled in the yard” and the seventh line “And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled” both emit a sense of darkness as if having a “personality” of its own.
• b. When the sister came out and told the brother that supper was ready and the saw looked as if it “leaped” out of the boy’s hand, it seemed as if the saw was a friend of the boy that did not want to be abandoned, so it pulled away from the boy in anger, causing injury to the boy. The saw and the boy were in essence “friends” because of the time they spent together sawing firewood, and when faced with the boy leaving was upset.

2. What do you make of the people who surround the boy—the “they” of the poem? Who might they be? Do they seem to you concerned and compassionate, cruel, indifferent, or what?

• a. The “they” of the poem appear to be his family, possibly his uncles, aunts, or cousins. They could be neighborhood friends of the boys.
• b. Whoever they were, they did not seem to be very concerned that the boy was injured, let alone dead. They seemed uncompassionate and unconcerned about what they had witnessed.

3. What does Frost’s reverence to Macbeth contribute to your understanding of “ ‘Out, Out—’ ”? How would you state the theme of Frost’s poem?

• a. It seems to me that Macbeth’s verse is about how short life is, that life is just a shadow, a player, in the game of life, that walks around on a stage, then one day is over. Frost uses part of the first line of Macbeth’s verse “Out, out” as his title as a way to agree with and reference Macbeth as one of his role models in poetry.
• b. I feel that Frost uses the theme “life and death” as the main concept of “Out, out. ”

4. Set this poem side by side with “Sir Patrick Spence. ” How does “ ‘Out, Out—’ ” resemble that medieval folk ballad in the subject, or does it differ from it? How is Frost’s poem similar or different in its way of telling a story?

• a. To me, the common thread of the two poems is life and death. Day to day, you live your life, never knowing when your last day on earth will be, and when it comes, it is sudden.
• b. I think they are both similar to their way of telling a story in the sense that you got pulled into the poem, hanging on its every word. Both poems begin with telling the readers what the characters were doing and continue in detail about what happens. Though short, Frost succeeded at his readers gaining an attachment to the day in the life of his character.