Shakespeare Sonnets

Today, we began our work with poetry by annotating and analyzing a sonnet by William Shakespeare. At the end of this post, you will see the notes taken by each class.

Some points about sonnets first...

• Sonnets are very orderly and structured. It is easy to think of a sonnet as 3 points followed by the main idea. In other words, it's kind of like an essay in reverse. The first quatrain lays out what the poem will focus on. The second quatrain goes more in detail. The third quatrain shifts to a different point of view. The couplet at the end summarizes the author's main point or purpose.
• The turn is the point where the author's thinking or line of description changes direction. It usually occurs at the beginning of the 3rd quatrain and the beginning of the couplet.
• Metaphors are highly important in sonnets, mostly because sonnets usually describe a person or a scene by comparing it to something else and pointing out its good and bad qualities. 
• Speaking of metaphors, a conceit is an EXTENDED metaphor that usually compares two dissimilar things. Initially, Shakespeare suggests comparing his love to summer's day, but then says she is NOT like that. Saying your true love is nothing like summer might sound harsh on the surface, but when you read the poem, it makes sense.

Here is the full packet for those who were absent

Poetry Notes

Notes:



Powerpoint:

"Macbeth" Test Review

Be sure to complete the review below to make sure you are prepared for our test on Wednesday, November 14th and Thursday, November 15th 

"Macbeth" Act 4 and 5 Notes

Act 4 begins with the supernatural masterminds behind the entire play: the three witches.

Macbeth seeks them out just as they finish their spell meant to produce visions for Macbeth that will make him overly confident and lead to his downfall. In fact, when he arrives, one of the witches says "by the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes" (IV.i.44-45). Notice they say something, not someone. Almost like Macbeth is a force of evil and is completely lacking any humanity.

Macbeth's attitude towards the witches is no longer one of awe and fear. He has become demanding, ordering them to tell him prophecies about his future. The witches show him 4 visions that deliver a warning or prophecy to him.

1. The first is a helmeted head that tells him to beware Macduff. Macbeth feels validated in his suspicion of Macduff and makes a plan to kill him.
2. The second is a bloody child who tells him no man born from a woman can hurt Macbeth. Macbeth then laughs, stating it is impossible for Macduff to hurt him. However, he still is determined to kill him just to be safe.
3. The third is a child holding a tree and wearing a crown who tells him Macbeth will only be beaten when the forest of Birnam Wood travels 12 miles to the walls of the castle on Dunsinane Hill. Macbeth feels invincible at this point. He points out how it is impossible for trees to walk and how no man is strong enough to force a tree to move. 
4. When he presses the witches further for information regarding Banquo's prophecy, they show him a line of 8 kings, some of which are dressed and decorated to show that they are kings of more than one nation. At the end of the line is Banquo, gesturing at the line of kings are his future generations. Macbeth is furious and gets angry at the witches for showing him this.

The witches disappear shortly after, leaving Macbeth feeling unsatisfied and cursing them, realizing he himself is damned just for listening and believing them. 

Lennox then comes to tell him that Macduff has fled to England. But who's in England?

Only Malcolm, the rightful heir to the throne!

Macbeth is furious to hear that Macduff refuses to be loyal to him and decides the time for thought is over. He then states his intent to kill all of Macduff's family at his house, a promise he follows through with in the very next scene.

In scene 2, we see Lady Macduff lament the fact that her husband has left them alone during such dangerous times. Her cousin, Ross, tries to convince her that Macduff did not abandon or betray them, but stops just short of saying why he left to avoid giving any information to any spies that may be planted in the house. 

Lady Macduff tells her son that his father is dead, but he refuses to believe it. He asks her what it means to be a traitor and who is responsible for punishing traitors. Lady Macduff explains that honest men punish traitors for breaking promises.

Her son then points out that traitors and liars are fools because they easily outnumber the honest men and could very easily overpower them. 

A messenger suddenly arrives and tells Lady Macduff to get the heck out of her house! He warns her of impending danger and quickly leaves. 

Lady Macduff insists that she is innocent, but then recalls that the world she lives in no longer cares about things like innocence and justice. 

Murderers then arrive and kill the little boy.

In the final scene of the act, we see Malcolm putting Macduff to the test. He doesn't suffer from his father's flaw of bad judgement and so he tests Macduff's loyalty by lying about himself. 

Malcolm points out that Macduff could be an angel like Lucifer, someone who looks and says they are good, but really aren't. When Macduff insists that Malcolm should at least fight for his throne, Malcolm gives a list of reasons as to why he would be a worse king than Macbeth. He says he is evil, greedy, lustful, and not fit to be a king. Macduff tries to hear him out and argues back at first but then gets so frustrated, he lashes out at Malcolm and tells him he isn't fit to even live.

Malcolm then calms him and tells him he passed the test. 

Malcolm then declares he is ready to go back with Macduff and fight for his people with the 10,000 soldiers England has given him to reclaim his country.

Ross then arrives and provides Malcolm with news that the people of Scotland are dying, rebelling, and ready to fight for anyone who tries to get rid of Macbeth. He also delivers the unfortunate news that Macduff's entire family has been killed by Macbeth's men. Malcolm urges Macduff to turn his grief into the motivation for revenge. 

In Act 5, the battle is looming on the horizon. However, we begin with lady Macbeth and how she is currently handling the mounting guilt for her actions and the actions of her husband.

A servant and doctor witness a sleepwalking episode where she appears to be trying to wash her hands of imagined blood stains. She confesses to assisting in the murder of Duncan and knowing about the plan to murder Banquo and the Macduffs. During her episode, she seems to switch back and forth between the cold, heartless woman she wished she was and the broken, remorseful person she truly is. She wishes, vainly, that there existed a way to undo the things that keep her up at night.

The doctor and servant decide to simply watch her more closely and make sure she doesn't hurt herself. The doctor remarks that the illness Lady Macbeth has is not physical, but mental.

In the next scenes, we see that the other thanes of Scotland have gone over to Malcolm's side and that most of Macbeth's soldiers are abandoning their posts. The only soldiers who remain are those who are being forced to. 

Macbeth shows that his sanity is beginning to fail, but like Lady Macbeth. However, where Lady Macbeth wishes she could undo their actions, Macbeth is determined to stay the course. He reflects that no matter what, at the end of everything, he will ultimately have nothing left. He refuses to turn back because he knows it will not change the outcome of his fate. Even later on, after learning that Lady Macbeth has died, he remarks how she would have died eventually anyway and that life seems meaningless, stating that "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" (V.v.26-28).

Actual footage of Macbeth in Act 5

Meanwhile, in Malcolm's camp, he and his soldiers have decided to camouflage themselves with tree branches as they move towards Macbeth's castle through Birnam Wood.

You know, so that it looks like the forest is moving. 

So, we see one of the witches prophecies coming true. 

When Macbeth hears that it seems as though the forest is moving, he is furious. He gives up on staying safe and defended inside the castle and instead charges out onto the battlefield. There, he focuses solely on the other prophecies that the witches gave: that no man born of woman can harm him and that he should be wary of Macduff.

He tests out the first prophecy on a poor sap named Young Siward who is the first to confront Macbeth on the battlefield. Unfortunately for Young Siward, he is young and inexperienced and Macbeth easily kills him. He feels encouraged, interpreting his victory as proof that the witches were right. 

However, when he comes face to face with Macduff, things change rapidly. Initially, Macbeth says he does not wish to fight Macduff as he has already shed enough of Macduff's "blood," referencing Macduff's wife and children. He also points out that no man born of woman can hurt him. 

Then, Macduff reveals that HE WASN'T BORN OF WOMAN. His mother had a C-Section to give birth instead. Macbeth then realizes he's screwed but fights anyway. 

After a long struggle, Macduff is victorious and brings Malcolm Macbeth's head. In the final lines of the play, Malcolm is hailed as the King of Scotland and that order will one day return to Scotland. 

And that's the end! You made it!

Warm Ups Set #2

Macbeth Vocabulary Quizlet

Study for your vocab quiz HERE.

Quiz is on Friday, November 9th.

"Macbeth" Act 3 Notes

Act 3 is very theme-heavy and also very murder-heavy.

In the beginning of act 3, we see the relationship between Banquo and Macbeth has become strained. The two no longer speak like friends; Banquo is a bit chilly and Macbeth is a little high and mighty. Macbeth is now officially king and has already started acting like it. 

Banquo says he will be spending his afternoon out riding and assures the king that he will be back in time for the big feast that night. Macbeth makes it a point to ask whether or not he will be taking his son, Fleance, with him. Banquo says that, yes, he is. 

Now why on Earth would Macbeth be asking that? 

Glad you asked! It's because of the PROPHECY. You know, the one the witches told him about where Banquo's sons would eventually overthrow him as king?

Now why on Earth would Macbeth be concerned about Fleance's location?

We find out shortly after Banquo leaves: Macbeth has hired murderers to kill both Banquo and Fleance for him.

Macbeth's former hesitation from when he killed Duncan is now gone, demonstrating just how self-destructive and corrupting ambition can be. Macbeth explains to the murderers about how everything bad that has happened to them is Banquo's fault and how he needs them to kill Banquo quietly and in a way that can't be traced back to him.

And did I mention that Fleance is a CHILD?! Yes, a child. Macbeth is hiring men to kill his best friend and a child. 

He also states that every moment Banquo is alive is a thorn in his side, so he needs it taken care of quickly. 

Later on, Lady Macbeth muses about how she has seen Macbeth go off by himself a lot lately and look stressed and frustrated. She is not aware of the plot against Banquo. She tries to assure Macbeth to simply enjoy his position as king and that things out of their control shouldn't concern them.

This is a complete 180 from her attitude before when she actively pushed Macbeth to kill Duncan! It could be because she believed Duncan's murder to be fate and is thus putting her future in the hands of that same force. Either way, she tries to calm her husband, who tells her he can't relax as long as he feel his position as king is in danger. 

He describes his mind as being full of scorpions and that Duncan is the lucky one, being dead and nothing being able to stress him out.

Lady Macbeth reminds Macbeth that men are not immortal and Macbeth agrees, pointing out that, before the end of the night, he will be sure to take care of the thing that bothers him. When Lady Macbeth asked what he has planned, Macbeth instead tells her not to worry and to just act normally and graciously at dinner. 

You know, just like she said to Macbeth back in Act 1!

In scene 3, we see the rather abrupt murder of Banquo. Thankfully, one of the murderers puts his torch out, so Fleance is able to escape in the darkness. 

Later, when the murderer goes to tell Macbeth the news, Macbeth muses on how he does not feel in control as king, but rather feels enslaved to his fear. With the murderer, though, he states that Fleance is just a boy for now and is, therefore, harmless. He does, however, thank the murderer for the good news that Banquo is dead in a ditch with 20 head wounds. 

His joy is short-lived, though. Lady Macbeth scolds her husband for not being more social and so Macbeth wishes everyone a good feast, lamenting that Banquo not appearing means he is probably not in support of him as king. 

Of course, then Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost sitting in his seat. 

Macbeth, understandably, freaks out, yelling at the Banquo ghost that no one else can see. Lady Macbeth tries to calm the other lords and guests by lying that Macbeth is just having a fit from an illness he's had since childhood. When Macbeth demands Banquo's ghost leave, he does (because he's a polite and honorable ghost lol). She then pulls Macbeth aside and insults her husband for not being able to hold it together just like he did with Duncan's murder. He insists his wife is wrong, stating that murder these days always seems to come with hauntings and that he would prefer the old times when a murder ended when the man was dead.

Eventually, Macbeth apologizes to the guests, proposing a toast to all, especially to their absent friend Banquo. 

Of course, being the polite ghost he is (LOL), Banquo's ghost reappears at the table, to which Macbeth demands he take any other form but that and begs him again to leave. Lady Macbeth scolds Macbeth for ruining the evening. The other lords grow suspicious as to what could be bothering Macbeth so and begin to wonder if he is a stable ruler. Lady Macbeth finally demands that everyone leave so that her husband can rest. 

After everyone is gone, Macbeth contemplates how it is said that the dead always get their revenge, but that Macbeth is so far gone down this path of murder that it would be pointless to try and turn back.

Macbeth then points out Macduff did not attend the feast and, so, may not be trustworthy. He admits that he has hired spies in the other nobles' houses to get information about who he can trust (revealing his intense paranoia) and that, in the meantime, he will go to the witches and see what other information they can tell him about his fate.  Macbeth's last lines imply that he has other people he knows he wants to kill others in order to secure his position, but has yet to figure out how he should do it. 

Scene 5 reveals the goddess of witchcraft, Hecate, and that she is ultimately controlling the dark fate of Macbeth and of all evil. She tells the witches to take Macbeth to a pit in hell and to show him visions that will confuse him and make him overly confident in his future. Eventually, the witches will lead Macbeth to his destruction.

In the last scene, we see Lennox being salty about all the deaths that have been occurring, (not-so) subtly stating that he does not trust Macbeth and he knows the king probably had a hand in killing them. The lord he speaks to reveals that Macduff is in England with Malcolm who is working with King Edward to rally an army to try and win Scotland back from Macbeth. 

Some important points (NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR READING):

• In this scene, we see two key themes crop up at various moments
• "Not everything is as it seems" - Macbeth's position as king is not as satisfying as he thought; Lady Macbeth has now become the voice of reason, implying she may not be as ambitious as she made herself out to be
• "Ambition can corrupt and destroy the self" - Macbeth has grown paranoid, planting spies in the houses of people he claims to trust; Macbeth has evolved into a relentless, bloodthirsty tyrant willing to kill his friends to maintain his position

"Macbeth" Act 2 Notes

Act 2 centers primarily around Duncan's murder. We see some characters showing their true colors, some comedic relief, and some new themes appearing, primarily those involving nature and ambition.

In Scene 1, Macbeth and Banquo run into each other in the courtyard in the middle of the night. Banquo mentions the witches' prophecy and Macbeth LIES and says he isn't thinking about it at all.



Immediately after Banquo leaves, Macbeth tells his servant to have Lady Macbeth ring a bell when his "drink is ready" which actually means when the guards have been drugged and it is safe to go into Duncan's room to kill him. After the servant leaves, Macbeth launches into his famous soliloquy in which he begins to hallucinate that a dagger is floating in the air in front of him and is floating towards Duncan's room. This brief foray into madness reveals the theme that ambition can be self-destructive. Macbeth is literally coming apart at the seams because he is set on killing his friend just so he can get ahead in life.



Scene 2 takes place right after Duncan's murder. Lady Macbeth is on edge and every sound she hears - a voice from the hall, an owl hooting, etc. - makes her believe they have been caught. She regrets not just killing Duncan herself but admits she couldn't do it because Duncan looked like her own father while he slept.



Macbeth returns from his crime and is distraught. He feels he is cursed because he cannot say the word "amen" and that he heard a voice tell him "Macbeth shall sleep no more." Lady Macbeth calls him a coward and says he should stop thinking about these things because they will drive him crazy. She advises he go wash off and move on with his life. Then, she gets mad because she realizes Macbeth brought the murder weapon back with him.



She tells him to take them back but he refuses. He is too afraid to look at what he has done. In the end, he realizes that who he once was can no longer exist and that he must become a different person in order to live with the murder he has committed.

Scene 3 begins a bit oddly. We start with someone knocking at the gate of Inverness, Macbeth's castle. The porter - sort of like a doorman - has been drinking all night and hears the knocking and makes them into knock-knock jokes. When he does finally answer the door, Lennox and Macduff are there and ask what took the porter so long. The porter informs him he's been drinking and then explains that drinking is great for turning your nose red, sleeping, and peeing a lot, but not great if you are wanting to be romantic with a lady friend. Macbeth arrives and Macduff tells him he is here to meet with Duncan as the king had requested. Macbeth leads Macduff to the king's room. Lennox then tells Macbeth about strange things that happened last night such as wind blowing down people's chimneys, the owl making noise all night, and the earth shaking.

This is where we begin to see a new theme that nature reflects the unnatural deeds of men. When men throw things out of the natural order, nature becomes chaotic.



Macduff then returns having found Duncan's body and says that Macbeth and Lennox should see for themselves and demand that the alarm bell in the castle be rung.

Lady Macbeth is the first to arrive and asks what is happening. Macduff refuses to explain as such a violent and horrific description would be inappropriate for her gentle and sophisticated and feminine character. Of course, we know this to be dramatic irony because Lady Macbeth is anything BUT gentle and sophisticated. She even begs for spirits to remove her feminine qualities so she might become cruel and hard-hearted in the last act!

Macbeth returns and we see him putting on his new facade. He laments that life now means nothing now that his king is dead. When Malcolm and Donalbain arrive, they learn of their father's death. They hold in their emotions at first and simply ask who the guilty party is. Lennox tells them it was the guards who were found asleep with the daggers and covered in Duncan's blood.

Then, Macbeth admits that he immediately killed the guards upon seeing Duncan dead because he was just so enraged. But really, he did it to keep them from snitching.



From here, Lady Macbeth faints and everyone decides to go back inside, get dressed, and get together to get to the bottom of who is responsible for the king's death.

Everyone but Malcolm and Donalbain, that is. The two of them do not seem to have inherited their father's bad judgement. They realize something is seriously amiss and that the thanes are not to be trusted. Instead of staying, they decide to leave immediately and get out of Scotland in order to avoid being murdered themselves. Here, we see that Malcolm and Donalbain are very perceptive and are not so easily trusting.

Finally, in Scene 4, we learn that nature has seriously been going crazy. It is black as night in the middle of the day, an owl killed a falcon (a metaphor for Macbeth killing Duncan), and that all of Duncan's horses broke free from their stalls and ate each other. An old man, Ross, and Macduff discuss these odd occurrences and who could be responsible for Duncan's death and the unnatural events taking place.

Macduff suggests since Malcolm and Donalbain ran away, they may have done it. However, Ross points out that it isn't in Malcolm and Donalbain's personalities to kill their father and that their motive wouldn't make sense either. Malcolm was already going to be heir to the throne, so killing Duncan would have been a foolish idea.

Macduff then states that Macbeth, as the next in line with Malcolm and Donalbain gone, has been crowned king.

Let's see how that works out for him.

Some important points (NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR READING):

• Two new themes appear here
• Ambition can be self-destructive
• Nature reflects the actions of men
• Macbeth has committed to changing into someone who is cold and callous in order to become someone who can deal with the fact that he murdered his friend and king
• Lady Macbeth has already revealed that maybe she isn't as stable in her cold and heartless nature as she wants to be. 
• Macbeth is now king. The prophecy has come true. Let's see how things play out from here.