Preview

A Comparative Essay on William Shakespeare's Macbeth

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1376 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Comparative Essay on William Shakespeare's Macbeth
Macbeth Comparative Essay
Sign up for your choice of topic in class on Friday Dec.10. Limit FOUR students per topic.
Instructions:
A) Referring to the play, the prompts provided for you, and at least one academic secondary source, write a five paragraph (minimum) to seven paragraph (maximum) comparative essay on ONE of the following topics. You may ask: HOW DO I DO THAT? Read on: B) Examine the topics by going to the accompanying links and reading the annotated summaries of actual essays. MAKE THE EFFORT TO DO THIS. THINK THROUGH YOUR DECISION AT THIS POINT. YOU ARE TRYING TO FIND A TOPIC THAT IS GENUINELY INTERESTING TO YOU. C) ONCE YOU GET A LITTLE INTERESTED THEN Locate quotations from the play (and from secondary academic sources) to develop and then to support your thinking. D) Complete the Macbeth Essay organizer. E) Use the text (Minimum 6 SIGNIFICANT quotations) evidence, and cite the Act, scene, lines (V: ii: 1-17) F) Cite the other sources used applying proper MLA format. G) AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE USE YOUR BRAIN AND THINK THROUGH WHAT YOU ARE WRITING. AVOID EXCESSIVE VERBAGE (I.E. DON’T B.S.) DO NOT BE BORING. MAKE IT INTERESTING & MEANINGFUL!

1. Fantasies of Maternal Power in Macbeth http://www.shakespeare-navigators.com/macbeth/Adelman.html Adelman asserts that "the whole of the play represents in very powerful form both the fantasy of a virtually absolute and destructive maternal power and the fantasy of absolute escape from this power" According to Adelman, "the play strikingly constructs the fantasy of subjection to maternal malevolence in two parts, in the witches and in Lady Macbeth" Examine the Macbeth’s struggle between the two poles of experience- DESTRUCTIVE MATERNAL POWER AND ESCAPE FROM THAT POWER.

2. The Naked Babe and the Cloak http://www.shakespeare-navigators.com/macbeth/Brooks.html Cleanth says there are “ Two apparently extravagent metaphors in Macbeth -- "daggers / Unmannerly breech'd with gore"

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Macbeth, let alone any shakespeare play, would be difficult to portray because so many people have different opinions about the the scene should be. Shakespeare's does not make this challenge any easier because he sets it up so the reader/viewer can make some interpretations his/herself. These two portrayals of Macbeth, the Kenneth Branagh and the Mel Gibson version, are extremely opposite to one another. Of course they still tell the story of Macbeth, but there is much controversy over who did it better. Personally, I think the Mel Gibson version was better for a few reasons. These include the scene's intensity, setting, and special effects.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Justin Ao

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages

    (b) How does this scene hint at events that will occur later in the play?…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    R/G Questions Gg

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As you watch the movie and after you have read the play, think about and respond to the following questions. Type your responses on this document (a copy is on my teacherweb page).…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Your task this week is to research several key elements of the play in order to gain an understanding of how Elizabethans would have responded to the play. Write about ½ page for each area.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Night Thoreau

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages

    1. The play was written a while back so now in modern time the perspective is different than it would of been when it was first written.…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1604 commentary

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Make references to Act 1 as well, if you feel you can incorporate some lines from the play to substantiate your claim. If you quote do cite correctly (I.i.24-73).…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Macbeth vs Scotland, Pa

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages

    William Shakespeare 's Macbeth has always been considered one of the literary worlds most celebrated tragedies. It is arguably the darkest and most gruesome of his plays. The protagonist, Macbeth, is the poster child for tragic hero, "a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy" (www.dictionary.com). And until recently we were satisfied with that… At the Cannes Film Festival in 2001, a low budget comedy was unveiled. It was called Scotland, PA. This film was written by a first-time director, Billy Morrissette, and depicts the familiar story in a surprisingly different form.…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Our Town

    • 1169 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Describe: “Outline the plot of this play with regards to Exposition, Complication, Denouement, Discovery, Reversal, Protagonist and Antagonist.”…

    • 1169 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before a writer can create a brilliant story, he must conjure up a provocative idea. Before he can have that idea, his brain needs the fuel to process that idea: Influence. It’s obvious that Shakespeare didn’t just completely make up the story of Macbeth on the spot, he was clearly influenced by the history of the medieval Scots, with their rises to victory and glory, as well as their falls due to corruption and defeat. Although Shakespeare’s Macbeth is truly original, it definitely took inspiration and influence from famous medieval authors before Shakespeare’s time, such as that of the writings of Jeffery Chaucer and Christopher Marlowe.…

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As you read the play over the next few days, choose any 3 of the following topics and respond to them in a google document or on paper. Each response must be at least 250 words. You must include references to the text and provide support for all of your claims. Please use your best writing- no grammatical/spelling/capitalization errors- divide ideas using paragraphs etc. Each journal entry is 20 pts. You may do one more extra credit. Again, we are working on providing detailed support for your claims. Be specific!…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare's Macbeth, considered as one as of his most brilliant plays, is a definite pleasure to read, particularly for fans of the "medieval-setting" and Old English literature. His style is unique and creative, which, all in all, makes for a very appealing storyline. Regardless of such optimistic facets, Shakespeare's signature mark within most of his plays is his combination of various assorted themes merged together within one captivating scenario. In this case, Macbeth is an ideal paradigm representing this talent. Unlike most his past plays, this particular storyline consists especially of gloomy and sinister themes: infidelity, treachery, lust for power, and ironical situations used to emphasize scenes of tragedy form most of Macbeth's foundation.…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Literary Analysis Paper

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the introduction of your essay, provide a brief summary of the play that contextualizes your interpretation. Then, rather than continue on with plot summary, use your analysis to fill in the gaps. You will end your essay with a sound concluding paragraph where your ideas are reiterated and you have brought the reader to a new place of understanding.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kill and Macbeth

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Answer these questions in complete sentences. You will need to turn in this assignment to your teacher by the due date to receive full credit.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Everyman

    • 1653 Words
    • 7 Pages

    “Everyman” was written by an unknown author during the Medieval time period of the late 1400’s. The plays deal with what a person needs to do in order to be saved. It touches on many different ways to be saved such as: how a person is to act, the good deeds they have done and the acts they must accomplish to be saved. Each Character plays its own role in the play that brings to life what it truly means for Everyman to be whom he is. Everyman deals with great temptation and good deeds, but he really does not deal well with all he needs to throughout the play. Everyman is more concerned about who he can get to accompany him more than making sure his life and heart is right with Christ. By the end of the play Everyman is pleading with Christ to save him. Death in this story plays the biggest role for Everyman. The author’s perspective of death goes beyond the grave, it becomes spiritual. Biblical perspective of death is similar in that death should be seen as a spiritual rite of passage.…

    • 1653 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Tragic Hero

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages

    * Analyze how well Troy Maxson fits the characteristics of a tragic hero. Honors students should select at least 3 characteristics to address. Regents students should select 2 characteristics. Refer to the summary on the back of this page.…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics