(PowerPoint slide 1) Imagine for a moment that you couldn’t read, and that the current sentence makes no more sense than this (PowerPoint slide 2: “Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs. And thy hair, Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first…” – William Shakespeare Macbeth). Unfortunately, that is the experience of 774 million people around the world today, for whom basic reading is anything but an open book (‘Global Lingo Blog’ 2018) (Good Reading Magazine 2013). Reading is a fundamental aspect that underpins all of our lives. Fortunately, reading is an essential element of the Australian English Curriculum. It is currently a requirement of the Queensland Senior English Syllabus for a range of literature to be studied in all Queensland Schools, …show more content…
Dominant discourses such as power, gender and class are generally evident in canonical literature, and these discourses determine how individuals, groups, events and places are represented. There are a range of attitudes and beliefs around the value of senior English students studying canonical literature. The Federal Minister for Education is currently calling for more classic literature to be taught in Senior English classrooms. Members of ACARA we must challenge the Federal Minister’s call to include more canonical literature within the syllabus, as the current syllabus adequately represent twenty-first century classrooms and society, and has no need for more canonical literature. (PowerPoint Slide 3) To …show more content…
The play ‘Macbeth’ written by William Shakespeare, tells the story of a brave Scottish general, Macbeth, who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that he will succeed to become the king of Scotland. Macbeth becomes consumed with his own ambition and is prompted into action by his wife, seizing kingship. However, Macbeth is overcome with his own guilt and fear, which eventually leads to his death. Therefore, Shakespeare’s Macbeth embodies the discourse of fate versus free will and the corruption of unchecked power (‘Macbeth’ 2018). Through Macbeth, the reader can evaluate the influence that this discourse has upon the lives of individual characters. Sally Law (2012), an English teacher and journalist for the Guardian, argues that students can learn valuable life lessons from the discourses and themes explored within classic literature. Overall, Frankenstein and other canonical literature allow students to analyse how universal themes have evolved over time and further allows the reader to evaluate the effect that particular discourses have upon an individual’s
No society remains immobile, even if some human beings resist changes. The advances in technology and the emergence of new beliefs allow people to have a broader imagination. Thus, numerous new interpretations of ancient works, whether they are plays, folktales, or poems, permeate around the world. These renditions re-tell the original stories in contexts that adjust to modern world. What was regarded serious in the past becomes mockery nowadays. William Shakespeare, one of the greatest English play writers, has a profound influence upon different societies globally since the fifteenth century, for his plays inspire many contemporary artists to present new scopes reflecting their societies. Considered as one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, Macbeth has a completely disparate interpretation in the movie Scotland, PA, which translates the original play into a black comedy. A Scottish royal and general, Macbeth the protagonist undergoes a demonic transformation in personality, in which he unethically takes the crown by murdering numerous characters. The director of the movie alters the plot while maintaining the basic semblance of power, ambition, and masculinity from Shakespeare’s work. In the movie, the alteration of the process Macbeth usurps the power of Duncan, including his internal and external incentives, gives the audience a fresh perspective on one of the English classical plays.
Because of the witches’ prophecies, Lady Macbeth’s ambition and Macbeth’s greed, Macbeth diverges from his values and principles, corrupting him and ultimately leading to his downfall. Because of their greed and pride, the characters in the Tragedy of Macbeth end up not only losing everything that was important to them, but also the path on life they had tried so hard to stay on. Greed and pride shatters the fate that one would have had, whether fate is defined as where one would want to end up, or as where one will end up at.
Johnson, Vernon Elso, ed. "Shakespeare's Macbeth." Social Issues in Literature: Power in William. San Francisco: Greenhaven, 2009. N. pag. Print.
Shakespeare’s tragedies have been studied and recreated time after time in the 400 years since his career. However, through this time, it has become increasingly difficult to keep students engaged with interpretations of decent relevance and relatability. Magnus Cross discusses the magnificent adaptation of Macbeth by Mark Brozel and its importance in today’s English education.
Nostbakken, Faith. Understanding Macbeth: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1997.
Macbeth written by Shakespeare, is a tragic and historical thriller play filled with action-packed murders and the fall of man. The characters are portrayed to have personal ambitions. Shakespeare displayed these ambitions to both be destructive and constructive. Which unchecked ambition has detrimental impacts as shown in the main characters and checked, cautious ambition can help influence and encourage others. Ambition is an overarching theme found common in the play and could also be shown for the sake of justice and a positive characteristic. These ambitions were either presented as fatal flaws shown
Among the greatest gifts that the renaissance produced was the eloquent and incredible Shakespearean plays. Written mostly in the 1590s these plays have been performed and admired countless times; entertaining mass audiences by providing interesting tales that explore the depth of human insights and the different universal themes. Among the many Shakespearean plays Macbeth, written in 1606, stands out with its short composition but multiple themes. This tragedy narrates the tale of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s quest to grasp ultimate power by ignoring their morals and succumbing to their dark desires, which ultimately leads to their downfall. This tragic play portrays the desires, needs, and temptations that accompany ambition in men and women. However the ambition in Macbeth is blind, it does not abide to the morals, but it allows space for dark actions as means necessary for accomplishment. Blind ambition serves as the main driving force that drives Macbeth to subdue to his dark desires, defy his noble behavior, and ultimately his downfall.
As with all great works of literature, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth has spawned countless essays concerning its interpretation. Two such essays, “Shakespearean Tragedy” and “General Macbeth,” produced by two eminent literary critics, A.C. Bradley and Mary McCarthy, find themselves in conflict. The essays’ respective authors diverge on subjective points such as interpretation of character, original intent, and meaning. Bradley’s Macbeth is courageous and encumbered by the dregs of guilt, while McCarthy’s version takes a less orthodox path.
Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” explores a fundamental struggle of the human conscience. The reader is transported into the journey of a man who recognizes and acknowledges evil but still succumbs to its destructive powers. The character of Macbeth is shrouded in ambiguity that scholars have claimed as both being a tyrant and tragic hero. Macbeth’s inner turmoil and anxieties that burden him throughout the entire play evoke sympathy and pity in the reader. Though he has the characteristics of an irredeemable tyrant, Macbeth realizes his mistakes and knows there is no redemption for his sins. And that is indeed tragic.
Elloway, David. A. Tragic Ambition at Macbeth Macmillan Education Limited. 1985. The. Nostbakken,.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York: Longman, 1999.
Shakespeare clearly explores the themes ‘Fate and Free Will’, and ‘Ambition’ within this tragedy. Shakespeare weaves these themes around the character of Macbeth, showing us the depth of his insight into human society. Macbeth fell victim to his interpretation of supernatural prophecies and the influence from his wife. His impatience for the throne led to his crimes, subsequent guilt and acknowledgement of his sins. Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s life to his audience as a moral tale, warning them how men should be careful how they regard the ideas of fortune and fate and how in the end, evil intents and actions bring with them their own punishment.
While I believe every child is a reader, I do not believe every child will be enthralled with reading all the time. All students have the capability to read and enjoy reading, but just like any other hobby, interest will vary from student to student. The students in my classroom will be encouraged in their reading, be provided with choice, taught how books can take you into another world but, my students will not be forced to read. This paper will illustrate my philosophy of reading through the theories I relate to, the way I want to implement reading and writing curriculum, and the methods I will use motivate my students to read and help them become literate.
The movie The Color Purple is a great example of what life was like for African Americans men and women and what they put up with. Sofia a character from The Color Purple changed her actions many times throughout the movie. Sofia was first feisty, strong, and acted like a leader at sometimes and then she totally changed to submissive and then back a small part to what she was originally. She changes so many times because of the people around her pushing her to do different thing.
In conclusion, Macbeth directly focuses on the universal and powerful themes of ambition and insanity. These themes are considered most confronting for audiences due to their unanimous relevance. Throughout the play audiences are encouraged to see that ambition should only be achieved through ability or good fortune, otherwise it will be the cause of disaster; in this case the cost of ambition was life.