Introduction to Macbeth Ms. Westgate

MINDS ON:

The Language and Rhythm of Shakespeare Akala - Hip-Hop & Shakespeare? What makes the rhythm of Shakespeare so powerful? Iambic pentameter mimics the rhythm of our heart beating What does Shakespeare and Hip Hop have in common?

Conventions of A Tragedy Rooted in the Greek dramas of Aeschylus (525-456 B.C., e.g. the Oresteia and Prometheus Bound) Euripides (ca. 480?-405 B.C., e.g. Medea and The Trojan Women) Sophocles (496-406 B.C., e.g. Oedipus Rex and Antigone)

A Tragedy Must Have A protagonist who is better than the rest Who falls from prosperity to misery Because of their “tragic flaw” – their moral weakness which is often pride Renaissance tragedies include Blood and violence Subplots Ghosts Rhetorical speeches (soliloquys) Comic relief

The Parts of a Shakespearian Tragedy STAGE 1: Encroachment Protagonist takes on too much and makes a mistake that leads to their fall The mistake is often blindly made Overconfident in their ability to control their world Or insensitive to others Violates the norms of human conduct (in their society)

Parts of a Shakespearian Tragedy STAGE 2: Complication Build up of events that will lead to the tragic conclusion The freedom the protagonist has at the beginning is destroyed by the consequences of their actions Actions motivated by their tragic flaw

Parts of A Shakespearian Tragedy STAGE 3: Reversal It is clear that the protagonist (tragic hero) expectations are mistaken Their fate will be the opposite of what they desire It is clear to the audience and the hero that their actions have sealed their fate

Parts of A Shakespearian Tragedy STAGE 4: Catastrophe The limits of the hero’s power are exposed Dramatizes the waste of his life dead bodies everywhere illustrate that the forces unleashed are not easily contained Subplots reinforce that the world is filled with evil

Parts of A Shakespearian Tragedy STAGE 5: Recognition The audience sees the larger pattern (the hero does as well sometimes) If the hero sees what the audience sees They recognize the irony of their actions The tragedy becomes even more poignant

References "Rowan Atkinson & Hugh Laurie - Shakespeare and Hamlet (1989)." YouTube, 2013. Web. 3 Oct 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvaUwagX_uU>. "Shakespearean Tragedy." Cla.calpoly.edu, 2013. Web. 3 Oct 2013. <http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl339/tragedy.html>. "TEDxAldeburgh - Akala - Hip-Hop & Shakespeare?." YouTube, 2013. Web. 3 Oct 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSbtkLA3GrY>.