Macbeth Journal Entry # 1 Keep up with your Journals for Macbeth—you will turn all of them in at the end of the unit. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air” (Act I Scene i) “So foul and fair a day I have not seen” (Act I Scene iii) Write these quotes at the top of your entry and identify the two speakers. Respond to the two quotes above. Use the questions below as guides, but if other things come to your mind, feel free to DV8. Remember, as always, journals are informal, so content is much more important than grammar. This quote is a paradox—a statement that appears to be contradictory, but actually expresses a truth. How can something be both “foul and fair” at the same time? Both quotes are referring to the weather—how do the words and the weather help set the mood for the first act? What does the mood foreshadow about the plot and the theme ? Do you believe that the speaker of the first quote or the second quote is in control of the fate of Macbeth? What is Shakespeare trying to say by juxtaposing the two speakers through similar lines?
Macbeth Journal Entry # 2 Keep up with your Journals for Macbeth—you will turn all of them in at the end of the unit. “When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man […] But screw your courage to the sticking place and we’ll not fail.” (Act I scene vii) Write this quotes at the top of your entry and identify the speaker. Respond to the quote above. Use the questions below as guides, but if other things come to your mind, feel free to DV8. Remember, as always, journals are informal, so content is much more important than grammar. What is the speaker trying to say about “being a man”? To you, what does it mean to “be a man”? How can the term “be a man” be viewed differently based on cultural background? (ie. How is “manliness” defined in India vs. Mexico or the US vs. Afghanistan etc.) Does culture shape a certain “man-like” persona? Explain. What happens if a man deviates from the cultural norm? Explain.
Macbeth Journal Entry # 3 Keep up with your Journals for Macbeth—you will turn all of them in at the end of the unit. “There’s husbandry in heaven. Their candles are all out.” (Act II scene i) “I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry.” (Act II scene ii) Write these quotes at the top of your entry and identify the two speakers. Respond to the two quotes above. Use the questions below as guides, but if other things come to your mind, feel free to DV8. Remember, as always, journals are informal, so content is much more important than grammar. What plot event do both of these quotes allude to? Explain. Recall that the doctor from The Canterbury Tales believed in astronomy as a type of medicine. In what way is the same concept (the natural world needing to be balanced and secure) seen in Macbeth thus far? What life-altering natural (and tragic) events have “disrupted” the balance in today’s society? Give a specific example of how nature affects society. (Think about LARGE natural disasters and the impact they have on people and places). How is balance restored to both nature and society?
Macbeth Journal Entry # 4 “The only thing that one really knows about human nature is that it changes” (Oscar Wilde) Write the quote at the top of your entry (note that it is NOT from Macbeth) How is Macbeth a dynamic character in the play so far? Do you believe that human nature is ever changing or does it stay the same only wearing different masks? Explain. Overall do you believe Macbeth’s nature is evil or good (has it become evil, or was it always evil and just needed encouraging)? Explain.
Macbeth Journal Entry # 5 “ By the pricking of my thumb/ something wicked this way comes.” This statement is both a premonition and an ironic statement. Explain how it is both. What are some other premonitions that people have? How does cavorting with evil turn someone into an evil creature? Explain using examples Are the witches real or a manifestation of Macbeth’s deepest desires? Explain your response.