Macbeth LRJ #4

Natalie Mironov
Ms. Peifer
English 10 IB, Hr 4
3 March 2009

Macbeth: Act 4

The purpose of the scene with Lady Macduff in it is to give the characters depth and help the reader feel like they know Lady Macduff and her children. The reader is able to feel her pain when she says, "Wisdom? To leave his wife, to leave his babes, his mansion and his titles in a place from whence himself does fly? He loves us not" (4.2.8-10). The reader also is able to see the strong bond between mother and son because they are able to joke about Macduff being gone. She tells him that she can "buy me twenty at any market" (4.2.47-48). Through these conversations the reader feels a connection to the characters which makes them feel Macduff's pain when they are murdered.

By Macduff's actions during this time, the reader learns of his selfish fear. Malcolm even asks him "why in that rawness left you wife and child, those precious motives, those strong knots of love, without leave-taking?" (4.3.33-35). This is showing how strong his fear for himself and his life must have been that he fled so fast he left his wife and kids behind with such a terrible murderer running the country. When he left he decided he would find Malcolm and convince him to come back and claim his title of king. Doing this and leaving his family behind shows how Macduff valued his country over his family. Malcolm definitely doesn't approve of this priority because Macduff says, "I would not be the villain that thou think'st for the whole space that's in the tyrant's grasp, and the rich East to boot" (4.3.44-46). This shows how strongly Malcolm thinks what Macduff did is wrong because Macduff said even if he were offered all of Macbeth's kingdom and the riches in the East, he still wouldn't be the villain that Malcolm considers him to be.

Macbeth has changed because at the beginning of the play he was a gentle man with a big conscience who felt guilty about doing any evil deeds. In act four of the play all those characteristics are gone and he has become greedy and evil. He now wants everything his way and will do whatever it takes to get it. He tells the witches, "Of nature's germens tumble all together even till destruction sicken, answer me to what I ask you" (4.1.62-64). He is basically telling the witches that he doesn't care what they have to go through to do it, they must tell him everything he wants to know. He then threatens them saying "I will be satisfied. Deny me this, and an eternal curse fall on you!" (4.1.119-120). These show his greedy nature. At this point Macbeth is also very evil. While he initially felt extremely guilty about the murder of Duncan now he has planned and had committed the murder of Banquo and is planning that of Macduff's family. He tells Lennox, "Seize upon Fife, give to the' edge o' th' sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line" (4.1.172-174). This shows how cruel he has become to assure that nobody steals his power.

Macbeth LRJ #3

Natalie Mironov
Ms. Peifer
English 10 IB, Hr 4
2 March 2009

Macbeth: Act 3

In this act, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth qualities begin to switch. Before, Lady Macbeth had been the strong, savage, decision-making one of them and Macbeth was the sorrowful, remorseful one, but now they are beginning to switch roles. While before he felt guilty about murdering Duncan, now he is planning another murder, that of his friend Duncan. He says that he could "with barefaced power sweep him from my sight and bid my will avouch it, yet I must not, for certain friends that are both his and mine" (3.1.135-137). This is Macbeth saying that he would kill Banquo himself if it weren't for the friends they share that he cannot lose. It shows how Macbeth is becoming the cruel one who will do anything for power. This is how Lady Macbeth used to be but now the reader hears her say that "'tis safer to be that which we destroy than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy" (3.2.8-9). This shows how she is beginning to realize what she has done and that it is wrong. Also, Macbeth used to be the follower who was forced into these kind of plots by Lady Macbeth but in this act he plans the murder of Banquo himself and tells Lady Macbeth to "be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed" (3.2.51-52). This shows how now he doesn't even want her to be a part of these awful schemes and he can do them himself.

Throughout this act there are many refernces to blood. It is used as a symbol of guilt. When Macbeth is trying to blame Malcolm and Donalbain for the death of Duncan he says, "We hear our bloody cousins are bestowed in England and in Ireland, not confessing their cruel parricide" (3.1.33-35). This is Macbeth trying to make them sound guilty so nobody is suspicious of him. Another example is when Macbeth tells the murderer that "there's blood upon thy face" (3.4.13-14), meaning that he now has the murder of Banquo on his conscience. Macbeth once more uses blood to represent his guilt saying, "I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er" (3.4.168-170). This means that he has committed so many murders that even if he did stop it would be just as hard for him return to his normal life because of all the guilt he has.

An important theme is fear and paranoia. After having committed the murders of Duncan and Banquo, Macbeth is very paranoid of other people finding out and coming after him. He is so fearful of people finding out and coming after him that he tries to blame others, like when he tells everyone Malcolm and Donalbain have fled. He says, "We hear our bloody cousins are bestowed in England and in Ireland, not confessing their cruel parricide" (3.1.33-35). This shows how determined he is to blame others so there will be no suspicions on him, that he is blaming the very sons of the dead king for his death. Macbeth is also very paranoid that Banquo will come after him because he heard the prophecy also and is already suspicious of Macbeth for the death of Duncan. He states that Banquo is in "such bloody distance that every minute of his bein thrusts against my near'st of life" (3.1.132-134). This is showing how afraid Macbeth is that Banquo will come after him, especially since Banquo's sons are prophesied to be king. This makes Macbeth afread of all of them and wants them all killed.

Macbeth LRJ #2

Natalie Mironov
Ms. Peifer
English 10 IB, Hr 4
2 March 2009

Macbeth: Act 2

Throughout act two, more negative qualities of Macbeth have become known, such as his inability to speak up for himself. He ended up murdering Duncan even though he knew it wasn't right. Afterwards he was regretful saying, "I am afraid to think what I have done" (2.2.66) and "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood from my hand? No, is my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red" (2.2.78-81). These show how much remorse he has and how even though he has done this dreadful act he still has a conscious, one of his positive attributes.

Lady Macbeth on the other hand is much more outspoken and harsh. She is unsympathetic to Macbeth's worries and is determined to carry out the murder to achieve power. While Macbeth is busy feeling guilty, it seems Lady Macbeth has no conscious at all because she says, "A little water clears us of this deed" (2.2.86), meaning all the guilt will disappear in no time. She is also very deceitful because she pretends to be sleeping and faint when the murder is announced to everyone. She tells Macbeth to "get on your nightgown, lest occasion call us and show us to be watchers" (2.2.90-91). For just a moment during act two the reader is able to see a more gentle and vulnerable side of Lady Macbeth. She tells the reader that "had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done 't" (2.2.16-17). This shows that Lady Macbeth is still able to love and feels for others besides herself.

In this act sleep is used to represent suspicion and guilt. Banquo talks of sleep many times and uses it to show that he is suspicious of Macbeth. First he just speaks of it more generally, saying, "A heavy summons lies like lead upon me, and yet I would not sleep" (2.1.8-9). This is showing that he thinks something is going to happen but he's not sure of what. Later, he goes on to ask Macbeth, "What, sir, not yet at rest? The King's abed" (2.1.15) and also tells him, "I dreamt last night of the three Weird Sisters" (2.1.25). This shows that Banquo is connecting some of this initial suspicion to Macbeth because he had a dream about the Weird Sisters who told Macbeth the prophecy. What also adds to this is that Macbeth is still awake, long after the king and this is unsettling to Banquo. Sleep is also used to symbolize guilt. Macbeth connects sleep with the guilt he has for murdering Duncan. He says, "Methought I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep' - the innocent sleep" (2.2.47-48). This demonstrates how Macbeth connects sleep to innocence and the murder he has committed to an innocent person so he feels especially guilty.

Macbeth LRJ #1

Natalie Mironov

Ms. Peifer

English 10 IB, Hr 4

23 February 2009

Macbeth: Act 1

Initially Macbeth comes off as a very conflicted character. He is torn between goodness and power. When he hears of the prophecy, Macbeth thinks, "If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair... My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man" (1.3.47-153). This is showing how his mind immediately jumps to the way to achieve power, through murder, but then regrets it because his conscience kicks in and makes him realize that isn't right. This also shows his potential to be evil since the first thing that comes to his mind is to murder the Thane. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, is very strong, ambitious, and influential. She has a lot of power over Macbeth and is able to push him to do what she wants through things such as questioning his manhood. She says, "When you durst do it, then you were a man" (1.7.56), implying that if he is not able to murder Duncan he is too cowardly to be a man. She also is very power hungry and creates an entire plan for the murder of Duncan. She tells Macbeth they will frame the guards to "bear the guilt of our great quell" (1.7.81-82). Unlike Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Banquo is a more innocent character and seems to think things all the way through better. When Macbeth asks him if he wants his children to be kings, Banquo replies, "That, trusted home, might yet enkindle you unto the crown, besides the Thane of Cawdor. But 'tis strange. And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray 's in deepest consequence" (1.3.131-137). This is talking about how trying to get this could lead to bad things that one wouldn't want to do and could still get without having to do anything bad. It shows Banquo's intelligence and goodness as opposed to Macbeth's murderous thoughts.

The theme in this act is power and ambition as well as gender roles. This power and ambition is displayed by Macbeth after hearing of the prophecy because his thought immediately go to murder. Lady Macbeth shows that ambition is important when she says, "Though wouldst be great, art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it" (1.5.18-20). This is saying that to be great one must be ambitious and do so ruthlessly to achieve the goals they are striving for. In this way, she thinks Macbeth should kill Duncan so he will be king and together they will gain more power. The theme of gender roles is more minor but Lady Macbeth portrays an image of men as more violent and women as gentler and more helpless. She says, "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood" (1.5.47-50). This is saying that she wishes she were a man so she could kill Duncan herself, but being a woman, she cannot.

In this act there is also some strong imagery. An example is when Lady Macbeth is speaking to Macbeth of his promise to kill Duncan. She tells him, "I have given suck, and know how tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sword as you have done to this" (1.7.61-67). This image stands out so much because of the awful thought of dashing the brains of one's own baby out. It shows how hungry for power Lady Macbeth is and shows her evil side, displaying how she will do whatever it takes to achieve the power she craves.

Sonnet 116 Commentary

Natalie Mironov
Ms. Peifer
English 10 IB, Hr 4
February 23, 2009

Shakespeare's Sonnet 116

Shakespeare's purpose in Sonnet 116 is to show the reader the glory and the strength of love. He achieves this through his use of metaphors, personification, and the theme.

Shakespeare uses metaphors to say love is "an ever-fixed mark/ That looks on tempests and is never shaken" (5-6) and "the star to every wandering bark" (7). These metaphors portray love as a unwavering guide that is always looking out for people. This makes love seem like a very strong thing since it is there to support you no matter what happens.

Also present in this sonnet is personification. Shakespeare personifies time and love saying "Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks/ Within his bending sickle's compass come" (9-10). This is saying that even though time has the power to make a person's rosy lips and cheeks go away, time cannot control love. This is turn shows how great love is that it es able to resist another very strong power.

The theme of this sonnet is love and Shakespeare is trying to portray the greatness of it to the reader. He does this by saying, "Love is not love/ Which alters when it alteration finds,/ Or bends with the remember to remove" (2-4). This quote states that love isn't really love if it disappears or changes when the one who is loved does. He is saying how potent it is that changes such as these are insignificant and unimportant, and then reinstates that point by saying that it "bears it out even to the edge of doom" (12). Shakespeare's certainty of this is evident in the couplet at the end of the sonnet which says, "If this be error and upon me proved,/ I never writ, nor no man ever loved" (13-14). This ending to the sonnet shows how powerful love is because Shakespeare says that if someone proves this definition of love wrong than nobody has ever really loved because this is truly what love is, an unbelievable strong and glorious thing.

Everyman Theme

      The theme of "Everyman" is that there is more to life than appearance and material goods. The most important thing in life is to do good deeds because if a person doesn't, once everything else is gone, they will have nothing left.

      In the play after Beauty, Strength, and Discretion leave, Good-Deeds says, ,"All earthly things is but vanity:/ Beauty, Strength, and Discretion, do man forsake,/ Foolish friends and kinsmen, that fair spake,/ All fleeth save Good-Deeds" ( 14). This is saying that caring only about beauty, strength and discretion in life is vain. These attributes all disappear at some point, but if one does good deeds they will stick with the person through death and live on even in their memory.

      By hoarding these physical and material belongings people "will become much worse than beasts;/ for now one would be envy another up eat;/ Charity they all clean forget" ( 2). This quote is stating  how people can become hateful and deceiving by fighting for these things and through it they forget to do good. If people concentrated on just doing good things for themselves and others, the world would be a much better place. This is why the theme of "Everyman" is not being vain and doing good. 

Inferno Commentary

Natalie Mironov
Ms. Peifer
English 10 IB
January 9, 2009

The Inferno

"About us now in the depth of the pit we found

a painted people, weary and defeated.

Slowly, in pain, they paced it round and round.

All wore great cloaks cut to as ample a size

as those worn by the Benedictines of Cluny.

The enormous hoods were drawn over their eyes.

The outside is all dazzle, golder and fair;

the inside, lead, so heavy that Frederick's capes,

compared to these, would seem as light as air.

O weary mantle for eternity!

We turned to the left again along their course,

listening to their moans of misery,

but they moved so slowly down that barren strip,

tired by their burden, that our company

was changed at every moment of the hip.

And walking thus, I said: 'As we go on,

may it please you to look about among these people

for any whose name or history may be known.'"

(Alighieri 55-72).

This passage of The Inferno is from circle eight, bolgia six, which is about the hypocrites. The hypocrites are forced to wander endlessly wearing coats that are elegant and extravagent, yet extremely heavy. This is representative of one of Dante's main themes, symbolic retribution. The sinners must wear these coats because on the outside they will appear beautiful and holy, but underneath is the weight of all the lies and wrongdoings that the sinner must carry around forever. The passage also shows how dismal a place hell must be since it is filled with sinners of all types.

This section of the text uses literary devices such as connotation, allusion, similes, and imagery to portray hell and the punishment for hypocrisy. A sad and dejected connotation is especially present in the beginning of the passage when describing the sinners. Dante calls them a "weary and defeated" (Alighieri 56) people, stuck in a "weary mantle" (Alighieri 64) along a "barren strip" (Alighieri 67). This shows how desolate and boring a place they are in because sinners must get punished rather than rewarded.

Allusion and similes are also a key component to understanding the full meaning behind the retribution. The sinners "all wore great cloaks cut to as ample a size as those worn by the Benedictines of Cluny" (Alighieri 58-59). This is referencing the elegant robes worn by the monks in the Benedictine monastry in Cluny. By comparing the robes of the hypocrites to those of the monks, the reader understands how luxurious these cloaks actually appeared. The second allusion goes on to discuss "the inside, lead, so heavy that Frederick's capes, compared to these, would seem as light as air" (Alighieri 62-63). When it says Frederick's capes, Dante is referencing the Roman Emporer, Frederick II, who punished traitors by forcing them to wear leaden capes and placing them in boiling cauldrons. Saying the capes given to the traitors are light as air compared to the ones given the hypocrites in hell emphasizes how heavy these cloaks actually were and how awful the punishment must have been.

Visual imagery is the last important literary device used to support the gloomy atmosphere of hell where the sinners reside. "In the depth of the pit we found a painted people, weary and defeated. Slowly, in pain, they paced it round and round" (Alighieri 55-58). This gives the reader a picture of how dismal and repititious this pit of hell must be with the sinners wandering endlessly due to their hypocrisy during life.

This passage stands out because of the symbolic retribution. The punishment of the sinners is exactly that, punishment, but without being outright torture. In other pits of hell there are more physically painful retributions, but this one is important in that it makes the sinners realize their wrongdoings. The interesting part is how it's done through this weariness rather than them just being stabbed with a sword.

Works Cited

Alighieri, Dante. The Inferno. Trans. John Ciardi. London: Signet Classics, 2001.