macbeth

• Context of guilt

  Regicide- a disgrace in the Jacobean period due to strong belief in the chain of being, God chooses who is king.

  The guilt of m and lm is like hell which is their suffering after disrupting the great chain of being.
• Lady Macbeth cant regain any innocence- blood is metaphorically on her hands.


  Out, damn’d spot!
• Insomnia is a trouble to macbeth in his guilt.

  Sleep is meant to bring momentary content and peace but really brings him more pain.


  Better to be with the dead, than on the torture of the mind to lie in restless ecstasy.
• Barrier blocking macbeth from God

  He thinks he will never receive forgiveness.

  I had most need of blessing and ‘amen’ stuck in my throat.
• Guilt represented by blood on his hand.

  Even the strongest sea waters can’t wash away what he did and the remorse he feels.


  Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?
• Context of appearance vs reality

  Trust and loyalty are juxtaposed by the ultimate betrayal.

  Appearance and reality can be altered shown by shakespeare’s use of the supernatural.
• Oxymoron and paradoxal phrase.

  Shakespeare’s warning of good and bad existing at the same time.


  Fair is foul and foul is fair.
• Macbeth will pretend to be Duncan’s loyal subject to play off his true intentions.


  False face must hide what false heart doth know.
• Banquo says human greed makes us vulnerable to deception and betrayal.


  Often times, to win us our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths.
• Lady macbeth

  Flower- purity, beauty, innocence

  serpent- evil, satanic (adam and eve)


  Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.
• Context of manipulation

  Shakespeare may have only used female characters to contradict the jacobean stereotypes of women being feeble and powerless.
• Painting Macbeth as weak.

  Degrading adjectives- undermining his masculinity.


  -So green and pale

  -Coward
• Because he doesn’t have pure evil like her he further degrades and belittles him.

  Makes his kindness look like a bad thing.

  Yet I do fear thy nature, as it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.
• Questioning his masculinity to make him want to feel stronger by killing Duncan


  -When you durst do it, then you were a man.

  -Be so much more the man.
• The witches trick him by twisting the truth, making Macbeth believe his power was secure.


  None of woman born shall harm Macbeth.
• But Macduff wasnt born of a woman he was:

  From his mother’s womb, untimely ripped.
• Context of ignorance and want

  Ignorance-lack of knowledge or education

  Want-need or poverty
• Context of avarice


  Avarice is one of the seven deadly sins

  Dickens shows how greed can affect your aspect on life as scrooge turned into a covetous old sinner.
• Belle described how scrooge was fully devoted to money after gaining fortune.

  “I have seen your nobler passions fall off one by one, until the master passion, gain, engrosses you.”
• Fred shows that being poor doesn’t need to make you any less happy.


  Extraordinary kindness from Mr scrooge’s nephew.
• Scrooge thinks those who are poor can’t be happy


  What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.
• An idol is a false God, further showing how Scrooge is a sinner but is also choosing money over Belle who should be more important to him. 


  Another idol has displaced me, a golden one.
• A description of scrooge after greed has taken over his life and contributed to his bitter personality and why he is detested by many.

  Scrooge, a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!
• Context of redemption 


  Jesus died for our sins and people such as scrooge need to recognise and be sorry for their sins to gain redemption and eternal life.
• Scrooge has a lack of compassion before redemption


  -I can’t afford to make idle people merry!

  -If they’d rather die, they better do it and decrease the surplus population!
• How is he shown as sorrowful before redemption?

  The cold within him froze his old features.
• How is he shown to overcome his sorrow after redemption?

  I’m as light as a feather, I’m as happy as an angel!
• How is his sin of greed shown before his redemption?


  Scrooge, a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!
• How does he overcome his sin of greed?

  Giving to Bob.

  ”I’ll raise your salary!”

  ”I’ll send it to Bob Cratchit’s!”
• Context of christmas

  Dickens wanted to portray it as religious still but bring in the family aspect and spread traditions and festivity.
• How does the ghost of christmas present portray christmas?

  Described as jolly, genial and cheery- festive and like christmas symbols such as Father Christmas who always laughs.

  Rusty sword- no conflict at christmas
• Attitudes of characters towards christmas is indicative of their moral stature.


  “Every man who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding!”
• Because of scrooge’s redemption his attitude towards christmas improves. 


  I will honour christmas in my heart and try to keep it all year!
• Fred

  Asyndetic listing to describe christmas.

  What dickens want to convey christmas as being like

  A kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time!
• How is ignorance and want presented through the childrens’ appearances?

  Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish
• Cause of ignorance and want?

  The ghost states that it is ’man’s’

  Free compulsory education wasn’t introduced until 1870.
• What does the ghost say will be the effects of ignorance and want?

  “on his brow i see that written which is doom.”
• Why is ignorance and want depicted as children?

  Innocence-readers more concerned about their suffering.

  Contrasts with ideal victorian child.
• Scrooge starts to understand the importance of family.


  I’ll raise your salary and endeavour to assist your struggling family!
• Fred wants involvement with Scrooge-opposes Scrooge’s purposeful isolation


  A merry christmas uncle! God bless you!