Postcard :)

Dear Mrs. Caldwell,

I am understanding that people will go to extraordinary lengths to get what they desire most because Macbeth is willing to kill for what he wants.

Also I am learning that nature or nurture only determines a persons destiny if that person lets it. For example, when Macbeth hears that he is to be king, he believes that he can. Would he even have thought it to be a possibility if he was not told? Would he have become king if the witches told him he would?

Sincerely Beth.

Reflection On Act 1, Macbeth

"Does nature or nurture determine a person’s destiny?"

In Act 1, Scene 3, Macbeth discovers that it is his destiny to be king. After the weird sisters first prediction came true, Macbeth thought about the possibilities of he, himself becoming king.

MACBETH

(aside)      Two truths are told,

As happy prologues to the swelling act

Of the imperial theme. (to ROSS and ANGUS) I thank you, gentlemen.

(aside) This supernatural soliciting

Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill,

Why hath it given me earnest of success,

Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor.

If good, why do I yield to that suggestion

Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair

And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,

Against the use of nature? Present fears

Are less than horrible imaginings.

In the above passage he wonders if his path is already chosen. He thinks about the possibilities of himself becoming king without him having to forcibly get it. This also connects to the question "How far are you willing to go to get what you desire most?"

This passage spoke to me because I saw that this is the part of the story where Macbeth started to ponder his future. Should he kill the king to become king himself? Or should he accept his social standings? This is important because it starts the rest of the story. It leaves you wondering what could happen and also the consequences of the actions.

Feelings and Moods of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

Explain the differences you saw between watching the movie and reading scenes 1, 2, 3 of Macbeth. -what was easier; why? -what was more challenging;

The differences I saw between the movie and reading was the movie was a little sparse on details where as the book was not. Although, the movie gave a visual, so you can see what people look like, what they are doing, and the expressions of those people. Reading the scenes gave more depth and detail to the story, but the wording was very confusing. I found it easier to watch the movie, because I am a visual learner. So by watching the movie I could see what was going on as apposed to just reading the words. It was definitely more challenging to read the 3 scenes because of the language. Every other word I was looking over to the index to see what something meant and it was very time consuming. In short, I prefer a visual version of Macbeth because if you don’t understand what they are saying you can watch to see what they are doing and there expressions.

How far are you willing to go to get what you desire most?

Desire is an extremely common, yet dangerous thing. The only way you can really know how far you will go to get it, depends on the person as well as the desired object. I, personally, don't desire anything at the moment. Well, nothing of importance that is. I guess, the only illustration I can give is when Zac Efron was filming in Steveston. I wasn't one of the hundreds of girls that were throwing themselves at his feet, but I saw how far some of my friends were willing to go to meet him. Girls were pushing, shoving and stepping over anyone that got in between them and the desired object (Zac). They missed school, stayed out till early morning and didn't eat because they refused to miss the opportunity to meet Mr. Efron. Overall, to desire something is to crave and fight for. Who knows how far anyone would go for it and who's to say that they wouldn't do anything to get it?

response

HI,

I am glad that this prereading activity has helped you understand some of the themes covered in Macbeth. I am also glad that you enjoyed finding the visuals that you did that connected with our big ideas. It is fun when the the class works together as a team to help support and encourage every one's learning.

Macbeth Cont... (Exit Slip)

This past class has helped me understand the general theme of Macbeth. This book is going to be filled with the terms that we talked about in class (power, humanity, loyalty, self worth, and integrity).

Macbeth!!!

I know very little about Macbeth. I know that it was written as a play by William Shakespeare. Along with that, there is a myth that if you say Macbeth on the day of the production, it was supposed to make things go very wrong.

Though I know very little about Macbeth itself, I do know more about Shakespeare. William Shakespeare was a famous play writer in the late 1500's and early 1600's. Some of the plays that he wrote and directed A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet and many more. I think Shakespeare is a creative genius to say the least. The language and the writing is beautiful. Unfortunately, I have only read one of his productions (Romeo & Juliet) in grade 9. But, in elementary school we say A Midsummer Night's Dream as a school production.

In short, I am very curious to learn more about Shakespeare and Macbeth.