Below are the two paper options for Paper #2, due two weeks from today, on Monday, October 29th by 5pm. Please let me know if you have any questions!
OPTION 1: Paper
#2: The Women of Macbeth
Traditionally,
women have been blamed for the terrible goings-on in Macbeth: the
witches are blamed for casting evil prophecies to entrap Macbeth’s lust for
power, and Lady Macbeth is accused of pushing him to thoughts and deeds of
murder. Even Lady Macduff, when she castigates her husband in front of Ross, is
told, “I pray you, school yourself” (4.2). Also curious is how little time
these women get on stage: a single scene for Lady Macduff, a handful of scenes
for the witches, and less and less as the play goes on for Lady Macbeth. If the
women are so powerful and so in control, why does Shakespeare give them so
little time (and room) to act?
Susan
Snyder, in her essay, “Macbeth: A Modern Perspective,” points out that “It is
easy to call Lady Macbeth “evil,” but the label tends to close down analysis
exactly where we ought to probe more deeply” (208). So for this paper, I want
you to examine the women in the play, either focusing on a specific woman
(counting the witches as a single woman) or focusing on a theme or idea that
connects all three. Are the women the villains of the piece? Is this another
hatchet-job against the fair sex that the Wife of Bath’s last husband would
enjoy reading? Or is this, like the Wife of Bath herself, a surprisingly complex
view of women trying to survive in a world of men?
To
help you discuss this, I want you to find two articles (either in books or
journals) to give you more ideas to bounce off of. You can use Susan Snyder’s
essay in the Folder edition if you wish, or you can find two additional ones:
we have a great Shakespeare section in our library (in the PR2820’s), plus
unlimited access to the JSTOR database through the library’s electronic
resources (I’ll show you this in class on Wednesday). Good writing is responding—both to ideas in the play and
other scholars who have written about it. Remember, you’re not the first person
to write about Macbeth, so don’t
pretend you are. Read what others have said and use it to build your response.
REQUIREMENTS
- 4-5 pages, double spaced
- Close reading of the play—quotes and discussion of the lines
- At least 2 additional sources, also quoted/discussed (Snyder’s essay optional)
- Due Monday,
October 29th by 5pm [we have class that day—we’ll be watching a
film]
OPTION 2: Paper #2: He Said, She Said
In
her short critical article, “Macbeth: A Modern Perspective,” Susan Snyder notes
that “Macbeth himself is strangely silent about any longing for royal power and
position” (207). Indeed, he seems quite content where he is, which prompts Lady
Macbeth’s threats and jeers to kill Duncan and become the king. However, Snyder
also points out that “It is easy to call Lady Macbeth “evil,” but the label
tends to close down analysis exactly where we ought to probe more deeply”
(208). In other words, the closer we look at her guilt, the less sure of the
guilty verdict. Especially since Lady Macbeth goes mad by the end of the play
and arguably kills herself (unless we believe that Macbeth may have authored
the deed himself??).
For
this paper, I want you to make a case for one of the partners being the
“guilty” one who corrupted the other. Did Lady Macbeth push her husband into
avarice and murder and set about corrupting his morals? If she had kept quiet,
would Macbeth have grown old as the Thane of Cawdor? Or did Macbeth tempt his
wife into thoughts of power and prestige in his letter, and force her into
ever-more compromising positions as he took control of the kingdom? If you were
directing the play, which actor would you want to look like the villain—and
which the willing, but ultimately corrupted pawn?
In
addition, I want you to read at least TWO critical articles to help you see how
other people read and discuss this play. One of the articles can be Susan
Synder’s short essay in the Folder edition (and if you don’t have this, I can
make you a photocopy). The other should be an article published in a book or
journal on some aspect of Macbeth that gives you food for thought and
ideas to respond to. Good writing is responding—both
to ideas in the play and other scholars who have written about it. Remember,
you’re not the first person to write about Macbeth,
so don’t pretend you are. Read what others have said and use it to build your
response.
REQUIREMENTS
- 4-5 pages, double spaced
- Close reading of the play—quotes and discussion of the lines
- At least 2 additional sources, also quoted/discussed (Snyder’s essay optional)
- Due Monday, October 29th by 5pm [we have class that day—we’ll be watching a film]
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