Monday, October 15, 2018

Options for Paper #2: Ways of Reading Macbeth





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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