01.10 macbeth the power of words

The Power of Words Worksheet

Step 1: Character Interpretation

Earlier in this lesson you read two different interpretations of a scene featuring Lady Macbeth. You were asked to view a stage performance of the same scene in order to answer this question: How does this interpretation compare to the others? In a response of at least @ive sentences, comment on the stage interpretation and explain your impression of Lady Macbeth in this scene. Use speci@ic examples from the clip to support your answer. Things to consider: her facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice.

• In this scene, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as both a sweet and derisive character. I see this interpretation because she uses both caring and firm tones when she speaks to Macbeth. Lady Macbeth also uses certain physical traits such as holding Macbeth in her arms as well as strong physical motions that indicate she is implying evil and violent acts. For example when she says, “…like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t,” she speaks of the “innocent flower” with such a nice and caring tone to give Macbeth peace at mind and focuses her main physical motions on holding him in her arm, as an act of comfort towards Macbeth on the topic. In contrast, she speaks firmly of the serpent under the flower, which tells Macbeth that she is demanding and as she speaks of this to Macbeth, she turns to him slowly and sharply, looking him dead in the eyes, proving to Macbeth that she could not be more serious about the matter. My first impression of Lady Macbeth in this scene was that she wants to do manipulate Macbeth using every tactic possible, which included both of the main tactics from the first two interpretations.

Step 2: Setting Interpretation

Choose one of the provided scenes from Macbeth that you have previously studied in this course and locate or create an image that shows a @itting setting for that scene. In a response of at least @ive sentences, explain why you chose the image. Use examples from the play and the image to support your reasoning. Include the scene and the image along with your response.

• Act 1, Scene 5

This scene is about Lady Macbeth wanting to force Macbeth to take action in killing King Duncan after she receives the news of the prophecy that the Witches gave him. The scene takes place at the Macbeth home and revolves around the mindset of Lady Macbeth. I chose this particular image because it represents a house of death which @its the whole idea wrapped around Lady Macbeth’s mind. In the scene, Lady

Macbeth decides that since King Duncan will be staying with the Macbeths for the night, she will then force Macbeth to kill King Duncan. On the night of this occurrence, their house will be looked at as the house of death, with nothing but cruel, evil, and deadly intentions. I felt that as I read Lady Macbeth’s lines throughout this scene, especially when Lady Macbeth says, “You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry “Hold, hold!,” I was able to clearly read what was on her mind and visualize the entire plan forming in her head. This image matches the image created in my mind almost perfectly.