William Shakespeare & Macbeth

William Shakespeare & Macbeth The OG of the English language & an ego to rival Kanye west’s Kanye Beth? MacKanye?

Check out my bling! William Shakespeare The original mc?

He started from the bottom… • …and now he’s here • Born April 23, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England • Parents fell on hard times during Shakespeare’s childhood • Schooling likely stopped around age 13

This is the remix • He is known for writing • Tragedies • Comedies • Histories • …but his plays were often “remixes” or they used “samples” from previous works • He “sourced” his plots and characters from historical accounts and classic texts • He was very well-read

He worked in a male-dominated field • Women were not allowed to appear onstage or act; therefore all roles (yes, even female roles) were played by males Can you name more than one of these female MCs?

He was a player? • Shakespeare supposedly had affairs with multiple women, even while he was married • He supposedly liked women who were promiscuous but neither beautiful nor wealthy

His shows brought together the masses • The King/Queen • Aristocrats • The Groundlings • Cost of a show: • 1 shilling to stand • 2 shillings to sit in the balcony • 1 shilling was 10% of their weekly income • Cost to attend the YEEZUS Tour at Madison Square Garden: • $230 floor seating • $108 upper bowl seating (about 10% of a teacher’s weekly income) • $63 nosebleed seating Yes, your teacher took this at a Redman & Method Man concert

Remember these points from akala? • Rhythm • Shakespeare often wrote in iambic pentameter, a meter that can fit any beat • The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables mimics a heartbeat • He is – and was – misunderstood • We don’t know many definitive things about Shakespeare; some question if he even existed • Many people who do not know much about hip-hop do not appreciate it or consider it an art • “Custodians of knowledge” – whom do we trust to teach us about life and culture?

He coined the term “swagger” • “Swagger” makes its first appearance as a verb meaning “to strut about, carry oneself with an arrogant air” in Act 3, Scene I of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (c.1590). Quoth PUCK, What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here,So near the cradle of the fairy queen? • It is assumed to be a form of the verb “swag” (to sway, swing heavily), which originated in the 1520s, and has since evolved to incorporate “ballin'” into its definition.

One more analogy for you: :: Jay-Z : Barclay Shakespeare : Globe …but hopefully the Barclay doesn’t burn down (multiple times)

Renaissance Rap • Shakespeare’s works and today’s hip-hop songs use a variety of literary devices to explore universal themes • Both art forms use the language of their times and are meant to be enjoyed in performance • Let’s put them together… • Cut out all of the lines on the handout and place the strips of paper into the paper bag • Shake the contents of the bag well • Randomly draw ten lines of poetry out of the bag • Glue them onto a piece of paper in any order • What did you learn?

Renaissance Rap • Read the following quotation (from Alexander, Robert and Harry Justin Elam. The Fire This Time: African-American Plays for the 21st Century [introduction]. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2004): With its celebration of language, meter, poetic strictures, verbal play and display, [hip hop] hearkens back to earlier traditions of oral expression in African-American culture…and even to classical theatrical conventions and the productive wordplay of William Shakespeare. • Journal: How do you define poetry? Drawing on what you know about hip hop and about Shakespeare, do you agree that both are forms of poetry? Why or why not?

Universal Themes What is a theme? What is a motif? A reoccurring object or idea in a work. A motif can also be something abstract, such as an emotion or quality like love, bravery or honesty. Questions to think about: Are there objects, ideas, or concepts I have seen repeated in this book? What could that object, idea, or concept mean? • The main idea or message of the work • A thought or idea the author presents to the reader. • Questions to think about: • What is the author trying to convey to me in this work? • What is the significance of what the author wrote? • HINT: A theme must be “a complete sentence.”

Let’s practice with this motif: thoughts on war “Jesus Walks” by Kanye West York in Henry VI, Part 2 5.2.29-30 Thus war hath given thee peace, for thou art still. Peace with his soul, heaven, if it be thy will. We [are] at war with terrorism, racism, and most of all, we [are] at war with ourselves God show me the way because the Devil [is] trying to bring me down • Summarize each quotation. • What is the message of each quotation? • What do they have in common? • What is the theme here?

And one more: dreams deferred “It’s Your World” by Common Queen Gertrude in Hamlet 5.1.255-257 I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet’s wife; I thought thy bride-bed to have deck’d, sweet maid, And not have strew’d thy grave. I remember in high school she had a passion to sing Now she sees herself in a casket in dreams • Summarize each quotation. • What is the message of each quotation? • What do they have in common? • What is the theme here?

Now try your own • You will be given a motif. • Read the hip-hop lyrics and the Shakespeare quote. • Determine what each means – what is the author saying and what does s/he mean? • What do they have in common? • What is the theme? • Be prepared to present. Now that you know what a theme is, let’s identify the themes in Macbeth:

Themes in macbeth • Ambition can threaten reason. • When supernatural powers represent evil, they should be ignored. • The natural order is disrupted by any upset in the proper order of human society. • Appearances do not always reflect reality. • Despite prophecies of the future, people are responsible for their own actions. • Attempts to control the future by overturning the natural order of society are futile. Questions to ask yourself: • Is man naturally good or naturally evil? • Do we control our own fate or does fate control us?

Key Terms • Tragedy • A play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character. • Tragic hero • “A man of high standard who falls from that high because of a flaw that has affected many” - Aristotle • Macbeth is one of the most famous examples • Paradox • A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true: the paradox that standing is more tiring than walking. • One exhibiting inexplicable or contradictory aspects: "The silence of midnight, to speak truly, though apparently a paradox, rung in my ears"(Mary Shelley).

More key terms • Contrast • Ideas and characters shown in opposition to emphasize or clarify • Heightens distinctions of character and increases interest • Character foil • Characters who are opposites • Fate • Some force over which humans have no control • Complicates plot but does not necessarily cause the hero’s downfall (choice/action) • Audience may feel sympathy • The supernatural • Audience enjoyed ghosts, witches, premonitions, prophecies, etc.

…and the last of the key terms • Dramatic irony • The audience is aware of conditions that are unknown to the character • Or, when some characters are ignorant to what is really on the speaker’s mind • Soliloquy • Speech made by a character alone on stage (only audience hears) • May reveal character, mood, opinion, motives • Aside • Short comments intended only for audience or one other character on stage (like a stage whisper)

The Real Macbeth and the “Scottish play” • Based on a real king (Macbeth and King Duncan interacted in 1040) but the story is highly inaccurate • Set in Scotland • Written for King James I (formerly of Scotland, now England) • James I was interested in witchcraft • Shakespeare researched The Chronicles - Banquo is an ancestor of King James I • The play is supposedly cursed – actors have been injured performing it • It is believed to be bad luck to even squeak the word ‘Macbeth’ in a theatre • Legend has it you will lose all your friends involved in the production--horribly

The Plot • Good guy goes bad • Guy wants power • Married to a pushy control freak • She wants power • Kills people- LOTS of people • Gets power • Gets paranoid (a.k.a. goes crazy) • Ticks off a lot of people • Want more power! Kill! Kill! • Gets what’s coming to him in the end

William Shakespeare & Macbeth