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HW for Tuesday

HW for Tuesday. Macbeth V, optional Holinshed, Demonologie , and Discoverie of Witchcraft. “three women in strange and wild apparell , resembling creatures of elder world”. Woodcut from Holinshed’s Chronicles of Macbeth’s witches. From Holinshed’s Chronicles

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HW for Tuesday

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  1. HW for Tuesday Macbeth V, optional Holinshed, Demonologie, and Discoverie of Witchcraft

  2. “three women in strange and wild apparell, resembling creatures of elder world” Woodcut from Holinshed’s Chronicles of Macbeth’s witches

  3. From Holinshed’s Chronicles (http://www.cems.ox.ac.uk/holinshed/extracts2.shtml) “This was reputed at the first but some vainefantasticall illusion by Mackbeth and Banquho, insomuch that Banquho would call Mackbeth in iest, king of Scotland; and Mackbethagaine would call him in sport likewise, the father of manie kings. But afterwards the common opinion was, Banquho the father of manie kings. that these women were either the weird sisters, that is (as ye would say) the goddesses of destinie, or else some nymphs or feiries, indued with knowledge of prophesie by their necromanticall science, bicauseeuerie thing came to passe as they had spoken.”

  4. Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft “But truly I denie not that there are witches…but I detest the idolatrous opinions conceived of them”

  5. Quick Write: Witches What do we know about the witches? What /who are they? What are they like? What do they want? How does their presence and behavior parallel other issues in the play?

  6. From Demonologie “The fearefullaboundinge at this time in this countrie, of these detestable slaues of the Deuill, the Witches or enchaunters, hath moved me (beloued reader) to dispatch in post, this following treatise of mine, not in any wise (as I protest) to serue for a shew of my learning & ingine, but onely (mooued of conscience) to preasse thereby, so farre as I can, to resolue the doubting harts of many; both that such assaultes of Sathan are most certainly practized, & that the instrumentes thereof, merits most severly to be punished: against the damnable opinions of two principally in our age, wherof the one called SCOT an Englishman, is not ashamed in publike print to deny, that ther can be such a thing as Witch-craft: and so mainteines the old error of the Sadducees, in denying of spirits.” --http://www.gutenberg.org/files/25929/25929-h/25929-h.html

  7. Modes of Interpretation: Witches Political—threat to state (King James Demonologie) or symbol of power Religious—possessed by or associated with demons, tempting people to damnation Classical—the fates—predestination

  8. Sociological—witches were poor or marginalized figures, usually women, who were accused of witchcraft because they represented other social problems (poverty, disease, crime, etc.); symbols of Otherness (Discoverie of Witchcraft) Psychoanalytic—represent subconscious desires or fear of the unknown or unknowable Meta-critical—sign of the powers and limitation of theater, art, and the imagination

  9. Feminist—symbolic of the problem of gender, a way to make monstrous the female body and mind, a way to keep women subjugated by showing their weakness, malleability, ability to be tempted by devils (Malleus Malleficarum) Pre-Postcolonial—sign of immigrants and foreign influence infecting the body politic

  10. Doubling What do we know about the witches based on Banquo’s description in 1.3? “What are these,/So wither'd, and so wilde in their attyre,/That looke not like th' Inhabitants o'th' Earth,/And yet are on't? Liue you, or are you aught/That man may question? you seeme to vnderstand me,/By each at once her choppie finger laying/Vpon her skinnie Lips: you should be Women,/And yet your Beards forbid me to interprete/That you are so.” What do we know of Macbeth from Ross’s description of him in 1.3? “The King hath happily receiu'd, Macbeth,/The newes of thy successe: and when he reades/ Thy personall Venture in the Rebels sight,/His Wonders and his Prayses doe contend,/Which should be thine, or his: silenc'd with that,/In viewing o're the rest o'th' selfe-same day,/He findes thee in the stout NorweyanRankes,/Nothing afeard of what thy selfe didst make/Strange Images of death, as thick as Tale/Can post with post, and euery one did beare/Thy prayses in his Kingdomes great defence,/And powr'd them downe before him.”

  11. Doubling in the Play

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