05 March 2021 THE FLOATING DAGGER ACT 2

05 March 2021 THE FLOATING DAGGER ACT 2, SCENE 1

ARISTOTLE § § § § 384 BC – 322 BC Greek philosopher Student of Plato Taught Alexander the Great Knew everything about everything Fan of rationality and logic Aristotle had theories about tragedy as it relates to drama, as the Greeks loved their theatre and their tragedies. Aristotle’s most interesting is his idea that in an ideal tragedy, the protagonist mistakenly brings about his own demise because of a flaw in his character.

§ In a perfect tragedy, character will support plot; for example, personal motivations will be intricately connected parts of the cause-and-effect chain of actions producing pity and fear in the audience. § The protagonist should be renowned and prosperous, so his change of fortune can be from good to bad. This change “should come about as the result, not of vice, but of some great error or frailty in a character. ” § Such a plot is most likely to generate pity and fear in the audience, for “pity is aroused by unmerited misfortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves. ”

§ The term Aristotle uses, hamartia, often translated “tragic flaw, ” has been the subject of much debate. The meaning of the Greek word is closer to “mistake” than to “flaw, ” and it is best interpreted in the context of what Aristotle has to say about plot and “the law or probability or necessity. ” § In the ideal tragedy, claims Aristotle, the protagonist will mistakenly bring about his own downfall — not because he is sinful or morally weak, but because he does not know enough. § The role of the hamartia in tragedy comes not from its moral status but from the inevitability of its consequences. Hence the peripeteia is really one or more self-destructive actions taken in blindness, leading to results diametrically opposed to those that were intended (often termed tragic irony), and the anagnorisis is the gaining of the essential knowledge that was previously lacking.

8 9 10 11 MACBETH’S SOLILOQUY Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain? • • • I see thee yet, in form as palpable As this which now I draw. Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going, And such an instrument I was to use. Mine eyes are made the fools o' th' other senses, Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still, And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There’s no such thing. It is the bloody business which informs Palpable = tangible, real Marshall’st = to position, sheperd Dudgeon = offence, resentment

8 9 10 11 MACBETH’S SOLILOQUY Thus to mine eyes. Now o'er the one half-world • Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse The curtained sleep. Witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate’s offerings, and withered murder, Alarumed by his sentinel, the wolf, • Whose howl’s his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, • With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design • Moves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth, Hecate = Goddess of witchcraft Withered = crushing, humiliating Tarquin = Prate = babble, chatter Knell = toll, ring Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear Thy very stones prate of my whereabout, And take the present horror from the time, Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives. Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives. [A bell rings. ] I go, and it is done. The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell That summons thee to heaven or to hell.

DIRECTING THE DAGGER Macbeth is uneasy with the thought of killing King Duncan, and in the darkness his mind starts to play tricks on him. How does the scene and the audience’s understanding of it changes with different performance styles?

MACBETH’S SOLILOQUY The use of an imperative sentence suggests Macbeth is in control. He feels like he has the power over Duncan referring to him by name, not as King. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell That summons thee to heaven or to hell. Again the use of “summons” suggests Macbeth is in control and is the one summoning Duncan and taking the power for himself. The use of antithesis suggests Macbeth may still be in two minds about his decision foreshadowing his later guilt. It also could be a reflection of his own fear that he is not sure whether he will go to “heaven or to hell” himself. Annotate the rest of Macbeth’s soliloquy: ▪ What evil images is Macbeth’s mind full of? ▪ How is antithesis used? How is light & dark imagery used?

MACBETH’S SOLILOQUY Shakespeare usually gives the audience important plot points in rhyme. Macbeth speaks more rhyming couplets than any other protagonist in a Shakespearean tragedy, and the only other characters in the play who use this device are the Witches. “Which now suits with it. While I threat, he lives; Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives. [A bell rings] I go, and it is done. The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell That summons thee to heaven or to hell. ” There are no rhymes in Macbeth’s soliloquy from Act 1, Scene 7 but there are in Act 2 Scene 1. Why? What has changed between these two soliloquies?

Delusions of Grandeur (Grandiose delusions) § A type of delusional disorder that occurs in patients suffering from a wide range of mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and substance abuse disorders. § GDs are characterized by fantastical beliefs that one is famous, omnipotent, wealthy, or otherwise very powerful. The delusions typically have a supernatural, science-fictional, or religious theme. § About 10% of healthy people experience grandiose thoughts but do not meet full criteria for a diagnosis of GD.

Language techniques & imagery Contextual information How does Shakespeare present Macbeth’s state of mind in Macbeth’s state of mind Act 2, Scene 1? Adjectives?

How does Shakespeare present Macbeth’s state of mind in Act 2 Scene I? In Act 2, Scene 1, Shakespeare uses a rhetorical question to show that Macbeth is uneasy with the thought of killing King Duncan, and in the darkness his mind starts to play tricks on him as he hallucinates and sees a dagger. Macbeth asks himself ‘is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? ’ This initially suggests that Macbeth is confused and seeing things, reflecting his indecision over killing Duncan. However, he later says ‘Come, let me clutch thee. ’ The word ‘come’ is an imperative and is commanding, showing Macbeth’s growing confidence. Furthermore, the use of hard alliteration in ‘come’ and ‘clutch’ creates a harsh sound which could mirror his decision to now ‘kill’ Duncan. A Jacobean audience would have probably believed that Macbeth was going mad, possibly due to unbalanced humours or because the witches’ prophecies have had such a profound effect on him leading him on a path of sin and wickedness. The latter would be more likely as King James believed that witches were ‘slaves of the Devil, ’ and in such a religious time as 17 th century England when the citizens were very preoccupied with religion and morality; Macbeth being written just after the Witchcraft Act had been passed. A contemporary audience are more knowledgeable in human psychology and would see Macbeth’s hallucinations as signs of mental illness and may perhaps be more sympathetic.