Although Macbeth was written more than four centuries ago, it remains a widely studied and performed piece of dramatic literature. Not only is it studied extensively, but it has also inspired artists to work with an immense variety of media to create works depicting the personalities of the characters in the play, simulating entire scenes from the play or depicting thematic or atmospheric elements from Macbeth. Throughout the course of the Macmedia Blog project, we researched electronic versions of Macbeth as well as adaptations of the play in films, paintings, and other media forms. Our group realized just how extensive literature can truly be, reaching further simply being performed in a theatre.
This project clearly supports the idea that literature, especially timeless pieces such as Shakespeare’s Macbeth, is ‘organic’ or ‘living’ as it is constantly being changed, adapted, abridged, edited and it has continued to influence other works along the way. After it was written, Macbeth was subject to many changes and interpolations, which include the addition of characters like Hecate, as well as the addition of musical entertainment performed by the witches. Macbeth not only continued to have editorial changes made to it through the course of the past four hundred years, but it also lent endless amounts of inspiration to artists, being the subject of numerous paintings, films, books, comic strips and songs to name a few. Only a well-written piece with characters and themes that transgress the barriers of time would be so influential, proving that Shakespeare’s Macbeth remains a fully active and living piece of literature.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Dramatic Irony in Macbeth
In order to ensure a truly cathartic reading experience of the Shakespearean tragedy, Macbeth, it is important to gain an understanding of several literary terms. The following post focuses on dramatic irony.
What is Dramatic Irony?
Dramatic irony is a literary device used in literature, particularly in plays, referring to the words or actions of a character that have a different meaning for the audience than they do for the character(s) in the play themselves. Often, the audience will recognize the significance of given phrase or action of a character because they have acquired additional knowledge surrounding the character and their future through other characters in the play prior to the event, while the character involved is ignorant of this.
The Roots
The characters’ ignorance, which is unintentional, ties in with irony’s roots. The word irony is derived from the Latin word ironia, which itself is derived from the Greek, å?ñùíåßá (eironeia) signifying ‘feigned ignorance’.
Dramatic irony, as a device, finds its roots in Sophocles’ famed work, "Oedipus". Oedipus, the king of Thebes, hears a prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi that he would kill his father and marry his mother. In order to prevent this, he leaves Thebes. On his journey, he meets a man at an intersection and they come into a dispute over who has the right of way. Oedipus, after being poked by the man’s goad, kills the man. He continues and after correctly answering the riddle of a Sphinx which was terrorizing Thebes, he is awarded the throne of Thebes and marries the previous king’s widow The dramatic irony about this is that through hints from minor characters, the reader knows that man he kills during the roadside dispute was his father, while the previous king’s wife is indeed his mother, thus fulfilling the prophecy. In the play, however, Oedipus is unaware of this.
Dramatic irony appears in the works of numerous other authors such as Aristophanes, Plautus, Goethe, Miles Gloriosus, Molière and Mark Twain, and is still widely used in a variety of media forms in our day and age.
Examples of Dramatic Irony in Macbeth
There are several examples of dramatic irony in Macbeth but there a few very prominent ones. In the first act, when the three witches reveal to the audience that Macbeth has been made Thane of Cawdor, he does not know this. During their meeting with him they inform him that he will become Thane. Macbeth shows disbelief in their proposition while the audience is aware that he has already been made Thane of Cawdor. A second example of dramatic irony is when Duncan is approaching Macbeth’s castle and he remarks how the castle has "a pleasant seat [and] the air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself unto [his] gentle senses" (1.6.1-3). The audience is aware that Duncan will most likely be killed shortly in that very castle that he finds so pleasant, displaying how a simple phrase has two meanings, one significance for the audience and another for the Duncan who is ignorant of Macbeth’s plots against him. Another example is in 2.3 where the porter jokes about being hell’s gatekeeper while talking to Macduff and Lennox. However, because he is drunk, they pay little attention and attach little worth to what he says. Ironically, the porter is guarding the chamber where Duncan lies murdered and the audience is aware of this, while the characters in the play are not.
Sources
Baker, Lyman A.. "Critical Concepts: Dramatic Irony." Kansas State University. 30 August 2000. 2 February 2007 <http://www.k-state.edu/english/baker/english320/cc-dramatic_irony.htm>.
Flanagan, Mark. "Dramatic Irony." About.com. 23 August 2006. 1 February 2007 <http://contemporarylit.about.com/cs/literaryterms/g/dramaticIrony.htm>.
"Oedipus." Wikipedia. 1 February 2007. 1 February 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus>.
Thuleen, Nancy. "Dramatic Irony and Metadrama as a Vehicle for Social Criticism in the Works of Aristophanes, Plautus and Goethe." nthuleen.com. 5 May 1993. 1 February 2007 <http://www.nthuleen.com/papers/177paper.html>.
Toscan, Richard. "Dramatic Irony." Virginia Commonwealth University. N.d.. 1 February 2007 <http://www.vcu.edu/arts/playwriting/irony.html>.
What is Dramatic Irony?
Dramatic irony is a literary device used in literature, particularly in plays, referring to the words or actions of a character that have a different meaning for the audience than they do for the character(s) in the play themselves. Often, the audience will recognize the significance of given phrase or action of a character because they have acquired additional knowledge surrounding the character and their future through other characters in the play prior to the event, while the character involved is ignorant of this.
The Roots
The characters’ ignorance, which is unintentional, ties in with irony’s roots. The word irony is derived from the Latin word ironia, which itself is derived from the Greek, å?ñùíåßá (eironeia) signifying ‘feigned ignorance’.
Dramatic irony, as a device, finds its roots in Sophocles’ famed work, "Oedipus". Oedipus, the king of Thebes, hears a prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi that he would kill his father and marry his mother. In order to prevent this, he leaves Thebes. On his journey, he meets a man at an intersection and they come into a dispute over who has the right of way. Oedipus, after being poked by the man’s goad, kills the man. He continues and after correctly answering the riddle of a Sphinx which was terrorizing Thebes, he is awarded the throne of Thebes and marries the previous king’s widow The dramatic irony about this is that through hints from minor characters, the reader knows that man he kills during the roadside dispute was his father, while the previous king’s wife is indeed his mother, thus fulfilling the prophecy. In the play, however, Oedipus is unaware of this.
Dramatic irony appears in the works of numerous other authors such as Aristophanes, Plautus, Goethe, Miles Gloriosus, Molière and Mark Twain, and is still widely used in a variety of media forms in our day and age.
Examples of Dramatic Irony in Macbeth
There are several examples of dramatic irony in Macbeth but there a few very prominent ones. In the first act, when the three witches reveal to the audience that Macbeth has been made Thane of Cawdor, he does not know this. During their meeting with him they inform him that he will become Thane. Macbeth shows disbelief in their proposition while the audience is aware that he has already been made Thane of Cawdor. A second example of dramatic irony is when Duncan is approaching Macbeth’s castle and he remarks how the castle has "a pleasant seat [and] the air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself unto [his] gentle senses" (1.6.1-3). The audience is aware that Duncan will most likely be killed shortly in that very castle that he finds so pleasant, displaying how a simple phrase has two meanings, one significance for the audience and another for the Duncan who is ignorant of Macbeth’s plots against him. Another example is in 2.3 where the porter jokes about being hell’s gatekeeper while talking to Macduff and Lennox. However, because he is drunk, they pay little attention and attach little worth to what he says. Ironically, the porter is guarding the chamber where Duncan lies murdered and the audience is aware of this, while the characters in the play are not.
Sources
Baker, Lyman A.. "Critical Concepts: Dramatic Irony." Kansas State University. 30 August 2000. 2 February 2007 <http://www.k-state.edu/english/baker/english320/cc-dramatic_irony.htm>.
Flanagan, Mark. "Dramatic Irony." About.com. 23 August 2006. 1 February 2007 <http://contemporarylit.about.com/cs/literaryterms/g/dramaticIrony.htm>.
"Oedipus." Wikipedia. 1 February 2007. 1 February 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus>.
Thuleen, Nancy. "Dramatic Irony and Metadrama as a Vehicle for Social Criticism in the Works of Aristophanes, Plautus and Goethe." nthuleen.com. 5 May 1993. 1 February 2007 <http://www.nthuleen.com/papers/177paper.html>.
Toscan, Richard. "Dramatic Irony." Virginia Commonwealth University. N.d.. 1 February 2007 <http://www.vcu.edu/arts/playwriting/irony.html>.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tragedies and Historical Plays
Shakespeare used several different genres for his plays over the course of his life. Macbeth is generally considered a tragedy; however, it also has many historical elements to it. The following are some elements of both genres and how they relate to Macbeth:
Tragic Plays
o The concept of a tragedy was formed by Aristotle during ancient times but has changed drastically over the years.
o According to Aristotle, a tragedy is defined as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude.”
o Shakespeare characterized a tragedy as having six principle parts: plot, characters, diction, thought, spectacle, and melody. These six components not only make up a tragedy, but they affect the quality and perception of a piece of writing.
o Aristotle also stressed the importance of a catharsis at the end of tragedy, involving some sort of purgatory or spiritual cleansing.
o Greek and Roman tragedies, as Aristotle characterized them, were forgotten until the early 17th century when writers and playwrights began to translate ancient texts and adapt them, thus familiarizing themselves with the genre.
o Shakespearean tragedies are mainly characterized by the downfall of the protagonist. Shakespeare's tragedies always portray tragic heroes as noble men who have high social statuses and are respected. In addition, they tend to have some moral or inner weaknesses that may eventually lead to their downfall.
o Apart from internal factors, such as inner weaknesses, external forces such as fate or antagonists also play an important role in the inevitable demise of a tragic hero. For example, in Macbeth, the three witches take on the role of the antagonists that wield Macbeth's fate.
o Similar to Aristotle, Shakespeare’s tragic hero is always an admirable but flawed character; however, unlike Aristotle, Shakespeare’s protagonists are always given a chance to opt out and avoid their imminent fate, but never choose to do so.
Historical Plays
o A Shakespearean history is one that covers English history from the 12th – 16th century.
o Most of the characters in Shakespeare’s historical plays were living people but the plot and details that embellish their story were generally exaggerations written by Shakespeare.
o The definite historical plays written by Shakespeare are King John, Richard II, Henry IV Parts I and II, Henry V, Henry VI Parts I, II and III, Richard III and Henry VIII.
o Shakespeare’s source for his history was Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, placecountry-regionScotland and placecountry-regionIreland.
o English plays were considered to be Tudor propaganda at the time because they portrayed the Tudor kings in a very positive light compared to the previous monarchs.
o Roman plays were based upon the popularity of Greek and Roman culture at the time.
o The English considered themselves the next generation of the placeRoman empire and tried to imitate this style.
Macbeth is generally considered to be a tragedy due to the historical inaccuracies presented throughout the play that differ greatly from the life of the 11th century Scottish king that the story was based upon.
Works Cited/Bibliography
Brooke, Michael. Shakespeare's Histories. 2006. BFI Screen Online. 31 January 2007.
McManus, Barbara F.. “Outline of Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy in the POETICS.” The College of New Rochelle. November 1999. 27 January 2007 http://www.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics.html.
“Tragedy.” Wikipedia. 26 January 2007. 27 January 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy#Origin_of_Western_tragedy.
Schwartz, Debora. English 339: Introduction to Shakespeare. 2002.
Tragic Plays
o The concept of a tragedy was formed by Aristotle during ancient times but has changed drastically over the years.
o According to Aristotle, a tragedy is defined as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude.”
o Shakespeare characterized a tragedy as having six principle parts: plot, characters, diction, thought, spectacle, and melody. These six components not only make up a tragedy, but they affect the quality and perception of a piece of writing.
o Aristotle also stressed the importance of a catharsis at the end of tragedy, involving some sort of purgatory or spiritual cleansing.
o Greek and Roman tragedies, as Aristotle characterized them, were forgotten until the early 17th century when writers and playwrights began to translate ancient texts and adapt them, thus familiarizing themselves with the genre.
o Shakespearean tragedies are mainly characterized by the downfall of the protagonist. Shakespeare's tragedies always portray tragic heroes as noble men who have high social statuses and are respected. In addition, they tend to have some moral or inner weaknesses that may eventually lead to their downfall.
o Apart from internal factors, such as inner weaknesses, external forces such as fate or antagonists also play an important role in the inevitable demise of a tragic hero. For example, in Macbeth, the three witches take on the role of the antagonists that wield Macbeth's fate.
o Similar to Aristotle, Shakespeare’s tragic hero is always an admirable but flawed character; however, unlike Aristotle, Shakespeare’s protagonists are always given a chance to opt out and avoid their imminent fate, but never choose to do so.
Historical Plays
o A Shakespearean history is one that covers English history from the 12th – 16th century.
o Most of the characters in Shakespeare’s historical plays were living people but the plot and details that embellish their story were generally exaggerations written by Shakespeare.
o The definite historical plays written by Shakespeare are King John, Richard II, Henry IV Parts I and II, Henry V, Henry VI Parts I, II and III, Richard III and Henry VIII.
o Shakespeare’s source for his history was Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, placecountry-regionScotland and placecountry-regionIreland.
o English plays were considered to be Tudor propaganda at the time because they portrayed the Tudor kings in a very positive light compared to the previous monarchs.
o Roman plays were based upon the popularity of Greek and Roman culture at the time.
o The English considered themselves the next generation of the placeRoman empire and tried to imitate this style.
Macbeth is generally considered to be a tragedy due to the historical inaccuracies presented throughout the play that differ greatly from the life of the 11th century Scottish king that the story was based upon.
Works Cited/Bibliography
Brooke, Michael. Shakespeare's Histories. 2006. BFI Screen Online. 31 January 2007.
McManus, Barbara F.. “Outline of Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy in the POETICS.” The College of New Rochelle. November 1999. 27 January 2007 http://www.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics.html.
“Tragedy.” Wikipedia. 26 January 2007. 27 January 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy#Origin_of_Western_tragedy.
Schwartz, Debora. English 339: Introduction to Shakespeare. 2002.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Comparing the Oxford and MIT Editions of Macbeth
The comparison of various editions of literary works, especially of plays, allows the reader to gain greater insight, as well as a deeper appreciation and understanding of the work. Upon doing a thorough comparison, it is possible to clearly identify language use, punctuation and formatting that either enhances or detracts from the text.
After comparing the Oxford World’s Classics edition of Macbeth and the online version provided by MIT, it is apparent that the Oxford edition’s use and presentation of language, punctuation, stage directions and character information is more effective than the online text’s. One of the most significant differences between the Oxford version and the MIT version is the use of punctuation in the text. The MIT version tends to omit much of the punctuation present in the Oxford version. For example, the MIT version omits a question mark in line 1 or one comma line 4 of act 1 scene 1. Overall, the punctuation in the Oxford version is more effective than in the MIT version as it excellently accentuates Shakespeare’s language-choice and phrases, providing for a clearer and more comprehensive reading and understanding of the text.
The stage directions in these two versions are also rather different. For example, the MIT version adds an extra stage direction that is powerful enough to change the disposition of the scene. “Exit Sergeant, attended” is added in into the middle act 1 scene 2 of the MIT version, which causes the atmosphere of the rest of the scene to be less somber than in the Oxford version where the bleeding Captain remains present for the rest of the scene.
The word choice in the MIT version of the play differs from the word choice in the Oxford version. For example, the Captain is referred to as “The Sergeant” in the former version of Macbeth. In addition, there are different spellings of certain words in both versions. In the Oxford version, some of the words that differ include “galloglasses” instead of “gallowglasses”, and “chops” instead of the misspelled word in the MIT version, “chaps”.
The physical differences between the two texts are also extensive— ranging from the font and layout to the capitalization of certain characters’ names. The MIT version is not at all aesthetically pleasing. The text is double spaced, requiring constant scrolling; it capitalizes the true name of characters, such as “MACBETH”, but does not capitalize the titles of characters, such as “Seargent”, which proves to be distracting. Also, the lines are not numbered and no notes on the text are provided as in the Oxford version, so these helpful components are missing. The only major addition in the MIT version that is not present in the Oxford edition is a description of the location of each scene. For example, scene 1 is introduced as “SCENE I. A desert place.”
Although the text itself does not differ greatly between the two versions of Macbeth, numerous details such as punctuation and stage directions are significantly different, but because they are capable of altering one’s perception of the text, they prove to be critical in one’s reading of the text. Overall the Oxford Edition tends to provide a better rendition of Macbeth than the MIT on-line version.
After comparing the Oxford World’s Classics edition of Macbeth and the online version provided by MIT, it is apparent that the Oxford edition’s use and presentation of language, punctuation, stage directions and character information is more effective than the online text’s. One of the most significant differences between the Oxford version and the MIT version is the use of punctuation in the text. The MIT version tends to omit much of the punctuation present in the Oxford version. For example, the MIT version omits a question mark in line 1 or one comma line 4 of act 1 scene 1. Overall, the punctuation in the Oxford version is more effective than in the MIT version as it excellently accentuates Shakespeare’s language-choice and phrases, providing for a clearer and more comprehensive reading and understanding of the text.
The stage directions in these two versions are also rather different. For example, the MIT version adds an extra stage direction that is powerful enough to change the disposition of the scene. “Exit Sergeant, attended” is added in into the middle act 1 scene 2 of the MIT version, which causes the atmosphere of the rest of the scene to be less somber than in the Oxford version where the bleeding Captain remains present for the rest of the scene.
The word choice in the MIT version of the play differs from the word choice in the Oxford version. For example, the Captain is referred to as “The Sergeant” in the former version of Macbeth. In addition, there are different spellings of certain words in both versions. In the Oxford version, some of the words that differ include “galloglasses” instead of “gallowglasses”, and “chops” instead of the misspelled word in the MIT version, “chaps”.
The physical differences between the two texts are also extensive— ranging from the font and layout to the capitalization of certain characters’ names. The MIT version is not at all aesthetically pleasing. The text is double spaced, requiring constant scrolling; it capitalizes the true name of characters, such as “MACBETH”, but does not capitalize the titles of characters, such as “Seargent”, which proves to be distracting. Also, the lines are not numbered and no notes on the text are provided as in the Oxford version, so these helpful components are missing. The only major addition in the MIT version that is not present in the Oxford edition is a description of the location of each scene. For example, scene 1 is introduced as “SCENE I. A desert place.”
Although the text itself does not differ greatly between the two versions of Macbeth, numerous details such as punctuation and stage directions are significantly different, but because they are capable of altering one’s perception of the text, they prove to be critical in one’s reading of the text. Overall the Oxford Edition tends to provide a better rendition of Macbeth than the MIT on-line version.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)