Making The First Move

Over the past week, we have focused more on Macbeth than the 1950s, so for this third and final TWIL post, I will be connecting Macbeth to 1950s related-themes I have discovered myself. We have made a lot of progress in Macbeth, and are approaching the end of the play. This week we have reached the climax of the play, and are seeing the aftermath of what has occurred. In Acts 3 and 4, there have been many valuable and important quotes. As a class, we have discussed how and why Shakespeare is still so relevant to this day, and we all agree that it is because of the way he uses these stories to convey relatable themes to ordinary people. Some of my favourite quotes from this section of the play are…

Macbeth: “Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, / And put a barren sceptre in my gripe.”

Macbeth: “Now I am bent to know, / By the worst means the worst. For mine own good / All causes shall give way. I am in blood / Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er: / Strange things I have in head that will to hand, /Which must be acted ere they may be scanned.”

Macbeth: “From this moment / The very firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand.”

As I have mentioned previously in my TWILs, I definitely have a more personal learning connection with the content of the 1950s side of this unit as I simply find it more intriguing. However, this having been the first time I’ve read Shakespeares work, I am becoming more interested in this play. Don’t get me wrong, I still find it quite difficult to read, but I have developed an admiration for the sheer linguistical feats that Shakespeare so very mastered.

When it comes to finding a connection between Macbeth and the 50s this week, the first thing that comes to mind is the over-arching idea of power control. In act 4 of Macbeth, Macbeth gets word that Macduff is in England planning on murdering him for all the deeds Macbeth has done. This is a very important part of the play, as it signifies a turning point for Macbeth. No longer is he worried and remorseful, he has accepted his actions, and is willing to tackle the consequences head on. I find this particularly interesting in the overall context of the play. Macbeth has done a complete 180 spin, and is now controlling his ambition. After hearing word of Macduff’s plans, Macbeth orders two murderers to go to Macduff’s castle and murder his wife and son. Macbeth made the first move because he knew what was coming for him.

This made me think of how the US did a similar thing to the Russians during the beginning of the Cold War. The US knew that Russia and the threat of communism was looming over them, so they decided to face it head on and set in motion a plan to stop it. Now, if we’re saying the US represents Macbeth and Russia Macduff, the two situations obviously didn’t end the same, otherwise the end of the 20th century would have looked very different. However, I did notice a similarity between the tactics, and thought it was worth making note of.

Here is my artifact for this week. I decided to take to Photoshop and work on my graphic design skills by putting together a superimposed collage graphic to represent this connection between Macbeth and the 50s!

With that, the trio of TWIL posts is concluded. The past three weeks have opened my eyes to so many aspects of the English language and modern society, and getting the opportunity to highlight connections I have made between the two made for a meaningful analysis.