Macbeth

It is impossible to discuss a literary text without each person having their own copy. Therefore, the price of admission for next week's class is your own copy of Macbeth. Nobody gets in without showing their text. You should set about purchasing The Tortilla Curtain for the following month so that you won't be caught without a book when the time comes.

Over the next three weeks, I may give in class a passage chosen at random from the text that I ask you to "translate" and comment upon. You will need to know the text very well to do this. Since you're only reading two acts in a whole week, that should not be a problem.

Example:

DUNCAN

There's no art
To find the mind's construction in the face:
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.
Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSS, and ANGUS

Answer

In this scene, Duncan is responding to news of a traitor. He comments that there's no way to tell what a person is like by just looking at the face, and expresses disappointment at the breach of trust. This idea of treachery runs through the whole play. It's ironic that Macbeth walks in just at this moment, since Duncan trusts Macbeth and will have that trust betrayed soon as well.

During the week of Mar 23-27 we discussed Flannery O'Connor in the Tuesday class and various poems in the Thursday class.

Please see the previous post for important changes to the Essay 3 deadlines.