Saturday, April 20, 2013

Notes Act V

SCENE I:
  • a doctor and "waiting-gentlewoman" (I suppose Lady Macbeth's lady-in-waiting) are watching Lady Macbeth, who apparently has been asleep since Macbeth went "into the field" (he has gone to suppress the revolt of the Scotch nobles)
    • Lady Macbeth has been sleepwalking, and even writing letters in her sleep
  • the gentlewoman doesn't want to tell the doctor what she has heard Lady Macbeth say in her sleep, for she is afraid of getting in trouble 
  • Lady Macbeth appears, still seemingly asleep (though her eyes are open)
  • "she has light by her continually; 'tis her command." --Lady Macbeth is afraid of the dark now
  • she keeps rubbing her hands; she thinks she sees a bloodstain that she cannot remove
    • here, the famous lines come in: " Out, damned spot! out, I say!--One: two: why, then, 'tis time to do't.--Hell is murky!--Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?--Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him."
  •  "The thane of Fife had a wife" though she had nothing to do with the murder of Lady Macduff, it weighs on the queen's conscience
  • the doctor tells the lady to keep an eye on Lady Macbeth, and to make sure she doesn't hurt herself
SCENE II:
  •  "He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause Within the belt of rule." Macbeth cannot control the discontented nobles
  • Menteith, Caithness, Angus, Lennox, and soldiers begin their march
  • I don't really know what to say about their conversation. Hm.
SCENE III:
  •  "The devil damn thee black, thou cream-faced loon!" What a lovely insult
  • a servant comes to tell Macbeth that the English soldiers are approaching
  • Macbeth is...well, he's not a happy camper at the moment. Rude.
  • Macbeth calls for Seyton, and asks for his armor 
    • is 'Seyton' really pronounced like 'Satan'? What an unfortunate name
  • he wants the doctor to cure his wife of what "weighs upon [her] heart"
  • the doctor says that the power to cure herself lies only Lady Macbeth; Macbeth doesn't like this, so he ridicules medicine
  •  "I will not be afraid of death and bane, Till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane."
SCENE IV:
  •  the soldiers arrive at Birnam forest
  • Malcolm orders the soldiers to take branches from the trees to conceal their numbers
SCENE V:
  • Macbeth is confident that he will be safe in his castle, and that he will be victorious 
  • "What is that noise?"/ "It is the cry of women, my good lord"
  • Lady Macbeth is dead
  • a messenger tells Macbeth that as the soldiers approached, he thought he saw the forest move (for they were camouflaged )
    • Macbeth threatens to hang the messenger if he is lying (he obviously doesn't believe him)
SCENE VI:
  • uh, well, this is the shortest scene in here
  • I'm not sure what to say about this except that they are preparing to attack
SCENE VII:
  • Macbeth compares himself with baited bear (in reference to the popular sport of the time, bear-baiting)
  • Young Siward asks Macbeth his name
    • Macbeth fancies himself pretty scary; Siward just hates him
  • they fight, and Macbeth kills Young Siward
SCENE VIII:
  • Macbeth has avoided fighting with Macduff, for he knows that he is already guilty of killing his family
    • Macduff provokes him; they fight
  •  we should talk about Macbeth and Macduff's conversation; I feel I'm missing something important 
  • Ross tells Siward that his son (Young Siward) is dead
  • Macduff enters, holding Macbeth's head
  • I suppose...this is the end. Aw. 

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