Two versions of Macbeth act 5 scene 1 Essay Example for Free

Two versions of Macbeth act 5 scene 1 Essay I have studied two versions of Macbeth act 5 scene 1, otherwise known as the sleepwalking scene. They are the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the BBC productions. I have watched several productions but I am going to focus on these two versions in particular. I want to examine the significance of the scene and analyse how it has been produced and directed. This scene is extremely important because it occurs just after Macduff has swore to avenge the killing of his family and just before we see Malcolms army getting ready to fight against Macbeth. The scene is situated in an important part of the play also, because Shakespeare traditionally places the finale of the play in act 5. It is the first time we have seen Lady Macbeth since the banquet and the scene is used to tell us what has been happening to her in the meantime. It is there to allow the viewer to enter the mind of Lady Macbeth and to realise the nightmare she is living in. It is there to show how she is coping with recent events and it will be the last time we ever see her. She is not alone in this scene; a doctor and a gentlewoman are also there. Their roles are to observe Lady Macbeth discreetly and to comment on what she is saying and doing. We find out about her insecurity and that she is afraid of the dark. We also learn that guilt has taken over and that she is extremely unhappy. As one of the major characters in the play, Lady Macbeth has been involved in some of the main events. For example, she was in alliance with her husband in Duncans murder, and even persuaded Macbeth to go through with the murder after he had decided to leave things to chance (Act 1 Scene 7). She organised the whole murder by laying out the daggers and she drugged the possets of the grooms. She also helps Macbeth after the murder by distracting others when she fainted so her involvement was very significant. At that stage she is the dominant partner in the marriage. She has seen a chance to make her husband king and is determined not to let it slip away. She asked evil spirits to unsex me here and for any natural feelings to disappear so she would not hesitate in carrying out the murder. This seems to have worked because when she is persuading her husband her language is very forceful and she conjures up images of horror. Her wish for the evil spirits to fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty has been granted. Manhood is a frequent theme in this early scene. Lady Macbeth sees it simply as a man should have courage to act and to face danger but Macbeth says that he dares to do anything that is suitable to a man; to do more would be unmanly. She knows how to manipulate her husband and this is clearly shown when Macbeth gives in to his wifes demands and decides to go ahead with the murder after the questioning of his manhood. Her ruthless determination has made Macbeth overcome his doubts. These early characteristics have all but disappeared by the sleepwalking scene. She is no longer the ambitious, determined, moral blackmailer. Instead she is a broken woman, emotionally drained and a shadow of her former self. The banquet scene has fully taxed her resources and resulted in her total collapse. She is now guilt-ridden as her soliloquy discloses. She knows about the other murders and this has taken its toll on her mentally and physically too. The significance of sleepwalking is that her guilt is depriving her of any comfort, even sleeping. The gentlewoman and the doctor open the scene. The doctor is questioning the gentlewoman about lady Macbeths condition. She responds by telling the doctor about her sleepwalking but when he asks the gentlewoman what Lady Macbeth has said, she replies that sir, which I will not report after her, explaining that she has no witness to confirm her speech. This suggests that knowing what Lady Macbeth has said could be dangerous for her. While the doctor is trying to persuade her, Lady Macbeth appears whilst holding a candle, this is interesting because it symbolises the good that is still inside her. In both productions she is lit in a way to imply that she is possessed by the supernatural. The mist and darkness reminds us of Banquo and Macbeth before they met the witches on the moor. It also brings back memories of the witches (act 1 scene 1) when they talked about the fog and filthy air. Lady Macbeth is seen to be rubbing her hands frantically and talks about the blood on them. She mentions a spot that she cannot remove; this could be the mark of the devil or maybe it is symbolising the guilt within her. She cannot wash away her murderous deeds. She goes through a roller coaster of emotions as she receives flashbacks from when she and her husband were plotting to kill Duncan. She says one; two: why, then tis time to dot. This is her remembering the ringing of the bell when Duncan was about to be murdered. She continues, Hell is murky! She has said this because she knows what her fate will be and understands the consequences of her actions. She is in complete despair at this stage. She also reveals that she knows about Macduffs family when she says the thane of fife had a wife: where is she now? She is no longer innocent of this knowledge. She constantly rubs her hands and states will these hands neer be clean? and heres the smell of blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. This is quite ironic because it is her who says to Macbeth after the murder of King Duncan, that a little water will clear us of this deed (act 2 scene 2). The contrast is no more evident than here, this is where Lady Macbeth takes charge of the situation after Macbeth had forgot to plant the daggers on the grooms. She takes the daggers to do it herself and reassures Macbeth. If you compare this to the sleepwalking scene you can see the difference. Not only has she got the guilt of Duncan, Banquo and Macduffs family but also she has now realised that Macbeth does not need her and doesnt confide in her anymore. This once strong woman is now worthless. Near the end of the scene the doctor recognises that she needs a priest more than a physician. Compare the state of their relation at these two points as well. What once was a strong solid relationship is now left in tatters. The two productions differ in certain ways. In the BBC version, the stage is misty and it is set inside a castle. Archways and stonewalls are clearly visible. There are steps leading to Lady Macbeths bedroom and the scene starts with the doctor and gentlewoman talking to each other in the middle of a large room. Jean Lapotaire is playing Lady Macbeth and she tends to over act her part. She moves about a lot more than Judi Dench in the RSC production. She appears almost as a ghost figure. She is illuminated and I think the director does this to make us aware of a supernatural presence. The camera focuses in on her and she is lit from the back which I believe adds to the effect. Both actresses walk by the doctor and gentlewoman, which suggests that Lady Macbeth is completely oblivious to what is going on around her, this quote supports that theory, aye, but their sense is shut. Lady Macbeth is constantly changing the tone of her voice and facial expressions from being joyful to afraid. This helps illustrate the utter despair she is feeling and contributes to the dramatic effect. Her delivery is breathy and exaggerated, I believe that her performance is over dramatised but on the other hand she is trying to convey the state of mind that Lady Macbeth is in. The doctor is quite old and is convincing. He is startled and shocked at what he hears. The gentlewoman is emotional and her tone of voice varies to help express her emotion In the RSC production, the most obvious difference is the lack of props. It is a very dark stage and there is only a table and chair. The director has created the illusion that a candle is lighting up Lady Macbeths face but it is more likely due to the lighting department. This helps to create a sense of evilness. Judi Dench acts very differently to Jean Lapotaire. When she enters her eyes are swollen to give the effect of her crying. The Gentlewomans delivery is monotonous and the Doctor is quite young. The delivery of the words and facial expressions are very important in this production due to the lack of visual effects. Judi Dench does not move very much and opts to sit down at the table instead. The camera remains focused on Lady Macbeths face. The candle/lighting helps the audience to see her facial expressions more clearly. She is very convincing and her tears seem to be genuine. When the death of Banquo is mentioned the camera looks at the Doctor to show his shock. Neither the Doctor nor the Gentlewoman are dressed in clothing from that period. Judi Dench lets out a huge cry, this cry is heavily exaggerated but I think it helps to convey the pent up emotion that she has been feeling. The light of the candle can be seen fading away as Lady Macbeth leaves, this is the last time we will see her. All in all, I preferred the RSC production I thought Judi Denchs performance was excellent. Jean Lapotaire was sometimes slightly comical because of her over exaggeration but this may be more appealing to people who are not familiar with Macbeth. Jean Lapotaires delivery was interesting. She almost sang the line the thane of fife had a wife: where is she now? like a nursery rhyme, this is somewhat ironic considering that it was tragic. I think the RSC caught the real significance and emotion of the scene well. I think an older Doctor could improve it and I believe the Gentlewomans delivery could be more passionate.

President Andrew Jackson Essay -- Essays Papers

President AJ Andrew Jackson was born in 1767, and grew up in the border of North and South Carolina. He attended frontier schools and acquired the reputation of being fiery-tempered and willing to fight all comers. He also learned to read, and he was often called on by the community to read aloud the news from the Philadelphia papers. In 1775, with the beginning of the American Revolution, Andrew Jackson, then only 13 years old became an orderly and messenger. He took part in the Battle of Hanging Rock against the British and in a few small skirmishes with British sympathizers known as Loyalists or Tories. His brother Hugh was killed, and when the British raided Waxhaw, both he and Robert were captured. Because Jackson refused to polish the boots of a British officer, he was struck across the arm and face with a saber. The boys were put in a British prison in Camden, South Carolina, where an epidemic of smallpox broke out. Mrs. Jackson gained her boys' release, but Robert soon died. Mrs. Jackson then volunteered to nurse other American prisoners, and she too caught smallpox and died. Andrew was now 14 years old and without any immediate family. With the war over, he took up saddle making and school teaching. With a $300 inheritance from his grandfather, he went to Charleston, South Carolina, then the biggest city in the South. There he cut a dashing figure in society until his money ran out. In 1787, Andrew Jackson became a lawyer and he set his office up in McLeanville, North Carolina. He quickly became successful lawyer and engaged himself in land speculation. He soon moved his office to Nashville where he met and fell in love with Mrs. Rachel Donelson Robard. Believing that Mr. Robards had obtained a divorce, they were married in 1791. Two years later they found that this was not so and the divorce had just then become final. A second marriage ceremony was performed. However, this failed to prevent gossips and political opponents from attempting to make a scandal out of the Jacksons' happy marriage. Mrs. Jackson endured in silence the many slanders that followed. Jackson, however, preferred to use dueling pistols to avenge his wife's honor. In 1796, Andrew Jackson was elected into the House of Representatives, representing Tennessee. He soon allied with the Jeffersonian Party, criticizing Washington and his administration. He claimed th... ...ssly by the letter of the Constitution, unauthorized by its spirit, inconsistent with every principle on which it was founded, and destructive of the great object to which it was formed. Jackson also pushed through Congress a force bill that authorized the use of federal troops to collect the tariff. The crisis was eased when, through the efforts of Henry Clay, Congress passed a compromise tariff in 1833 along with the force bill. As a last defiant gesture, South Carolina accepted the tariff but nullified the force bill. Jackson had preserved the Union, but nullification remained a great question. By 1836 Jackson was weak from tuberculosis and had no thought of seeking a third term. However, he stubbornly continued with affairs of state and party, including ensuring that the party nominated Van Buren as his successor. Although he was eager to return to the Hermitage after Van Buren's election, he grimly fulfilled the duties of his office until the inauguration the following March. The last day of Jackson's presidency was as much a personal triumph as his first. Thousands came, not to see the new president but to bid good-bye to their beloved hero. Bibliography: Encarta

Abridging Cultural Differences in Learning Essay

The world is not only composed of different races that come from different countries but also comprised of innumerable cultures unique from each other. Races from all around the world are greatly diverse. The diversity includes differences in practices, traditions and other cultural manifestations. Culture is one of the distinguishable characteristics of a group of people living in society. Culture is embedded in the community and is illustrated in various forms. In fact, even architectural design depicts culture of people in a particular place. Culture shapes and reshapes a person’s individuality. It is influenced by various factors including socio-political, sociological, religion, and historical. Culture continually conform and mold to provide the ever-changing needs of the people in the society. The difference in cultural identity of the people could be attributed to the inherent beliefs, traditions and practices they adhere or grew up with. It is also due to the geographical locations of where we live because culture should match or fit to the geographical and topographical characteristics of the place. For these characteristics greatly affects some aspects of the culture. Learning Styles Learning plays a big role in the lives of people for it is essential in acquiring knowledge that is utilized in understanding things. Learning is an inherent human ability that is honed by factors that affects this particular human process like parenting, formal schooling, experience etc. The process of learning is never-ending, as people reach old age they still acquire new things like information and knowledge they will be able to utilize in some way. Learning has biological and sociological aspects or dimensions. These aspects affect learning either in a positive or negative way. Students may have different processes in taking in information and different ways of learning. Teaching strategies and methods also vary among teachers. Whenever teacher-student education style methods and preference are the same, learning is more likely successful. When there is an existing discrepancy in the learning style preferred by both students and teachers, the students tend to get bored and become inattentive to the lessons (Felder). Every individual have their preferred way of learning things. They are often unaware of this particular preference, they are just aware that they learn more of things that way. People tend to learn more using certain activities and methods than others (Melkman & Trotman, 2005). The learning style preferences determine how people learn and the comfortable way in which they were able to learn more. These preferences exert influence learning efficacy (Melkman & Trotman, 2005). Some of the biological aspects of learning are sound and light (Shalaway & Beech, 1998), some people could not digest the things they should learn in the presence of loud noise and dim light, while there are some people who understand more of the lesson under that certain circumstances. The perception of an individual also affects the learning process of an individual. State of mental health is also another aspect that affects the learning process in which we determine if a person could easily learn the things being taught to them. This is where we could separate fast, average and slow learners. Developmental and sociological aspects that affect the cognitive processes include motivation (Shalaway & Beech, 1998), in which some persons need to be motivated in order to digest what is being taught. Being in the in-group also one of the factors that is mostly seen in the school setting where students are more eager to go to school when they are not ostracized by the cliques or social groups. In most classroom settings, noise is not tolerated. Teachers react negatively whenever students squirm or wriggle in their seats, whenever they tap their desks with their pencils or whenever they show restlessness. However, studies prove that some children need such activities for then to able to concentrate, think and learn (Shalaway & Beech, 1998). Research shows that when the learning preference of the children, either their biological or sociological aspect, there is a notable increase in achievement and behavioral response. Teachers also have individualized learning styles that affect their way of teaching. When the learning styles of the teacher and students happen to be the same, the more the students will learn (Shalaway & Beech, 1998). Various sources discussed many types of learning style preferences. The three main learning style preferences are the auditory, visual and kinesthetic. The auditory learning style explains that some students learn more using their sense of hearing. They tend to get oral instructions easily. The visual learning style, on the other hand, explains how some students tend to learn more using their sense of sight. They are the students who frantically take down notes and copy down keywords from visual aids in class. The kinesthetic learning style explains why some students opt to learn on their own. They tend to learn more through experience and discovery (Learning Styles, 2005). Cultural Differences and Learning Culture and learning are two inseparable things (Moore and Anderson, 2003). The innate cultural identity of a person tends to affect their learning capabilities through influencing their learning styles. Researches find out that cultural groups tend to have unique learning styles that are different from other ethnic groups. But there is also a contrasting finding that members of the family tend to have different learning styles. Instructors and learning facilitators should be aware of three important things. 1. There are existing universally accepted learning principles, 2. Culture greatly influences the learning styles of individuals, 3. Every person has their distinguishable learning style preferences that affect their potential achievement and acquired knowledge (Moore & Anderson, 2003). Culture could be held responsible in the developed learning style of an individual. Culture determines the preferences and values a person holds. United States is a multiracial and multicultural society in which the normal classroom is composed of people coming from the different ethnic groups (Shalaway & Beech, 1998). Oftentimes, we are having a difficult time understanding people who have dissimilar taste and preference, because we know that there is no commonality or common ground that that two person could talk about. We tend to be biased in some way. Cultural differences are persons’ strengths, knowing the cultural background of the student will greatly help us to facilitate and induce classroom learning (Shalaway & Beech, 1998). The knowledge in the cultural diversity and how it influences the learning process is very important especially to the course designers because there is an inevitable possibility that a group of individuals have different learning styles preferences (Moore & Anderson, 2003). The negative implication of the culturally diverse classroom setting is composed of individuals with various learning style preferences. The instructor or learning facilitator have no control over the heterogeneous mixture of learning styles for it is difficult to develop a mixture of training methods and teaching strategies for all the students to learn in class. Conclusion Learning is among the fundamental human process very essential in life. The process of learning occurs in every setting and outside the confines of school and we are unaware that it happens. Culture is the embedded characteristic deeply rooted in society. It somehow defines the social identity of a person. Culture shapes individuality and influences the different aspects of a person, including tastes and preferences. Variety is the spice of life. The global society is composed of different races and cultures. Cultural differences are reflected in learning style preferences. The negative implication of cultural diversity in a classroom and having too many learning styles is that the teachers do not know what teaching methods they should used in order the students to learn the subject. Knowledge in this particular matter is very important especially to learning facilitators and course designers to develop a comprehensive and efficient teaching method to be utilized in classrooms in which ever student’s learning style is utilized. In this way we will be able to abridge cultural differences in learning. References Felder, R. Learning Styles. Resources in Science and Engineering Education. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http://www4. ncsu. edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Learning_Styles. html. Learning Styles. (2005). Student Development Services. University of Western Ohio. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http://www. sdc. uwo. ca/learning/index. html? styles. Melkman, A. & Trotman, J. (2005). Training International Managers: Designing, Deploying and Delivering Effective Training for Multi-Cultural Groups. England: Gower Publishing Ltd. Moore, M. G. & Anderson, W. G. (2003). Handbook of Distance Education. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Shalaway, L. & Beech, L. (1998). Learning to Teach: Not Just for Beginners: The Essential Guide for All Teachers. New York: Teaching Resources/ Scholastic Professional Books.

Media and Celebrities - 1124 Words

Name: Natalia Chekhoeva Subject: Media Question is: To what extent is the media impacted by the rise of celebrities? Media is a huge area which connects people around the world, informs them, entertains and educates them. It is impossible to imagine a contemporary world without media. Media is the Internet, music, television, advertising and billboards on the streets. One of the most important parts of the media are celebrities. People originally like to know about the life of famous people, they follow their life experiences, their clothes, their ordinary life; people like to copy their idols. Celebrities by themselves use such famous Internet services like FaceBook, Twitter and MySpace to communicate with fans, to raise their†¦show more content†¦Wright A. (2008) states, ‘’ In this digital era, it is not difficult to find information about celebrities, no matter how personal; private addresses of stars have been posted in both gossip columns and traditional media outlets†. Nowadays people know more about Beckhams family rather than about politics. In the Internet peopl e can find not just beautiful photos of famous people in dresses and costumes, it is full of paparazzi photos and private celebrities videos. People know not just their good parts of life; they know mostly everything about their divorces, scandals and other bad thing that can happen in the life. It can be considered as interference in private life, it is why many celebrities are arguing about benefits of media on their lives. Many celebrities are arguing about that because like any other ordinary person they want their private life to stay private. However there is a very widespread case that celebrities are showing their private life on television or online by creating a reality show. For example it happened to the Osborne family. Ozzi Osborne finished his career a long time ago but he has a very creative and interesting family and MTV decided that it would be great attraction for people. They made four seasons of this show and it was highly successful. After them Jessica Simpson and Nick Lishe appeared with the analogue of it. Today MTV is showing a similar show about KimShow MoreRelatedCelebrity And Image Of The Media1539 Words   |  7 Pages2016 Celebrity and Image-Selling Musicians, actors, athletes, and models all depend on publicity from the media. Promotions through magazines, newspapers, concerts, movies, CD’s, sports networks and social media determine their success. Not only do the musicians, actors, athletes, and models depend on social media, but also on the fans. 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