Recently in Tristan Mills Category

Significance:

            In the very first scene of Act 5, we see Lady Macbeth in a very strange psychological state. She goes on about a spot on her hand and how she is unable to get rid of it. She also mentions events that have happened earlier in the play in a strange way. This is the last time we see Lady Macbeth and it shows how far Macbeth and her have changed. It all started with her being very calm about the idea of murdering Duncan. She then challenged Macbeth and talked him into it. Even as the murder was happening Lady Macbeth for the first time is a little afraid. Up until that point she was a very manipulative and stubborn person. But when we start to see weakness in her, we start to see strength in Macbeth. Over the rest of the play, their roles switch for each other until they go further than what they were at the beginning. Macbeth has gone way past the simple ambition that Lady Macbeth had at the beginning; now he is a tyrant and much more evil than Lady Macbeth used to be. As for Lady Macbeth, she has become a fragile and scared person. She lost her ambition when she knew what was happening to Macbeth and she eventually degraded so far as to appear crazy as well. But her crazy is a different crazy. She now regrets what she has done, and what she has created in Macbeth. Her mind is also so fragile now that she is either having terrible nightmares or hallucinations. At this point the audience feels bad for her in spite of what she has caused. This scene shows the torture that she's putting herself through because of the past. This whole scene shows the audience how she wasn't as bad as she appeared to be at the beginning. Lady Macbeth has a sad end but she is seen differently in a sympathetic way as a result of her suffering.

Reaction:

            In Act five up until the final battle, Macbeth gets increasingly frustrated as the English army approaches his castle. In Scene 3 Macbeth starts it by saying "Bring me no more reports, let them fly all"(5.3.1). I like this line because it suggests that Macbeth has been getting some bad news from his reports. Although he is obviously in a bad position, Macbeth remains confident at first. The awkward and unfortunate reports that he must be getting feels satisfying to the audience because they're making Macbeth feel worse. Then in Scene 5, Macbeth learns of the forest approaching his castle. I also like this part for similar reasons. Macbeth is so surprised by this that he starts to get scared. I think the audience here would also feel satisfaction from Macbeth's discomfort in the situation.

Question:

            All throughout Act 5 there is an army imminently close to Macbeth's castle. In Scene 7 Macbeth encounters Young Siward, but I don't understand how this is possible given the current situation. There is an army of ten thousand around Macbeth's castle and he encounters young Siward one on one. Outside of his castle this simply isn't going to happen. And if someone got into the castle then more are about to follow. Macbeth is the single target of the entire army so if someone found him then everyone would know. Considering the information we have, how could Macbeth meet Young Siward one on one?

Reaction II:

            At the end of Scene 9, Macbeth realizes that the apparitions tricked him. They told him the truth, but made it sound different from what it was. But instead of accepting defeat, Macbeth still chooses to fight in spite of his odds. I feel like there are two ways to look at this. First, Macbeth is still a terrible person who has been so blinded by ambition that he now feels like there is still an inkling of a chance for him. He is so desperate that he is fighting out of instinct for survival. The second possibility is that he has more dignity than to be killed and then put on show as Macduff says. He would much prefer to fight and lose than to simply give up on it all. Both possibilities are similar but they put Macbeth into different lights. On one hand he is still just a terrible ruler who can't understand when he's wrong. But on the other he has in a small way accepted his defeat and, again in a small way, seen the error of his ways. I prefer to see Macbeth in the end as a victim of his own mind, as it was said earlier, his own "Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself / And falls on th'other-"(1.7.27-28) caused his tyrannous streak as king.

Significance/Quotation:

            In Scene 2, Ross is at Macduff's castle talking to his wife. Before he leaves he says, "I dare not speak much further, / But cruel are the times when we are traitors / And do not know ourselves, when we hold rumour / From what we fear, yet know not what we fear, / But float upon a wild and violent sea, / Each way and none ... / ... / Things at the worst will cease, or else climb upward / To what they were before." (4.2.17-25). There is one thing that can change the entire meaning of what Ross says. It's what side Ross is on.

            If Ross is good then his words have a nicer meaning (mostly).  Overall he says that among the people of Scotland, things have deteriorated. He says that people are traitors without even knowing it. This could mean that people have generally absorbed the negative atmosphere of the population and begun to behave accordingly. They simply do things that were once considered traitorous but now considered less severe. And when Ross says "when we hold rumours / From what we fear," it means that there is much fear and as a result rumours' are spreading. This is also something that has changed in Scotland, due to the fear under Macbeth's tyranny; the populace is full of more rumours. Ross finally says that nothing is certain by saying that everyone is on a ship going nowhere. Mainly because bad things are happening all around, no one is safe. After saying his opinion on the situation in Scotland, he also says that he is optimistic about this all going on forever. He says that eventually things will return to how they used to be.

            The words that Ross says to Lady Macduff are meant to reassure her, and in some way I think it does. Hearing that evil will give way to good would be reassuring to anyone living in Scotland at the time. Though I believe Lady Macduff is still worried about her situation with Macduff leaving her while he goes to England.

            Now, if Ross is betraying Macduff and Lady Macduff, his words have different meanings (or in some casing a lack of). Ross's first line about people being traitors without knowing could be said almost out of guilt. If he is about to betray Lady Macduff then he would say that men are traitors without knowing to make himself seem better in Lady Macduff's eyes. She may or may not think that it was Ross when the murderers come, but if she did think of him, than what he said may make her think that he wasn't entirely at fault. This line is basically said by Ross to make himself sound like a better, or more innocent person. Another one of Ross's lines is about everyone being lost in a boat not knowing where they will end up. I think that Ross is genuinely speaking this one, even if he is a traitor. He doesn't know how things will end up for the greater population but he mentions the boat so as to give hope to Lady Macduff that anything can happen. Ross's final line about evil giving way to good is just a lie to make Lady Macduff feel better. If he is a traitor, giving Lady Macduff hope is the only reason for him saying it.

            If Ross is a traitor, Lady Macduff still has the same reaction as she would if he weren't a traitor. But that said, we would know something was going on and understand the lies in his words. This would be a good example of verbal irony. We know what Ross means behind his words, but we also understand the way Lady Macduff is hearing them.

Reaction:

            I don't like Malcolm in Scene 3. At first he tests Macduff by saying that he would be a bad king to see if Macduff could be trusted. I understand why he's doing this and I don't blame him. Macduff could be a serious threat to him, and he wants to make sure that he stays alive. It's not testing Macduff that I have a problem with though. What I don't like is at the end of the scene when Macduff learns about his family's murder, Malcolm says something that bothers me in this situation. He says that Macduff should use his grief and turn it into anger against Macbeth. Malcolm's suggestion of revenge seems very shallow to me. Macduff has just lost his family and Malcolm very quickly using his feelings makes him seem like he doesn't care all that much. I understand Malcolm wanting Macduff to be against Macbeth more than he is but Malcolm could at least wait until the initial shock has gone. Malcolm should have waited and slowly suggested what he said so suddenly. It's Malcolm's rush to get Macduff angry with Macbeth that annoys me in this scene and the reason I think Malcolm is almost rude in this scene.

Relationships:

           In Act 3, Scene 1, Macbeth dismisses many people so that he can get the murderers in to talk. In doing this Lady Macbeth is also dismissed. It appears like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's relationship has changed a little from what it was before. Lady Macbeth used to be always urging Macbeth on but now she doesn't have any influence on him. Macbeth is doing his own thing now and not including Lady Macbeth in his decisions. This is made clear later on with Banquo's murder and even more so with their conversation in Scene 2. There, Lady Macbeth reflects on how being king and queen isn't worth it in the end but tries to tell Macbeth that what's done is done and not to worry about the past. But Macbeth is focused on the future and says that something is about to happen and that Lady Macbeth will be glad of it. This scene also shows how their relationship has changed. Lady Macbeth once seemed like the evil one, suggesting dark thoughts to Macbeth in order to make him king. She pushed him forward, quite hard at times, until finally they were king and queen. Unfortunately, Macbeth has taken a change as a result of killing Duncan. He has gone a bit crazy and now is almost out of control. This has an impact on Lady Macbeth; she was only planning on living the rest of her life as queen alongside her husband. Now she feels distant from Macbeth and seems almost worried about him. His strange behavior is impacting her and soon after this scene is the banquet scene where we see further reaction to Macbeth's insanity. All in all, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have just about switched roles for one another.

Significance:

            Scene 4 is the banquet scene with Banquo's ghost. One of the interesting things about this scene are the possibilities of staging. Do you have a ghost or not? We talked briefly about this in class but I'll go into detail here about the different options and a few that we didn't discuss much in class.

First, not having a ghost. We saw a movie version of Macbeth where there was no ghost and it was very odd. Macbeth seemed more insane than if there was a ghost. And in this scene he made it more of a violent fit. Now not to make more specific references to the movie, Macbeth stood out more with no ghost. The whole drama of the scene is focused on Macbeth and there's no ghost to get in the way. That also means that Macbeth, or the actor playing him, is solely responsible for playing up drama. It would almost help the actor to imagine Banquo instead of having him there because it would give the actor a chance in the scene to "go crazy" with going crazy. Another thing about having no ghost is that when Macbeth says that the table is full when there is actually a spot it's more awkward, not only for the character, but also for the audience. Having nothing to see in response to Macbeth gives that part of the scene a more intriguing beginning. The awkwardness is partly the reason for that, it catches attention and makes you worry about what's coming next.

            Now, having the ghost. Although having a ghost takes away from the effects mentioned above, it does have its own strengths. First, having a ghost makes the scene scarier; it puts the audience closer to Macbeth's perspective, which is of coarse scarier. Another good thing about having a ghost would be that it creates a darker mood (like there isn't already one!). That's because the ghost brings into the scene the eerie supernatural. If the ghost is a gory one, then the mood is definitely pulled down even more. That brings me to another point; there are different ways to show a ghost. A few include the classic pale ghost, a gory ghost, or a ghost similar to the living thing. Like I said for the gory ghost, the scene becomes darker. I'm not sure how effective the pale ghost would be unless the actor playing it really did something significant. But as for the realistic ghost, it could be all the more unsettling. A real ghost would appear like a normal guest at the table until it showed its face to be Banquo. Then everything would be very creepy due to how normal it seems. To explain that, the audience sees normal people but know from Macbeth and observation that something isn't right.

            The choice of having a ghost or not is a tricky one, but I think that it depends on how one wants to make the audience feel in that scene.

Reaction:

            In Scene 5 we see Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. I was surprised to see this character show up. She has been mentioned twice so far and both in negative ways. I never thought that she would appear in the play, but here she is with the witches. One of the reasons I wasn't expecting this is because it feels out of place to me. I understand that the witches probably communicate with Hecate but for Hecate to show up is strange. That's because she is such a supernatural and powerful being so showing up is kind of unlikely in the first place, but also contrived. I may be completely wrong about this and she may actually be a very clever addition to the play, but I feel like she doesn't belong. Another point on Hecate is the fact that she speaks totally in rhyme. This language makes her seem less real in the play because people rarely ever spoke like that. But that said, she does have a lot to say that is relevant and she makes it clear through her monologue. The way she speaks and what she says is one the things that I do actually like about her appearance.

Quotations:

            In Act 2, Scene 1, Macbeth has his second soliloquy. Starting at line 51 Macbeth says, " Witchcraft celebrates / Pale Hecate's off'rings, and withered murder, / Alarumed by his sentinel the wolf, / With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his design / Moves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth, / Hear not my steps". I really like this part of the soliloquy because it seems like Macbeth is sure about murder now. He mentions witchcraft, and the goddess of witchcraft Hecate, and also the rapist Tarquin. It's a pretty dark part of the soliloquy because he describes these dark things and soon after compares himself to it by saying he needs to have their common attribute. He basically says that like Tarquin and Hecate, he needs to think about his goal and move towards it as stealthily as possible. He then speaks to the earth and telling it to now hear his steps. At this point, Macbeth seems pretty sure about the murder because he's hoping that he won't be seen or heard when it happens. Along with bringing in more witch references, Macbeth basically says that he needs to move like a ghost when the time comes.

            In Scene 2, another quote caught my attention starting at line 40. "Sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care, / The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath, / Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course, / Chief nourisher in life's feast". Here Macbeth describes sleep in many ways almost sadly because he claims earlier that he will never have it again. His first description (line 40) says that sleep restores ones wound up capability to care about things. Further on (line 42), he says that sleep is the medicine to hurt minds, and then that sleep is the second (and healthy) course in the daily feast that one goes through every day. Macbeth is saying all the great things that sleep does for you because he thinks that he won't ever experience it again. He is almost glorifies it in his despair. I like this quote because Macbeth realizes in some way the consequences of his actions. In this case it's just being unable to sleep. He knows what he's done and making himself feel worse about it by thinking of how great it would be if he were able to sleep. Macbeth's great misery over not being able to sleep shows how he isn't evil yet even though he has done a terrible deed. This is because he understands that it was a bad choice. But what it does suggest with "Balm of hurt minds" is that things are going to get worse and worse; Macbeth won't ever be clear and calm in mind and will therefore go insane.

Reaction:

            Closer to the end of Scene 3, many characters are on stage. Macbeth tells everyone that he murdered the guards for (supposedly) killing the king. When things could take a turn for the worst against Macbeth, Lady Macbeth faints. This provides a distraction and lets the focus move away from Macbeth. I find the situation strange. Eight people are assembled outside a castle where their king has been murdered, and two of them know what happened. In terms of characters this moment is great for showing and setting up conflict, as we see later on. I also think that the actors playing this scene can really add something to it. Since the audience knows everything right now, the actors can make subtle actions or expressions that really play up the dramatic irony in the scene, especially Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

Significance:

            At the beginning of Scene 3, there is a peculiar scene with the Porter. This is a very odd scene, especially so when you consider that the king has just been murdered. Despite being somewhat irrelevant this scene does have importance. Most obviously is comic relief, as was mentioned in class. There needs to be something light to this dark play and this scene gives the audience a little time to decompress after the intenseness of the previous scene with the murder. But what I feel is more important is the fact that this scene echoes everything else in the play. Many themes are shown: hell, supernatural, lying, and "desire". We discussed some of these in detail in class so I won't dwell on them here. One of the things that we didn't talk about in class is the structure of the language. The Porter's lines aren't rhythmic in any way. Later on, Shakespeare uses this type of language to distinguish the difference of classes in the play and the same happens here. The Porter is just a simple gatekeeper so his drunken monologue is delivered in blank verse. I feel like this type of line is suited to the Porter's role. Not only because he's lower class, but also because he's drunk. It makes it less formal and easier for the actor to deliver. While not impossible I think that it would be more difficult to deliver purposely-rhythmic lines while seeming to have the unorthodox speech of being drunk than to be able to say it freely. As we saw when we went to see Macbeth in theatre, the Porter can really play up the lines and make them comical while still having deeper importance.

Relationships/Question:

            During Act 1 Scene 4, it's clear that Duncan is very friendly towards Macbeth and Macbeth is quietly thinking away about killing him. This is very clear but what stands out to me is Duncan's inability to read people. At 1.4.12-13, Duncan says "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face". He says that because he had no idea about the treachery regarding the last thane of Cawdor. Duncan thought that he had a very nice friendship with the previous thane but without him knowing, the thane betrayed Duncan. After having built up another nice friendship, the new thane of Cawdor is thinking about murdering Duncan. One of the things that I don't get is how Macbeth can be distracted amongst all the great events without Duncan knowing. Which brings me to the question: how bad is Duncan at reading people and knowing their intentions? I mean seriously. You would think that Macbeth might get distracted whenever he got close to Duncan so we would think that he thought something was up. Given Duncan's past failure with knowing people I would venture the guess that he isn't the best at looking t people and seeing their deeper intentions.

Reactions:

            In Act 1 Scene 5, we first meet Lady Macbeth. Wow. I'm very confused about what I should be thinking of her because of the situation. Immediately after reading Macbeth's account of the witches and becoming thane of Cawdor, she quite likes the idea of Macbeth becoming king. At first I think that that is a reasonable thing to want for your partner and helping them wouldn't be far out of the question. But Lady Macbeth becomes alarmingly fixated on the idea. She goes on and on and essentially says that murdering Duncan could be a good thing. I think that Lady Macbeth is rather creepy and twisted. Though I wouldn't call her evil (yet), she does have some dark thoughts regarding the whole situation. I think that she doesn't really think about others wellbeing and only concentrates on herself and Macbeth. It seems that this is so normal for her that even murdering the king isn't such a big deal. Although my first impressions of Lady Macbeth are grim, I am interested to see what her character development is throughout the play. (I wrote this paragraph before seeing Macbeth in Toronto. I've got lots to say about Lady Macbeth but that will have to wait.

            In Scene 7, Macbeth talks to himself about the possible murder and some of the issues he sees revolving it. I have a lot of opinions on some of the stuff he says. After saying that he would do it if he knew that it would be successful and without consequence, he then ponders on some of the results should he murder Duncan. He says that he would have to tie up all the loose ends and even though people may not suspect him, he would go to hell once he died. Considering that he does eventually kill Duncan, Macbeth is on the wire about his decision. However, he does suggest that he would suffer the consequences if he could have the perfect rule in this life (at 1.7.6-7). This is like telling yourself to have fun now and do work later, which is never a good way to do things. To compare it to school, some of my friends don't try very hard at school because they think that until grade eleven and twelve, marks don't matter. That's true, but what they don't get is that if you aren't already working hard leading up to grade eleven and twelve, it will be really hard to get good marks. It's a really easy excuse to use because it's easy for you to say and believe without thinking it all the way through. Macbeth is similar; he doesn't consider eternal torture in hell to be all that bad after being king for a while. I think that this shows Macbeth is even more likely to murder Duncan and that he is starting to get week in mind (after being a war hero who must be strategic).

Next, Macbeth says that he should protect Duncan who is both his king and guest. Here it seems like Macbeth is trying to give himself reason why not to kill him. It's quite obvious that Macbeth has mixed feeling about wanting to kill Duncan, so this is just a way of trying to stop himself. It's almost like being nervous. When one is nervous, one's mind is always fluttering about on different topics related to the thing they are nervous about. For all who are inexperienced, one of the things that is often thought about is how they can get out of doing that thing. Getting out of the thing that makes you nervous rarely ever happens because you would just not chose to do something if you were uncomfortable with it. But in Macbeth's case, he wants to murder Duncan, but at the same time he doesn't. His nervousness and indecisiveness make him think through everything, and especially why it would be a bad idea. Macbeth continues his thought by saying that Duncan is a good king and it would be a bad thing for him to be gone because people would want retribution for his death. This is yet another way Macbeth is trying to convince himself against the murder.

In the final part of his soliloquy, Macbeth says that the only thing making him even consider murdering Duncan is his ambition. I find this to be like the way we can become fixated on goals. When we are so close to achieving something great we can often lose awareness of what our actions. We ignore some of our wrong doings and people we are getting in the way of because we are so focused. Although this doesn't even happen to all people, it is similar to how Macbeth is looking at his ambition and seeing that it is the only real thing making him consider killing the king.

Tristan Mills

Mr. Newman

ENG2D-B

7 March 2012

Living Through Memory: "Beowulf" and "Sigurd the Volsung"

            A long time ago, life in Europe was hard and no one was safe. Lives were short and one had to make the most of it before one died because there was no afterlife. This is true for both the English kingdoms in "Beowulf", and the Norse kingdoms in "Sigurd the Volsung", in spite of being a few centuries apart. And through their myths it is clear that both cultures share a belief that the only way to survive time is to be remembered. This is shown in the two myths by how their heroes slay monsters, earn great treasures, and behave towards other people.

            The first way a hero can be remembered is for slaying monsters. "Beowulf ... had cleansed Heorot of deadly deeds, for he had conquered the frightful fiend" (394-395). When Beowulf slew Grendel, the man-eating giant, he immediately gained fame for his great feat. But not only did he slay Grendel while he was with the Spear-Danes, but he also slew Grendel's mighty mother. Slaying Grendel's mother had the same impact on Beowulf's fame as it did the first time with Grendel. As for Sigurd, he kills the mighty dragon Fafnir and achieves great fame for performing such a deed. His tutor Regin exclaimed: "You have shown the greatest courage to face Fafnir and kill him. The Fame this deed has brought you will endure as long as bards live upon the earth to sing of it!"(490). Beowulf also slew a dragon but this monster was the last that he conquered. For Beowulf, slaying the dragon was once again beneficial to his fame, but it was even more so because it was the battle that killed him. His last deed was the one he was most remembered for. Slaying great beasts is one of the best ways for heroes to be remembered, which is why these two heroes both slayed beasts and are remembered even today.

            Another way to be remembered in life is to have great wealth. The heroes in the myths were particularly good at this because of the vastness of treasures they obtained. Beowulf was given "a rich array of gifts" (395) for slaying Grendel, but "Hrothgar then gave Beowulf twelve treasures"(405) for slaying Grendel's mother as well. The treasure that Beowulf earned did more than make him rich; it also served as a sign of his accomplishments. In the actual "Beowulf" myth, "He [is compared] to Sigurd the Volsung, who had slain a frightful fire-serpant and won its hoard-heap of golden treasures"(395). This is essentially what happens in Sigurd the Volsung. Sigurd "rode to Fafnir's den. There he found treasure beyond dreaming"(491). In Sigurd's case, he slew the dragon and took its treasure. This, like Beowulf, shows to people that Sigurd has accomplished great feats. Later on, "Sigurd pursued the arts of war, returning home victorious and bearing great treasure in addition to glory, honor, and fame"(495). His additional treasure only proved his great strength and skill in combat. Sigurd shared his new treasures with his new family, similarly to Beowulf, who became "a wise, treasure-giving war-king" (406). The fact that Beowulf was such a good, and generous king shows that he was not corrupt and he would not try to keep all the treasures for himself. The same was true for Sigurd, and as a result, both of their peoples loved them and remembered them as being generous. The amount of treasures that both Beowulf and Sigurd obtained were factors in making their names remembered after their deaths but the fact that they shared their wealth also contributes to their memory.

            The third main goal of a hero was to have honour, which can be obtained in multiple ways. Upon returning to Geat-land, "[The king] gave the far-famed warrior and age-old sword, ... a prince's high-seat, a fine hall, and a large estate. And so, Beowulf was now the most highly honored of men" (405). Here, similar with the previous points, Beowulf is remembered for his efforts. Along with his material possessions, Beowulf "has won honour and glory by doing deeds of daring and danger"(411). So not only because of what he has earned, but the actual deeds that he carried out, Beowulf has gained honour and is highly respected as well. In the end, Beowulf's comrades reflected on him as "[having] been the greatest of all kings. He had been the most gracious, the most gentle, and the most kind of men. And he had been the most eager to win praise"(416). In the end, what really made people remember Beowulf was how he behaved towards other people. His good attitude and impression on people made him someone to be respected and honoured. This final point for Beowulf is the main thing that made Sigurd honourable. Once Sigurd lived with King Giuki and his family, "in addition to being impressed with his great wealth, King Giuki's family loved Sigurd because he was such a good human being. He was kind, loving, loyal, and generous"(494). Sigurd was not honoured for just having wealth, but instead for how he was seen by other people. The four aspects listed in the last sentence of the quote show especially the characteristics that made him recognized and honourable. And for Sigurd, being honoured by the king would make other people honour him too. The biggest factor that makes heroes remembered is how they got people to know them in the first place.

            Both the myths of Beowulf and Sigurd show how important it was in both cultures to be remembered after death. Both heroes slew great monsters, which gave them their initial fame. They also both received great treasures for their actions and shared it with others who deserved it. The heroes also were good people, and behaved kindly towards other people so that they would remember the heroes personally. It is almost strange how, in spite of having religions, both cultures did not believe in an afterlife. But that is what made the myths so focused on making a name for yourself before your inevitable death. When death did come for the heroes, "Beowulf's kin-folk, his hearth-friends, his war-comrades, and all of the Geat-folk grieved for their Lord of Rings, for Beowulf had been the greatest of all kings"(416), and "as for Sigurd, his fame will last as long as folk live upon the earth"(504). In the end, we are not very different from these heroes; we all try hard in life so that we will be remembered afterwards, and these myths illustrate the many ways in which we can achieve immortality through being remembered.

Work Cited

Rosenberg, Donna, ed. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics.

3rd Ed. Lincolnwood, IL : NTC Publishing Group, 1999.

Significance:

            The very first scene is very short but is a clever way to start a play. The three witches are very mysterious and make you wonder about the rest of the play. Also, there dialogue suggests some kind of supernatural power that also makes a viewer wonder. Things like choosing between types of bad weather or planning to meet Macbeth start off the play making the person watching wanting to know more right off the bat.

            In the second scene with King Duncan, the Captain and Ross, we first hear about Macbeth. The Captain recounts the basics of Macbeth's backstory from the war and Ross delivers the news of Macbeth's victory. These are important because without knowing about Macbeth's triumph, the rest of the story wouldn't have as much impact. Nor would we understand why Macbeth is inclined to believe the witches in the next chapter. It's also a clean way of delivering information; having messengers tell the king about what has happened allows the viewer to listen in. Although, my one issue with this is that in literature, though more importantly in plays, it's almost always better to show than to tell. I know that it still works as a scene, and gives the supporting and background information necessary, but I think that showing Macbeth's victory would be a better way to deliver the information.

            Now that the viewer has some background info on Macbeth, who was mentioned mysteriously in the first chapter by the witches, we finally meet him. Though at first we see more of the witches and get the sense that they are particularly unpleasant. The witches almost immediately set some plot into motion by telling Macbeth that he will become king. They also say to Banquo that his descendants will be kings but not himself. This is a very important moment because without this, Macbeth wouldn't try so hard to become king. But no, Macbeth is now going to murder the king, and then become king. It's this moment where the witches plant the idea in Macbeth's mind that eventually drives him to the point of murder.

Reaction:

            I personally quite like Shakespeare's work and I like Macbeth so far. The only stuff I know about the play are the small tid-bits included in Slings and Arrows season two. But that aside I find the witches to be interesting characters that I want to know more about, seeing as if it weren't for their small parts the rest of the play wouldn't happen. I also think that the interactions between Macbeth and Banquo will become interesting once Macbeth is so intent on being King and staying that way. My overall reaction so far is that I like the play so far and I think that it's really cleverly written with small things relating to each other. And because it's still early on in the story, I can't wait to see more of those clever moments either.

Tristan Mills

Mr. Newman

ENG2O

3 December, 2011

The Literary Use Of Fire In Lord Of The Flies

Fire is a fickle thing. It can harm or heal, depending on how it's used as a tool. In Lord Of The Flies, fire is shown in different ways to reflect on the way the boys use fire and how it affects them. Through the use of fire, Golding develops the idea that tools only do things based on their users, whether the users intend to do something or not. In the novel, the three states of fire are: under control, out, and out of control, each one doing different things to reflect on the boys based on their actions and state of mind.

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When the fire is out of control the boys are either behaving rashly or savagely, leading the fire to go out of control. During the first incident with fire, the boys start a fire without thinking it through and Piggy says: "Then when you get here you build a bonfire that isn't no use. Now you been and set the whole island on fire. Won't we look funny if the whole island burns up?"(46). The boys were excited about a fire and ran off with Jack to start it. By behaving rashly they set a large part of the island on fire, killing the boy with the birthmark, if not more littluns. Right before the final chaos starts, Ralph notices that  "Smoke [is] seeping through the branches in white and yellow wisps, the patch of blue sky over head [began to turn] to the colour of a storm cloud, and then the smoke [billowing] around him"(216). Here the fire is getting started but from the tribe of boys, it is clear that the fire will soon be out of control due to their lack of care. Finally, near the end of the novel Ralph notices: "Now the fire was nearer... The fools! The fire must be almost be at the fruit trees - what would they eat tomorrow"(220). With the savage state the boys are in, the fire gets out of control on their hunt for Ralph. The fire and the boys are similar at this point in time because the boys lead the fire to be destructive. When the boys are in a state to let or make the fire get out of control it represents their inability to think properly so that they don't see that it is hindering them.

Tristan Mills

Mr. Newman

ENG2D-B

21 March, 2011

Simplicity

I wake up suddenly. Another dream, I think to myself, slowly coming to my senses. I find myself lying on my back staring at the dull ceiling. The blinds are closed, but I can tell that it's still dark out. The clock says it's 6:00, and at moments like these I see just how much the days are getting shorter.

            A little more awake now, I turn my head to look around the room. It's a fairly simple room: plain, yet modern in style. My eyes move across the ceiling again and over to my side. There, precariously balanced on the edge of the bed is my wife, Sarah. Her back is to me, so I can't see her well, especially in this lighting. But her scent I can smell. It's a nice smell that always surrounds her. I don't know whether it's perfume, shampoo, or a pheromone undiscovered by science. No matter what the source is, her smell always makes me feel safe and happy. It's not fruity, or some kind of cleaning agent smelling, it's... right. It's the right kind of smell.

            I start feeling my energy come back, so I slowly make my way out of bed making sure to be quiet. I make my way over to the dresser, and pull out my clothes for the day.

            I head to the shower connected to our bedroom and make sure the water that's running is cooler than warm. I always start my days this way. It especially helps me in the morning to wake up.

            I'm quite cool when I stop the water, so I quickly towel off and put my clothes on. My mind always wanders in the shower, so it's a good thing to do before I do my writing for the day.

            I head down the hall from the bedroom and enter my study. It's a very small room, with only a large desk underneath the window. I reach out over it and close the curtains. There will be light soon and I want to stay in the dark while I write. Finally I sit down on my well-oiled office chair, turn on my computer, and open the half finished draft of my novel.

            I have a plan for the story I'm writing but because of how hard I've been thinking of the next part, I got that dream last night. It was different from what I had in mind:

            Right now in my plan, the main character and his group continue on with their "quest" only to find out how important it is that they complete it, right before they enter the hardest part. But in my dream, they stumble across the Purgatory. It's a very scary place, but the point of it is, they were going to come here anyway, but this early on, they will start having doubts about their ability as they continue on.

            Now that I'm thinking about it, it seemed better in my dream. Oh well, it will spark more character conflict this way.

            I start typing. In what feels like moments later, I'm starting another chapter. And another. And another. Very soon I realize I'm in a kind of groove with my writing. I know what happens next, and what I'm about to type, but every word comes out as if I'm seeing it for the first time. It's almost like I'm reading it, except more. It's like I'm experiencing it as the events happen. I stand by my characters and watch them as they wander the long, stony halls of the Purgatory. I run with them as they run in terror. It is like I am there living with them through their lives.

            Finally at the end of an important part I take a short break to rest my eyes. I see that it's already 10:20. It's the weekend so Sarah will be making brunch sometime soon. I feel satisfied with the writing I have done this morning so I hit save, check my e-mail, and power down, all in under a minute.

            I leave my study, and I feel very overwhelmed by all the light right outside the door. I head downstairs and soon find myself engulfed with the smell of Sarah's famous hash browns, and bacon. She is standing in the kitchen apparently waiting for the hash browns to finish in the oven. They don't normally take long so I should be eating shortly.

            Our eyes catch, and we smile at each other. I move over to her and embrace her tightly as she says good morning and asks how my writing went.

            I say that I changed the plot slightly, changing the order of events. Sarah asks some more specific questions, but I don't answer them. Whenever I try to explain my writings before they're 100% complete, I sound like I'm crazy. Whatever I say also sounds really stupid, which is another reason I don't say anything because it'll just spoil the experience later.

            Sarah is partly annoyed and partly understanding about my hesitation to talk about it.

            We eat while we talk about everything else. Our conversation ranges from her job, to the upcoming election, to the new moon project that NASA is planning.

            Sarah's cooking is good as always, and after brunch we clean the dishes together. Once everything is clean we call over our golden retriever, Anna.

            We grab her leash, put on our shoes and coats, and head outside. We walk on the side of the street at first but very soon we are on the trail. This path through the woods is where we always go when we walk.

            The trees are tall and alive with colour. The yellows and reds swirl about as the wind picks up and knocks a few leaves into the air. The path isn't quite covered in leaves, though I suspect in a week's time it will be.

            Sarah and I walk silently, hand in hand, with Anna pulling us along with her leash. Every day we all take a walk out here, even in the middle of winter, rain or shine. We go by the motto: "There is no bad weather; just bad clothing." But I don't just go walking for exercise; it provides me time to think about what I'll be writing next. Sometimes I get so zoned out that I can't even remember having gone as far as we did.

            As we walk on and on, I start feeling my awareness going away and my imagination creeping in. I made sure not to think about the fact too much or I'd just snap out of it.

            Time quickly goes by, and we are back at the house. As we always do on weekends, Sarah and I spend the early afternoon playing music. I am on guitar and singing, and she is on the piano, and singing too.

            The guitar I play on isn't anything special, though I have had it for just over ten years. It has shiny new strings, and polished tuning pegs. The wood is orangey, yellow, and full of dents -- literally full, there wasn't a single square inch without some kind of dent or scratch. Luckily, most of them are small and can't be seen from a distance. But even more important, it sounds amazing.

            Sarah and I play our small repertoire of songs, mostly written by ourselves. We're making sure to iron out any big mistakes because in just a week we'll be the evening entertainment at a local café.

            We play until we both feel confortable with our music, and until our hands can no longer bear the strain. Sarah takes a quick look at the clock then jumps up and grabs her things. She wishes me goodbye rather suddenly and then rushes out the door. It occurs to me as the door closes that she was going out with some of her friends this afternoon. We must have been playing longer than she thought.

            I take this opportunity to grab my book and read, something I struggle doing consistently these days. I grab the thick book and sit on the sofa in the living room. Before I open the book, Anna comes up to the sofa and stares me in the eye with the puppy dog pout. I tap the cushion and she immediately takes the invitation and curls herself up on the other end of the sofa.

            The book I'm reading is an old one; it was written in 1995, a bit over thirty years ago! And I only first read it fifteen years ago. It's a strange book: it's about wolves in Europe, the gods they worship and their struggle for survival as the dark ages come to a close. This is probably one of the reasons why I don't explain stories very well; I only read the crazy ones growing up. But it's a fascinating read with lots of mystery and talking animals, my favorite.

            Once again, the time flies as I read it, and before I know it Sarah is back. She tells me all of the latest news amongst her friends, no matter how crazy it may be. It's about suppertime, so we get ready and head out to the restaurant.

It takes us about four minutes to get to where we have our reservation. It's a simple restaurant, but the atmosphere is great. And the food is even better. Sarah and I get taken to our table and we order immediately. She orders the fish and chips and coke, and I get chicken fingers and fries, with white milk. From a very young age, neither of us has had anything different, from any restaurant, which makes it so we can get the food sooner.

After a short conversation our food arrives. It smells so good, but once I take a bite of the chicken, it becomes even better. We dine until our meals have almost completely left the plate, then we ask for the bill, we pay, and leave.

We get home and it's dark outside. As always, tonight is our movie night, so we go straight for the sofa, turn on the adjacent TV, and start up Netflix. Every movie night, we each choose two movies, no matter how long they are, and we stay up until we get through them. Sarah chooses Inception, and I choose Alien, our two favorite movies.

There is a great clash and blend of science fiction, fantasy, suspense, and horror as the night drifts away. Sarah and I are on the verge of falling asleep as the final credits roll. We turn the lights off, lock the doors, and make our way to bed. I have a very quick shower before finally curling up.

As I fall asleep I think about how I wish everyday could be like this; simple, fun, and full of time spent with the woman I love.