HW for ThursdayMacbeth III-IVMeet with fellow
The Ghost as Symbol
Grief/mourningRevengeDoubtDeathCounselMadness/insanityMemoryGuiltThe pastInternal conflictFearWarningMessengerAction/inactionSecretSuccession/royalPolitical legitimacy
Impending doomPower/lack of powerObligations/dutyIntention/characterReligionReputationArt/theaterParentingMentorWar
The Ghost as Symbol• battling epistemologies, what to believe
in, where do we find truth? testimony, eyes, inability to know anything, inability to trust others, self, god
• dueling means of expression/art—poetry, drama, mythology, history, etc.
• lingering cultural desire for Catholic “superstitions”
• real ghost• dramatic tool—scary, something different
from regular experience• meta-dramatic tool—what gets a plot
kicking, revenge story• unreality of theater/playacting• ghost in machine, soul, identity, true
interior (stand and unfold thyself), self-knowledge, sanity (v. madness)
Big Issues in Thinking about Occult in
MacbethEquivocationWitch Persecutions
DemonologieGunpowder Plot
(Gov’t. Under Fire)Religious Upheaval
Prophecy, PredestinationForeigners, ImmigrationWar, Violence, MurderDivine Right of Kings