Articles for Guided Research Papers

Well, there's bad news and good news. (^_^)

First, the bad news: I cannot get access to all of the articles provided in class to post online. However, the good news is that I can provide you with temporary access to these five files. Click on them to read online, download, or print.

Bernad - The Five Tragedies in Macbeth
Kirsch - Macbeth's Suicide
Mushat Frye - Macbeth's Usurping Wife
Ramsey - The Perversion of Manliness
Tromley - Macbeth and His Porter

Again, photocopying the articles at school is also an option. Just let me know if you'd like to borrow any to copy at lunch.

Resources for Writing Guided Research Papers

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue College is an excellent resource for everything you could ever want to know about writing clearly, using research well, and learning MLA format. I relied heavily on their website throughout my B.A. degree.

For the upcoming research paper, you'll find these two sections most helpful:

• Using Research
• MLA Formatting and Style Guide
  

Words, Words, Words: Macbeth, Act IV

This word cloud for Macbeth, Act IV shows the most important words in the act. In a word cloud, the more frequently a word is used, the larger it appears in the image. You can see at a glance what the characters are talking about most often.

Take a close look at the image and share your impressions in the comments. (Click on it to see a larger version.) You might want to use these questions to guide your response.

What predictions can you make for Act IV based on this image?

Why are the names that appear largest mentioned so often? Who do you think is talking about them? What might happen with the characters you see here?

What ideas are most important?

How would you describe the atmosphere and mood of this act based on the word cloud?

How might the key themes of Macbeth be developed in this act?

Are there any words that surprise or confuse you in the word cloud? How do you think they might be used?

Please submit your comment before 11 pm on Sunday night (March 18). Remember to attach your name to your comment so that I can give you credit for your insights!

Downloadable Macbeth Audio

If you're interested in having Macbeth audio on your own computer or mp3 player, you can download this 1966 radio production from BBC:

Macbeth (1966) - BBC

It's a little over the top sometimes, but hearing it aloud as you read along often makes it much easier to understand, even if the version is a bit corny.

Manga Macbeth Glossary

Check this out! There are a few graphic novel and manga versions of Macbeth available. I haven't yet found any that you can access online, but I did find this glossary of tricky words and phrases. The nice thing is that it has the speaker's picture next to it, which might help those of you who are more visual in your learning.

http://www.mangashakespeare.com/glossary/MACBETH_Glossary.pdf

Make-up Test

What: make-up test on Macbeth introductory notes
Who: students who were absent Friday or made an appointment with me for a retest
When: at the lunch bell (no later than 12:10); the test should take 30 to 40 minutes
Where: Room 312
Why: an opportunity to dazzle me with your understanding!

*** Remember to bring your lunch

Monday: Act 1, Scene 7 Performance

"A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come."

Brad Butland and Kate Cooper Butland of Hubcity Theatre Company will join us Monday morning for a dramatic rendering of Act 1, Scene 7! They brought years of acting experience to playing the parts of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in last summer's Shakespeare in the Park production of Macbeth.

Please demonstrate respect and appreciation for our guests by:
- preparing for their visit by reading the scene and answering the questions (1,2,4,7)
- arriving BEFORE the bell
- giving them your full attention at all times
- making thoughtful contributions to the discussion and Q&A session

Assignment:
In order to get the most out of our time with them, please submit a question for Brad and/or Kate in the comments below. (Remember to attach your name to the question so that I will be able to give you credit for it.)

You might ask about their development of character and relationship, changes or challenges they encountered in rehearsing the roles, the justification for their acting choices, or their perspectives on themes relevant to the scene.

I am looking for questions that give evidence of your ability to think critically by delving below the surface into motivations, justifications, inferences, and connections.

Deadline:
To receive credit, you must submit your thought-provoking questions no later than 11:00 pm Sunday night. I'm looking forward to hearing what you're wondering about the scene and the performance.

This is all very exciting!

Online Shakespearean Glossary

(image credit: xkcd)

Did you know there are entire websites devoted to listing and defining all of the most baffling words Shakespeare uses? It turns out you're not the only ones who need a little extra help with the vocabulary!

If you find yourself stumbling over the language, check out any words and they are not defined in your text, take a look at an online glossary of Shakespearean vocabulary. The site Shakespeare's Words is particularly good at providing the multiple meanings that could be denoted:
http://www.shakespeareswords.com/Glossary

No Fear Shakespeare -- Downloadable Documents

Great news! Thanks to your helpful feedback on today's questionnaire, I have identified the class's biggest obstacle to understanding and enjoying Macbeth: the language.

Almost half of you said that reading an everyday English translation along with the text is your best strategy for understanding, and more than half said that if you are lost in class, it is because the language trips you up. Many of you noted specifically that a copy of No Fear Shakespeare would help you with the rest of the play.

Here again is the link to Macbeth on the No Fear Shakespeare site:
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/macbeth/

I've also found downloadable documents of NFS Macbeth, which you could print, keep in your binder, and mark up with notes. Follow the link to find both .doc (Word) and .pdf (Adobe Reader) formats.
http://www.mediafire.com/?jrmympa4hhmu9#rn3fsocmlf52m

"If it were done" Soliloquy (1.7)

This is a nice interpretation of Macbeth's opening soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 7.

As you watch, look for evidence of shifts in Macbeth's thoughts as he struggles with his conscience. What consequences does he expect to suffer if he goes through with the murder? What arguments does he use against killing Duncan? What has he talked himself into or out of by the time Lady Macbeth enters at the end?

Cornell Note-taking

In case you've misplaced your handout on Cornell note-taking, you can find it here:
http://lsc.sas.cornell.edu/Sidebars/Study_Skills_Resources/cornellsystem.pdf

Remember that your notes will be periodically collected to see how your "advanced note-taking skills" are developing. I will always give you a heads-up the night before.

And if you really like things to be orderly, here's a custom pdf generator for Cornell note templates. You can customize with the class name and/or date, then print it out.
http://eleven21.com/notetaker/

Macbeth Audio

Stream every Macbeth scene anytime you want from Grooveshark.com. I find it very helpful to listen as I read the text.

Scenes are usually no longer than five minutes, which means you can listen twice and still hardly put a dent in your day. (^_^)

LINK: http://grooveshark.com/album/Macbeth/4869124

No Fear Shakespeare

Hey there, guys and gals. Here's a link to No Fear Shakespeare's Macbeth page. The original text is presented alongside everyday English, which makes it much easier to understand the tricky bits. Sometimes the line numbers are a little off from our in-class text, but it's not too bad.

LINK:
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/macbeth/

You can also buy it at Chapters for $7 and they have plenty in stock.