“What’s done is done.” (3.2.14)
This line comes from a conversation between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after Duncan’s murder. Macbeth is suspicious of Banquo, knowing that he too has heard the prophecies of the witches. The readers know from his soliloquy at the beginning of Act 3 that Banquo is actually suspicious, and although Banquo assures his loyalty to Macbeth during their conversation, there is tension between them when Macbeth invites Banquo to dinner.
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth converse after this, both expressing their unhappiness about what has happened, especially the fleeing of Donalbain and Macduff from Scotland. This particular line comes from Lady Macbeth as she tries to comfort Macbeth, telling him that he should not worry about what is out of his power. She is frustrated herself yet again taking the role of a man tries to console Macbeth.
“What’s done cannot be undone.” (5.1.71)
This line is from Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking. After the murder of Banquo and Fleance’s escape, a dinner is held at Macbeth’s castle. Due to the guilt he feels, Macbeth witnesses Banquo’s ghost, and he is the only one able to see it. This surprises everyone, and Lady Macbeth eventually has to ask all others to leave. She is also shocked and feels guilty by association, although she really did not have much to do with the plan to murder Banquo and Fleance.
After several scenes, a gentlewoman reports Lady Macbeth’s walking in her sleep to a doctor. As they watch her, Lady Macbeth goes on talking to herself, expressing her remorse and shame about everything that has happened since Duncan’s murder. It is evident from her mention of Fife that she knows about the murder of Macduff’s family. This has caused her to feel extremely guilty, again by association. This feeling of guilt is evident by her repeated hand-washing motion and her repeated mention of the word “blood”, a motif throughout the play associated with guiltiness.
In both instances, Lady Macbeth is expressing her guilt and frustration about what has happened. It is apparent that the second line is a stronger of Lady Macbeth’s guilt not only because of the state she is in (sleepwalking) but the line “What is done cannot be undone” entails some kind of regret and hopelessness as opposed to “What is done is done”, ‘so let’s move on.’ The latter line is also a foreshadowing of what is going to befall Lady Macbeth...
2008년 11월 26일 수요일
2008년 11월 3일 월요일
Blog Response #3
Marsh Languages
I also like this poem very much. I chose this poem as the poem that demonstrates fall. This poem literally laments the loss of “Marsh Languages,” which is very true in today’s world in which languages of the minority are disappearing quickly. I say literal because a conceit may be used in the poem, which opens it up for different interpretations, such as “men taking over world.” The commonality between all different possible interpretations is that of one group dominating the rest. Thus, I believe this poem speaks to the human tendency to be egotistic, which in this case is a tragic flaw as shown by the fall demonstrated throughout this poem. When one believes so strongly in one’s ideas, one may become so arrogant as to declare that his/her and only his/her idea is correct and that all other ideas are meaningless. Human haughtiness has shown itself to have disastrous effects again and again throughout history. The most shameful event in modern history is Hitler’s Nazi Regime, which is definitely a result of Hitler’s egotism believing that Aryans are the best, and thus all others should be exterminated.
This hamartia embedded in the poem is closely related to the message of the poem. I think hamartia, if located in a poem, is almost as valuable as the theme in pointing out the correct message intended by the author.
I also like this poem very much. I chose this poem as the poem that demonstrates fall. This poem literally laments the loss of “Marsh Languages,” which is very true in today’s world in which languages of the minority are disappearing quickly. I say literal because a conceit may be used in the poem, which opens it up for different interpretations, such as “men taking over world.” The commonality between all different possible interpretations is that of one group dominating the rest. Thus, I believe this poem speaks to the human tendency to be egotistic, which in this case is a tragic flaw as shown by the fall demonstrated throughout this poem. When one believes so strongly in one’s ideas, one may become so arrogant as to declare that his/her and only his/her idea is correct and that all other ideas are meaningless. Human haughtiness has shown itself to have disastrous effects again and again throughout history. The most shameful event in modern history is Hitler’s Nazi Regime, which is definitely a result of Hitler’s egotism believing that Aryans are the best, and thus all others should be exterminated.
This hamartia embedded in the poem is closely related to the message of the poem. I think hamartia, if located in a poem, is almost as valuable as the theme in pointing out the correct message intended by the author.
Blog Response #2
In the Secular Night
I think this poem is beautiful. Out of all the poems we have discussed in class, I would say this is my favorite. I would say it is much more comprehensible than Ava Gardner Reincarnated as Magnolia, although maybe this is because I got slammed for my interpretation on that poem… The class came up with the theme “rejection of the sacred and seeking fulfillment from the world eventually leads to loneliness.” I sort of agree with this theme, but I think it is too vague. I am a bit scared to voice my own opinion because it was not pretty when I did so for Because I Could Not Stop for Death, but since this is a blog entry…
I think this poem has to do with the idea that the world is moving away from God in general and that conditions of the world we exist in prompt this movement away from God. In the text there is the character that feels lonely and finds fulfillment from vanilla ice-cream, grape juice, music, baby lima beans, etc. However, the character is still lonely. Then all verbs become present tense. “There is so much silence between the words, / you say.” The you refers to the character in the poem. Then the character says that the “sensed absence of God and the sensed presence amount to much the same thing,” which apparently shows that the character thinks the existence of God is an inconsequential aspect of her life. After, the character says that “I have too much white clothing.” This is the first and only reference to “I” which is the character referring to himself. The character just outright rejects God and says “too much white clothing,” where white has a connotation that goes along the lines of “white, pure, clean, goodness.” The final few lines are quite interesting. It says that it is not heresy or mysticism to not believe in God anymore, which suggests a general distancing of the world from God. Up to this point, the character slowly supports her belief for the inexistence of God. And then suddenly there are sirens, and someone dies. This deals with one of the most frequently asked questions about God, which goes something like “If God exists then why do such bad things happen?” So basically, the character’s belief is reinforced by the world. And then it says the century “grinds on” which suggests that people are having a hard time coping with the secular world, which includes this character.
I think this poem is beautiful. Out of all the poems we have discussed in class, I would say this is my favorite. I would say it is much more comprehensible than Ava Gardner Reincarnated as Magnolia, although maybe this is because I got slammed for my interpretation on that poem… The class came up with the theme “rejection of the sacred and seeking fulfillment from the world eventually leads to loneliness.” I sort of agree with this theme, but I think it is too vague. I am a bit scared to voice my own opinion because it was not pretty when I did so for Because I Could Not Stop for Death, but since this is a blog entry…
I think this poem has to do with the idea that the world is moving away from God in general and that conditions of the world we exist in prompt this movement away from God. In the text there is the character that feels lonely and finds fulfillment from vanilla ice-cream, grape juice, music, baby lima beans, etc. However, the character is still lonely. Then all verbs become present tense. “There is so much silence between the words, / you say.” The you refers to the character in the poem. Then the character says that the “sensed absence of God and the sensed presence amount to much the same thing,” which apparently shows that the character thinks the existence of God is an inconsequential aspect of her life. After, the character says that “I have too much white clothing.” This is the first and only reference to “I” which is the character referring to himself. The character just outright rejects God and says “too much white clothing,” where white has a connotation that goes along the lines of “white, pure, clean, goodness.” The final few lines are quite interesting. It says that it is not heresy or mysticism to not believe in God anymore, which suggests a general distancing of the world from God. Up to this point, the character slowly supports her belief for the inexistence of God. And then suddenly there are sirens, and someone dies. This deals with one of the most frequently asked questions about God, which goes something like “If God exists then why do such bad things happen?” So basically, the character’s belief is reinforced by the world. And then it says the century “grinds on” which suggests that people are having a hard time coping with the secular world, which includes this character.
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