I had to do a presentation on a question regarding The Tragedy of Macbeth, and I bombed it. It was too long, and I kinda started rambling. I looked at the teacher halfway through, saw the look on his face, and said to myself "Well, this ship's sinking fast, might as well go down with it" and continued. It wouldn't have been that bad, but my group decided to add five slides just to talk about the different scenes that the Weïrd Sisters are in. I had made three that actually answered the question, but as a member of the group I couldn't just remove the other slides, so... our presentation sucked. Here's the prompt The three witches have been seen as figures of the Greek Moirae (Latin Parcae), or Fates, who respectively spin, measure out and cut the thread of human life. Note how the scenes with the "weird sisters" (Old Eng. wyrd=Fate) punctuate and structure the play. To what extent do their predictions dictate events? Are their prophecies binding? Is Macbeth trapped by destiny, a victim of fate, or does he have free will? How do we know? Note specific scenes and speeches that justify your point of view. Here's my 3 slides (just the presenter notes) While the witches do “prophesize” to Macbeth and Banquo, is it really a prophesy? Do they see into the future, or is it just a well rounded understanding of each mans’ character? Does it matter? The answer is no, it does not matter. Like the Fates of Greek myth, the Weird Sisters often cause the events they predict, because people act on their prophesy. This could lead the audience to the conclusion that fate is malleable: Certain ‘watershed moments’ where a free willed manipulation can chart the course of a set future. The witches choose to appear in front of Macbeth for their own purposes, and in telling him their ‘prophesies’, cause them to be fulfilled. Whether or not the witches have the power to truly see into the future, their predications lead to Macbeth’s rise and fall. The question remain: Are the sisters acting of their own will, malicious or otherwise, or are they instruments of some higher power, fate, to which even they are changed? The answer is not clear: Act 1, Scene 1: Where is the place? Upon the heath. There to meet with Macbeth. I come Greymalkin! Paddock calls:—anon:— Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air. Greymalkin is a cat, not some kind of deity. This quote seems to reflect that the witches choose to meet Macbeth, or are ordered to do so, indicating that there is some kind of interest in seeing Macbeth fail, albeit a possibly sadistic interest at that. This is indicated by the witch’s wanton curse of the sailor whose wife had offended them. Also in Act 4, Scene 1, there is the appearance of the head, which gives more prophesy. It indicates to the audience that the witches are not all powerful, that they consult with something of a higher order ergo they are bound to something greater then themselves. It is clear, though, that nothing can stop the events that unfold in the Tragedy of Macbeth, whether they are caused by fate or free will. “To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” Act 5, Scene 5. In the midst of his downfall Macbeth cries out in defiance against God, making the scene one of the most tragic ever spoken. It is clear that Macbeth is trapped by either fate or the free will of others, it does not matter. What does matter is his reaction. Macbeth fights, he is spiteful, he does not give in, though he is fated to lose. He is not a victim. This aspect of man is heavily explored in Macbeth and calls the audience to question whether or not free will and fate coexist: a man is free to react to fate, even if he cannot change it. I know my responses weren't great, but they were worse because I had to rush them in at the very end. It was bad. Really bad.
The real shocker is that they teach that devil tongue in Texas. There's only one Jesus there, and he ain't from south of the border.
Language classes are like math or science classes: there's only one right answer and nothing but your ability to remember the method to get it matters.
In my defense, they didn't have anything too do with my ability to speak Spanish. They involved activities such as making miniature Puerto Rican fruit carts.
It's reassuring to know that education funding goes to only the most delightfully inane crafts that your moderately educated teacher can think of.
No, no señor. Enojas is inthe present tense. Enojaste is in the preterite (past) tense. I said "Did you become angry when you lost the game." You said, " Have you became angry when you lost the game?" Words like enojar are almost exclusively used in the past tense, like in English when you ask someone how they felt.
