MacBeth Act 4 Scene 2 Debrief

This scene begins with Lady Macduff and Ross discussing Macduff's fleeing and abandonment of her and her son with Ross. Ross tries to reason with Lady Macduff and explain that him running is not a sign of treason or cowardice but his way of keeping his family safe, "He is noble, wise, judicious and knows best"(Act IV Scene 2 Line 19) . Lady Macduff states that there are no acts more cowardly than abandoning your family at the possibility of danger, it is a sign that "He loves [them] not" (Act IV Scene 2 Line 10). Ross gives up and leaves.
Lady Macduff then explains to her son that his father is a worthless traitor, "One that swears and lies" (Act IV Scene 2 Line 56) that may as well be dead to them. While asking what her son what they will do now, she explains the concepts of treason and cowardice. Her son then states that he believes he will soon have a father again and that all will work out, even if traitors are outdone by good men, there is more corruption; "Then the liars and swearers are fools, for there are liars and swearers enough to beat the honest men and hang them" (Act IV Scene 2 Line 64-67).
Mid discussion a messenger forewarns Lady Macduff "Some danger does approach you nearly" (Act IV Scene 2 Line 75). As the messenger leaves and she claims that "[She has] done no harm" (Act IV Scene 2 Line 83) "[She is] in this early world, where to do harm is often laudable." (Act IV Scene 2 Line 84-85)
On that thought the murderer enters asking where her traitorous husband can be found. She defends him and says no where here. The son then steps up to defend her father, but the murderer states he can't be trusted, he is a "Young fry of treachery" (Act IV Scene 2 Line 95) and kills him.

The essential questions I chose are what is loyalty and what makes or changes a person's self worth. I chose these questions because in this scene, the concept of loyalty itself isn't discussed, but rather how our loyalties determine our self worth in other people's perspectives. In Macbeth's eyes, Macduff's lack of loyalty makes him a traitor to the kingdom, in Lady Macduff's eyes Macduff's lack of presence shows a lack of loyalty to his family, and therefor makes him a traitor. However in Ross' eyes, Macduff was doing the best he could and it was a valiant effort leaving his family to keep them out of danger. The way people perceive who we place our loyalties in creates the image of self worth. By saying he is disloyal to Macbeth, many would say that he has no self worth and is a traitorous scum, however there are those who know the truth of Macbeth and would perceive him as  a noble hero fighting for justice.
The scene also speaks of the strength loyalties can have over us/ bring us. For example, Lady Macduff is loyal to Macduff even if she won't admit it. Through out the beginning of the scene she stated that he was traitorous and dead to her, but when questioned by the murderer she defended him and proved she believed in what he was doing. It also raises the question of if loyalties can be influenced by other's, or if they truly represent what we believe is right. When the murderer attacks Macduff's son, he states that he is a "Young fry of treachery" (Act IV Scene 2 Line 95) and therefore his voice is worthless.  This statement expresses a belief that self worth is something we are born into. If you are the son of a traitor with questionable loyalties, you yourself become a traitor with questionable loyalties and can't be trusted.

comment to loyalty

Great detail. You have given several examples to support your point about M's loyalty and how his loyalty is changing. In many ways he is loyal to several but is he ever truly loyal to himself and wha the bleieves in? You do mention actual event sin the play, next time, could you bring in a quote to help suppoet your writing as well. We don't always need quotes as evidence, but it does help. I like your insight into how loyatly impacts M.

MacBeth Act 1 Response

Examples and importance of the role of Loyalty:

Scene 2

It’s at this point King Duncan learns about Macbeth’s brave fighting and heroic effort. Duncan also hears from his lords Ross and Angus that another thane has turned sides and become a traitor. 


- Loyalty is a means of attaining our ambition, it gives us the ability to reside under another's power, however if we trust in our loyalties to much they can be our downfall; the root of all loyalties is power, that power isn't always in our favour even if we are the source of it.

Scene 3

While Banquo and Macbeth are returning home they run into the weird sisters. The three witches tell Macbeth three different fortunes. First that he will be king of Glamis, secondly King of Cawdor and lastly king hereafter. They also tell Banquo that he will be a father to a line of kings. The witches words have a tremendous affect on Macbeth and he imagines the terrible thought of killing the king. It is from this very point that Macbeth’s Mental Battle and struggles begin. 


- Loyalty to religion or belief is the basis of our lifestyles, these loyalties don't necessarily bring us direct power but do act as a guide for our ambitions/quests for power. Unfortunately the beliefs we are loyal to don't always suit our purposes, which brings inner conflict.

Scene 4

In this scene King Duncan thanks Banquo and Macbeth for there heroic efforts and loyalty, and announces that he has decided to award his son Malcolm to the thrown after him. This makes Macbeth upset and sees it as another obstacle in his path to becoming King of Scotland. 


- Breaking a loyalty is often the heart of conflict (e.g. WW1 the loyalty we pay to the value of life was broken and caused a global uproar) and when interpreted as betrayal can lead to a loss of power.

Scene 5

 When news arrives to Lady Macbeth that Duncan is coming to the castle she calls upon evil spirits make her cruel and take away her womanly compassion. The theme of deceptive appearance also plays an important role in this scene. 


Loyalties can be misguided, those we trust can use them against us.

Scene 7

The scene starts off with Macbeth churning over the idea of killing Duncan . He realizes it’s a terrible sin but he really wants to be King. During all of this, Lady Macbeth enters the room and convinces him to follow through and kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth taunts Macbeth about his fear and says that he’s not a man. The two of them concoct a plan to get Duncan’s bodyguards drunk then proceed to kill Duncan and make it look like it was the drunken guards.


- In summary what we are loyal to defines the lifestyles we will live. MacBeth's loyalty to his quest of power and the love of this wife lead him to murder Duncan, but only after he feels Duncan is no longer loyal to his own quest. Loyalty is the root of power because it drives ambition but it isn't always a negativity or weakness. Acknowledging our loyalties can prevent inner struggles and often clear a path for our lives, we see this when MacBeth chose the path of ruling Glamis.

link

HI, I hope these links help you. If you use any of them in your writing remember to footnote and acknowledge your source. Mrs. C

http://www.edu.pe.ca/gray/class_pages/jecutcliffe/english621/goofs/index.html

Just Lather, That's All Response 2

EQ: How do our relationships affect the way we see the world/us.

Identities are not set in stone. In fact, we have a wide array of identities, ranging from our personality in a set minute or an overall glance at our life. All of these different identities can change in the blink of an eye with the development of new experiences and perspectives. In the story "Just Lather, That's All" by Hernando Tellez, the story of a barber who's experience with the enemy changes his perspective and then identity, we are shown that the pressures of people around us temporarily change us. The barber is a spy for a rebellion being hunted by the man he now shaves. In an instant the barber could slit his throat and free his people, but the harsh reality that the man in front of him is just as human as he is, despite his label as an inhumane killer, sets in. The barber's identity changes from that of a rebel spy to a third party viewer in a matter of minutes in light of this discovery. The pressures of his people had made him a rebel, but in the beginning he was just a barber. He realizes that "each person has his place in the scheme of things" and wonders if he is a "revolutionary or a murderer." In the end he is just a barber, unaffected by the people he was affiliated with by desperation. The moral of the story is that although people we meet and things we see can can alter our perspectives and sense of personal morality, only the people we truly trust, value and know can make a lasting impression on our identities. 

I chose this image because I feel it represents the effects of murder, as discussed in "Just Lather, That's All". The story showed how a person's identity can change in an instant, but humanity is hard to alter. We see this in the line "No one deserves to have someone else make the sacrifice of becoming a murderer". The situation of the townspeople is so desperate that for the brief time that the barber has the opportunity to end it, he changes. His desperation alters his identity until his humanity reins back his true self. When identities are altered they are easy to "correct", but humanity rarely changes.  

Even though he pressured by the potential good it can bring as well as the the wishes of the townspeople he lives with, he is hesitant. This is because to commit a murder is to create a permanent change to your identity, like blood on a white sheet; traces always remain no matter how many times it is washed, because murder also affects humanity. The story debates the moral standards between ending a life, even if that life is responsible for the loss of lives of others, and if the pressures of peers is more important than the pressures of morality.