oral presentation reflection-macbeth

1. The play of Macbeth connects to many essential questions of this unit. However, we found frequent occurrences that connect to: what could destroy or build a person's self worth and what is loyalty. My group and I focused mainly on act 4 scene 2/3 where Macduff escapes from Macbeth's soldiers and leaves his family.

"His flight was madness: when our actions do not,

Our fears do make us traitors." IV, ii, 4-5

The fact that he ran away makes him treacherous and disloyal to the King, Scotland and his family. Therefore, Macduff's disloyal actions affected his family the most in which Lady Macduff and her son are seen as traitors.

"I hope, in no place so sanctified

Where such as thou mayst find him." IV, ii, 90-91

One of Macbeth's soldiers came into Macduff's house in search for him. Lady Macbeth was disappointed in her husband for abandoning the family; yet, she still protects Macduff from the soldiers. This is an example of loyalty to one's spouse. Macduff wasn't loyal to Lady Macduff, but still she protects him.

"It is myself I mean: in whom I know
All the particulars of vice so grafted,
That, when they shall be open'd, black Macbeth
Will seem as pure as white snow, and the poor state
Esteem him as a lamb, being campared
With my confineless harms." IV, iii, 57-62

Malcolm was to be King Duncan's successor; however, he fled to England when Duncan died. His cowardliness transformed into selfish tyrant in which destroyed his self worth of being a lawful King. Macduff is appalled by this for he came to Malcolm for advice. Unfortunately, Malcolm says that he would be worse than Macbeth if he were king.

"Macduff, this noble passion,
Child of integrity, hath from my soul
Wiped the black scrupples, reconciled my thoughts
By many of these trains hath sought win me
Into his power; and modest wisdom, plucks me..." IV, iii, 129-134

Macduff's display of loyalty to the country and self worth enabled Macduff to pass Malcolm's honor test. This showed Malcolm that Macduff was an honourable man who just panicked when Macbeth's soldiers came for him. Arguing with Malcolm about tyranny built Macduff's self worth in which he believes in kindness and justice.

2. In groups, I learned that you have to have good group dynamics and teamwork. Cooperation and agreement is key to a successful project. Group projects aren't meant to be done by one person; they're meant to be done by a number of people.

3. Overall, I learned that you have to make sure everything is done as soon as possible and that everyone has done what they say they would do. Therefore, if something wasn't completed in time, a group member would help out. This results in trust and safety nets.

4. Something that I need to work on is time management. I found that I procrastinated too much to do the recordings and filmings in which resulted in some last minute work. Next time, I should do all my assignments as soon as possible.

5. Overall, I'm most proud of our project especially of the creativity and merging quotes from both Star Wars and Macbeth in our script.

6. Contribution was pretty much 33% each. Marcus did the editing of the video, Kathleen did most of the voice recordings, I did the filming, and Kathleen and I wrote the script.

Macbeth 4.2 Individual assignment

In summary, Mcduff left his family to escaped from Macbeth's soldiers. His family felt abandoned and questioned his loyalty to them, the king, and Scotland. Mcduff left his family in doubt of their own self worth. Lady Mcduff and Mcduff's son discussed about what they were to do without a father/husband. At the end of the scene, Macbeth's soldiers came for Lady Mcduff and son. They killed Mcduff's son, who had absolute faith in his father, and left Lady Mcduff to mourn over her losses. In the end, Mcduff's family still stayed loyal to him for they protected Mcduff's escape plans.

The Essential Questions that we would like to use in our project are:
1. What could destroy or build a person's  self worth?
2. What is loyalty?
3. Is one's self worth constant or ever changing?

We chose these questions because we found frequent examples of loyalty, self worth and the lack of them both.

Macbeth's integrity

In act 1, Macbeth desires to kill the King of Scotland; however, his integrity makes Macbeth have second thoughts."But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, We'd jump the life to come. But in these cases, We still have judgement here; ...Commends the ingredients of out poison'd chalice." line 6-11. His morals of justice and loyalty do not fit with murdering his King.The hierarchy in Scotland then was King-Nobles-Thanes-Freemen-and then Peasants. By killing King Duncan, Macbeth would neglect god's way. Once he refused to murder Duncan, Lady Macbeth manipulated his thoughts. "I dare do all that may become a man;" Also his integral duties of a man and love for a woman oppose his act of loyalty to the King. "Who dares do more, is none." Now he is confused. With murdering the King, Macbeth will offend God, lose humanity, and break royal loyalties. On the other hand, with not murdering the king, Macbeth will lose ambition, have limited power, lose integrity of being a man, and break his loyalties to Lady Macbeth. The influence of Lady Macbeth and his ambitions hazed his just integrity. In the end of act 1, Macbeth's weak and poor decision resulted to the King's death. At the last line, Shakespeare had Macbeth say, "False face must hide what the false heart doth know."line 92. The lesson of this scene is to not let your conscious get to you. You should follow only your integrity, not what others tell you to do.