Macbeth Blogging

1. Do you feel sorry for Lady Macbeth? Why or why not?
I do feel sorry; I feel pity for Lady Macbeth because she is as human as I am. Are we to be hypocrites and blame her for her lust for power? I truly don’t believe so because if we were to set ourselves in her shoes, I really think that we would’ve all been tempted. Although, I’m not so sure that we all would’ve been tempted to go as far as murdering King Duncan and like four other deaths after that. I feel that Lady Macbeth is more or less a sinner than everyone else is in this secular world. Hence, from a religious perspective, this is where our own identities come into play. For me, I feel sorry for Lady Macbeth because she had been tempted and had fallen into this lust, this sour temptation that led to her own fall. Therefore, hamartia is greatly portrayed through the characterization of Lady Macbeth as much as it was through Macbeth himself. This tragedy themed play focuses on this aspect of these two characters and guides the reader through a journey from creation to fall, and no redemption.
Although, I did have seconds thoughts about Lady Macbeth and whether or not there was redemption for her. For instance, when she goes mad and paranoid, sleepwalking and sleep talking, she constantly washes her hands. She says, “Out, damned spot, I say! One. Two. Why then, ‘tis time to do ‘t” (Act 5. Sc. 1, 163). This constant revealing of washing her hands (even in mid air) shows us that she is washing with water. Water is a universal symbol for baptism and this could mean that Lady Macbeth is trying to wash her ‘sins’ away and become new again. Yet, further into her panic mode of sleep talking, she says, “Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O” (Act 5. Sc. 1, 163). This shows that she was simply washing the blood off just for the act of washing it off. She was paranoid, yes, but paranoid that this evidence of blood on her hands would lead to revealing what she and Macbeth had truly done in murdering King Duncan. Later, she reassures herself by saying, “Banquo's buried; he cannot come out on 's grave.” (Act 5. Sc. 1, 165). This further supports why Lady Macbeth was not washing her hands off in order to wash away her guilt and regret because the death of Banquo was making her fearful as much as it was for Macbeth earlier in the play. Ultimately, there is no redemption for Lady Macbeth because she commits suicide. Again, through a religious perspective, there is no redemption for those who commit suicide in the eyes of God because committing suicide means shunning God and leaving the world knowing that he/she do not want any sort of redemption whatsoever; it is the act of not letting God reveal who they are, who they should be.

2. What do you think about the character of Macbeth? Was he a good guy before he met the witches, or do his actions imply that he was always capable of dark deeds? Is he to blame for his actions, or are the witches really to blame?
Initially, I thought that the witches were to truly blame because I thought they were the ones to instill the lust for power in Macbeth. After all, this is in a way how Shakespeare presents the witches to us anyway. From research, I learned that William Shakespeare had written Macbeth for two purposes: for entertainment (of the public) and for King James I, who had written a book on witches and how to detect them. Therefore, during this period of writing tragedies, such as Macbeth and King Lear, Shakespeare wanted to make sure that his audience was going to get a sensational outlook on the witches themselves. It is obvious that he would want to do so because witches were a very crucial topic of the Elizabethan era. Therefore, it would be easiest to believe that the witches are really to blame for Macbeth’s actions.
However, I’d like to think the opposite. Going back to my pity for Lady Macbeth, I believe that it is also through human nature that he was always capable of dark deeds; in fact, we all are. Although he may have been portrayed to be such a good person in the beginning, his small rise to power in becoming Thane of Glamis had already uprooted his position and hence, the want for becoming more than oneself. On the other hand, Macbeth, again, was only human, and I pity him for falling into this temptation along with Lady Macbeth who had further pushed him into this crisis of murder, chaos, and tragedy. It’s like Adam and Eve. Eve pulled Adam into eating the forbidden fruit, and both were supposed to be dead, but, the gracious God that He is, He only sent them into exile of the Garden, and eternally punished them; that man would forever work with sweat on his brow and women would bear children with pain, which are both true to this day. Yet, God had made man in order that there would be companionship between God and man. We were made to have choices, and thus we are not robots. If we were simply robots, there would be no reason for God to make humankind because then we’d all be perfect, and well, life would be boring. No, God made man so that we would live a life of testimony for others who have the spirit of God inside each and every one of them, but is just not yet revealed. This revealing, however, is necessary and possible for everyone because although we were born sinners, the blood of Christ and thus, the tearing of the cloth when Jesus died on the cross, was evidence that the vale covering our eyes from God can be taken off with just a matter of faith.
Therefore, I believe that Macbeth is not to really blame for his action. He is a sinner. I am a sinner. Lady Macbeth is a sinner and you are a sinner. We all are, but God, who of course, is not present in the story of Macbeth, are redeemed through the blood of Jesus. And that’s why I think Macbeth should not be blamed for his actions.

3. Is there a personal incident in your life you wish you could erase? Envision Lady Macbeth wringing her hands, unable to get the imaginary blood off of them. She is haunted by her participation in the grisly deed. Do you think her response is plausible? Do you think you would be consumed with guilt yourself if you found yourself wrapped up in such a heinous crime?
I can relate to Lady Macbeth perfectly. I can relate to her and her being haunted by her participation in the grisly deed because I went through a time in my life when I had hidden myself from the world and from God due to my sinful nature that I knew I had to let go of, but was having such a difficult time doing so. This period of time, however, is very personal and I do not exactly wish to explain it. Although, I do find that experiences like mine make me who I am now; a person much stronger than I ever was, depending on the God that I believed in and still do today.
Nevertheless, her response is wholly plausible. Her response is plausible because yet again, she is human. I can’t stop stressing enough that what she had done and what she did after was natural. Even if I were to make a simple lie, I would suffer from my guilt and regret. Therefore, I find that I would be consumed with guilt myself if I found myself wrapped up in such a heinous crime.

4. Have you ever experienced a predicted dream? Has anyone ever suggested something about your future that has actually come true? Did their comments influence your actions and the results that followed?
Truly, I don’t think that I’ve ever experienced a predicted dream; ever. And, even still, there hasn’t been any moments in my life when someone suggested something about my future that actually came true. When I think about someone predicting my future or something, I always end up thinking about psychics and tarot card reading people and whatnot; which are things that I don’t believe in. Nevertheless, I think that if someone were to suggest something about my future and then let alone, it comes true, I think that when the person tells me something, I would simply disregard what they had said and move on with life; not being skeptical about my actions or anything. Then, when it actually happens, I’d be surprised; I mean, who wouldn’t be? I think that I would respond by simply thinking that it was coincidental. Another side of me would ask myself to reflect upon the situation and circumstance; who it was that told me this suggestion, and whether or not it relates to me through my faith or not.