reading - and loving - Macbeth

My poor students. All last fall they heard the same refrain, "Well, if you had already read Macbeth you'd know that..." I'm finding it impossible to fill in the blank here because I honestly can't remember what it was they were supposed to know. And neither can they. I was probably comparing a guilt-wracked Dimmesdale to the Macbeths, or John Proctor to Macduff (should have blogged about this!). Although I'm pretty sure I was throwing around Macbeth references during our study of Gatsby too...? Anyway, I decided in December that the only fair thing to do was to dump some portion of next semester's course - War in American Lit and Poetry - and add in Macbeth.

Since early February my seniors and I have been reveling in this gory and fantastic tragedy. We are, each day, witches, royalty, sleepwalkers, ghosts, owls, and schemers. The girls have their own Ning site where they blog in character for homework and post on each others' wall pages (I got this idea from a teacher/friend in CA - really grateful for it). Last I checked, Macbeth was threatening folks to show up for his coronation and the witches were dropping Anon every other sentence.

My favorite class was last Friday, though, when we discussed the concept of manhood in the play. By the end of Act IV there are three primary male characters: Macbeth, Malcolm, and Macduff. We started off talking about which of the three would be the best ruler of Scotland. Macbeth of course was out of the running immediately(bit of murder problem on his hands), so we looked at a revealing conversation between Macduff and Malcolm to determine whom we would choose. Malcolm is the rightful heir, and my students don't know yet that he will be crowned King at the end of Act V. Interestingly, none of them picked Malcolm (not a leader; kind of a wimp; wears his manhood as if for show only).

So in this conversation Macduff has just found out that Macbeth has killed his wife and children ("All my pretty ones? Did you say all?"), and Malcolm is urging him to take revenge through war.

Malcolm: Dispute it like a man.

Macduff: I shall do so;
But I shall also feel it as a man;
I cannot but remember such things were
That were most precious to me. Did heaven look on,
And would not take their part? Sinful Macduff,
They were all struck for thee. Naught that I am,
Nor for their own demerits but for mine,
Fell slaughter on their souls. Heaven rest them now. (IV.iii.221-230)

This passage always takes my breath away. Really, Shakes was writing this in the early 17th century? Some of my favorite lines of all time. My students don't forgive Macduff for leaving his wife and children unattended, but they appreciate his admission of humanness, his desire to grieve. This led to an interesting discussion about politicians: how and when does one choose between family and country?

Fired up about this play, this class in general. Felt like spreading the exuberance. Spring semester seniors - how much longer do I have their attention spans anyway?