The scene starts with Duncan talking about the castle. He says “This castle hath a pleasant seat”. I think this means that the castle has a pleasant feeling. His next line “Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself, Unto our gentle senses”, for me, mean that it allows them to be somewhat relaxed. Then Banquo talks about a “temple-haunting marlet”. A Marlet, commonly blue and white, is a small bird with no feet. Banquo also builds on what Duncan said by saying that the castle has ‘delicate’ air. Lady Macbeth then enter and Duncan calls her a ‘honoured hostess’. Lady Macbeth then talks. Duncan brings up Macbeth by asking “Where’s the Thane of Cawdor?”. He says that Macbeth’s love is so strong it is as sharp as a spur, as sharp object attached to a riders boot. Lady Macbeth replies then Duncan ends the scene by taking his leave.
Day: 15 October 2015
Act 1 Scene 7 Summary
In this scene, there is a big Soliloquy from Macbeth. In said Soliloquy Macbeth talks about the consequence that will take place if he kills King Duncan. He also says that he is “(…) his kinsman and his subject”, and a kinsman and subject should be against the death of the king. This is one of the reasons, or excuses as Lady Macbeth sees it, that Macbeth gives not to murder the King. Lady Macbeth the enters and asked why he had left the chamber. Macbeth responded by asking if he was asked for. Lady Macbeth then replies by saying that he should know if he was called for. Lady Macbeth then says was the hope drunk. She says this as when you’re not thinking properly. Also when you are drunk everything is fake so in a way she is saying his hope if ‘fake’. She then builds and says “Wherein you dress’d yourself? hath it slept since?” I think she is saying that he dresses so highly like a lord, as he was made one by the king, but he does not act how he dresses, like a brave lord. She also calls Macbeth a coward. Macbeth then says “I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none”. This means he is saying he can do all that a man can do, and is calling Lady Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth says “screw your courage to the sticking-place” which is explained in another post of mine. The link: http://wp.me/p6JCQx-1v .
Classwork 15.10.15
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“Screw your courage to the sticking place”.
Courage: To be brave enough to do something that may frighten or scare them.
It is said that the ‘literal meaning’ of the quote above means that Macbeth needs courage.
However, I think it means that Macbeth needs to keep his courage in him, by ‘sticking into place’. In addition the ‘screw’ means that he needs to bolt it in by ‘screwing’ it into him.
Others have also said that it also mean not to back down, which I also agree with.
A little bit of acting about how Macbeth doesn’t want to kill King Duncan and some students in the class try to say the quite how they think it was or should be said. Many people thought about angers when saying the line.
In a way the queen is insulting or teasing him by, in a way, he does not have courage.
I think she is trying to make him fell ashamed. She is saying that he is mentally weak as he has a lordship, which is of very high status, but he is not acting like it by not being brave and killing the King. I think she is trying to provoke him into killing the King.
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