Blog Entry 4.1

Since the last post I have not done a whole lot of work on the project but I am still moving along at a pace that will allow me to complete it by the timeline that I have set out for myself. I have read a few more chapters and I have narrowed down what the main focus of my project will be: either the hero's quest or showing the evolution of the six archetypes we discussed in class in Alice. I am not sure which I will do yet but I plan to have it narrowed down within the next few days. There will also be a short plot summary of the novel as well as a brief bio about the author and the context in which the novel was written, i.e, who, when, where, why, how and for whom the novel was written. The context does not require me to finish the novel so I plan to work on that in the next couple of days.

Blog Entry 3.4: My Project

For my final project I have decided to do the Hero’s quest/monomyth in the novel Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The project will cover the hero’s quest of the novel and other elements that we discussed throughout the semester such as symbols, archetypes and characterization. I also plan to compare the development of the hero’s quest in Spirited Away and Coraline to the novel. So far I have started reading the novel and making notes about the elements that I plan to include in my paper such as symbols. I plan to have the novel read by next Tuesday November 30 and to finish the writing of the project by December 4^th at the latest.  I do not anticipate any problems with this project. Problems would only occur if I do not follow the time line I have set out for myself or if I do not finish the reading of the novel on time.

Blog Entry 3.3

For the final project I think that I may do either the novel Alice in Wonderland or the novel Throught the looking glas. Alice in Wonderland is a classic that I read many years ago and from what I remember of it it may provide a very good example of the hero's journey. I plan to compare it to Spirited Away and Coraline, and perhaps to the one of the film versions of Alice in Wonderland.

Another final project that I may do is the taking my dominant archetype(s) and see how they are presented in supernatural films. There would be background research on the archetype and how we see it in films from the 1900s to present day. I would pick a few films and see how the archetype evolves or does not evolve. For example, how was the altruist or orphan portrayed in film in the 1950s as opposed to today.

Other ideas to come and all feedback is welcome.......

Blog Entry 3.2

When choosing an image for this blog entry I searched youtube for interesting videos that portray Macbeth’s various scenes. After looking around for a while I decided to choose a scene that depicted Duncan’s death. This scene was very hard to track down because most productions don’t depict this scene. In the play Duncan is also killed off stage, i.e., the audience dies not see his death. Many of the productions just show the chaos that ensues after finding out that Duncan is dead so I will focus on that as well as the King’s death. I chose this scene because it is the climax of the play and it affects everything that happens afterward in the play.

            This video shows a very clear portrayal of the chaos that occurs after King Duncan’s murder. It is done in chorus form which is very interesting to me and is one of the reasons I chose this video. After Lady Macbeth’s urging and questioning of his manhood Macbeth finally kills King Duncan and starts his downward spiral. In the video we can see that Macbeth seems a bit sorrowful about what has happened but Lady Macbeth does not seem troubled by it at all. As in most productions we do not see the actual murder of King Duncan which leads the audience to form their own impression of the murder in their mind.

The murder of King Duncan shapes the rest of the play as it leads to Macbeth becoming King and fulfilling the witches’ prophecy.  He also seeks to wipe out any opposition or perceived threat to his kingship. This is very evident in that he tries to kill Banquo and his son because the witches said that his offspring would rule the kingdom in time. All of his killing clearly illustrates the theme of violence that permeates this play. Although we do not see most of the violence that occurs, we can imagine it and it has a profound effect on the way that we view Macbeth. For example, when I first read Macbeth I was quite upset about Macbeth killing Macduff’s family and I was hoping for a resolution in which he would be dethroned or even killed.

In some ways Macbeth can be paralled to the story of Adam and Eve and their fall from grace. The witches meeting Macbeth and telling him that he will become King can be paralled to the devil misleading and tempting Eve. Just as Eve kept thinking about the fruit, Macbeth kept thinking about being king. The fall from grace is easily seen in both of these accounts. Eve eats the fruit and shares it with Adam and then they are both cast out of the Garden of Eden. Likewise when Macbeth kills Duncan it represents his fall from grace and his eventual destruction. It leads to his shedding more and more blood in a vicious cycle. This video was very well done and I quite enjoyed it both for what it portrayed and for the interesting manner in which it was done.

Blog Entry 3.1

After looking at many Macbeth images on the web I decided to pick this one because it is not one that would be chosen by many people. Most people usually go for the scenes that show Lady Macbeth sleepwalking or images that have to do with blood. I chose this scene because it shows the end result of Macbeth’s unchecked ambition. The image takes place in the last scene of the play where Macduff beheads Macbeth and thus fulfills one of the witches’ prophecies. Prophecy plays a huge role in this play and the image that I picked illustrates the fulfillment of two major prophecies. One prophecy said that Macbeth could not be killed by any man born from a woman and thus when Macbeth was confronted by Macduff he was feeling proud and boisterous and in control. It wasn’t until Macduff informed him that he was born via Caesarian section that he began to realize that he downfall was fast approaching. The second prophecy that was fulfilled was the one that said Macbeth should beware of Macduff.  After the two of them fight, Macduff beheads him and holds his head up for all to see that he reigns victorious in the battle against the tyrant and murderer Macbeth.

This image epitomizes the outcome of a tragic hero. A tragic hero in literature is a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy.[1] Macbeth is an example of this because he let his ambition to become king after hearing the witches’ prophecy cloud out his judgment and then took the measures necessary, with Lady Macbeth’s help, to acquire this kingship.  Another aspect that makes him a tragic hero is that he seems to be a victim of fate and destiny. Although he has the tragic flaw of ambition and he is greedy and easily manipulated by Lady Macbeth, one can argue that when he met the weird sisters it signaled the beginning of the end for him.

The image that I chose also shows one of the symbols that permeates the play. This is the symbol of violence that is evident throughout the play. In the second scene of the play Macbeth has won a battle against the allied forces of Norway and Ireland. From there the violence continues with the murders of King Duncan, Macduff’s family, Banquo, the suicide of Lady Macbeth and the final beheading of Macbeth. In this play one act of violence leads to the next and the cycle is finally broken with Macbeth’s death. Although this image doesn’t come until the end of the play I think that it is one of the most important scenes of the play because it represents good conquering evil and the resolution of the story.

               

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[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tragic+hero

The image posted above was obtained from http://mcknight-period2.wikispaces.com/

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