Table work – Week 3

Whilst reading through the script, we carefully annotated them with our understanding of the meanings within the text. We noted that many of Shakespeare’s lines were open to differing interpretations – as we have no definitive answer to resort to; “But in a sieve I’ll thither sail” (Act I: Scene III: Line 8) for example. This line we decided could just literally mean what it says as the Weird Sisters are somewhat strange and unfathomable at times. Another line I noticed that could be read in more than one way was “Posters of the sea and land” (I: III: 33). This could be taken as: “Swiftly travelling over the sea and land” or that the sisters are some kind of iconic figure of the earth and elements. A third meaning suggested was that they are each a post of the four corners: North, South, East, West, but as there are only three of them, I found this less likely.

We discussed the dualities written throughout Macbeth,
“When the battle’s lost and won” (I: I: 4),
“Fair is foul and foul is fair” (I: I: 11),
“So foul and fair a day I have not seen” (I: III: 38) etc.
Each of the above highlighting the complexity of life and the juxtapositions within it.

We discussed how much power we think the Witches have, whether it is merely suggestive or if they actually have control over events and time. There were different points of view ranging from believing that the Witches have knowledge of the future and that it is predetermined, to thinking Macbeth is subject to a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the Witches just plant ideas.

It was suggested we look at the work of a Dutch painter called Heironymous Bosch:

'Paradise and Hell'

'Garden of Earthly Delights'