  Drama
This week: Edited by: StephBee  
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#1 - Drama: The Greek word for "action."
#2 - Drama: A real situtation or succession of events having the dramatic progression or emotional content of a play.
A couple of months ago I did a newsletter featuring an overview of Shakespeare and his influence in the drama genre. This month I thought I'd take a look at how Shakespeare explored themes and emotions in his well known play, "MacBeth." |
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Welcome to MacBeth! For those unfamiliar with the play, here's a brief recap:
THE PLOT
MacBeth, a Scottish general and the play's protangist, meets a trio of witches after winning an important battle. The witches prophesize he'll become the Thane of Cowder and King of Scotland. When he finds the Scottish king, Duncan, he discovers he's been made Thane of Cowder.
Afterwards, MacBeth confides in his wife who spurs him on to kill Duncan. Fueled by his wife, he does just that - he kills Duncan and assumes the throne. Malcolm, Duncan's heir flees to England for his safety.
The Scottish nobles aren't happy with MacBeth's kingship. Macduff and Malcolm, return to face MacBeth in a battle. MacBeth is confident he'll win, but Macduff kills him and Malcolm comes to the throne.
THEME
So what's the "theme" of the play? I found two:
#1 - Left unchecked, ambition can can ruin a person.
#2 - There is a difference between kingship and tyranny.
Those are mighty heavy themes. What might have inspired Shakespeare to tackle them? I can only speculate, but we know the Bard was born during the reign of Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII. No doubt the memories of Henry's reign was fresh in everyone's mind. As a bit of a side note, I watch "The Tudors" on Showtime. They did a pecial on the important places during Henry's reign. The Apothocary's Hall in London was the place where the trial betwee Henry and Katherine of Aragon was held. It was also the place where Shakespeare first performed MacBeth. Coincidence? Food for thought.
Could Henry VIII be the inspiration for MacBeth's themes? Quite possibly.
EDITOR'S CHALLENGE: If anyone would like to research this and write an essay on it, those essays would be featured in my next drama newsletter. Exceptional essays will recieve a 10K awardicon.
EMOTIONS IN MACBETH
Emotion in Dialogue: Who can forget Lady MacBeth's most famous line: "Out, damned spot, out, I say...who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?" This emotional dialogue speaks to Lady MacBeth's guilt.
Emotions in Metaphor: Shakespeare uses the foul weather as a metaphor to imply the natural order of things have been violated. Note how thunder and lightning appear with the witches and the how the storm pounds the castle on the night of Duncan's murder.
Emotions in Symbols: Blood is also used to convey MacBeth's and Lady MacBeth's guilt. As more and more blood is spilt by MacBeth's hand, his guilt grows. "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" laments MacBeth after killing Duncan.
CLOSING NOTES:
Women are the harbingers of violence and evil doing in the play. Lady MacBeth and the witches are behind all the chaos MacBeth causes. Some critics feel that because of this, MacBeth is Shakespeare's most misogynistic play.
Editor's thoughts: Lady MacBeth proves women are just as ambitious and as cruel as men. Is she mirrored after Anne Boleyn? Is MacBeth mirrored after Henry VIII? More stuff to ponder.
Research notes:
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/themes.html |
Here are some pics from Writing.com that explore Shakespeare's world:
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Editor's note: A poem that looks at Shakespeare's poems.
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Editor's note: A poem inspired by MacBeth.
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Editor's note: A letter written to Shakespeare by his cousin, Percival.
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Editor's note: A folder that looks at some of Shakespeare's plays, Richard II, King Lear, and Hamlet just to name a few.
Editor's note: An alternate ending to Romeo and Juliet.
Editor's note: A look at the play Othello and the 2000 movie, "O."
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Here's some feedback from my 17 MAY 2007 newsletter about emotions in drama writing:
Starr Phenix 
Thank you for including "Beautiful Child" in this week's newsletter!
I enjoyed your article and found out a few things I didn't know. Great job!
You're welcome. 
likenion
Thanks for the great newsletter Steph. I got all my questiosn asked even those I asked Darkin. Great job!
The range of tools we have to make the character as alive as possible is vast, but you have to know your character first. If you haven't got him/her thought out writing a story with such a character would seem flat. The best way to know your character is to meet as many different people as possible and be observant.
By the way Steph, here is another great topic that can be great to write about. Body language, mimic and fashion. All these show the true personality of a character. Something in that light would be great.
I'll explore writing for characters in a future newsletter!
raynstorm
Thank you for your wonderful tips on how to enhance emtotion. Another tool I see used often is the use of simile. I'm glad you didn't list it though because it seems overused and metaphors are much more effective. My problem is I have a difficult time creating effective metaphors, so I tend to stick with comfortable old friends like dialogue or description to create emotion. I will have to promise myself to go outside of my comfort zone and practice using them :).
Metaphors can be challenging. Let it challenge your writing.
Mark 
Wow, Steph, you said a mouthful! In particular, I appreciated seeing the three neighbor dialouge examples. It brought a quote to mind, one that always inspires my writings to find alternate perspectives about my characters. The quote:"The truth about Kane, like the truth about any man, can only be calculated by the sum of everything that has been said about him." "Citizen Kane" by the brilliant Orson Welles (oh, and thank you for the feature once again)
Good quote, Mark! I wholeheartly agree. That's how historical fiction writers usually tackle their topic, by researching the whole of the historical figure and starting from there.
swanreader
This was a great newsletter. My friend and I were just talking about these same forms of writing. Thanks now it is all committed to paper making it easier to remember and understand. I am trying to get out of the habit of being the narrator instead of treating the characters as individuals with capable thought and action.
I'm glad it was a helpful reference for you. If you've written something you'd like me to look at, send it in w/feedback to the newsletter below.
BarbL
StephB - Thank you for an exceptional newsletter. I have always avoided a lot of dialogue because it is one area where I am a bit unsure. But you did an excellent job of clarifying for me.
Steph
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StephBee is a 911 Dispatcher for the LAPD. She recieved an "Honorable Mention" in the 75th Writer's Digest Annual writing contest in genre fiction for her short story, "The Music Box."
Next week's Editor: MandiK~ : p
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Drama: June 13, 2007 Issue [#1763]
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