DAY 3 - CYCLE 4 - SEMESTER 2

I began the class today by passing out a map of Scotland. The map comes from Isaac Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare: Volume 2. No, you needn't memorize it; it's simply quite useful to see where things are taking place. Please refer to it as we continue our reading of the play. If you missed class today, you may find a copy of the map in your mail box at school. The map is part of a larger essay that does a great deal to explain the historical and cultural context of many lines, and if you are interested, I would be delighted to make a copy of the essay for you.

We worked on creating our own cultural context today by looking at the Elizabethan world view, focusing chiefly on two things: the Great Chain of Being and the Wheel of Fortune. This handout is composed predominantly of pictures associated with each concept, and they can help us to understand the principles.

The Great Chain of Being, above all else, suggests that there is a hierarchical order to the universe, and everything within the Chain has its place. From God down to the lowly rock, all things have their purposes, and their limitations.
God
Angels
----Seraphim
----Cherubim
People
----King
----Nobles
----Merchants
----Serfs
----Slaves
And within each of these subsections, all people are ranked by gender and age, too.
---------Men
---------Women (beneath men because, as Aristotle said, "their thinkers are broken")
---------Children
-----------Boys
-----------Girls
Beasts
----Elephant is king of non-carnivorous animals
----Lion is king of carnivorous animals
----Dolphins are kings of the sea
Plants (and you know their order from your work in biology!)
Elements (fire, air, water, earth)
Dirt/minerals

Even the skies themselves are ordered into different spheres, with the dome of heaven being visible to us. This is why Robert Frost's lines in the poem "Birches" are suggestive of so much more than mere icestorm: "Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells/Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust/Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away/You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen." His reference here is not simply to the appearance of ice, but to our sense of the universe crumbling into chaos. (And the poem is clearly not just about trees, either. I recommend you read it. You will find interesting things in it. Keep reading it every few years; you will find that you keep finding more in it, and more in yourselves, too. It's a wonderful touchstone, that poem.) When the order is disrupted, because someone tries to break rank, disorder and strife ensue. Humans seem unable to learn this lesson.

Whenever you come across ANY reference to stars, plants, or nature in general, Shakespeare is telling you something about the order of the world. Look with a critical eye: is that order threatened? Solid? Being restored? What is the source of the threat or protection? What is happening to the Great Chain of Being?

Think of what happens when you pluck a string; the whole thing vibrates, of course. Apply this principle to the idea of a chain; mess up one part and the whole thing is under threat, right? How does this chaos and strife come about? What plucks the string, as it were? By messing with the Wheel of Fortune! Fortuna was the Roman goddess of fortune, modeled after the Greek goddess Tyche. For a fine picture of a statue of Tyche, click here (it takes a while to load, but it's worth it!). Whereas the Greek version of the goddess is my role model, er, I mean, quite cruel at times, the Roman goddess was eventually tamed by Christianity, and she was a functionary in God's master plan. This is why she often appears to be leashed. She is also unpredictable, demonstrated by the fact she (often) stands upon a sphere. There are four stations on the wheel she spins, and these stations are actually ones we recognize in our own lives:

Regno (I reign)
I get to use the eighth grade stairs because I am King/Queen of the Middle School!
Regnavi (I reigned)
Well, 8th grade graduation sure was nice, but I am nervous about meeting my Big Brother/Big Sister
Sum Sini Regno (I have no kingdom)
Oh no. My Big Brother and Big Sister are about to introduce me on stage and give me my stupid sailor hat.
Regnabo (I shall reign)
Junior year was great! When do we find out who our Little Brother and Sister are and when can I ask them to bake cookies for me?

It's when people try to force the wheel to turn in their favor that they disrupt order, and thus the Chain of Being. And when THAT happens, evil prevails. You know this to be true as well. What happens when juniors try to boss freshmen around, or when a 6th grader tries to use the 8th grade stairs? Heads roll and people get very, very angry! These are very useful concepts to apply to Macbeth.

When the witches give their predictions, they are suggesting Macbeth's station on the wheel, and he is presented with a temptation: spin the wheel faster! Banquo urges caution, but Macbeth, before even seeing the king, is already thinking about murder. These thoughts cause his heart to pound "against nature" and make his hair stand on end. Clearly, he is NOT comfortable with the idea. And yet he thinks it. And thinks it. And thinks it some more. As we go through, ask yourself, is this guy really in control of his fate? What are his choices and does he have the power to effectively make a choice? I am giddy at the prospect of talking about this!

Your homework for tonight:
Read Act I, scene iv. Look for references to nature & the heavens. What is Shakespeare pointing out to you? Yes, the text will be confusing. THAT'S OK! Wrestle with it a bit to get meaning out of it. That's how you train your brain to be worth anything, so avoid the outside resources.