The Macbeth  Project

The Rationale:

• Shakespeare's plays-- or any plays, for that matter-- are meant to be seen and performed. They are meant to be experienced. Theater is a visual and auditory medium. It is a communal experience.

The Goals:

• We are going to read Macbeth, but we will also produce it (well, some of it).
• By doing that, we are going to learn about Shakespeare's language-- its meaning, its structure, and its depth. We will also learn about Shakespeare's characters--  their personalities, their hopes, even their delusions-- and we will understand how the words Shakespeare wrote for those characters are the raw materials at our disposal for creating them.
• We are going to learn that theater is the creation of a mood, a tone, and an attitude. The plot is just the plot. The story goes deeper than the succession of events.

The Process:

• Read the play, on your own and in your karass.
• Watch the play. I have the movies and the links. Here is the PBS version with Patrick Stewart as Macbeth: http://video.pbs.org/video/1604122998
• Each karass will be assigned an act of Macbeth. 

Karass work:

• The karass will discuss the play.
• Help each other understand the words, the images, and what the characters are saying. Mr. M will help you with that. 
• Understand the plot, but discuss the story:
• What is going on that the characters are NOT talking about?
• What are characters NOT saying?
• What is the mood and the tone of the act? 
• The karass will choose the two scenes it feels are the most crucial scenes for communicating the story. 
• The karass will produce those scenes for viewing and filming.

Production choices:

• Live theatrical performance, a maximum of ten minutes on stage for each karass.

Elements to consider:

• Costuming

• Keep it low-key. No need for authentic period costuming. Simple yet thematic. 
• Thematic: No need for period costuming. Note how many versions of Shakespeare are in modern dress. 

• Props, sets

• Same as above. Free stuff that is not too involved. Shakespeare's sets were practically bare.

• Music often complements a good theater experience. 

A note on acting and lines:

• No one in either class is a professional actor, so no one will be expected to perform like one. Everyone will be expected to exhibit commitment, preparation, and energy.
• Try to remember your lines, but also remember:
• There are lots of ways to cheat. I will show you some tricks and invite you to devise some of your own. All I ask is no reading from books in performance.  

Timeline

In case you were wondering...

• Yes, this is happening fast. You have less than a week. That's why it will be fun.  

Grades:

• Everyone will take the quiz on the play when we get back from Thanksgiving. So read the play.
•  When the karass delivers the performance on time with a full company-- 50 points.
• If a member of the company is absent, that member (not the company) loses points. 
• Absent for the performance? You will perform by yourself after Thanksgiving. 
• "SCOTTY" Awards:
• Best performance: the entire company is exempt from the quiz
• runners up: 10 points on the quiz
• Best actor / actress: week of free daily questions
• runner up: 2 free ones  

Perfection is not the goal here. Make mistakes. Have fun with it.

Introductory Power Point: http://www.box.net/shared/flb1mrnku4

Iambic pentameter:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AdO1wSQ9FImjZGNucWN2NjRfMTExY24ycjRqZGI&hl=en

Macbeth Full Text: http://www.bartleby.com/70/index41.html

Open Source Shakespeare (highly recommended): http://www.opensourceshakespeare.com/

Emblems

 http://www.box.net/shared/rybygsev1s

"The Ambassadors," an emblematic painting by Holbein (1497-1543), Henry VIII's court painter.

Alciato's Book of Emblems: http://www.mun.ca/alciato/

Macbeth character analysis based on emblem analysis: Macbeth character analysis

Study Guide http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/

No Fear Shakespeare: http://nfs.sparknotes.com/

Freud on Macbeth; Sigmund Freud's famous essay that subjects Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to some good old-fashioned psychoanalysis

Macbeth Acts 1-2 quiz

Macbeth Seminar

How does the phrase "restless ecstasy" (3.2) describe Macbeth as a character? Consider connotations, metaphor, and oxymoron.

Macbeth Quiz Alternatives for Acts 3-5

Medieval Bestiary: http://bestiary.ca/

Act 4 stunts:

Chatham: Perform Act 4 in less than 5 minutes. No talking. Use items around the room as props and costumes.

Lynnewood: Sing a synopsis of Act 4 to the tune of 'Old McDonald"-- at least three verses.

Coopertown: Perform a short scene that could be logically inserted in to Act 4. (Meanwhile, back at the ranch...)

Manoa: Make up a 5-question bonus point quiz on Act 4. Every one Mullen gets wrong, the class gets a bonus point.

Oakmont: Perform a 30-second commercial with Macbeth or Lady Macbeth as the celebrity spokesman. Allude to the play to make your pitch.  

Animated Macbeth:

Part I

Part 2

Part 3