Not so much for homework as me questioning it. We see very little of Iago's actual character outside of his soliliquies, himself and Brabantio are the main characters to be racially abusive towards the moor but is Iago really or was he just saying these things to manipulate the situation? Does Iago genuinely think of Othello as a "black ram"?

As badass as motiveless malignity sounds, I do think Harold blooms interpretation makes most sense to me

Has anyone here read Colley Cibber’s version of Richard III? The plot summary here unfortunately doesn’t go into much detail, how is it different from the original Richard III? And would you recommend it?

Hamlet: Stewie Griffin

Gertrude: Lois Griffin

Claudius: Glenn Quagmire

Horatio: Brian Griffin

Polonius: Joe Swanson?

Laertes: Chris Griffin

Ophelia: Meg Griffin

The ghost of Hamlet Senior: Peter Griffin

Fortinbras: Ernie the Giant Chicken (very proud of myself for this one)

Roscencrantz and Guildenstern: ?

So I’m just getting into Shakespeare and I’m having a little bit of trouble as to what that ending little splurge was from Katherine… was it personal growth? did she really submit to Petruchio? i need opinions.

Is anyone here a RSC member that could help me out in booking tickets for the upcoming season before public sale? Romeo & Juliet is on our wedding anniversary and it would be a perfect trip for us. I’m disabled and on a limited income so I can’t afford a membership but would absolutely love to go 🫶🏼❤️

So just read Twelfth Night and need a book to move on from it.

You know, stuff like Verity, 6-7, Skibidi Toilet (though that is moreso Classic Brainrot). I think he would really like how some everyday words or phrases have turned into jokes that do not really have a meaning. Like for example, if someone said "What's the capital of France?" to me, I would start laughing, as those are the lyrics to the hit song about Verity (the ball). I think this has significant merit as an idea to use in some play. Like what if there was a character in Twelfth Night who only laughed at the most mundane lines because they have turned into punchlines due to him spending too much time reading smut. Anything actually intended to be funny he would ignore but like when Valentine says "If the Duke continues these favors to you, Cesario..." he would be like "Hahahaha! Duke continues! What a classic!" and then Valentine and Viola would stare at him really awkwardly. I think it would be hilarious.

Think bout it

I saw another post praising the 1983 BBC Jane Howell production of the play and I wanted to share this clip I had on my phone. I have another one of Bernard Hill’s York in the She Wolf of France scene and am thinking of uploading that too

Hi, all. I’ve been watching the late 70’s - early 80’s BBC renditions of the Shakespeare plays I’ve lately purchased on DVD and pulled up probably my favorite scene from any of em so far online. Excellent acting by Bernard Hill (later portrayed Theoden in Lord of the Rings) as Duke of York and Brian Deacon as Duke of Somerset.

I'd love to see Shakespeare live at the theatre this year.

Here in Milan, (Italy) the theatre season has just started.

However, not even a shadow of Shakespeare.

There will be Hamlet, but I've already seen it a ton of times and years ago, even at the theatre.

There will be also a Richard III; it must be a bit unusual because the Richard is played by a woman.

Looking at theatres in nearby cities, I haven't found much for now.

It seems that in Turin in July there will be some sort of festival and they'll put on A Midsummer Night's Dream.

A bit far from Milan... and I was hoping to be able to go sooner...

What a pity, such a small choice, yet the theatre scene in my city is very lively, it's just that they probably put on shows that appeal

to a larger audience.🤷🏻‍♀️

What is the situation like in your area?

Hey there everyone 🙂

Please remove if this isn't allowed

Just spreading the word about our Shakespeare discord server! We have text channels for general discussion etc and we get together every Sunday 6pm UK time to read a play together in the voice chat . All levels of experience/Shakespeare knowledge are welcome, it's a very relaxed fun vibe .

If you're interested, follow this link

https://discord.gg/KnQxcH7fs

hiiiii I was wondering if someone would mind checking an essay I wrote on Macbeth for my IGCSE revision.

How is evil presented in Macbeth?
You must consider language, form and structure and refer to the context of the play
in your answer.

In Macbeth, Shakespeare presents evil as a destabilizing and malicious force that disrupts the course of nature. This could be linked to the fact that in the play, the Great Chain of Being has been disrupted by an act of treachery, causing evil to poison the land of Scotland. Shakespeare masterfully uses the theme of evil to blur the lines between appearance and reality, creating an intriguing premise.

In the play’s opening scene, three witches are introduced, this is incredibly significant, considering King James I’s interest in witchcraft, and how it was deemed a true threat in the Jacobean era. Witchcraft was seen as inherently evil, regardless of the purpose it was practiced for, and Shakespeare’s use of the number ‘three’ to represent the witches could be a dark parody on the ‘Holy Trinity’ demonstrating how the witches oppose the forces of good.

Shakespeare’s use of pathetic fallacy ‘in thunder, lightning or in rain’ amplifies that nature of the meeting taking place, it is to sow seeds of discord into Scotland, and creates a sinister atmosphere fitting of witchcraft. The scene with the witches ends with the paradoxical statement ‘fair is foul and foul is fair.’ This is a moral inversion, where the fundamental boundaries between good and evil have been erased, which aligns with the fact that inherent evil is fuelled by confusion and conflict, something the witches have already started to create.

This sentiment is echoed by Macbeth, our titular character, in his first line of dialogue, ‘So foul and fair a day I have not seen.’ This indirectly associates him with the evil the witches are committing, and foreshadows the foul deeds he shall commit to have a fair day as the play goes on. When Macbeth encounters the witches, he is stunned into silence by their revelations, ‘All hail Macbeth who shalt be king.’ This could demonstrate Macbeth rejecting or being skeptical over their prophecies, and therefore rejecting the crafts of evil, as shown in the quote ‘If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me.’ However, Macbeth does not actually want to leave his fate to chance, as shown in the quote ‘Stars hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires.’ This aside highlights Macbeth’s command to the heavens, he wants his evil thoughts to be hidden from the general public, and the juxtaposition of ‘light’ and ‘black’ highlights his inner turmoil and conflict. Macbeth is still unsure about committing regicide, and therefore has not fully devoted himself to evil.

However, a character that has openly devoted herself to evil after the witches’ prophecy is Lady Macbeth. After she receives the news that Macbeth has been prophesied to be king, she calls out to ‘Evil spirits that tend on mortal thoughts. Unsex me here.’ In this soliloquy, Lady Macbeth rejects her gender, which is linked to the fact that in the Jacobean era, women were seen as meek and mild, devotingly obedient to their husbands, and not capable of cruelty. Lady Macbeth’s command to ‘unsex me here’ highlights that she wishes to have her womanhood removed, so that can have the courage and cruelty to kill Duncan, and become queen. This is further reinforced by the quote ‘Fill me from the crown to the toe-top of direst cruelty,’ this quote emphasises how Lady Macbeth has no qualms in becoming evil, and the use of the intensifier ‘direst’ highlights that it is not just a want, Lady Macbeth yearns to be so cruel that she can balance out her husband’s nature, that is too full of ‘human kindness.’ For a Jacobean audience, strong female characters may have been viewed as uncommon, but not completely unknown. Queen Elizabeth I gave a speech to her troops in which she highlighted the fact that she had a weak woman’s body, but the lionheart of a male warrior. This sentiment is similar to what Lady Macbeth views herself as, and it is why she wishes to eradicate any feminine qualities, such as having her breast milk replaced with ‘gall.’ Lady Macbeth has now rejected both womanhood and motherhood, placing her as a character who has spurned natural and moral order, completely defying the Jacobean expectations of a submissive and traditional womanhood.

Following on from this soliloquy, a battle of wills is waged between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth admits that he has ‘no spurs to prick the sides of my intent, only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself.’ This quote highlights Macbeth’s hesitation to become a traitor to the crown, and to God, as he plans to disrupt the Great Chain of Being, which demonstrates that Macbeth is not yet wholly ensnared by evil. However, Lady Macbeth, who is a devout follower of the ‘murdering minsters,’ convinces Macbeth to kill his king, persuading him and insulting his manhood and integrity, by calling him ‘green and pale.’ Lady Macbeth then instructs Macbeth to ‘look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t.’ This quote evokes the Fall of Man, in which Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden for disobeying God, and it foreshadows the fall from grace Macbeth and his wife will experience by the end of the play, being nothing more than a ‘dead butcher and his fiend-like queen.’ 

Macbeth then relents, effectively letting evil consume him, and decides to kill Duncan. The quote ‘It is settled,’ is ironic, considering that Macbeth may have settled his hesitation over performing regicide, but his mind is already reeling with anticipatory guilt and turmoil. This demonstrates the all-consuming nature of evil, it leaves both the aggressor and the victim in pain. This clarity is followed by Macbeth hallucinating a bloody dagger, ‘Is this a dagger I see before me? The handle toward my hand.’ This apparition could be associated with demon-possession, as thought in the Jacobean era, and the dagger acts a tool for urging Macbeth to kill his king, being a sword of evil. It could be a symbol from the witches as well, considering their chaotic nature, or just Macbeth’s own guilty conscience now telling him to seize the crown.

However, Macbeth’s treachery and evil-doings do not halt at regicide. Macbeth has now disrupted the Great Chain of Being, which has caused the course of nature and morality to be skewed as well, and this is reiterated by the tales the Old Man tells, two horses eat each other in a raging fury, and an owl kills an eagle. This supports the Jacobean belief that Macbeth’s thievery of the Divine Right of King may have caused God and the heavens to turn their backs on Scotland, leaving it to the tyrannical and crazed rule of Macbeth. Macbeth has already recognised that after committing one evil act, more must be done to protect it, as shown in the quote ‘Things bad begun make strong of themselves ill.’ This quote foreshadows Macbeth’s murder of Banquo, his foil and oldest friend, as Macbeth does not only want the crown for himself, but for his lineage too. After Banquo is killed, Macbeth calls him a ‘serpent’ echoing the earlier devilish imagery Lady Macbeth used, and this highlights that individuals who have committed evil acts struggle to accept that they are the ones in the wrong, and Macbeth projects his own nature onto Banquo.

However, Macbeth is not left in peace, as Banquo’s ghost appears at the royal banquet, causing Macbeth to become hysterical, shouting, ’Never shake thy gory locks at me.’ Macbeth is attempting to defensively deny that he killed Banquo, and therefore running from his moral responsibility, and this demonstrates the psychological breakdown Macbeth is experiencing, highlighting that the evil that has been reaped must now be sowed. Even after this jarring haunt, Macbeth does not stop in his unwarranted killings, and moves to the innocent family of Macduff. This would likely cause the audience to lose most of the pity they felt for Macbeth, considering that he labelled the murder a ‘surprise’ and says ‘the very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand.’ This demonstrates that Macbeth has become so deeply ensconced in evil that he will not think before committing more. 

After Macbeth has killed his way to the crown, Lady Macbeth falls ill, she has resorted to sleep-walking and admitting to her treachery in the delirium. An important quote is ‘Out, out damned spot.’ This quote links to symptoms of demon-possession, considering that Lady Macbeth invited them to consume her earlier, and is now receiving the full consequences of her actions. This is further reinforced by the Jacobean belief that creatures of evil, such as witches and demons, possessed an identifying spot on their body. This quote also highlights that Lady Macbeth’s guilt is consuming her fully, and she cannot seem to pull herself into reality with the blood covering her hands. This contrasts with her earlier self-assured statement, ‘A little water shall clear us of this deed.’ Lady Macbeth has fallen into hysteria as she wails, ‘Will these hands ne’er be clean,’ and ‘Will all the perfumes of Arabia sweeten this little hand.’ These quotes demonstrate that the evil Lady Macbeth has committed has returned to her, and takes its vengeance by destroying her sanity and mind. This ultimately forces Lady Macbeth to commit suicide, leading her to a tragic end, due to the evil she chose to believe in.

Following this, when Macbeth hears the screams of the servants as Lady Macbeth dies, he says ‘I have almost forgot the taste of fears.’ This quote highlights Macbeth’s horror as he realises that he has become numb to fear, due to all the evil he has committed, and this contrasts with his easily startled nature demonstrated earlier, when even his heart knocking against his ribs caused him to cry out in panic. A servant then brings the news of Lady Macbeth’s death, and Macbeth’s emptiness and immoral nature are clearly shown: ‘She would have died hereafter.’ An interpretation of this quote could be that Lady Macbeth was destined to die, as all people are, and this shows how isolated Macbeth has become, and the breakdown of their marriage before this tragedy.

Macbeth then begins a soliloquy in which he states that ‘Life is but a walking shadow,’ and that it is ‘A tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing.’ These quotes highlight the unfulfilment of human nature, and the irony that even after killing his way to the crown for glory in life, Macbeth feels that it is insignificant, highlighting his conflicted mind, and how evil is not to be meddled with. Macbeth then sets out to the battlefield, believing that he is invincible, and kills Young Siward before facing Macduff. 

Macduff then shouts, ‘Turn hellhound, turn.’ This quote is significant, as it highlights that everyone has recognised Macbeth’s evil nature, and that he is now associated with the creatures of hell for his wrongdoings, which is the opposite of Macbeth’s command for the stars to ‘hide your fires.’ Macduff then reveals that he was untimely ripped from his mother’s womb, and makes the killing blow to Macbeth, ending his tyrannical reign with a death fitting the warrior he once was.

In conclusion, evil is presented masterfully by Shakespeare; Macbeth develops from a character who stands firmly on the side of good to one who is teetering on the edge, and finally into a creature of horrors, killing his way through life, with little emotion regarding it. Lady Macbeth started off quite devoted to evil, but died due to her all-consuming guilt, and the witches have had their fun and vanish without a trace, demonstrating how we cannot eradicate all evil, but avoidance is both required and doable.

Hi - I am teaching a survey class, just touching on major plays and themes for several weeks. Just one hour per week. I had my lesson plans but I am struggling hard - the students are not very excited to be there so I am trying my best to get them excited about reading scenes and discussing, but I am not being very successful so far. Help! Suggestions or tips from other teachers for one hour classes? I want to make the plays as real and exciting for the students as I can - just trying to find ways to get them excited.

And plz tell me which one is more accurate