Shakespeare and the Human Condition

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

What is the nature of the tragedy in Macbeth? He does not strike us initially or really at any time after as nearly as heinous as his deeds might make him seem. It may be true thahis ambition led to his murderous rampage but it's important to note that he was never fully on-board with his own plan and he constantly regrets it. Why can't he stop himself, even at the end? The soliloquy that he delivers is a moment of clarity in the depths of despair in a role that feels otherwise clouded beyond recognition with doubt and aimlessness.

What do you think of Macbeth?

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  1. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Macbeth symbolizes what nihilism can do to a man, turn him into a beast.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      If you mean how the content of this speech is apparently nihilistic, Macbeth was a ‘beast’ long before that moment

  2. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    The soliloquy isn't a moment of clarity in the sense of him realising his wrongs/mistakes, but only insofar as he is aware of his present state. But it shows that his worldview is still entirely devilish.

    Of the Macbeth as he is described to us and honoured in the beginning there is no trace left, the demonic element takes control, and the individual ceases entirely to exist.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      I don't see it as a demonical speech

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        It's entirely about the husk of a person he's become.

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          Yeah, but I don't think its demonic. Lady Macbeth speech at the start sparkles with demonic energy Macbeth is nihlistic without overt malice

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            I don't mean demonic as in purposefully malicious and how demons act. But rather in the larger dualistic sense of evil, which is so important a theme in the play. He has lost himself.

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            I get it; to be honest I always wondered if Macbeth was under influence of demonical forces in the literal sense. Like to what degree are Lady M and the witches guilty

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            I think that's intentionally left a mystery, maybe because Shakespeare was a Christian. To leave open the possibility of both his own nature leading him astray or the forces of evil. At least Shakespeare didn't say either one and just portrayed the action objectively.

  3. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    fukkin pump it bro suck that shit down u kno what i'm about

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      explain

  4. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Make E's

  5. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    shakespeare is detached from human morality. he recognises the importance of ethics and doesn't give a damn about it.

    in othello, morality has no effect on the outcome of the characters.
    the evil iago ends in ruin.
    the christian virtuous desdemona, dies basically by suiciding.
    the greatest man has to offer, othello dies descending from a proud man to raging lunatic.
    so does this mean shakespeare think life is a despressing mess, and man's fate is destruction? note the fate of cassio. he becomes governor at the end of the play, not by his own virtue, but by simple luck.

    what fools these mortals be, thinking their morality has anything to do with their fate.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Dude no way, the absurd?! Ah I'm going deep, ah, help me anon its too deep the writing -agh
      *meow*
      Anon you useless fricking Black person! youre just like the rest of them! agg, aghhhhAHHHHHH

  6. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I always thought Macbeth was a girl, kek

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      maybe you were thinking of lady macbeth

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Lady Macbeth is one of the best women in IQfy, fight me

  7. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    >Shakespeare
    Who?

  8. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I'm an antisemite and I found the Merchant of Venice to be boring and the main israeli villain the only interesting character.

  9. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    >What do you think of Macbeth?
    I like the witches, and the overall eerie ambiance is unlike any of his other plays, I guess Shakespeare was doing literary horror before the concept exist

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >I like the witches, and the overall eerie ambiance
      You might dig the Scarlet Letter then.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Scarlett Letter is great, though little explicit supernatural unless you count the letter appearing on the priest's chest as a magical realism

  10. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I always wondered is this what Shakespeare actually thinks or is he using Macbeth as an example of how not to live? Hamlet is similar.

  11. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    You don't have to see it as something esoteric. Greed and ambition are tragic aspects of the human condition. Selflessness and contentment are better. Macbeth can't stop because he suffers from the flaw of ambition.

    Shakers lived in an a much more sophisticated Christian universe that was aware of the reality of vices and virtues. He was demonstrating what happens when the vices consume us.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >Macbeth can't stop because he suffers from the flaw of ambition.
      Yeah, I think is simple as that. Sometimes flaws are so ingrained in us that even when we realize that we are being, for example, ambitious we still can't stop. Sometimes flaws become part of our nature if we don't stop them soon enough.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Yeah, the dilemma is resisting the drive to make choices which feed the flaws.

  12. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Macbeth is superficial garbage.
    Read this instead:
    https://www.gutenberg.org/files/27726/27726-h/27726-h.htm

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      when I read this it seems like Tolstoy was reading the plays as though they were novels

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Holy bovine, Tolstoy filtered. Seriously though

      when I read this it seems like Tolstoy was reading the plays as though they were novels

      you make a point. I reckon its better to watch them performed than read them. The only other thing I can imagine is Tolstoy's imagination being terrible but that seems to be contradicted by his work... strange. No accounting for taste I guess.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        I guess the outlook in the play may have seemed culturally different from what he was used to

  13. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Visited my grandparents yesterday and my granddad's bought me a copy of the Complete Works of Shakespeare from a book stall. Not my photo but same copy/edition as pic related.

    Where should I start? I vaguely remember studying Macbeth at school ~15 years ago, and I remember hating the sonnets, but what are your recommendations?

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >I reckon its better to watch them performed than read them

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        >he doesn't love theatre of the mind

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          I just cast whoever I want as Shakespeare's lads or imagine them as anime e-girls and shota
          The Tempest is in a more Ghibli style and the lighter plays are in cute girls moe blobs

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous
          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            Come on, it's not like most of Shakespeare's plays weren't performed by 3d kids back in the day, he mentions this in Hamlet

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          plays are just character formatted prose poems, prove me wrong.
          Also 99% of plays are driven by actors and actresses narcissism these days and none of them actually care to be good, just famous and jacked off to.
          It's like women posting on instagram but supposedly high-brow

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            Yeah, that's why I actually don't mind reading old plays like Shakespeare to myself, I can imagine whoever I wanna imagine reading the lines
            The first time I ever saw a Shakespeare production live the only actor who was any good was playing a side character

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        you would be wrong, the chances of you actually catching a good performance are extremely low.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      who's the artist? I love that print

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Eric Fraser
        He mostly drew for advertising companies, but he illustrated some early editions of Tolkien's works. Pic related is his Smaug

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Eric Fraser
        He mostly drew for advertising companies, but he illustrated some early editions of Tolkien's works. Pic related is his Smaug

        An example of an advert he did, for an aluminium mining company

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          And some stained glass windows based on his designs

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      maybe start with a midsummer nights dream

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        I think Merchant of Venice is great for a comedy. and The Tempest is beautiful

        i'll second the tempest as being a good way for Shakespeare to click. Its one of his most refined plays.

        The Tempest is my favourite but its best to be saved for last as Shakespeare's second to last

        Hmm... I think I'll go back over Hamlet first, then The Tempest, then A Midsummer Night's Dream. Sonnets can definitely wait lol

        Might be gay but I read Shakespeare out loud to myself when I'm studying a new play. Do silly voices and everything. A lot of Shakespeare is dead on the page but comes to life when it's spoken.

        That sounds very gay, but I respect it

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      I think Merchant of Venice is great for a comedy. and The Tempest is beautiful

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        >I think Merchant of Venice is great for a comedy
        Why are Shylock and Portia the only interesting characters in that; every one else is so flat.
        But Tempest is based

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        >The Tempest is beautiful

        i'll second the tempest as being a good way for Shakespeare to click. Its one of his most refined plays.

        >i'll second the tempest as being a good way for Shakespeare to click.
        This one here, bro. My darling Miranda will draw you in

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      i'll second the tempest as being a good way for Shakespeare to click. Its one of his most refined plays.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        >Its one of his most refined plays.
        which is exactly why you should read it last or at least after reading his other important plays

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      The Tempest is my favourite but its best to be saved for last as Shakespeare's second to last

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Might be gay but I read Shakespeare out loud to myself when I'm studying a new play. Do silly voices and everything. A lot of Shakespeare is dead on the page but comes to life when it's spoken.

  14. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    One more Eric Fraser as his Hamlet is the best illustration in the book

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Really nice way; close to how I picture both Hamlet and the ghost

  15. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Good illustrations of Shakespeare

  16. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    List your Shakespeare gals
    For me:
    >Miranda
    >Ophelia
    >Kate Minola
    >Lady Macbeth
    >Emilia (Othello)
    Honorary titles go to Shylock and Romeo because they are hysterical

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Juliet

  17. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    post nice recordings

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