The role of Prophecy in 'Macbeth'

A question i always find myself asking when presented with a story involving a prophecy is, 'Would the results have been the same had they not known about the prophecy?' In all such stories, the characters tend to base all if their actions on the knowledge of the prophecy and these particular actions often lead to the fulfillment of said prophecies. This seems to be the case even when the subject is trying to avoid the fulfillment of the prophecy. The story of Oedipus is a prime example of how prophecies are inevitable.

In regards to Macbeth, I actually find myself conflicted when it comes to the prophecy. Normally i feel sure that prophecies will always be carried out despite anyone's actions; but in this play, the carrying out of the prophecy seemed so dependent on the fact that both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were aware of it. In the beginning of the play i got the impression that Macbeth was a dutiful and loyal subject to the king who expressed no particular desire to take the kings place. He is approached by the three witches after having had some success on the battlefield and is at that point told of the prophecy.

Upon hearing the prophecy of his future as King, Macbeth is initially stunned and skeptical. His doubt in my opinion is key. I see it as expressing the fact that this is something Macbeth had never aimed for or even imagined for himself. Once Lady Macbeth is made aware of the prophecy it is fulfilled almost immediately. Macbeth kills the king while the true heirs (the princes) decide to flee in fear of their own lives. I believe that had Macbeth not known of this prophecy, he would have simply been grateful for his 'promotion' as opposed to being slightly angered by the prince's promotion. He would have never even made an attempt at the kings life, and the prophecy would never have been fulfilled.

Final Part II - "Don't Mention Macbeth"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h--HR7PWfp0&NR=1

This clip titled "Don't Mention Macbeth" is taken from the BBC comedy Blackadder. It focuses on the belief that there is a curse on the name Macbeth. The two characters that are playing as two 'actors' speak in rhyme and take part in a seemingly silly ritual in order to avoid the curse of mentioning the name 'Macbeth.' I find that these 2 characters closely resemble the fools seen among various plays from Shakespeare's collection. The costume and presentation of the characters in this show closely resemble the styles of Shakespeare's time as well. I chose the clip for it's comedic display of the curse of Macbeth as well as for it's portrayal of Shakepeare's time.

Is this what you call convent material?

Through reading Measure for Measure, we are introduced to Isabella. She is portrayed as a woman of morals and values, as she has entered a convent and aims to become a nun. She willingly gives up all worldly pleasures and completely devotes herself to the Lord, preserving her spirit and her soul. This is who Isabella wants be to be and might even be seen as on a base level. Her actions in this play might actually point to something else.

In the beginning scenes of the play Isabella finds out from Lucio that her brother Claudio is to be put to death for bedding Juliette whom he has not yet married. Lucio tells Isabella that she should speak to Angelo and try to get Claudio off the hook. When Isabella doubts her ability to make any difference in the matter, Lucio tells her, "when maidens sue, men give like Gods, but when they weep and kneel, all their petitions are as freely theirs as they themselves would owe them," Lucio is basically encouraging Isabella to use her feminine charm in order to help Claudio. Despite being in a convent and knowing that doing such a thing might be seen as wrong, she still immediately agrees to try saving Claudio in that way.

After speaking with Angelo and being propositioned by him (her body for Claudio's life) she immediately turns it down. When this happens, Isabella says, "I am now going to resolve him. i had rather my brother die by the law than my son should be unlawfully born." Her wording in this line is very telling. It is completely about herself and has nothing to do with any concerns over her brothers soul. Though she had previously mentioned concerns over his soul, i am convinced that she only says it as a way of convincing Claudio that it is for his own good that she doesn't sleep with angelo. The way i see it, she is simply trying to look selfless when speaking to claudio there but the line above shows that this is really all about her.

The Women of 'The Merchant of Venice'

During Shakespeare's time, daughters had very little control over their own lives. They were expected to follow the whims of their Father/spouse or be shunned by those closest to them and, in most cases, the rest of society. In The Merchant of Venice we get two female characters, Portia and Jessica, who are given orders by their fathers regarding their futures. Both of these characters seem to be on each end of the spectrum, yet they each appear to still get what they want.

The two women are similar in that they both at one point disguise as men. Portia does it to save spy on and help Antonio with his problem. Her intentions are mostly selfless as it is done for others. Jessica only does it to escape, which is a purely selfish reason. Both these women lack mother figures, which actually appears to be a general 'lack' among a good amount of Shakespeare's plays.

Throughout the play, it is clear that Portia is generally an obedient character. She follows her fathers request that her future husband be chosen through a test rather than herself. Despite him being in his deathbed she still goes along with it. Showing that she is a dutiful daughter. She goes by the rules of her father and her society, and appears to see that as her only option. Jessica on the other hand completely disobeys and betrays her father. She runs away to marry Lorenzo (a christian), Steals her father's money as well as her mothers wedding ring. She thoughtlessly spends 1000 ducats in one shot and trades the wedding ring for a monkey, she also converts to christianity. She has no respect for her father and seems to hate him. She betrays her father in every way possible (stealing/running/converting), and though typically the consequences to these types of actions would be harsh, i believe that it is due to the fact that it all directly harms Shylock, that she is let off the hook.