Activity Two: Shakespeare and Women: Lady Macbeth, Lady Macduff and Anne Hathaway (not Cat Woman!)

Groups of no more than 3.  30 points.

Dr. Gingrich, 10th Honors English

 

 

Part 1:

Read about Shakespeare’s marriage to Anne Hathaway and answer the following questions

http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-biography-marriage-wife-anne-hathaway.htm

 

http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-anne-hathaway.htm

 

 

 

 

• How old was Shakespeare at the time of his marriage? How old was Anne?

• What provided the apparent impetus for his marriage to Anne?

• What apparently happened to Anne after Shakespeare emerged in London as an actor and playwright?

• What did Shakespeare leave Anne in his will?

• What parallels, if any, can you find in Shakespeare’s relationship with Anne and Macbeth’s relationship with Lady Macbeth?

• What parallels, if any, can you find in Shakespeare’s relationship with Anne and Macduff’s relationship with Lady Macduff?

 

 

 Part 2:  Write down notes and responses to the following questions:

 

1. What evidence is there in Act I that Macbeth is already considering murdering Duncan even before speaking with Lady Macbeth?

2. Examine Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship from the standpoint of who is the dominant partner. How does the dominant partner maintain this dominance?

3. Reread Macbeth’s soliloquy at the beginning of Act I, Scene VII. Consider Duncan’s immediate bestowal of Thane of Cawdor (Act I, Scene II), his promise to Macbeth of further honors (Act I, Scene IV), and Malcolm’s promise to those who supported him in his claim against Macbeth (Act V,Scene VIII). Based on these scenes, what do you suppose Shakespeare considered the characteristics

of a good king to be?

  1. What effects have the murders had on Lady Macbeth? What role has she had in planning them?
  2. Find three soliloquies from Lady Macbeth (one from act one, one from act two, and one from act five).  How has she changed? What has caused this change?

Part 3: Respond to one of the following.

A.  You are a modern psychologist.  Write your diagnosis of Lady Macbeth.

B.  You are Lady Macbeth at the end of Act V.  Write a letter from Lady Macbeth to Macbeth.

C. You are a journalist.  Conduct an interview with William Shakespeare in which you ask him questions about his views on male and female relationships and how they connect to The Tragedy of Macbeth.

4Multiple Critical

PPth