Food Is A Source Of Cultural Identity

Food Is A Source Of Cultural Identity As we go through life, we travel to countries or meet people from dissimilar cultures, and we naturally question our new environments. By questioning these new societies, we are able to understand more of ones personality and identity. Cultural identity is when certain traditions, customs, beliefs and values are shared through traditional cultural practises and become meaningful and important to oneself1. It contributes to how we see ourselves and the groups with which we identify1. Ethnic foods offer a rich set of metaphors through which individuals can express their cultures. Food is one custom that strongly connects people to their traditions, and has been not only important in Jewish culture and history, it has been central to the Ashkenazi Jews ideas about themselves and about others, as well as their social and communal practices2. Ashkenazis or Eastern European Jews are defined as those who, from long before 1500, lived in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and European Russ ia3. This essay explores how food is source of cultural identity for Ashkenazi Jews living in Australia, concentrating on the connection between food and festivals, ceremonies and the Bible. As well as the contrast of how food is not the most identifiable aspect in some Ashkenazi Jews lives. Festivals and Ceremonies: Formerly, Jews came together around a core of religious and ethnic traditions, such as synagogue affiliation, lighting of Shabbat candles and giving charity to Jewish foundations9. However today, Australias Jewish population has encountered an internal breakdown of both the concept of community and the family unit, which have united the Jewish people for so long. Ashkenazi Jews use food as a way to unify family and friends, and reconnect with traditions and culture4. Ashkenazi cuisine tends to use oil, potatoes, inexpensive cuts of meat and simple seasonings4. The importance of food to Ashkenazi Jews can be learnt from the celebrated festivals and rituals. Foods related to festivals are more based on traditions and symbolism passed down generation-to-generation, rather than the Bible. A very special celebration that occurs on the seventh day of the week is Shabbat. Good and homely food is a crucial part of the mitzvah, or good deed, of oneg Shabbat, meaning enjoying Shabbat. Traditio nally, Ashkenazi Jews start the event with a small serving of a fish dish; gefilte fish, poached jelly fish or pickled fish, served as an appetizer before hot soup. A chicken main dish is then served accompanied by cooked vegetables and a kugel4. Finally, dessert is usually fresh or stewed fruits followed by tea and small cakes4. This strongly contrasts the Sephardic Jews take on Shabbat food. Sephardic Jews reflect the foods more typical of many Mediterranean countries since Sephardic Jews are descendents of settlers from the Near East. Meals include fish with avgolemono sauce, chopped eggplant, roasted lamb, stuffed vegetables, rice and, to finish the meal, a honey-soaked cake or pastry nibbled with strong and sweet Turkish coffee4. The ceremonial bread, Challah, is surrounded by folklore and tradition and laden with symbolism. On festive occasions a blessing or Motzi is said over two loaves of challah, symbolising the manna given to the people of Israel during the Exodus from Isr ael on Fridays5. Two portions of the manna were distributed, so the Israelites did not need to work and prepare food on the Shabbat5. Similarly to Shabbat, foods consumed on Rosh HaShanah are symbolic to certain aspects to the event, and are created by the Ashkenazi cultural traditions. Rosh HaShanah means head of the year; it is the New Years festival of the Jewish calendar and features foods to celebrate the hope of a sweet year. A hearty main meal of fish, appetizers, meats and honeyed vegetable (Tzimmes) is conventional4. The iconic foods that signify and rejoice the Jewish New Years are apples dipped in honey and honey cake for a good and sweet year, and the round challah and the head of a fish which represents the circle of life and marks the cyclical nature of the course of a year4. The representations of Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat foods are significant to a majority of Ashkenazi Jews in Australia, because it enables them to link to their ancient religion physically and spiritually3. However, during the most important and solemn holiday in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, the Torah (Jewish scriptures) commanded You shall afflict your souls (Leviticus 16:29)6 and For a soul which is not afflicted on that day will be cut off (Leviticus 23:29)6. This has been interpreted, as Jewish people need to fast from sunset to sunset to atone for the sins of the past year4. It is one of the few holidays that is not dependent on food. Thus it is one aspect which food is not a source of cultural identity. It is also an event when many Ashkenazi Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and/or attend synagogue services on this day. Instead of using food as a source of cultural identity, it is the sacred religious day. Although, it is customary for Ashkenazi Jews to make a feast for breaking of the fast. Normally consisting of cakes and hot drink to break the fast, then light salads and dairy foods to aid with digestion3. Proving that Ashkenazi J ews return to food in order commemorate important events that are momentous in the Jewish culture. Impact of Ashkenazi foods on the non-Jewish communities: Jewish foods dont only give Ashkenazi Jews themselves cultural identity, but allows non-Jewish people to recognise the Jewish culture. Australia prides itself as being a multi-cultural country. In 2011, the Census revealed that 26% of Australias population was born overseas and an additional one fifth had at least one parent born abroad7. Throughout the 100 years since the first National Census in 1911, a large component of the Australian population have been made up of migrants7. Even though only 0.5% of Australians identify themselves as Jewish7, this hasnt swayed the impact the Jewish culture has on the Australian diet. After World War II, Jews all over the world, especially in Australia identify the bagel with the Old World and with immigrant Jewish culture10. The bagel was brought to Western societies by the Eastern European Jews from the 1890s and have become one of the most iconic foods that gentiles identify with the Jewish culture8. Most of the other foods mentioned so far, are mostly restricted to those of Jewish faith and hardly are consumed by the wider community8. Other Ashkenazi foods readily available in the main cities of Australia, are baked goods like babka and rugelach, fried potato pancakes known as a Latke and the blintz4,10. Jewish Dietary Laws Kashrut: Jewish people are supposed to follow an intricate system of procedures and taboos in relation to food, derived from a set of commandments said to have been given to Moses by G-d6. These commandments prohibit the eating of particular animals, the most recognised pig; they are prescribed definite methods for the slaughter and preparation of animals that are not banned10. The directives have been augmented by a code of practise, known as Kashrut, intended to ensure that they are never defied9. However, the observance of Jewish Dietary rules have declined sharply, with many Jews observing them only partly and many others rejecting them completely9. This situation has not, however, made these dietary rules irrelevant; on the contrary, it has made them one of the most important ways through which ideas about contemporary Jewish identity and membership can be expressed. Ashkenazi Jews needed to adapt some of the Dietary Laws due to the food accessibility in some areas3. Several changes that have been made are the mixing of fish and milk products, more leniency with the Kashrut for meat than Sephardic Jews and refraining from eating legumes, grain, millet and rice during the Passover festival10. In Australia, Ashkenazi Jews still continue to observe these altered rules because of the strong traditional aspects connected to them, which individualises them as a certain type of Jew. Today, Jews from all different areas and streams, can deem the Kosher Laws to be an ancient form of food regulations that doesnt need to be performed in todays society, because of the new modern methods of cleaning and preparation of foods. Other reasons are some are not informed well of the laws, and/or consider it an added expenditure and inconvenience. More recently, animal rights groups and the Australian media have exclaimed their outrage of the ill-treatment of animals during the process of Koshering meat by companies who do not provide prior stunning11,12. This has strongly influenced Jews to disassociate themselves from obeying Kashrut, and in a few circumstances reject their Jewish identity12. This is because they think the Jewish culture doesnt respect animals12. However, this contradicts what the Jews and the Torah believe. Ritual slaughter, known as shechita, is a fast, deep cut across the throat with a perfectly sharp blade with no hesitations or unevenness12,13. This me thod is regarded as painless by Rabbis because Jews believe that God, would only provide for a merciful and compassionate method of send off for his creatures6,12. The Torah is the first methodical legislation, which prohibits cruelty to animals and authorises that they be treated with consideration and value. Judaism exigencies the humane treatment of animals6,12. As well shechita has been scientifically shown to be painless. Dr. Stuart Rosen MA, MD, FRCP discussed the behavioural responses of animals to shechita and the neurophysiologic studies relevant to the assessment of pain, and concluded, shechita is a painless and humane method of animal slaughter13. Jews should be proud to observe Kashrut and to identify themselves as Jewish because of the humane and clean ways of preparing food. Conclusion: Cultural identity should be meaningful and personal to oneself, as well as an open exploration that should be shared. In multi-cultural societies, like Australia, recognising certain cultures can be done by looking at their foods. Ashkenazi Jews are now identifiable by non-Jewish societies, because they relate the Ashkenazi community with iconic foods, such as bagels. For Ashkenazi Jews, the saying You eat what you are4 applies perfectly. They have special foods and diets for their sacred occasions, and ritual eating at festivals and ceremonies allow Ashkenazi Jews to reflect on and identify with their culture and religion through the symbolic representations of the traditional foods. However, you are what you dont eat as well. The solemn festival of Yom Kippur , is one of the most important Jewish festivals and requires Jews to fast from sunset to sunset4. Also the laws of Kashrut have strict guidelines of forbidden foods, and precise manners of food preparation that need to be obey ed9. Kosher eating is a essential part of food being a source of cultural identity, even though not every Jew observes all the laws.

Explore and evaluate Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural in Macbeth Essay

Explore and evaluate Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural in Macbeth, supporting your answer with a detailed discussion of two scenes of your choice. In the play Macbeth, the supernatural is a major theme, and is important on a number of levels: firstly, it held many attractions for its original audience, both general and specific; secondly, the supernatural is an intriguing dramatic device, used to drive the play along and to keep it exciting; finally, the supernatural also has a great thematic significance to the play. This essay will look at each of these points in turn, and supplement them with a detailed analysis of exactly how Shakespeare uses the supernatural in relation to two scenes; Act One Scene One, and Act Five Scene One. It is important, however, to begin with a definition of the supernatural and what it encompasses. The supernatural is defined as forces, occurrences, and beings that cannot be explained by science. When people think of the supernatural they automatically think of dark and mysterious beings such as ghosts and witches, but phenomena such as hallucinations, prophecies, vision and apparitions can also be grouped under the supernatural. The supernatural comes from the two words â€Å"super† and â€Å"nature†. In this case the word â€Å"super† means â€Å"beyond†, so the supernatural can encompass all things beyond nature, or perversions of nature, such as unusual weather and weather and sleep disorders. Finally, the supernatural can also mean disrupting the natural order, such as regicide. When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, he wrote it for a specific as well as a general audience: The specific audience was James I, and the general audience were the theatregoers of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. It was very important that when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, he wrote in a way that would appeal to James I. James I had been the Patron of Shakespeare’s band of actors, The King’s Men, since 1603, and it is thought that Macbeth was first performed in August 1606 to celebrate the visit of James’ brother-in-law, King Christian of Denmark, so James I would have been the Patron of The King’s Men for three years. It was important that the Patron enjoyed the plays because he or she was one of the main sources of money for the actors. In Macbeth, witches were the main supernatural phenomenon in the play, and for the audience of the time, witches were believed to be very real, and a subject of great conversation, not only with the regular working-class, but also with the great thinkers of that time. This notion was also memorably and hilariously in the famous debate scene from â€Å"Monty Python and the Holy Grail.† Most importantly, though, the use of witchcraft in Macbeth would have appealed greatly to King James I. James I always had a fascination with witches. In 1950, while he was still King of Scotland, he had over 300 â€Å"witches† tortured in order to extract confessions that they were conspiring against him. King James took an active part in these trials, believing that, since the Kings was believed to be God’s representative on Earth, he would obviously be the main target of these â€Å"agents of the devil†. Also, James himself wrote and published a book about witchcraft around 1597, the Demonology, in which he detailed their supposed powers of predicting the future, affecting the weather, defying all laws of physics and taking demonic possession of innocent people. In 1592, King James had a meeting with a lady called Agnes Simpson, someone who for a long time had been suspected of being a practising witch. James met with her to interrogate her about her witchcraft, but was highly disturbed when Simpson began quoting the exact same words James’s wife said to him on their wedding night. This made James far more engrossed with witchcraft, and made him even more determined to rid the world of these â€Å"agents of the devil†. Finally, in 1604, new laws were enacted by James I stating that practising witches would be punished by execution. Shakespeare not only used the witches to grab the attention of James I; he also used them as a way to flatter James, his friends and his relatives. The witches are used to prophesise the succession of Banquo’s progeny as King, and help to show Banquo favourably: In the original story of Macbeth, found in Holinshed’s Chronicles of Scotland, Banquo is complicit to Duncan’s murder, but Shakespeare changes this to show that Banquo is a honest, pure-of-heart person, which will please James I as Banquo is a old ancestor of his. He also shows Banquo to be a wise person in Act One Scene Three, where Banquo and Macbeth meet the witches for the first time. Macbeth’s reaction is one of ambition, and is captivated by what the witches say, whereas Banquo has a far more cautious response, and is aware that the witches could well be up to no good. I, iii 123 – 126 And oftentimes to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s In deepest consequence.- This will please James I, to know that his relatives were also aware of witches’ evil. James I is also mentioned in Macbeth, when Macbeth has a vision of eight King’s, on with â€Å"two-fold balls and treble sceptres†. These were James’ regalia, and symbolised James’s power over Macbeth. James I is also seen to have power of Macbeth when Banquo’s ghost is seen sitting in Macbeth’s chair. This use of the supernatural suggests that Banquo’s ancestors will one day take over the throne from Macbeth. Macbeth’s fear of Banquo’s ghost also suggests again that Banquo is superior to Macbeth. Finally, Shakespeare uses the supernatural to interest James I when Macbeth seems powerless in the face of Lady Macbeth’s illness. Malcolm and Macduff talk about how the true king has the power to cure the King’s Evil, as disease called scrofula. James I was believed to have this power and it would have pleased James to know that Shakespeare has shown him to be more powerful than Macbeth. Shakespeare also realised how important it is for plays to appeal to their general audience, and uses a number of different methods to carry this out. The regular people of Elizabethan and Jacobean England also had a fascination with witches, and every town in England would have suspected witches, so it was a common subject of conversation. From these conversations sprouted rumours about the ways and lifestyles of witches, and Shakespeare put hints of these stories into Macbeth. In Act 1 Scene 3, Witch 2 says she has been â€Å"Killing swine†, whilst witch 1 says that â€Å"in a sieve I’ll hither sail†. The people of that time did actually believe that witches killed pigs and sailed over the ocean in a sieve, and hearing these things in a play would have lit up their enthusiastic fascination and would have grabbed their attention. In Macbeth the witches are not only used to fascinate the audience but also to amuse them. The audience would have enjoyed the reference to the witches â€Å"beards† in Act 1 Scene 3, as the witches would have been played by men, and the self-aware joking from the actors would have gone down well with the whole audience. Shakespeare also uses recent events to attract the audience. Macbeth becomes very concerned about the fact that he has no heir to his throne, and the audience will be able to relate this to their recent experience of Queen Elizabeth, who died with no natural heir. The supernatural also adds to Macbeth on a dramatic level, and is used to create suspense, embellish themes of the play and to accentuate the characters personalities, amongst other things. As previously mentioned, the supernatural encompasses hallucinations, and Macbeth’s hallucination of a dagger is a great dramatic device to give the audience the full, haunting extent of Macbeth’s inner turmoil. In some performances of Macbeth, the dagger actually appears hovering onstage, and whilst that maybe an interesting use of special effects, I think it is far more effective when the dagger is invisible, as we can see that he is in fact seeing things, and that what is going on is just in his mind. Similarly, when Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in his chair, having no one sitting in the chair shows how disturbed Macbeth is. Also, this would the audience in the same position as his friends at the table, perplexed and worried about what is happening. On the other hand, if someone was to play Banquo’s ghost, it would allow for the actor to make use of the stage trapdoor, which would have gone down very well with the audience. Another use of Banquo’s ghost is to mark a turning point in the play; before the ghost’s arrival, Macbeth is authoritative and respected, but his reaction to the ghost shows him in a completely different light, nervous and vulnerable, and this would change his friends’ opinions. This signifies a big change in the play, and from this point onward things become progressively words for Macbeth. Another example of how the supernatural is used as a dramatic device is when Macbeth and Banquo first meet with the witches. The audience know that Macbeth is to be soon hailed Thane of Cawdor, but Macbeth is unaware. This use of dramatic irony gives the audience a sense of superiority, and draws them into the play. Finally, in Act 2 and Scene 4 Ross and the Old Man are commenting on how the events of Macbeth’s regicide have affected the wider world. Here they act almost like a Greek chorus, providing a running commentary on events. The events they describe, such as Duncan’s horses eating each other and a Falcon being eaten by a Mousing Owl effectively tell the audience that Macbeth’s actions have far-reaching consequences. Macbeth is a tragedy, and Shakespeare uses the supernatural to reinforce this. Macbeth is tragic because at the beginning of the play Macbeth is a brave, honourable man, but by the end he is a weak, self centred man, who is eventually killed through fault of his own. This fits Aristotle’s notion of what a tragedy is. In his Poetics he says that a good tragedy has to be about the downfall of a man from a position of greatness to one of lowliness and death. However, Aristotle then goes on to say that it is only a true tragedy if the downfall was brought about by an aspect of the man’s personality, what Aristotle called his â€Å"fatal flaw†. Macbeth’s fatal flaw is his ambition, and the supernatural is used to back this up in a number of ways: The witches in Macbeth are used to show how Macbeth’s ambition takes over everything in his life, and is responsible for Macbeth’s killing of Duncan. In Act 1 Scene 3, the witches don’t say anything about killing Duncan, but Macbeth is so captivated by the fact that he has been told he could be King, his ambition takes over and he would do anything to get to the crown. Shakespeare also uses Banquo’s reaction to the witches’ prophecies to bring out Macbeth’s burning ambition further still. Banquo hears the same things from the witches, but responds in a far more level-headed way, which shows how great an effect Macbeth’s ambition has on his thoughts. Ambition is one of the main themes in Macbeth, but perhaps the most important theme is that of Kingship, and the lengths Macbeth will go to to become King, which includes Regicide. In Shakespearean times people were far more aware of The Divine Right of Kings, and therefore killing a King was the next crime down from killing God. An assault on the King is an assault on God, and it was shown by Ross and the Old Man in Act 2 Scene 4 that the killing of Duncan had supernatural consequences. These consequences are an example of how nature is disordered and unnatural, and the supernatural also conveys this in a number of ways: In the opening scene, the witches talk about paradoxes such as â€Å"fair is foul and foul is fair†, and they say Banquo is â€Å"lesser that Macbeth, and greater.† This is Shakespeare’s way of showing that things in the play are the opposite of what they seem, and that there are many double meanings to what the witches say. Even the appearance of the witches show that things are reversed and upside down, as displayed by the witches beards. Also, Shakespeare uses the interruption of natural rhythms such as sleep to show how the natural order has been interrupted. Lady Macbeth’s somnambulance is a clear example of how disturbed she is over the death of Duncan, and because Lady Macbeth is always putting a front on in public laced with smiles, sleepwalking is a highly effective way of bringing out her inner turmoil. Finally, Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy to show what effect Macbeth’s actions have on the rest of the world. The stormy weather and earthquakes described once again by Ross and Old Man demonstrate that there not just a few people suffering from Macbeth’s actions, it encompasses a whole nation. This essay has shown how Shakespeare uses the supernatural in a dramatic, thematic and audience-specific ways, but in order to see just how effectively he integrates into the text, it is important to look at two scenes where it is most memorably used. This essay will be looking at Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 5 Scene 1. ACT 1 SCENE 1 The opening scene is an excellent platform to see the supernatural in its most common manifestation in Macbeth: the three witches. The first scene introduces the audience to the witches, and Shakespeare uses the witches to set the scene for the rest of the play. Before the witches even speak, we know this is going to be a dark, intense play from the stage directions. Firstly, thunder and lightning is Shakespeare’s way of using pathetic fallacy to tell us what sort of mood the play has. Thunder and lightning creates a very tense mood, as you never know when the lightning will strike. It will also create a dark sky, making it every scarier. Thunder and lightning also symbolises that everything is not in order, and things aren’t running smoothly. The second part of the stage directions simply says â€Å"Enter THREE WITCHES.† I have already said how fascinated people were with witches in Shakespearean times, and seeing on stage as soon as the play begins would have lit their enthusiasm and grabbed their attention instantaneously. Witches are of course encompassed by the supernatural. These agents of the devil are there to show that the natural order of things and the natural order of God has been disrupted, and all is not well. When the Witches begin talking, it becomes apparent that they want to meet with Macbeth, and that things in the play aren’t all well. When they say â€Å"when the battle’s lost and won†, these oxymoronic statements show that everything is upside down, and that one thing can quite easily mean the other. It emerges that they will meet again with Macbeth upon the heath before the set of the sun, meaning today. They also talk about their â€Å"demons†, Paddock and Greymalkin, a toad and a cat. People at the time believed witches kept pets to spy on people so they could posses them. James I wrote about it in his book. The language that witches use and the way they talk is quite unusual, and shows why the three have been branded â€Å"The Wyrd Sisters†. When the witches are talking, they never talk in iambic pentameter, the usual pattern of Shakespeare’s writing. The iambic pentameter symbolises a natural rhythm, and the disruption of this rhythm demonstrates the natural order of things has been disrupted. This is very similar to Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking in Act 5 Scene 1. Also, the witches’ phrases seem to carry on from one another. An example of this is when Witch 2 says â€Å"When the battle’s lost and won†, and Witch 3 immediately replies â€Å"That will be the ere the set of sun.† This sort of language could mean that they are all part of one body, and controlled by one greater power, namely the Devil. It also could be seen to show that the witches are using telepathic powers to communicate with one another. The people of Shakespearean times were firm believers that witches could communicate with each other through the power of their minds, and James I also wrote about it in his book The Demonology. The penultimate line in this scene, â€Å"Fair is foul, and foul is fair† once again shows how one thing can mean the other, and that the witches are turning over God’s natural order. The first scene in this play isn’t very long at all, but in it Shakespeare manages to tell us an awful lot about the nature of the play, and sets the scene well for the rest of the play. This haunting scene shows the final degeneration of Lady Macbeth, in which the supernatural plays an important part in conveying the full extent of Lady Macbeth’s troubles. Prior to this scene, Lady Macbeth has never let her cover slip. She has remained â€Å"th’innocent flower† in public, and only alone or with Macbeth has she been â€Å"the serpent under’t†. This is the first point where she subconsciously lets her facade slip. Only when she says she would have murdered Duncan â€Å"had he not resembles / [her] father as he slept† does the audience see she has the tiny piece of humanity, and the audience also sees a glimpse of her guilt when she says that â€Å"Naught’s had, all’s spent, / Where our desire is got without consent.† Apart from these two comments, Lady Macbeth has appeared strong and not let her front slip, so it is a great shock to see her so vulnerable and weak in such a verbal and visual way. The stage directions of this scene are â€Å"Enter a DOCTOR OF PHYSIC and a WAITING-GENTLEWOMAN.† The fact that there is a Doctor is a concern to the audience, because a doctor is only ever present when someone is ill (nature being disordered), or there is a need to stave off death. Also, a waiting-gentlewoman suggests that Lady Macbeth that has to depend on someone else, which is a huge contrast to her ever-independent personality, especially since the waiting-gentlewoman is of a lower status to herself. So just by the stage directions, we know that Lady Macbeth is in need of help. We are also aware of that Lady Macbeth is troubled from the conversation between the Doctor and waiting-gentlewoman. For a start, it turns out that that the pair have been watching Lady Macbeth for two nights now. The fact that Lady Macbeth has let people watch her without her realising shows how vulnerable she is because she doesn’t know what information she is giving to the audience. The gentlewoman then goes on to tell the Doctor (and the audience) a list of what Lady Macbeth has done â€Å"Since his majesty went into the field†. The fact that she automatically throws â€Å"her night-gown upon her† suggests that she is subconsciously ashamed of herself and has a desire to conceal her true self. This is a very effective insight to Lady Macbeth’s inner thoughts, although this is lost in the Polanski version of Macbeth, where she appears naked. This essay has already discussed how Macbeth is full of oxymorons and contradictions, and this scene is no exception. When the waiting-gentlewoman talks about how Lady Macbeth has managed to complete all these actions that usually occur when people are awake (she manages to â€Å"unlock he closet, take forth paper† etc.), it is highly strange for anyone to do them â€Å"in a most fast sleep†. This is another way of Shakespeare showing that nature has been disrupted. The Doctor explains it well that there has to be â€Å"A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once the benefit of sleep, and do the effects of watching!† He then follows this with the oxymoronic â€Å"slumbery agitation†, another sign of a natural rhythm being overturned. Lady Macbeth’s actions are also full of contradictions, as noted by the comments: â€Å"her eyes are open† †¦ â€Å"but their senses are still shut†; and also â€Å"she has spoke what she should not†, displaying once again the fact that she has no control over what people hear her say. Finally, the fact that the servant won’t tell the Doctor what she has seen her do previously heightens the suspense. When Lady Macbeth finally arrives onstage, the stage directions say â€Å"with a taper.† The taper could resemble her isolation, a small candle in a dark room, or it could emphasise her desire for light, in contrast too her â€Å"dark desires†. It would also give extra meaning to Macbeth’s famous â€Å"out, out brief candle† speech, which he gave just after the news of his wife’s death. Sleepwalking is unnatural, as a natural bodily cycle is being interrupted. The audience may have seen this as supernatural possession, possibly by the witches, which would have made the scene even more intense. When Lady Macbeth is in her â€Å"slumbery agitation† it seems as if she is in another world. The fact that she is being commented on by the Doctor and waiting-woman emphasises her isolation from the rest of the world. Also, the fact that the audience can see hear Lady Macbeth without her knowing will give them a feeling of superiority over her, and make her feel less powerful. When Lady Macbeth comes onstage the audience is drawn to â€Å"how she rubs her hands.† The audience are told that she has been known to do this for a quarter of an hour makes clear the extent of her deterioration. When Lady Macbeth first speaks, she talks of the imaginary, supernatural â€Å"spot† of blood on her hand. This mirrors Macbeth’s hallucination of the â€Å"air-drawn dagger†. Lady Macbeth is experiencing what Macbeth has already encountered, but she has suppressed all humanity and compassion in her to such an extent that it has to find a way out, and the only way is when she is unconscious. When Macbeth sees the dagger he appears to have gone mad to the audience, but his cathartic projection of his fears is far healthier. In this scene, Lady Macbeth’s language has changed dramatically. Her first speech is only four syllables long, but it is in prose, as opposed to the formal iambic pentameter verse. Her speech is disjointed, which represents her isolation from the world. Also, there is so little rhythm to it, although it could be argued that the phrase takes a spondaic form, which would suggest a very disordered state and lack of control. Also, her speech is purposefully bland, reserved for those of a lower status, and most certainly not royalty like herself. This is very similar to Macbeth’s linguistic degeneration, when he addresses the Murderers in prose. Lady Macbeth’s language is a highly telling manifestation of her degeneration. The contrast between her poetic, calculated persuasion of Act One to the child-like drivel of â€Å"The Thane of Fife had a wife†. Lady Macbeth’s final speech is of a woman who is no longer exists in the present: she is in the past reliving her memories, almost in some horrifying reverie. The fact she is reliving the past is backed up with â€Å"there’s knocking at the gate†, reflects a reliving of the last few moments before their act of murder was discovered. The speech is also crammed with repetition, with â€Å"come† repeated four times and â€Å"to bed† five. Finally, the phrase â€Å"give me your hand† is a perfect expression of her feelings towards her husband – she still loves him but she still feels the desire to command and control. The doctor’s final speech widens the scope of Lady Macbeth’s experiences to take in the whole world: â€Å"Foul whisperings are abroad† can be used to apply to the death of Lady Macbeth herself, but can also relate to the supernatural side-effects of Macbeth’s regicide. After the degeneration of Lady Macbeth, one of the most powerful and vivid character in all of drama, it is the lowly doctor who talks in poetry, not his usual prose. â€Å"Unnatural deeds/ Do breed unnatural troubles† sums up the play brilliantly, but a terrifying reminder of the consequences the Macbeths have to live with. SECTION SEVEN: conclusion This essay has looked at Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural in great detail, commenting on it in a thematic, dramatic and audience-specific sense and focusing in extra detail on Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 5 Scene 1. Shakespeare makes excellent use of the supernatural through witches, hallucinations, prophecies, somnambulance and freak weather. Whether they dominate the scene or not, the many manifestations of the supernatural are used precisely and effectively to add an extra dimension to Macbeth.

The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1977 Words

â€Å"We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality†. (Iris Murdoch). How had Jay Gatsby left such an imprint on Nick’s life? Jay Gatsby’s greed and imagination had left his efforts blinded, from the undying need to win Daisy back. However, most people have surrounded themselves with respect on their ethics and morals. Gatsby along with the other citizens of the West and East Egg had constructed their lives around their philosophy and opinion of a good life. The 1920’s had been an era in which been corrupted by the American Dream. The American Dream had been the willing to want, that anyone could make material success, everlasting love, and political power, by hard work and dedication. The Roaring Twenties had created this irrelevant idea that the people could put up facades and mask what they truly were. In the novel The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, tells a story of the depths and problems tha t surround wealth and the society of the West/East Egg. Gatsby was great because the idealism of wealth and the American Dream was great, however his intentions were tragically too idealistic, which ultimately caused his death. Jay Gatsby blinded by many materialistic needs, had been under the impression that life is stricken in a rewind of an illusion. The American Dream in the simplest way had been all but an illusion, an idea hidden under a spell. The true idea of the American Dream and achieving greatness had become anShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1393 Words   |  6 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald was the model of the American image in the nineteen twenties. He had wealth, fame, a beautiful wife, and an adorable daughter; all seemed perfect. 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William ShakespeareS Utilization Of Dialect Still Moves

William Shakespeare s utilization of dialect still moves gatherings of people today, after 400 years. Four centuries of world-history, flooding with life, love, disaster, and misfortune, have breathed easy set the last accentuation stamp on Shakespeare s work. Researchers have concentrated his legacy, looking for a comprehension of why despite everything we give it a second thought, and, how it s conceivable that the plays have been performed in practically every dialect. Aside from his conspicuous ability with exposition, what is it about Shakespeare s work that keeps him significant in classrooms, on stages, in movies, in hearts, in brains—and, even in detainment facilities, [where] educators find [†¦] Shakespeare offers†¦show more content†¦The sum total of what we have are the characters activities and their words. Regardless of the possibility that, by speech or methods for less-coordinate clarification, when a character inside the play proposes any kind of rationale toward the crowd, they are still individuals, seeing that their ability to lie, misshape, overlook, wrongly-recall, love, dread, and despise, in connection to the setting of their particular artistic world. These characters have an oblivious personality and, in this manner, are as powerless to an indistinguishable good inconsistencies from any individual, complex in their emotions if not their mind. Besides, regardless of the possibility that one contends these characters are simply projections of Shakespeare s inventiveness, there is, as words break from the brain before they trickle from the pen, still space to dissect these characters and plots through the viewpoint of analysis, for they are projections of Shakespeare, yes, however he too has an oblivious personality, brimming with thought processes concealed even from himself. In first experience with Sigmund Freud s The Uncanny, Hugh Haughton cites the psychoanalyst who, regardless of recommending in the start of the content that most psychoanalysts have an absence of aspiration in stylish examinations, along these lines and, inquisitively, hadShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s A Chance Essay1977 Words   |  8 Pagesrevered as William Shakespeare. His poetry and plays have survived centuries, and the ideas within his texts have birthed entire genres. However, as time progressed beyond the 16th century, so did the English language. Many words have fallen out of use while the definitions of other words have changed altogether. Many individuals are often frustrated when attempting to interpret the riddles of Shakespearean wordplay. Often, readers will give up before having truly given the beauty of Shakespeare’s writingsRead MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 Pagescan access instantaneous info and news online †¢ Proliferation of online blogs and social networking sites such as Twitter threaten to make mainstream media a thing of the past †¢ But mainstream media adapting to suit the taste of consumers, still integral part of their lives Mainstream BAD: Comparatively slower in its dissemination of news †¢ Chicago Tribune, official website chicagotribue.com, posts instant news coverage before newspaper hit the newsstands following morning †¢ Many