Macbeth: What Makes a Man?

Macbeth: What Makes a Man?
Five Quotes from Macbeth That Might Make You A Manly Man

1.Quote:
"I have almost forgot the taste of fears." (Act 5, Scene 5, Line 15)

Context and Paraphrase: This is later in the play after some of the plotting and murder has taken place. Macbeth is learning that his wife has died from Seyton. He is starting to process his feelings and emotions.

Interpretation and Explanation: In the play one of the themes is that to be a man you can not have many fears. Macbeth is saying that it has been a long time since he was fearful or felt fear; it is a macho stand to take and to express openly to others. It is macho on two levels -- first, to say you haven't had fear for so long, and second, to express you have had fears -- to be man enough to talk about feelings rather than suppress it. To express it shows some feeling which has not been evident in all of Macbeth's plotting during the play.

2. Quote:
"Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood.
Stop up th' access and passage to remorse," (Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 47-51

Context and Paraphrase: Lady Macbeth is saying she is going to kill the king if Macbeth does not. She is calling for action and saying that this is macho act.

Interpretation and Explanation: Lady Macbeth is saying to the spirits to make her like a man by giving her manly qualities such as cruelty and a lack of remorse. This will allow her to do what she needs to do -- take the life of the king. It shows cool, calculated actions make a man.

3. Quote:
"There the grown serpent lies. The worm that's fled
Hath nature that in time will venom breed,
No teeth for th' present. Get thee gone. Tomorrow
We'll hear ourselves again."

Context and Paraphrase: The king has just been killed and Macbeth is discussing the killing. He is implying it was no big deal to do this. He says they will catch up tomorrow.

Interpretation and Explanation: Manly men can murder with little or no regard to the lives they have taken. There is no need to bother with more thoughts on weak-natured people.

4. Quote:
"What man dare, I dare.
Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear,
The armed rhinoceros, or th' Hyrcan tiger;
Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves
Shall never tremble. Or be alive again
And dare me to the desert with thy sword.
If trembling I inhabit then, protest me
The baby of a girl. Hence, horrible shadow!
Unreal mock'ry, hence!"  (Act 3, Scene 4, Lines 121-129)

Context and Paraphrase: Macbeth confronts the ghost and says he can stand up to any man, no matter how tough he appears to be. By comparing himself to the toughest known adversaries of the day, he is saying he is an equal match to any of these.

Interpretation and Explanation: Macbeth compares himself to some of the fiercest animals who can do whatever they want because of the fear they instill in others. By comparing himself to tough animals he draws the comparison to his own sense of his strength. He says his nerve are unflappable and he is a person of bold action.

5. Quote:
 "The castle of Macduff I will surprise,
Seize upon the Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword
His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls
That trace him in his line. No boasting like a fool;
This deed I'll do before the purpose cool." (Act 4, Scene 1, Lines 171-175)

Context and Paraphrase: Lennox tells Macbeth that Macduff has fled to England. Macbeth responds by saying he will go to Macduff's castle and kill them.

Interpretation and Explanation: Macbeth proves to be ruthless and one who is not afraid to wield the sword. Clearly to him, being manly means taking bold action without much thought. Killing women and children bring him no greater concern than killing men -- for men need to take bold action and be bold actors.

The Odyssey: Common Themes

The Odyssey is a classic story of a man finding his place in the world. Through twenty-four books, many themes bind it together. Stories 11,12,13,16,19,21,22 share the common theme that life needs to be valued. Book 11 highlights this theme as Odysseus travels to "The land of the dead", and while he is there, he talks with Achilles. Achilles says to Odysseus that he would rather still be living as a beggar than die and live in heaven as a king. "But you, Achilles, there is not a man more blest than you -- there never has been, never will be one. Time was, when you were alive, we Argives honored you as a God, and now down here, I see, you lorded over the dead in all your power. So grieve no more at dying, Great Achilles. I reassured the ghost, but he broke out, protesting, 'No winning words about death to me, shining Odysseus! By God I'd rather slave on earth for another man -- some dirt poor tenant farmer who scrapes to keep alive --than rule down here over the breathless dead.' (Page 265, lines 554-560). This shows how much certain people value life and how precious the gift of life is.

Later in book 13 after he returns from the land of the dead, Odysseus sees again the value of life and that he shouldn't take anything for granted. Life is like a precious gem. Poseidon says to Zeus "I said my self that Odysseus would suffer long and hard before he made it home..." (Page 290, lines 148-149). If Poseidon would have made Odysseus suffer, he may not have had the strength to make it home. Because Odysseus is so strong both physically and emotionally he stays alive. Being alive and physically able, helps drive home the point of suffering making life become more precious because we cherish it more and don't take it for granted.

Near the end of Odysseus' journey, the god Athena disguises him as an old homeless beggar. This disguise is not meant as a punishment, but as a way to show how we should value life no matter how the life appears. Beggar Odysseus says 'I once too lived in a lofty house that men admired: rolling in wealth, I'd often give to a vagabound like myself, whoever he was, whatever need had brought him to my door. And crowds of servants I had, and lots of all it takes to live the life of ease, to make men call you rich. But Zeus ruined it all -- God's will no doubt. So be ware, women, or one day you may lose it all." (Page 392, lines 82-88). Odysseus tells the men not to take life for granted and to help people when given the opportunity -- doing so will make the gods happy and give you more wealth and power. A good, well run life, it seems should be valued for all since the rewards of such a life benefit everyone involved.

Say It's So, Joe!

Joe Mauer is a Minnesota hero, similar to Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. He is the go-to guy for almost anything and his face can be seen on everything from the T.V, billboards and milk cartons. However, his batting statistics in the play-offs are far off what we expect from him. After Joe's fellow big hitter and smash brother, Justin Morneau, is out with a concussion means Joe needs to step up in the play-offs. A lot is expected from Joe. Joe is without argument the best all-around player the Twins have. He is also the highest paid Twin ever. This season Joe only has one home run at the new Target stadium and is not up with his normal stats. With the other Twins not helping much on offense, Joe needs to take charge and get his team fired up. Lately, Joe has been being compared to Yankee shortstop and perennial All-Star Derek Jeter. With Jeter being accustomed to the play-off pressure and having to generate offense, he is no stranger to being called upon in clutch moments. However, Jeter has not won an overall baseball Most Valuable Player award and Mauer has; on top of that Mauer has won three batting titles and Jeter has none. So is Joe ready to take the lead or are the Minnesota fans expecting too much from him?

Hammerin' Hank Aaron Hits In The Hero Spot.

Hero's Quest: Hammerin' Hank Aaron

Stage I: Birth (and background)

Henry Louis Aaron was born February 5, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama, in the segregated South; few would imagine at the time of his birth that he would become the ultimate symbol of America's past time.

Henry, or as people mostly refer to him as Hank, is one of or is the best baseball player to ever play the game. Hank played for 22 seasons with what is now the Milwaukee Brewers but during his career was the Milwaukee and then Atlanta Braves. He holds the record for most home runs in a career with 755. (That is home runs hit without the use of performance enhancing drugs.)

Stage II: Departure

Call to Adventure: Hank grew up playing and loving the sport of baseball and his love of the game got him noticed. At the age of 16, he was scouted and signed with a Negro League team called Indianapolis Clowns. At the time, baseball was segregated with blacks playing in the Negro Leagues and whites playing in the Major Leagues. Later in 1952, the Boston Braves acquired Aaron's contract for $10,000 and sent him down in their minor league system. He also received the Rookie of The Year Award.

Crossing the Threshold: While Jackie Robinson became the first black major league baseball player, Hank benefited from Robinson's role on April 13, 1954 when he got his first shot at the big leagues. Hank would go 0-5 that game. In his second season he was voted to the All-Star game for the first of his 24 times.

Stage III: The Land of Fulfillment

Hero Partners: As one of the first handful of black athletes to join the major leagues, Aaron joined fellow pioneers and partners Eddie Mathews, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby.

Tests/Ordeals: In his first major league game, Hank would be tested -- he fails to reach base as he goes 0-for-5 at the plate.  Later on that season, he brakes his ankle and has to sit on the bench for six weeks.

Journey to the Underworld: During his career, Hank's power at the plate becomes evident. As he closes in on breaking the great Babe Ruth's home run record, Aaron is subject to racial taunts and death threats -- clearly feeling like he is facing death.

Stage IV: The Return

Magic Flight: When Aaron smashes home run 715, the ball sails into a magic flight to the record books. As he crosses home plate, the journey to the underworld is a thing of the past.

Elixir: Aaron is inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown.

Master of Two Worlds: He mastered both Negro League and Major League baseball. He later becomes the Ambassador for the sport of baseball worldwide.

Should Tim Brewster Be Dumped Down The Gopher Hole?

So far this season as the head coach, Tim Brewster has lead the Minnesota Gopher football team to a 1-4 season (and he is 14-24 lifetime with Minnesota). Brewster has a brand new state-of-the-art, on-campus stadium to play in and the support of a revitalized fan base because of the stadium. He also has been in charge of the football program for four years now so clearly this team bares his imprint. With all the young talent and the athletes he has recruited himself, he has still lost four home games in a row and has ruined the excitement of the new stadium has brought out in the fans.  With the high expectations Coach Brewster set publicly before the season began, the losing overall record and the terrible start to this season, it begs the question: Should Coach Brewster be on a one way ticket out of Minnesota? Many people believe that with our neighbors from the east (Wisconsin) and south (Iowa), having such success with football, why can't the great state of Minnesota have a winning football program? Is it the facilities in Minnesota? Tim Brewster said one thing that helps a team win is having a stadium on campus. With the new stadium built, why can't the coach win a game? Lastly, Brewster has said that good coaches can bring the talent out of any player -- so with Tim having coaching experience in the National Football League, why can't he pull out a win in collegiate level? So now ask your self this, when will Tim's plane take off, if it takes off at all? Tim Brewster has been given everything he says he needs to build a winning program yet he has not -- and now is the time to find another football coach who will use all the assets Minnesota has and build a winning football program.

Heroes: Amazing Feats From The People You Would Least Expect

Heroes can come in all different shapes and sizes, and oftentimes heroes come in the form of people and things you would least expect. Many different things can make a hero. In the movie Star Wars Luke Skywalker is just a normal young farm boy with an amazing untapped gift and an incredible path to follow. However, heroes don't always have to have an amazing gift or journey to embark upon. Oftentimes being a hero means having the ability to make tough and difficult decisions under trying circumstances and extreme pressure. Just like Luke, the young high school student Doug from Neal Shusterman's short story Blue Diamond is faced with many difficult decisions. Luke is faced with leaving his home after his parents are murdered. Luke has to decide whether or not to go with Obi-Won on his journey to become a Jedi Knight or staying on his parents' farm and living a normal lifestyle. Similar to Luke, Doug also faces thoughts of losing someone close to him and traveling far distances to help save others. Doug travels with his friend Quinn to Las Vegas where Quinn is, unknown initially to Doug, planning to end his own life. Doug trys many things to help Quinn re-think his actions such as telling Quinn all the various things that he has to live for. With Luke leaving to become a Jedi Knight and Doug leaving to help his friend they both grow into something neither of them could have dreamed to become. Facing death made both of the characters to do things they thought to be impossable. Another similarity in the two stories is they both have a "journey to the underworld" and both have to think of how to escape in one piece. In Blue Diamond, Doug and Quinn's journey to the underworld occurs when they are in a deserted parking lot and two obvious criminals approach and try to sell them a blue diamond. In Star Wars, Luke and his friends fall in a garbage compactor chute and face being crunched with the garbage. Just like Doug, Luke has to be creative and think of a way out before him and his friends die. In the two stories, the characters must stay calm and be creative when trying to escape the underworld in one piece. However, the two stories have many differences as well. When Luke goes on his journey, he has people there to help him get through tough and difficult times where as Doug has just himself to change his friend's mind. When Luke is destroying the Death Star, Han Solo and Chewbaka help him by making sure he has time to shoot his missiles into the Death Star. Without their help, Luke's plane would have been shot down by his enemy Darth Vader. Doug however has to do his hero work alone. Doug has to change his friend's mind in a matter of hours without having anyone else with him to help. Often times in a hero's story, the hero has the help of others to get out of situations, but having friends with you doesn't make you any less of a hero. Heroes are revealed by the way they face difficult situations and most heroes don't know they will be a hero until the situation presents itself. Because we can't be sure when or where a hero is made, we have to wait and see when, and in what shape or form, they will be revealed to us.


Differences-Luke
Has Special Gift
Friends on journey
Many opponents

Same-
Help People
Face difficult Decisions
Belly of the Whale
Journey to the Underworld

Differences-Doug
One Person
No powers
Few opponents