Welcome to our English classes' Macbeth blog! Weekly, I'll be posting different questions and tidbits of information for you. You'll be required to respond to my posting and one of your classmates. When you respond, be sure to include your actual name (the one we use in class--no pseudonyms!) and the name of the person to whom you're responding. Make sure your responses are thoughtful and that you thoroughly answer the questions (remember, this is for a grade)! Also, show proper "netiquette" by being respectful to others and remember--this is an educational blog! Your postings need to relate specifically to our classwork.
Alright, any questions? Let's begin.
Question #1--Read Psalm 119:9-16 at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%20119&version=NIV. How does a person stay on the "path of purity"? What specific actions does the passage suggest one should do? Is it easy to do these actions? Why or why not? What hinders you from staying on the "path of purity" and how do you deal with it?
In light of this, describe Macbeth's character in Act I. What kind of man is he? What are his characteristics? How and why do you think he fell off the "path of purity"? List at least two characteristics with quotes from the dialogue to support your answers (cite Act, scene, lines--i.e. I, ii, 63-65). For a list of character traits, you can download a list of emotions from http://www.sba.pdx.edu/faculty/mblake/448/FeelingsList.pdf.
Dear students--
ReplyDeleteThis is an example of how to post a comment. I included to whom I was responding ("Dear students") and my name at the end. I would suggest you sign in as a follower but if you do not have a Google, Twitter, Yahoo, etc., account, you can comment as "Anonymous"--this is why it's imperative that you include your name! I look forward to your posts "tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow". (This is a quote from Macbeth. Where is it found?)
The due date for the first postings is Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013 by 11:59pm. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to answer the questions. I will be checking the postings during the week to make comments and monitor the discussion.
Until next time! Mrs. Johnson
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ReplyDeleteA person stays on the path of purity by living according to God's word. You should seek God with all your heart and not stray from his word. You should praise the Lord and speak of his great ways. Rejoice in following him and do not neglect him. It is not easy to live by these actions because a lot of times we do not want to live according to his word. We are corrupted by sin and led off the path of purity, but by constantly repenting our sins, that hinderance between us and the path of purity can slowly be cut down.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth in act 1 seemed like a noble man who only wanted to bring honor to King Duncan, at first. After he talked to the witches though, he became power hungry. I think the thought of having more and more power drove him right off the path of purity. He became flustered at the thought of becoming King and what he must do to become King. "This supernatural soliciting
Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, Why hath it given me earnest of success,
Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature? (I,iii,134-141)" Then, he became thrilled that fate would do the work for him. "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me Without my stir. (I,iii,147-149)"
-Alyssa Moreno
That is a very good point you have made. I totally agree he was a very noble and honorable man but because the witches had turned him to become very power hungry he lost his nobility an respect. Not only did the witches turn him that way but you could maybe even say that Lady Macbeth turned him as well. With her already hungering for that power and wanting to do anything to get rid of the king this could have caused Macbeth to become anxious to sit on the throne as well.
Delete-Micah Currier
The way a person can stay on the path of purity is by living by the commandments that God has set in front of us. We should keep the commandments of God hidden in our hearts and we should not sin against God or anyone we come across. W3e sho7uld keep the word of God clean and not forget the word of God.
ReplyDeleteJocelyn Marquez
a person stay on the "path of purity" by not forget god's law, according to his word. we should regard for his decrees, we should consider all his precepts right. It's not easy to do these actions because sometimes we son't or tired to obey his law. The hinder can be eliminate once we all believed his excised.
DeleteMacbeth is a really exalted person,but the communicate between he and witch distortion his original purpose, and this is what made him fell off the "path of purity".
The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o‘erleap, for my in my way it lies.(P210. 48-50)
Your highness' part is to receive our duties; and our duties are to your throne and state children and servants, which do but what they should, by doing every thing safe toward your love and honor.(P210. 23-27)
Jimmy Hu
According to the verse a person stays on the path of purity by living according to the Lord's word. To do this you can seek the Lord with all your heart, hide the word in your heart, and praise the Lord. These overall are pretty simple to do.
ReplyDeleteIn act 1 Macbeth is very uncertain of what he really wants and is very open to his wives influences of how he should kill Duncan and become king and how not doing so would not make him a man. I would say he fell off the path of purity because of his wives actions and his greed. Two characteristics of Macbeth would be Uncertainty (1, ii, 131-134) and being rather compromiseable towards his wives words (1, vii, 47-51).
-Jordan Cox
I disagree that staying on the path of purity is "pretty simple to do." I feel like temptation makes it hard and so does the society we live in. However, I strongly agree with Macbeth's characteristics and I couldn't have said it better myself! :)
Delete~Keilah Ortiz
According to this passage, to live on the "path of purity" means to live according to God's purpose which is to follow his word. This passage tells us we seek him and always keep his word hidden in our hearts. He also commands us to take his word and share it with the entire world. Then we are called to rejoice and meditate on what he commands of us. It is very difficult to follow each and every one of these things that God commands of me. The reason being that I am only human with faults and imperfections. Even though I am imperfect that does not give me an excuse to stray from what God has for me. I do my best each and every day to follow the commands he gives me. The thing that hinders me the most from staying on the path of purity is my stubbornness. I tend not to take advice from a lot of people which makes it very difficult for me to stay on the right path at times. I ask God every day that he will help me to control my stubbornness and anger towards others.
ReplyDeleteIn the very beginning of the play we see Macbeth portrayed as a very noble and well respected person. He serves King Duncan with nobility and he is even made Thane of Glamis because of his nobility. (I, ii, 67) - "What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won." As we have learned it is a very prestigious honor to be made a Thane. Once he fell off the "path of purity" it seemed as if none the amazing characteristics Macbeth had even mattered anymore. We start to see Macbeth fall off of this path when he comes into contact with the three witches. (I,iii,70-78) - "Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more: by Sinel's death I know I am thane of Glamis, but how of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor lives a prosperous gentleman: and to be king stands not within the prospect of belief, no more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence you owe this strange intelligence, or why upon this blasted heath you stop our way with such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you." Once they tell him the prophecy he begins to feel this power rise up inside of him. I believe Lady Macbeth is the true reason he falls off of "path of purity" because to me it almost seems as if she is more power hungry than Macbeth. (I,vii,1-28) - She continues to lead Macbeth off of this path all the way up to plotting to kill the king.
-Micah Currier
I like how you said it was Lady Macbeth who ultimately led Macbeth off of the "path of purity." I haven't thought of it that way before. I guess if Lady Macbeth hadn't been so persuasive and power hungry, then Macbeth probably wouldn't have killed King Duncan. It seemed like Macbeth did not really want to kill him, until Lady Macbeth persuaded him into doing so.
Delete-Jordan Day
One stays on the path to purity by following the Lord's word, according to Psalm 119: 9-16. A specific action that this passage says we do is go out and preach the Lord's word and minister along with many other examples. It is rather hard to do these in todays society because of all the pressure and the false accusations of Christians. This pressure drives a lot of us to say we are christian, yet not act like it or go out and do what The Lord asked of us. What hinders me from the path of purity is my doubt. I doubt God and his existence constantly, but that just helps me to find more answers to prove and defend my faith.
ReplyDeleteIn light of this, Macbeth seems to be a noble man on a path of purity. He respects King Duncan and his position, but this shortly falls. As he encounters the witches and they tell him he is to be king, he becomes filled with pride and debates whether to kill the king or not (1, iii, 127-142). We can see how quickly he changes his mind of the king when he is offered the opportunity of king himself. Another characteristic that changes him is cowardice temptation. In scene VII, Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that if he does not kill the king he is not a man. He falls into this cowardice temptation and decides to kill the king (1, vii, 47-59).
Kolten Knaub
I agree with your statement about how Macbeth becomes prideful after he hears that he will become King. I think that the witches and Lady Macbeth are both huge factors with Macbeth falling off the path of purity.
Delete-Gabrielle Pina
A person can stay on the path of purity by living by the word of God. We must seek out God with all our hearts and not stray from him. We must keep his word in our hearts so that we will not sin against God and remember his decrees. We must rejoice in the Lord and not neglect him. It is very hard to follow everything that God commands because we are humans and it’s in our nature to sin. We fall into temptations and it’s hard for us to not fall into those temptations because it “feels good” or “its fun”. When something is keeping me off the oath of purity I tend to go and worship through music because that’s when I feel the most close to him.
ReplyDeleteIn the first Act Macbeth starts off as being a humble soldier. He doesn’t seem likes he wants much power. As soon as the witches come to him and tell him his prophecy we start to a change in his personality. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is but what is not (I, iii, 139-142)”. Now that he knows he can gain this all this power he becomes hungry for it. It does not help that Lady Macbeth wants power even more and she pushes Macbeth to go off the path of purity by downgrading his character. “When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would so much more the man (I, vii, 49-51)”.
-Gabrielle Pina
I agree with you about why and when Macbeth changes his personality. That he went crazy for power after the witches confronted him.
Delete-Courtney Wing
A person can stay on the path of purity by, living according to Gods word, by seeking Him with all our hearts, and not stray from his commands. In some ways it could be easy, but in some it could be hard, because no one is perfect. It's nearly impossible to not sin. I feel that for me its hard to stay on the path of purity because I'm a human, i sin, i dont praise God as much as i should. In act 1 of Macbeth i feel that he is a good man, apparently not extreamly manly, kind of a whimp a little bit, but a normal man. I think he fell off the path of purity because of his wife maybe, shes the one who wants him to be more of a man and she even says that shes more manly than him because she would even take her own nursing child and smash it on the ground and he cant even kill a guy. (Act I scene vii line 48-59)
ReplyDeleteUgh so true. it is the wife that made him go off the path of purity she is one crazy wife. And yes being human is extremely difficult with all of the temptations in life. And what you said about macbeth not being manly I think he is, he is just easily swayed and manipulated.
Delete-christian watson
I completely agree with u. I think she wants a more manly man and he was not that. I think she posed him to kill and pushed him to be more manly.
Delete-Liz Chapman
A person stays on the “path of purity” by living according to God’s word and by seeking Him with all your heart. You should rejoice in following Him and only do what would please God. It is not easy to do these actions because we are constantly surrounded by temptation and sin. Falling into temptation seems easier than staying strong and doing what is right, so it can be hard to stay on the “path of purity.” What hinders me the most from the “path of purity” would be how I worry and stress so much, even when I know that God is in control and He is the one who will take care of what I am worrying or stressing over.
ReplyDeleteTowards the beginning of Act I, Macbeth seems like a good guy. He seemed very noble and brave (1, ii, 16-23). He was loyal to King Duncan. He seemed to have wanted to do the best he could to please the King, until the witches came along and told him that he would be king in the future. This led him to becoming very greedy and power hungry. The idea of him having so much power and wealth got to his head and led him off his “path of purity” (1, iv, 50-55).
- Jordan Day
I agree that Macbeth was very noble. Also, that he was taken off of the "path of purity" because the witches told him his future, causing him to become power hungry and greedy.
Delete-Sarah James
A person stays on the “path of purity” by living according to God’s word. Listen to God and do not sin against him. It sounds easy to do it but for some people, it may not be easy as sometimes people do not even realized that something that they have done is sinful. I think that this is what hinders me from staying on the “path of purity” too. I try to deal with it by just pay attention to God, listen to him, and do not stray from his commands.
ReplyDeleteIn Act 1, our initial impression of Macbeth is a brave and capable warrior as we first hear of Macbeth in the wounded captain’s account of his battlefield valor. However, once Macbeth interacts with the three witches, his physical courage is joined by a consuming ambition and a tendency to self-doubt—the prediction that he will be king. He also became evil and cruel.
“My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man.” (1,3,142-143). “That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies.” (1,4,50-52).
He fell off the “path of purity” as he thought of killing Duncan and his son.
- Town
A person stays on the path of purity by living according to God’s word. Some actions that one should do to live according to God’s word are: seeking God with all your heart, not straying away from His commands, not sinning against God, and not neglecting God. It is not easy to do these actions because we are born with a sinful nature. Our natural instinct is to act on sin and feed our flesh. What hinders me from staying on the path of purity is the society we live in. It encourages us to live in our sin and teaches us that it’s okay to be selfish and fill our needs with material things instead of focusing on our spiritual life.
ReplyDeleteIn Act I Macbeth is described as a man of honor. He is courageous and held at a high standard because of his bravery in the war. He is very faithful to the king and wants to do his best to serve him. However, throughout act I Macbeth falls off the path of purity because of his greed and his flesh’s need for power. Macbeth first starts to become tempted when the witches give him his prophecy. “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!...All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!...All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter” (I, iii, 49-51). After hearing his prophecy given by the three witches, Macbeth suddenly had a great urge to make those prophecies happen. Macbeth also struggles to stay on the path of purity when Lady Macbeth persuades him to kill King Duncan. “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man” (I, vii, 49-51). By saying this, Lady Macbeth was taunting him and basically saying he was not a man because he wanted to back out of their plan to kill Duncan. Because of the witches’ prophecies and Lady Macbeth’s taunting, Macbeth fell off the path of purity.
~Keilah Ortiz
A person stays on the "path of purity" by living according to the word of God. Some of the specific actions that the passages says to do is to seek God with all our heart, remember all of the laws that He has said, and praise him. It is not always easy to do these actions because sometimes we can get caught up in life and feel like we do not have the time to praise him or read his word. Also, there are so many things that we put before God that can get in the way.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth is excited and happy because he had just been successful in the battle. When he runs into the witches, he is still humble and noble and doesn't believe them until, Ross also calls him the Thane of Cawdor. He then starts to change and want the power. Macbeth is a noble and trustworthy man. He would not try to go against the king if the witches had they not told him. He fell of the "path of purity" because of the knowledge that was given to him and his want for more power. "I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature?" (I, iii, 133-137), this shows that he is changing and is thinking that it is he could really become king. Macbeth also says "should we fail?" (1,vii, 58). This shows his doubts about killing the king and thinking about the consequences of him doing so. However, they are not enough to stop him and his wife from wanting to execute their plan.
-Sarah James
It is very true that we get caught up in life and don't always have the time to praise God.
DeleteI agree with you that the witches had a huge influence on Macbeth in him wanting to be king. I also agree that his thoughts of soon to be power got to his head. Also his debts played a big part on whether he should go with it and kill the king so he can be king.
A person stays on the "path of purity" by living according to His word. The specific actions Psalm 119:9-16 suggests you should do are: seek God with all your heart, do not stray from His commands, hide His word in your heart and do not sin against him, rejoice in following His statutes, meditate on His precepts, and do not neglect His word.
ReplyDeleteThe key personally I believe in doing these actions are by getting your self into a pattern and being consistent. It is always hard at first to change your heart to Gods ways. But by being consistent and reading his word you will know what he wants from you. If you don’t read His word how are you ever to know what His commands are for you? Also it will help to get you into that habit of reading all the time not just once and a while and truly studying His word. Yes it is hard to follow these actions because we are not perfect. We have to wake up every morning and strive to be like Him knowing we can never hit perfection. If we never read His word how are we to know him? Therefore, how are we supposed to act like Him if we don’t know Him?
What hinders me from staying on the "path of purity" is time. It is never that I do not want to, but this silly thing called life gets in the way. How I deal with it is by putting my trust in him and reading as much as I can because God comes first, and I love Him most.
Macbeth is a brave general with power, but not a triumphant one. He believes three witches that he will one day be King and makes sure it happens no matter who gets hurt or killed in the process.
His characteristics are courage and determined. Macbeth is courage’s because he gets the nerve to kill the king, but by suggestion or encouragement. In I, iii, 137-142 is an example of is courage
“ I am thane of Cawdor.
If good, why do I yield to that suggestion
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,
Against the use of nature? Present fears
Are less than horrible imaginings. ”
This shows him getting the courage of killing the king to be the king him self.
He is also determined because he wants that crown and power bad. So what does he do? He kills his way to the thrown. An example of is determination is in I, iiii, 50-55 saying “ That is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.
The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. ” This shows he will do anything to be the king.
How I think he fell off the "path of purity" was by not being patient and or earning the crown him self. Why I believe he fell off the "path of purity" was because he believed these random witches who he did not know I might add. If he really wanted the crown he should have got there by his bravery not by killing who ever is in your way.
- Jen law :)
According to the Christian religion, a person can stay on the path of purity by living according to the word of God. They must seek God with all of their heart and follow all of his commands. They must not sin against the Lord. They must learn the decrees of the Lord and meditate on them. Keeping those actions is not easy because everyone is tempted to sin and keeping all of the Lord’s commands is near impossible. Everyone has thought a bad thought or told a lie. Everyone sins. The thing that keeps me from staying on a path of purity is the fact that I don’t believe in Christianity so I don’t necessarily try to stay on a path of purity.
ReplyDeleteIn act 1, Macbeth seems like a good guy who merely wants to help the king in any way that he can. Macbeth was brave, trustworthy, and noble. He fell off of the path of purity when he learned that he would become the thane of Cawdor. He began thinking murderous thoughts about the king so that he could gain more power than he was already rewarded with. Before Macbeth found out about his new position, the captain said that he was brave. “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name.” (1, ii, 16-17) And again, in act 1, the king calls Macbeth noble. “What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.” (1, ii, 68)
-Courtney Wing
I think that the way to stay on the path of purity would be to follow the moral code that we were given. though it is impossible to stay on this path of purity but if we are to we must seek after God with all of our hearts. I personally find it hard to stay on the path of purity because I always think that I need to do everything I can before I die even if it is sinful.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of Act I Macbeth is seen as an extremely brave warrior and a kind Man. But as we go on with the book we see that Macbeth is a very easily swayed man. His wife is able to easily persuade him into killing a human being, but not just any human being a king that is loved and adored by Macbeth and all the people of the land. That scene where lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth kind of reminds me of the Adam and Eve story in the bible when the serpent tempts Eve with power. In the book I see that lady Macbeth is also seeking power just as Eve is and also like Eve how she influenced her husband fall of the path of purity.
-Christian Watson
Bro I agree with with you on the path of purity. I feel the same way too. Yes his wife is very persuading on convincing him to kill Duncan. It does seem like the wife wants the power more than Macbeth does.
DeleteI agree wit you on following a moral code because if society didn't have one we would not be as advanced as we are today.
DeleteThey wife does seem to want the power more than Macbeth and does seem to be pushing him into killing the king he adores.
A person stays on the path of purity by following the commands of God's word. A few actions are by seeking him with all your heart and by preaching his word. It is hard for us to do because there is a lot of people that do not believe God's word and think it is false teaching. Sin is the big reason why we can not stay on the path of purity. If sin was not in the way, it would be easier for us to stay on that path. It seems like Macbeth is on the path of purity. He is a man that respects King Duncan, but he would rather take Duncan's place and be king. "Two truths are told,As happy prologues to the swelling act Of the imperial theme. (to ROSS and ANGUS) I thank you, gentlemen"(l,iii,130-133). Another part is when Lady Macbeth persuades him to actually kill Duncan. "What beast was ’t, then,
ReplyDeleteThat made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you wouldBe so much more the man. Nor time nor placeDid then adhere, and yet you would make both.They have made themselves, and that their fitness now
Does unmake you. I have given suck, and knowHow tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this"(l,vii,47-60).
A person stays on the "path of purity" by living according to God's word. Seeking God all of your hearts. Do not straying away from his word. Keep his work deeply in our mind. It is not easy to do these action. Because in our lives, we always easy to forget his word and always easy to make mistake. For staying on the "path of purity" I want read his word again and again, try my best to follow his word everyday.
ReplyDeleteAfter read Act 1, I think he is brave but greedy. The reason I think he fell off the "path of purity" because of his greedy. He is very brave in each Warfield. (1,ii,16-23). At first he is very respect King Duncan. But after he heard three witches words. his personality got changed. He became greedy. He killed King Duncan and lots of other people.(I,iii,70-78)
-Meloidia Yao
A person stays on the path by following the commands that God has given to us. This passage tells us to servants of God on earth and to obey His word. It is not easy to stay on the path with all the evil and sin we have in our world. I would say what makes many people stray from the path at least at my age is to be cool and like their friends, and the cool thing to do at my age is whatever authority says not to do (so bad things). I deal with this by not caring if I'm cool or not and by not caring what others think of me.
ReplyDeleteAt first Macbeth seems like a pretty good guy. he is said to be a noble heroic guy (I,ii,67) and is very loyal to Duncan (I,iv,22) but that changes when he tell his wife what the witches told him about Macbeth being King. She strays Macbeth away from his path by manipulating him into wanting to kill Duncan by saying he isn't a man if he doesnt kill him. She is to blind by her ambition to be Queen to see right from wrong.
--Jacey Jacobs
I do agree to your point on the path to purity to an extent, but what authority tells us to do is sometimes worse than "breaking" their rules. If it is something corrupt, of course I will go against authority. But, it is my opinion. SO YEAH COOL BOOYA.
DeleteIn order to stay on the "path of purity" one needs to follow god with all they can. In order to stay you must seek hod and praise him. You must speak of him and rejoice in him. And you must not sin. Well it's kind of hard to not sin seeing as we are humans. It's in us to sin and do wrong but all we can do is try and follow god.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth in the beginning seemed like he liked and wanted to help the king. When the witches came and talked to him and told him he was going to be king he got a little full of him self. He began to have murderous thoughts in order to be king. Some characteristics in act on are; macbeth was a noble man(l,ii,68) and he was also became eager (l,iii,71-79).
-Liz Chapman
A person will stay on the path of purity obeying god and doing what his word commands and seeking him out. One must go out of his or her way to do things according to god’s will, although this is difficult for multiple reasons. Temptation is strong and most people think it is easier to just give into the temptation of sin because it can also seem enjoyable to a lot of people as well, but you must keep your fortitude for god but this makes it much more troublesome to stay on the path of purity. What hinders me from t he path of purity is the accessibility of sin in our generation; it is very easy to partake in sin almost everywhere you go. Though I deal with it through perseverance and sometimes you just have to say no and be accountable for certain things.
ReplyDeleteIn the start of act 1 macbeth is a noble man doing what’s best for his king and being loyal to the bone and did not falter (1, iv, 50-55). But the prospect of him being king foretold by the witches sparked the greed all men have in their hearts naturally. The power and greed went to his head and he became tainted with sin, in turn making him stray from the path of purity (1, iv, 50-55).
A person may stay on the path of purity if they walk blameless in the law of God and follow His commands. Specific actions spoken of in this passage are to keep His statutes, seek Him with all your heart, follow His ways, and obey His decrees. I would say that it is not easy at all to do these things because we/I don’t always know all the things to do or just blow them off all together. I would say temptation keeps me off the path, and I deal with it by praying to God and asking for strength and guidance.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth in scene one seems like a pretty stand up character, and I nice guy. He is loyal, a great warrior, family man, among other things. I think he fell off the path of purity when the witches planted the seed in his noble mind to kill the king and become king himself. One characteristic of Macbeth is flawed because when the witches are predicted what will happen he wants to hear more, I, iii, 75-78, “Say from whence you owe this strange intelligence, or why upon this blasted heath you stop our way with such prophetic greeting? Speak I charge you.” Another is Evil because, II, ii, 24- 27, “One cried, “God bless us!” and “Amen!” the other, as they had seen me with these hangman’s hands. List’ning their fear, I could not say “Amen,” When they did say “God bless us!”
One stays on the path of purity by resisting temptation. Temptation is thrown at us from left and right and many never see it as powerful as it is. It is disguised and manipulated to make one believe that it really won't bring as much harm as others have warned us. Therefore the key is to ignore all the disguises and lies temptation tells and see it for what it truly is and be able to walk away from it. The passage suggests that we obey God’s word and live the lifestyle he has laid down for us. These actions are not easy to do because of temptation. Temptation is disguised to look attractive to one’s eye and because of such many fall into it. It is said to ask God for his strength to turn away from it and see it for the pain and suffering it will cause one self.
ReplyDeleteWhen we first meet Macbeth we perceive him as a brave warrior who helped defeat the opposing army. He is placed as a great honorable man until he meets the three witches, the three witches tempt him by planting an idea that he will become King in his head. Two characteristics Macbeth possesses are gullible as in he is easily persuaded or tricked, “All hail, Macbeth! That thou shalt be a king hereafter!” (I.iii.48-50) and he is a cowardly by how he cannot say no/disobey his wife. “Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valour As thou art in desire?“(I.vii)
Mrs, J,
ReplyDeleteI think a person stays on a pure path by living the way God wants them too. We can find this in his word and we should praise God, follow him, tell people about him and his ways, and don't deny him. I think this task isn't easy because of sin and the temptations we face every day. This is hard because sometimes going the route of sin is easier than going the pure route. I think we can accomplish this by prayer to God and asking for his reassurance and also accountability from our peers.
Macbeth is a very good hearted, trustworthy, humble man but after he talks to the witches he becomes greedy for power. His need to want to be in power makes him unsure. "This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success, commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature? (I,iii,134-143)" "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me Without my stir. (I,iii,147-149)"
I agree with Alyssa! Good answer!
-Allissa Wahl
Ilia Willison
ReplyDeleteMrs. Johnson
Brit Lit
12 November 2013
Macbeth Response
1. This verse talks about how to be on the path of purity as a young person and the main point that the psalm states is that you must live according to the word. The word in this case can mean either the Bible or Jesus because they both are the word and are called the word. Within the act of following the word, the passage states that you must praise God, rejoice in Him, profess your faith, seek God with all of your heart, and meditate on the word of God.
Personally, I have had struggles with being so focused on my faith all of the time. It is sometimes hard to live a life believing in God who is invisible to me and who I have never spoken to. I need to see him but I struggle with my own doubts because of it.
2. Macbeth is kind of a doubting type of a man who doesn’t believe it till it happens or until he sees it (kind of like me).He also has a supernatural side to him where he is interested in the unusual. Others around him have a big influence on him and also his new dukedom will affect his distance from the path of purity.
Macbeth is a very strong character and has plenty of personality. One of his characteristics is doubtful. An example of this is when Macbeth is talking aside doubting what the witches told him.
(I, III, 44-46) “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir.”
Another characteristic is that Macbeth is very interested in the weird and supernatural. This is shown when he talks to the witches and when he notices what kind of day it is. He is also very visual and is open to what is around him.
(I, II, 38) “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.”
That is a very good point you have made. I totally agree he was a very noble and honorable man but because the witches had turned him to become very power hungry he lost his nobility an respect. Not only did the witches turn him that way but you could maybe even say that Lady Macbeth turned him as well. With her already hungering for that power and wanting to do anything to get rid of the king this could have caused Macbeth to become anxious to sit on the throne as well.
ReplyDelete-Micah Currier
Here is my response Mrs. Johnson. It is supposed to be commented under Alyssa Moreno's post.
-Micah Currier
Allison Porterfield
ReplyDeleteQuestion #1--Read Psalm 119:9-16 at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%20119&version=NIV.
How does a person stay on the "path of purity"? What specific actions does the passage suggest one should do? Is it easy to do these actions? Why or why not? What hinders you from staying on the "path of purity" and how do you deal with it?
In light of this, describe Macbeth's character in Act I. What kind of man is he? What are his characteristics? How and why do you think he fell off the "path of purity"? List at least two characteristics with quotes from the dialogue to support your answers (cite Act, scene, lines--i.e. I, ii, 63-65). For a list of character traits, you can download a list of emotions from
By living according to God’s word. One should seek God with all there heart, not stray from his commands, and hide the word of God in their heart. It is not easy to do these actions because there are so many temptations in the world that distract us from God. Temptations and sins hinder us from the path of purity. When we fall into temptations and sins we need to repent and receive God’s forgiveness.
Macbeth was a strong and loyal man who wanted to help and bring honor to the king. After he talked to the witches he started to become a little hungrier for power (1, iii, 71-79). Then his wife started to want power as well and started to try and get power through Macbeth. Lady Macbeth made Macbeth more power hungry (1, v, 15-20). As he became more and more consumed by the need of power he was led off of the path of purity.
Hi Mrs. Johnson. I've been trying to respond to what Jordan Cox said on the blog, but have been unable to. This is what I wanted to say.
ReplyDelete-This is a very good point you've made. I agree with you that Macbeth is being controlled by his wife. As the acts progress it becomes clear that all of Macbeth's actions are being dictated by Lady Macbeth.
--from Alyssa Moreno
From Morgan--
ReplyDeleteHow does a person stay on the "path of purity"? What specific actions does the passage suggest one should do? Is it easy to do these actions? Why or why not? What hinders you from staying on the "path of purity" and how do you deal with it?
In light of this, describe Macbeth's character in Act I. What kind of man is he? What are his characteristics? How and why do you think he fell off the "path of purity"? List at least two characteristics with quotes from the dialogue to support your answers (cite Act, scene, lines--i.e. I, ii, 63-65).
A person stays on the path of purity by living according to God’s word. Psalms 119:9-16 suggests to do are seek God with all your heart, do not stray from His commands, hide His word in your heart, don’t sin against Him, rejoice in His statutes, meditate on His precepts, and do not neglect His word. I think that it is easy to do these things after you have done them for a while. When you are just starting off doing them it can be hard. Mostly time and laziness hinders me from doing these things and my mom helps me deal with it because she always reminds me to do these things and she also helps me with them.
I think Macbeth is a noble and humble man for the most part. I don’t think he truly believes the witches prophecies when they first tell him that he will be the Thane of Cawdor but when Ross comes and tells him that he actually is the Thane of Cawdor then he starts to fall from being noble and humble. "I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs, against the use of nature?" (I, iii,133-137). To me this is where he starts thinking that if the witches were right about him being the Thane of Cawdor then they are probably right about him being king too. “We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honored me of late; and I have bought golden opinions form all sorts of people, which would be worn now in their newest gloss, not cast aside so soon.” (I, vii, 31-35) I think this just shows that he still wants to be noble and humble but when Lady Macbeth says he’s not a man his when everything just goes down hill.
Reply to Jordan day: I agree that Macbeth was noble and if the witches had never told him the prophesies then he would have never down-spiraled into a selfish man.
Jocelyn Stankovich
ReplyDeleteA person stays on the “path of purity” by living according to God's word and seeking him with all their heart. The passage suggests that one should have the word hidden in their heart so that they will not stray from God. It is not easy to live according to the word because most of the time people want to live by what they say is right. In light of this passage Macbeth’s character transforms throughout act 1. He begins to stray because he goes from being this honorable and loyal man to a murderer and a traitor. Some characteristics to describe Macbeth are valiant, brave, and noble. “For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution, like valor’s minion carved out his passage till he faced the slave”(I, ii,16-20). “What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won” (I, ii, 70).
Response to Keilah: I agree that society can change the way a person acts. Sometimes we want to go with what society tells us to do just so we would feel like we belong somewhere. We sin sometimes just to be accepted by certain groups of "friends". It's definitely one of the things I have a hard time with and it's what hinders me from staying on the path of purity. -Jocelyn Stankovich
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