Character Analysis (Sample Brainstorming)

NOTE - THIS IS JUST A SAMPLE OF HOW TO BRAINSTORM 5 IDEAS FOR YOUR PARAGRAPH

TIPS

• TRY TO FIND 5 EXAMPLES TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR POINT
• PUT YOUR POINTS TOGETHER IN A WELL-DEVELOPED PARAGRAPH

Theme: Bravery 

Thesis: Banquo is a character from Macbeth who exemplifies the theme of bravery. 

•   Banquo fights bravely alongside Macbeth in the battle at the start of the play. (Find a quote for this…)
•  Banquo suspects that Macbeth killed King Duncan, but he bravely goes to his castle with his son. 
•  Banquo helps his son, Fleance, to escape from the murderers.
•  Banquo has just as much as Macbeth to gain from the witches’ prophecy but he chooses to think about the prophecy carefully rather than acting rashly. He is brave because he is not afraid of the witches’ words.
• Banquo swears to fight for the king and is humble when he is praised.

Supernatural Wordle - Tagxedo.com

Making Connections With Current Events

 Currrent Event Link 

Lance Armstrong Breaks Down Crying Over Telling His Kids Truth About Doping

http://abcnews.go.com/US/lance-armstrong-tears-children-defending/story?id=18252663

 Analysis:
In the play, Macbeth, the theme of guilt is present throughout. Macbeth cannot rid himself of the guilt he feels after murdering King Duncan and his guilt causes him to behave erratically. Lady Macbeth is also haunted by guilt as seen when she mumbles in her sleep while sleepwalking and tries to get rid of the blood from the dagger that killed King Duncan.

The theme of guilt is one that can be witnessed on a regular basis in our own society as well. For example, Lance Armstrong recently exhibited signs of guilt when he confessed to having used drugs to enhance his athleticism during the Tour de France. He teared up when he recounted how he had to tell his oldest son of his deception. Lance Armstrong demonstrated that he did not feel proud of his actions and that he had acted in a way that he did not want his children to know about. This shows that he had truly done something reprehensible. Although Macbeth committed the more serious crime of murder, he similarly had a hard time speaking of his actions with someone close to him. For example, Macbeth did not tell Lady Macbeth of his plans to kill Banquo because he was obviously not proud of what he endeavored to do. Lance Armstrong may feel some relief from having come clean with his illegal actions; however, he most likely will never recover from the aftereffects of having lied not only to the world, but to his own family and children as well. Although both Macbeth and Lance Armstrong achieved the desire of their ambition, to become king and to win the Tour de France, the consequences of achieving those goals at all costs (guilt) proved in both cases to nullify the result. In the end, Macbeth lost his crown when he was killed and Lance Armstrong was stripped of his titles when he confessed to taking performance enhancing drugs.

Quote on Contradiction #1

The weird sisters chant their prophecies.

Theme: CONTRADICTION

Quote: "Fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10

This quote is a statement made by the weird sisters in the opening scene of Macbeth[i]. The quote is in fact a paradox because it suggests that something can be both good (fair) and bad (foul) at the same time. Nevertheless, it is found to be true in the play and is an ongoing theme: it means that what appears to be good may in fact be bad and conversely what appears to be bad may in fact be good. Macbeth, for example, is both an honorable and loyal subject of the king (as seen when he risks his life in battle on the king’s behalf) as well as a treasonously disloyal subject who contemplates and commits the murder of the king. Macbeth sees the prophecy of the witches to be  positive as he is excited at the prospect of becoming King of Scotland, yet the prophecy is actually his own undoing as it ultimately causes his death. At the same time, we can see this paradox exemplified in the character of Lady Macbeth who is both fair, a beautiful woman with womanly characteristics, and foul as she ambitiously plots the murder of her sovereign. This quote is used to set the mood of the play and to suggest that the events that are to come will be contradictory. The suggestion that what is good can also be bad is seen repeatedly in stories and in our own lives. An example of this is the Chinese legend about the man who is awarded a horse that later turns out to have negative consequences.[ii] In our own lives, this quote reminds us to be wary of winfalls and to act responsibly: winning the lottery, for example, might result in one becoming obsessed with material goods.

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[i] Macbeth – titles of plays should be in italics or in quotation marks

[ii] Good luck, bad luck! -  http://www.naute.com/inspiration/luck.phtml