Macbeth- Act 1 Reading Journal

Act 1, Scene 1
- Macbeth opens with the stage direction- 'thunder and lightening. Enter three witches.' Shakespeare uses this as a shocking opening because it is possible that the witches are able to control the weather. The book therefore opens with a supernatural element and creates it to be Gothic from the outset. The three witches then enter and are plotting to 'meet with Macbeth'. This is the first time Macbeth is mentioned which means that he is either already involved with witches or possibly going to be. The witches also speak in call and response with full and half rhymes which suggests that they are casting a spell. Therefore it is never made clear whether it is then Macbeth's choice or he was under some kind of influence.

Act 1, Scene 2
-Within the next scene, we are told that the Thane of Cawdor has been a traitor. However, Macbeth is to some extent the polar opposite as he is called 'brave Macbeth' while the Thane of Cawdor is called 'Merciless Macdonwald'.  Yet, it seems that while the King and others believe his actions to be heroic, to a man he 'unseamed him from the nave to the chops' which is an unnecessary way to kill a man, suggesting that he gets some kind of enjoyment out of the murder, perhaps foreshadowing the later murders. Shakespeare uses this imagery to shock the audience and therefore make a judgment about Macbeth before he has even been introduced.  

Act 1, Scene 3
-The witches again speak using full and half rhyme which suggests that they either always speak like this or that they are casting another spell. A drum then sounds which is a way of introducing Macbeth. Again, this seems to be quite supernatural as they don't seem to know where the drum is actually coming from, however this is a signal to them as they say 'Macbeth doth come.' We are already aware from Act 1, Scene 1 that they are planning to meet with Macbeth, so therefore it feels like a kind of summoning. They tell him that he will be Thane of Cawdor and then finally, King. However his reaction seems odd as the most likely reaction is that he would find this comical as they are extreme prophecies, however Banquo asks him 'why do you start, and seem to fear things that do sound so fair?'As an audience, we already know that he has been given this title by the King so this is dramatic irony but also makes us question whether they are telling the truth. This introduces the theme of power as it later becomes clear that their prophecies and therefore ultimately the witches have control over Macbeth. They have clearly intrigued him as he seems curious to know more- 'tell me more'. It is possible to already see his ambition as for him to become King, something terrible must happen to the existing one. However, it is never told whether this is real magic or if they simply found out that he had already been appointed and therefore set things in motion. It is possible that it is a self- fulfilling prophecy as he chooses to believe and then take action upon strangers words. 

- Macbeth then aside speaks of things such as murder. While the witches prophesied Macbeth to become King, he assumes that this means he has to murder the King without taking into consideration the possibility of a freak accident or illness occurring that will lead to him becoming King. He says that the 'murder yet is but fantastical' which suggests that he is possibly already plotting the Kings murder. The element of obsession begins to become apparent as he thinks more and more about the possibility of power. 

Act 1, Scene 4
-Macbeth speaks to himself of his 'black and deep desires', alerting the audience to what he really wants and because we have already heard about his violent nature in Act 1, Scene 2 it is possible that he would murder the King. This shows the audience that there is another side to Macbeth other than his public side of being 'brave Macbeth'.

Act 1, Scene 5
- Macbeth sends a letter to his wife telling her all about the witches and the prophecy that they have made. Rather than reacting the way we expect her to, which is to become horrified at what he has said, she seems to be making plans of what she can do about this-'the fatal entrance of Duncan'. Shakespeare uses shocking imagery such as 'unsex me here' and 'fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty'. This is particularly shocking because she is a woman that should possess feminine qualities rather than the traditional masculine qualities of ambition and cruelty. However, her language doesn't rhyme that suggests this isn't magic and therefore perhaps she will be more affected by the murder than she wishes to. When Macbeth enters, she says that the King 'never shall sun that morrow see!'- meaning that she plans to kill him that night, this is very immediate and impulsive suggesting that she hasn't really thought about it or the repercussions. She takes a clear leadership role as she uses imperatives- 'leave all the rest to me', it is possible Macbeth is to some extent pushed into murdering the King.

Act 1, Scene 6  
-The King says that the 'castle hath a pleasant seat', Lady Macbeth is trying to conceal their plan as he feel relaxed and comfortable in their company which means that he won't suspect their plan. The King says 'we love him highly', showing that Macbeth has the Kings trust and therefore abuses it. 

Act 1, Scene 7
-When the time comes for them to kill the King, Macbeth somehow realises the seriousness of what they are going to do and understands the consequences. This shows a redeeming characteristic as he he says 'we will proceed no further in this business.' It's at this point you see how power hungry Macbeths wife is as she calls him things such as 'coward' as a persuasion and to some extent manipulative technique that pushes him into agreeing with her. By attacking his manhood, it makes him feel less than he should be and ashamed as he is a brave soldier who holds characteristics of ruthlessness and bravery and so by killing the King he can live up to this impossible role. However, it doesn't take much persuasion for him to agree with her as he says 'I am settled' and they carry on with their plan to kill the King. 

Gothic Elements 
- Symbols of dark and light
- Settings are significant - usually set within a castle
- Fear is created through the vocabulary of the gothic. This also creates mystery, anger and darkness
- The influence of the past or possibly the future with things such as prophecies or visions
- The difference between male and female roles- the female character usually in distress and being threatened by a powerful male character
- The blurring of reality and fantasy- the use of supernatural events such as ghosts and inanimate objects coming to life
- The use of dreams
- Psychological traits of the main characters- this can be brought on from high emotions 

Marxist Analysis of Tess of the D'urbervilles

Tess Durbyfield is representative of the Working Class who throughout the novel is exploited by Middle Class men. She is first exploited by Alec D'urberville when she goes to him for money help because she thinks that he is a relation of hers. He gains her trust and then rapes her. This shows that he believes he can get anything/anyone he wants because he has a lot of money. He has never had to work and so expects everything to be given to him.
She then meets Angel Clare who she goes on to marry. The night that they marry, she tells him about the rape and he decides that he doesn't want anything more to do with her. Although, up until this point he seems to be very liberal, he seems very quick to abide by the social norms and this is what ultimately leads to Tess' death.
Throughout the period after Angel leaves her, Tess has to become a labourer on a farm to get enough money. In this part of her life, it is very clear that Tess' boss is exploiting her by giving her a very poor quality of living. This is the bourgeois repressing  the proletariat.
During this period, Tess meets Alec again and he seems to have become this fraudulent Christian. It doesn't take much for this to be shattered and he becomes the original Alec D'urberville. He pursues Tess who explains that she's already married and wants him to leave her alone. He is very manipulative and so goes behind her back and offers her family money if Tess marries him. This means that she is forced into marriage with him over money, her family basically sells Tess to Alec. This repression from Alec pushes her to kill him when Angel comes back for her.