Pastoral Blog/Rural Living

Marlowe and Raleigh both write in the genre of pastoral poems dealing with the beauty of the agrarian lifestyle. Marlowe takes a positive idealistic view while Raleigh's response is more cynical. You live in a rural community area. What do you think about living here? What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? Do you plan to live in a rural area once you've established a career? Why or why not? Feel free to respond to each other in constructive manner.

Hamlet/Macbeth Comparison/Contrast Essay-Pre-Writing Blog

Think about Hamlet and Macbeth in a broad sense looking for themes, motifs, plot devices, and archetypes. List three of them a give examples from each play of how you could compare and contrast them in an essay. Be thorough with your explanations since these could serve as springboards to your own and others' essays

Example

1. Stolen Kingship

Hamlet- Claudius kills his brother in order to gain power to the throne. It seems like he has no legitimate claim to the thrown and is shown to be inept through Hamlet's description and the mob's dissatisfaction. Claudius realized that there is a ton of pressure put on him with his power. He seems to abuse it with all of his partying. He wants to repent of his sins; however, he's willing to give up power. Eventually, Claudius is punished for his crime through Hamlet's revenge

Macbeth- Macbeth kills his cousin in order to gain power. It seems as though Macbeth has more natural potential to be king compared to Hamlet as he is praised highly. Initially, he doesn't even want the role, but Lady Macbeth pressures him onward. Macbeth's guilt is immediately shown in the play as opposed to Claudius's delayed repentence. Just like Claudius, Macbeth soon is overcome with the pressures of being king psychologically as he seems not to be able to sleep. Macbeth's desire for blood increases via a reign of terror. Macduff steps in to right the wrongs and restore Malcolm to the throne

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Macbeth Prediscussion Questions

Crossfire


Circle either agree or disagree for each statement. There are no right or wrong answers, and you will not be graded on which one you choose.

Agree/Disagree 1. Our fate is predetermined.

Agree/Disagree 2. It is natural for humans to strive for power.

Agree/Disagree 3. When in power, humans will do anything to maintain it.

Agree/Disagree 4. An accomplice is just as guilty as the person who commits a crime.

Agree/Disagree 5. If you kill, you should be killed in return (“an eye for an eye”).


Choose two of the above questions to discuss in writing. Explain why you chose the answer you did in 3-4 sentences. Please include examples to support your viewpoint. You will be using your explanations in small group and class discussions, so be specific!