© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.NOTESLady Macbeth. Fie, for shame!
Macbeth. Blood hath been shed ere now, i’ th’ olden time,
Ere humane statute purged the gentle weal;^24
Ay, and since too, murders have been performed
Too terrible for the ear. The time has been
That, when the brains were out, the man would die,
And there an end; but now they rise again,
With twenty mortal murders on their crowns,^25
And push us from our stools. This is more strange
Than such a murder is.
Lady Macbeth. My worthy lord,
Your noble friends do lack you.
Macbeth. I do forget.
Do not muse at me, my most worthy friends;
I have a strange infirmity,^26 which is nothing
To those that know me. Come, love and health to all!
Then I’ll sit down. Give me some wine, fill full.
[Enter Ghost.]
I drink to th’ general joy o’ th’ whole table,
And to our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss;
Would he were here! To all and him we thirst,^27
And all to all.
Lords. Our duties, and the pledge.
Macbeth. Avaunt!^28 and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee!
Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold;
Thou hast no speculation^29 in those eyes
Which thou dost glare with.
Lady Macbeth. Think of this, good peers,
But as a thing of custom, ’tis no other.- Ere... weal before humane
laws civilized the state and
made it gentle.
80- mortal... crowns deadly
wounds on their heads. 85 - infirmity (ihn FUR muh tee)
physical or mental defect;
illness.
90 - thirst drink.
95- Avaunt Be gone!
- speculation sight.
100Macbeth confides his fears to
Lady Macbeth.306 UNIT 3 • FACING THE FUTURE, CONFRONTING THE PASTLIT17_SE12_U03_A3_WC.indd Page 306 4/27/17 4:56 AM f-0242new /140/PE02830/MYPERSPECTIVES_ENGLISH_LANGUAGE_ARTS_SE_and_TE/NA/SE/2017/G1/XXXXXXX ...TEACHING
Explore Characterization
Remind students that it is important not to
only know how a character looks, but to
note how characters respond to the actions
or words of other characters. A character’s
reaction can show readers what is most
important to that character. Students
may have marked Scene iv, lines 86–91
during their first read. Use these lines to
help students understand how to analyze
characters’ actions and reactions. Encourage
them to talk about the annotations that they
marked. You may want to model a close read
with the class based on the highlights shown
in the text.
ANNOTATE: Have students mark details in the
lines that show how Lady Macbeth responds
to Macbeth’s actions and how he responds to
her words, or have students participate while
you highlight them.QUESTiON: Guide students to consider what
these details might tell them. Ask what a
reader can infer from the reactions of the
characters, and accept student responses.
Possible response: i can infer that Lady Macbeth
is worried about what people will think when
Macbeth rambles on about the ghost that they
cannot see. She uses language to honor him, but
also to convey the seriousness of the situation.
Macbeth, in contrast, tries to smooth over the
situation by claiming illness.
CONCLUDE: Help students to formulate
conclusions about the importance of these
details in the text.
Possible response: i think Shakespeare wanted
readers to see by her response that Lady
Macbeth is aware that Macbeth is unravelling
and needs to stop his behavior. His response
indicates he does not want their “friends” to
know he is losing his mind.
Remind students that characterization is
the way an author develops and reveals a
character’s personality and temperament. An
author may use indirect characterization,
showing a character’s actions and behavior,
or showing how one character affects
another. Characters in plays reveal themselves
to readers and audiences through their
actions and reactions, as well as through
their dialogue. Sometimes a reaction allows
one character to take charge and lead other
characters in the direction he or she wants
them to go. How a character responds to
another helps the reader and audience know
more about both characters’ personalities.CLOSER LOOK
306 UNIT 3 • FACING THE FUTURE, CONFRONTING THE PAST
LIT17_TE12_U03_A3_WC.indd 306 04/05/17 11:16 pm