Netflix and Kill

Miss Representation

This is a documentary about how women are typically portrayed in the media. It shows multiple examples of how the power that a woman has is in her beauty, youth, and sexuality; not in her ability to be a leader. It also explores the implications of this, citing many facts about how women are underrepresented in leadership roles in the government, large corporations, and other areas. I think that Lady Macbeth would watch this because she totally believes in #girlpower. She would think this is interesting because she has experienced the difference between what she is capable of and how she is portrayed to others. She would probably look to this film to get inspiration on how she is expected to act, which would be helpful to her because she is not what you would consider to be “normal”.

Making a Murderer

This is a documentary following Steven Avery, a man who was wrongly convicted of a crime that he spend 18 years in prison for. He then was put on trial for the murder of Teresa Halbach, whose remains were found on his property. The documentary goes through every step of the trial. I feel that Lady Macbeth would watch this because she is a murderer. She would be interested to see how Avery got away with the murder, if he did it. Avery blames the Manitowoc County sheriff’s department for the murder. He says that they framed him for this crime. Lady Macbeth probably watched this before the murder of Duncan and came up with the idea of blaming his guards for the murder.

Quantico

This show is about an FBI training program, specifically Alex Parrish. She is framed by one of her FBI trainee peers for a terrorist attack. The tv show uses flashbacks and flashforwards to tell the story. Lady Macbeth would watch this show because she enjoys adventure shows. She can relate. In the show, Alex does not know who she can trust. This is similar to how Lady Macbeth does not know if she can trust anyone by the end of the play. Her only confidant, Macbeth, has appeared to lose his mind. Lady Macbeth would be able to resonate with Alex Parrish because they both have to keep secrets in order to stay safe.

Brain games
This is a series that studies social phenomena and how your brain works. They often make the viewers participate in games then explain why you answered the way you did. Lady Macbeth would watch this show because she would be interested in how the human brain works in order to deceive others into thinking she did not plan Duncan’s murder and the overthrow of the government so that her and Macbeth would have power. We would now understand that she is deliberate about the decisions she makes to make people believe that she is innocent. She is asserting power not only over Macbeth but also the other people she comes in contact with.

Sources:
https://missrepresentationdenver.wordpress.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_a_Murderer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantico_(TV_series)
http://brainblogger.com/2016/02/01/new-brain-games-exclusive-preview-times-square-mass-mind-reading/

Macbeth Turns Evil

1. Why do people who are not "evil" take the first step into evil? What, for instance, is involved in taking that first step "down the primrose path to the everlasting bonfire" (Macbeth, 2.3)? What are the consequences of the individual choosing evil (particularly the internal consequences)? Use examples from the text to support your opinion.

There are multiple reasons why someone may become evil. People who are not evil may take the first step into evil because they have a chance to obtain power; perhaps power that they have never experienced or more power than they already possess. Power can be deceiving and contort the minds of those who possess it. Evil can also come in many forms. Evil can be hidden or blatantly noticeable. Good people take the first step into evil because of things such as jealousy, pride, and greed.

Evil was first given legitimacy in Macbeth’s mind when he met the three witches. He later contemplates what they have said: “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. My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man”. Macbeth, who was an upstanding and respected soldier, took his first step towards evil when he contemplated the prophecies presented by the three witches. In this passage, Macbeth is talking to himself about if he should believe what the witches said. He also knows that believing them will mean that Duncan has to die. The thought of murdering Duncan scares Macbeth, but it means that evil was then planted into Macbeth’s head. Power, the throne, is what Macbeth now wants.

Since Macbeth chose to fulfill the prophecy, there were multiple external consequences. Primarily, the death of Duncan, his guards, and Banquo. He first enlisted the help of Lady Macbeth to have the courage to do the deed: “Unsex me here; and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood”. Lady Macbeth was also a victim to evil. In this soliloquy, she cries out to evil spirits to give her the strength and masculinity to kill Duncan. Once Duncan and his guards are killed, Macbeth is racked with grief and regret. However, he tells Lady Macbeth that the prophecy is not yet fulfilled. The murder of Banquo and attempted murder of Fleance are what results in Macbeth’s evil next.

As the story progresses, we see Macbeth become less and less mentally stable. The burden of all he has done has begun to weigh on his mind. He has committed a lot of evil in order to fulfill the prophesy. At first, he is able to keep up appearances in order to hide his murders, but he begins to deteriorate after Banquo’s murder. At the dinner feast, Banquo appeared as a ghost to Macbeth, and Macbeth wasn’t able to conceal what he was seeing; he says to the ghost, “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me”. Macbeth is in anguish over what this evil has made him do. He has become a completely different person. First he was an honorable soldier. Eventually, he became a power-hungry murderer.

Evil came to Macbeth in the form of three witches. They told him that he would be all powerful, only a few people were in his way. Macbeth took the opportunity to become king of Scotland. As a result, he killed Duncan, his guards, and Banquo. Macbeth also suffered mentally because of this. He couldn’t stomach how much harm he had done, and his madness was available for everyone to see. This will ultimately lead to his downfall.






Quotes:Shakespeare, William. Macbeth: FOLGER Shakespeare Library. New York: Washington Square, 1992. Print.
Picture: Madani-Houha, Riad. "This Picture Mocks the Fact That Macbeth Is Killing Everyone in His Sight, Even Women and Children." Pinterest. N.p., 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2016. <https://www.pinterest.com/pin/494692340290819084/>.