Top Picks for Lady Macbeth

"That '70s Show"- Set in Wisconsin in the 1970s,  revolving around a group of teenage friends, their mishaps, and their coming of age.  This show features two strong female characters, Donna and Jackie, have manipulated their men countless times.  Donna also preaches equality for women while she commonly breaks the stereotype of women during the time period.  The commonalities between Donna and Lady Macbeth is what would lead her to watch this show.  It reveals that now matter how strong and independent Lady Macbeth appears to be on the outside, she is fragile on the inside.

"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"- A woman was kept captive in a doomsday cult, and eventually rescued.  Now she lives in New York City and has to adapt to a world she thought did not exist anymore.  Lady Macbeth watched "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" because it inspired her to push through the difficult situations, and look forward to what the future held.  However, unlike Lady Macbeth, Kimmy is able to adapt to her brand new life in the real world.  It reveals how Lady Macbeth wanted to be able to live without the guilt of her past, but unfortunately was not able to escape.

"The Crown"- Following the political rivalries and romance during Queen Elizabeth II's reign that shaped the late 20th century.  Queen Elizabeth II takes the throne and a new era is dawning on the British Empire.  Lady Macbeth shows jealousy toward the power that was appointed to Queen Elizabeth II, and is envious that she could never be awarded the same amount of power and respect.  It reveals the reason behind Lady Macbeth's manipulation of Macbeth to murder King Duncan, as her desire for some form of power.

"Black Mirror"- Each episode follows a different character in a new landscape in which technology has gone awry.  The character looses control over the technology that has taken control over their society. The psychological breakdown of the characters in the show is very similar to Lady Macbeth's breakdown.  Similar to Lady Macbeth losing control over Macbeth as he slips deep into inhumane evil, "Black Mirror" focuses on the character's downfall and reveals the psychological impacts the technology has on them.  Lady Macbeth sees Macbeth change in character as her fault, and the guilt of this consumes her and we see it manifest in her sleepwalking.

The Power of Evil

People who are not "evil" take the first step towards evil because they believe that a small act of evil will not counter all the good they have done in their lives.  The first thing that is involved in walking "down the primrose path to the everlasting bonfire" (Macbeth, 2.3)  is a person being convinced or persuaded that the evil action is the right thing to do.  A person is also convinced that the action would be easy to forget and return to the life that they once had.  Guilt is the main internal consequences from an individual choosing evil.  An example of this is present in Shakespeare's Macbeth after Macbeth murders Banquo.  The ghost of Banquo is a manifestation of Macbeth's guilt and appears to him during the dinner to celebrate the life of Duncan.  This dinner is known as the turning point of the play, and we finally see how the actions of Macbeth directly impact him.

Artwork in the Middle Ages

Title: Manuscript Leaf with the Agony in the Garden and Betrayal of ChristArtist: An English PsalterDate: 1270Medium: Tempera and gold on parchmentSize: 23.5 by 16.5 c.m.

The illustrated manuscript came from an English psalter, a book of psalms from the Old Testament.  It is believed that the manuscript was for Queen Eleanor of Provence, who became a nun in 1272 after the death of her husband, King Henry III.  The manuscript is divided horizontally into two panels to portray the idea of the artwork which are the events in Christ's life before his crucifixion.  The upper panel is the episode known as the Agony in the Garden, while the Betrayal of Christ is in the lower panel.  This separation of the two very pieces creates a sense of conflict and unity to show the Christian theme that good will defeat evil.

The scene of Agony in the Garden has a gentle mood to it due to the kneeling or sitting positions of Christ and his apostles. The the natural shapes of the trees and sky in the background have smoothed cured lines to influence the viewer into a tranquil state of mind.  Each of the apostles are holding their heads with the hands, and have their eyes closed.  The artist did this to convey the apostles' feelings of sadness towards Christ's upcoming crucifixion. The scene of the Betrayal of Christ has a mood of anger and violence due to the depiction of weapons and the standing body language of the majority of the figures in the image.  The illustrations features several different figures in a compact space, leading to the feeling of overwhelment to trigger the sense of anger and fear in the viewer.  The two very different moods in the illustrations create a sense of conflict.  However, the pieces are unified due the similar colors, and how the figures are drawn.  there is movement starting from the upper panel and then to the lower panel due to the vertical arrangement of the scenes, and the rectangular frame that separates the scenes horizontally.  

These elements contribute to the Christian theme that good will always defeat evil by having the scene of Agony in the Garden above the Betrayal of Christ.  This order also portrays the Christian ideals of showing kindness over anger and violence.  This work still had special relevance to viewers today, especially to those practicing a form of Christianity because it features very important scenes before Christ's crucifixion, a very important role in the religion.

Freebie

Gluttony in Advertising

This advertisement from IHOP was created in December of 2012 to promote their "All You Can Eat Pancake" day.  The creator of this advertisement wanted to reach an audience of breakfast lovers in the United States. The advertisement portrays gluttony through the phrase "Slather. Pour. Eat. Repeat." this motivates the audience to over-indulge themselves with as many pancakes as they can eat in one sitting.  In The Canterbury Tales, the Franklin is described as being custom to live pleasurable, which portrays the deadly sin of gluttony.  Chaucer uses these sins as well as physical abnormalities to characterize the social classes because of his personal feelings towards them.

The creator of the ad uses the visual aspect of the stack of pancakes with syrup dripping and butter on top to appeal towards the audiences' appetite.  Since most IHOP locations are located inside the United States, the association benefits from "All You Can Eat" campaigns because of the obesity problem within the United States.  The large stack of pancakes can also create a sense of competition among the audience because friends and family can compete to see who can eat the most pancakes, contributing to the aspect over over-indulgence. This advertisement is one of many that promotes the concept of "All You Can Eat" supporting the deadly sin of gluttony.

What's in a Name?

My first name, "Kristen" was chosen from a heavy influence from my father.  He is a service manager, and while meeting with a customer, he stumbled upon a "Kristen" that worked for his customer.  After briefly talking to her, he found how well-educated, responsible, and respectful she was.  These characteristics appeared within every "Kristen" he met from then on.  When I was born, he wanted me to follow the path of the other "Kristen"s that he met.  Even though my name does not define who I am, it correlates to it.  Just because my name is "Kristen", it does not automatically give me the characteristics associated with the name.  The decisions and actions I do in my life are tied to my name, when others talk about me they associate the name the hear to my actions and personality.

I have had situations which I have been a "two," when I am an individual, but part of a whole at the same time.  Since I have an older brother, others have perceived me as the same person that he is.  Teachers that have previously had him as a student, were influenced by how he acted and use that to judge me before they get to know me.   Although we have some similarities, our differences is what make us individuals.  Teachers that have not had my brother see me as an individual rather than as apart of a whole, because they have gotten to know me and my individual personality.

Concept of Othering

Wing Young Huie's photo, "Schalmer Flying Horse," taken in 2001 features a woman sitting alone on a public bus or subway.  The women is the focus of the image, which creates emphasis and contrast between her and the blurred bodies that stand in the foreground. Contrast is also created from the picture being black and white, the woman's shirt is a pure white against the dark black seats.  The artist captured the feeling of loneliness, which is communicated through her facial expression.  The concept of "othering" is present in this photograph since the woman in focus is in the background of the image, which creates a sense that she is separated or alienated from the rest of the crowd.  Huie furthers this concept by having the focus of the image, dressed in white, surrounded by two blurred figures, dressed in darker clothing, again creating the sense of separation. 

Simular to Huie's photograph, "Schalmer Flying Horse," Margaret Atwood's novel, The Handmaid's Tale, also captures the concept of "othering."  Atwood creates this concept through gender stereotypes, by the creation of the different classes. Women were assigned as Wives, Handmaids, Marthas, Econowives, or "unwomen."  Women that could bear children became Handmaids, while those who could not became Marthas.  Those who revolted against the new society became "unwomen" and forced to do manual labor.  The use of the neologism, "unwomen," captures the concept of "othering" because the "unwomen" were separated from the rest of Gilead's society.  The different classes were divided by colors and rules that banned certain behavior among the classes creating a division amongst the population and furthers the concept of "othering" throughout Atwood's novel.