Post 7

Netflix Recommendations from Macbeth:

Breaking Bad
Walter White, a chemistry teacher, partners with a former student to begin producing and selling crystal meth to pay for his cancer medical expenses and provide for his family in the future. Macbeth loves this show and the main character because he feeds off the power that Walter White gains as rises higher in rank in the drug organization. It comforts him throughout the show that White also was willing to kill to better his own situation.
Though once Macbeth reached the end of the series, it frightened him that White lost everything he had worked so hard for.

The Lovely Bones
Although most people would not find comfort in this violent story of a girl who was murdered and raped by her neighbor, Macbeth is relieved with the family members of the young girl who feel as if they can still see and hear her, even after her death. He knows that his seeing Banquo was real, and was previously worried that he was crazy. But because of this film, he now knows that many other people can see ghosts. Though, the movie also made him uneasy when he discovered that Susie Salmon, the murdered teen, could not move on to heaven before her death was avenged with her family finding peace. Macbeth feared that Banquo will want his death avenged in order for him to go away and not be able to see him again. 

How to Get Away with Murder
A defense attorney and a small group of her students, work together on cases that involve questionable tactics in order to get the criminal acquitted. By the end of the series they become bound together through covering up a murder. Macbeth gained a lot of information from this show on how to get away with the murders he committed, like King Duncan and Banquo. He did this through the show's explanation of how a person can stretch the truth. Macbeth utilizes this skill often with double speak, equivocations, and paradoxes. Macbeth also connects with the main character and how she rationalizes her actions because they protect herself.

American Horror Story
Macbeth is very intrigued by American Horror Story, he especially enjoys Season 1: Murder House and Season 3:  Coven. With the ghostly apparitions only seen by those living in the house in Season 1 and all the issues caused by witches using their various powers, he can definitively relate with the characters.  When no one else saw the apparitions you claim you saw, not even your own wife, it can get to your head, but Macbeth is justified in Season 1, where there is an entire family who sees ghosts as living people. He can truly connect with the theme of appearance versus reality throughout the season. Are the ghosts really there? During the second season, the wickedness of some witches are revealed, as they will do anything to get what they want. He learns more about their powers, which he enjoyed because they intrigue him so much in how they can predict the future, but he wonders if they are using their powers to control him.

Reign (but just Season 2, Episode 3, the scene of the coronation) 
The series Reign depicts the journey of that of Mary Queen of Scots and her rise to power. In one's rise to power there is bound to be struggles which are painful for the protagonist, though, in that one moment where the coronation is occurring and power has been obtained, there is no drama. Though the rest of the series makes him question whether it is really Lady Macbeth that is making his decisions....hmmmmm.

Post 6

Do you believe events in your life have been guided by fate or chance? Why or why not? Based on the text, what do you think Shakespeare's attitude was towards fate? Does Macbeth have any choice in his actions or was everything predetermined? Use examples from the text as your support.

Fate vs. Chance - It's a struggle that is shown countless times throughout Shakespeare's work, you'd think we would have gotten over it by now. But no, it is still a question that will forever loom over human existence.

If you want my opinion, which I'm sure you don't, I believe the events in my life have been guided by chance, or for better words, free will. For there to be one set pathway that the Earth will ever witness seems completely unrealistic to me. Who would have the power to choose the fate of all things that have existed, are existing, and will ever exist? If there is a God, why would he even care so much as to choose every single happening ever. That is an insane, infinite, amount of things. If I were God, I wouldn't bother. But let's be honest, God would probably want to utilize his omnipresence a little, so again, if God does exist, nothing is stopping him from performing some of his all-powerful magic and putting some events' fate into his own hands. Not all events are guided by fate, but it is possible that a few happenings are set in stone.

It is very apparent that Shakespeare was enthralled with the idea of fate. But whether he believes in in it, is in question. In fact, I propose that Macbeth was making fun of people that think their lives are placed in fate's hands.

From the beginning of the play Shakespeare uses supernatural characters, such as the three witches, to inform Macbeth of his "predetermined" future. Macbeth questions the witches' prediction, he exclaims that "The Thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?" (Act I, Scene III). But I believe that this experience only caused Macbeth to have the possibilities of being King set in his mind, showing the dominance and influence of supernatural powers, something I believe Shakespeare did believe in. However, the supernatural characters may actually serve as a physical symbol for people's deepest darkest desires and the evil within all men. Macbeth claims "If chance will have me as King, why chance may crown me without my stir," but as the thoughts race through his mind, and the possibility that this could be fate wreaks havoc in his brain, he takes action to ensure the prophecy is fulfilled (Act I, Scene III).

King Duncan had to die. Macbeth made the choice to kill, all in the name of the prophecy. Fate did not make King Duncan die, it was Macbeth's own selfish ambition that killed Duncan. The killing of King Duncan and Banquo, as well as the attempted murder of Fleance, was all facilitated by the supernatural, or possibly the selfish thoughts of Macbeth taking physical shape. Macbeth had control over his actions, this I am sure of, but was it influenced by the supernatural or Macbeth's inner evil?

"Strange things I have in head, that will to hand, which must be acted ere they may be scanned." (Act III, Scene IV)

I'm leaning toward inner evil. Macbeth has schemes in his head that he is planning to put into action. He has to do these things for his goal to be met, and him to be ensured his kingship, he just has to do them before he has the chance to think about them. He knows he will regret following through on his selfish wishes, but they are stronger than him.