"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't."

Shakespeare was loosely connected to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 from which Guy Fawkes got his fame. William Shakespeare's father John was a friend of one of the conspirators, and according to some sources, the conspirators hung around the Mermaid Tavern where William frequented.

After the plot was foiled, Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in which he included elements from the plot including the mentioning of a design on a commemorative medal King James had made for those who captured the plotters (see image). In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth tells her hubby to "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under 't."

4.2 The Saddest of All Time

Macbeth's Act 4 Scene 2 is in my humble opinion, Shakespeare's most pessimistic, and it's not even because Macduff's family is savagely slaughtered at the end, but rather what the characters speak of before the onslaught.

When Ross says, "Cruel are the times when we are traitors and do not know ourselves; when we hold rumor from what we fear, yet know not what we fear, but float upon a wild and violent sea..." (lines 18-21), it is as relevant today as it was then. Every day we are set upon by troubles so plentiful that we can only feel helpless. We feel as if there is some enemy to fear, but have no idea who it is, so we are helpless to avoid it and often misappropriate it. 

For Ross and Lady Macduff, the enemy is real and swiftly coming to murder them. Before the murderers' arrival, Lady Macduff says, "Whither should I fly? I have done no harm. But I remember now I am in this earthly world, where to do harm is often laudable, to do good sometime accounted dangerous folly" (lines 69-73). She would play the part of hopeless victim, but this cruel world in which evil is rewarded and good deeds punished pays no attention to such pitifulness.

Of course, the entire scene is about Macduff's absence. Lady Macduff is afraid because the father of her children has abandoned them. She fears for her children who will have no leader, no protector, no provider. Extrapolate these desperate feelings to the much larger implication--the absence of the Heavenly Father. Shakespeare is illustrating that we are all helpless and lost in a cruel, Godless world. The end result is loss of innocence and pointless death.

This is why I consider the scene to be so bleak.

Macbeth or CATS?

We're watching Macbeth 4 Kidz on DVD and the witches are... how can I put this? Lively!
Are we watching a performance of Cats off broadway or a Shakespearean tragedy? 

These healthy ladies are running around in leotards with lines on their faces that resemble whiskers on a cat. They keep clawing and snarling at the audience and Macbeth like they're auditioning for the Andrew Lloyd Webber production. 

This is definitely the most musical production of Macbeth ever conceived and it is AMAZING! Not only do the witches sing for what feels like half the show, Macbeth sings too! His rendition of "How do you Murder a King?" is stuck in my head worse than the "1877 Cars for Kids" commercial on the radio (which I hate and turn the channel whenever it starts). I will NOT endure that song! Anyway, if you get the chance, check it out. It's amazing.

Shakespeare's Omissions

's 't 'kay t'leave 'ut so m'ny l'tters, M'. Sh'k'sp're? I'm 'n 'nglish t'cher who's readin' M'cbeth wi' my st'dents, 'nd it's hard t' make 'em read c'rrectly, b'cuz 'f so m'ny 'missions. Wh' th' see th' w'rd "i'", 'nstead o' sayin' "in" wi' a sh'rt vow'l sound, th' say "I" wi' a long vow'l sound. "O'" 's "Oh", n't "uh" as 't should be. Oft' times t' apostrophe r'places a cons'nant. Oft' times t' apostrophe r'places a vow'l. I' gets t'resome v'ry quickly. O' well, I s'pose I should gi' o'er it. 'Til th' learn th' d'fference, g'day t' all, 'nd t' all a good ni'! 

Scorpions in His Head

In Act 3 Scene 3, Macbeth tells his wife, "full of scorpions is my mind." I guess this explains why he is having trouble sleeping. It also lets the audience know that Macbeth's mindset has changed since his murdering of Duncan. Now that Macbeth is king, he has to kill just to keep the status quo. It's only a matter of time before Banquo figures out that his family future as predicted by the witches is NOT connected to Macbeth's success anymore and turns against Macbeth. Macbeth also still has Malcolm and Donalbain to worry about--they still have a claim to the throne and are safe away in other countries. Then there's that tricky Macduff who didn't show up to Macbeth's coronation at Scone. If Macduff doesn't show up to the state dinner later, Macbeth is going to know Macduff is a foe and not an ally.
   Just FYI, scorpions are not native to Scotland. There are barely any in the UK.

Macbeth, Thane of Fashion

In Macbeth, Shakespeare 4Kidz performance, Macbeth shows up dressed like a girl scout. I don't know whether to fear him or buy a box of thin mints. Before viewing this dvd, I didn't realize where girl scouts got their fashion since... It turns out it's based off of eleventh century Scottish men.  From now on, when I see girl scouts in front of the grocery store trying to shlub their boxes of carbohydrates on me at inflated prices, I'm going to run away screaming like Macbeth is trying to unseam me from my nave to my chops.