69 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
69 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
___ ___ ___
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___|: |___|: \ ___|: \ DizDate: 12/95
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_______\___ \___ \___ ___\_______ WordCount: 535
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«¬¬¬¬¬¬| |: | |____| ___|¬¬¬¬¬¬«
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«¬¬¬¬¬| | |: | |: |¬¬¬¬¬« Subject/Topic is on:
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«¬¬¬¬| |: | |: | |¬¬¬¬« [Critical Article on MacBeth ]
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Grade Level: [ ]Grade School Type of Work: [x]Essay/Report/Term
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[x]High School [ ]Informational
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[ ]College [ ]Notes
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[ ]Misc
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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Critical Article on MacBeth
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William Empson disagreed with many of J. M. Robertson, Literary
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Detection (1931), about certain points surrounding MacBeth. "The eye wink
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at the hand, yet let that be which the eye fear, when tis done, to see." is
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a line from MacBeth which to Robertson "appeared particularly vulgar".
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William Empson discusses this point and says that "he throws out a number
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of them which seem to me to sum up the thought of the play.". I agree with
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Williams on this point because what Robertson passed off for being vulgar,
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I believe helped to sum up certain points which a scene is trying to make.
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For example, Robertson calls this line of MacBeth: "Hover through the fog
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and filthy air". He even goes so far to call that a "vacuous tag-line".
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This is a example of a line which sums up a certain point that Robertson
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has passed off as horrid. Empson points out that "it establishes from the
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start the theme of fog" and I am within full agreement with Empson when he
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remarks that comment of the line.
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Certain lines to MacBeth, which Empson described as essential, were
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disregarded by Robertson as having "no sense". This paragraph shows an
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example of what Robertson disregarded:
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"But cruel are the times, when we are traitors And do not know
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ourselves, when we hold rumour From what we fear, yet know not what we
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fear, Each way and move."
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Robertson, after contemplating this passage, remarked that this is
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"certainly not Shakespeare's" because of the earlier point based above.
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Empson believe's that Robertson's flaw comes within his translation of the
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lines, "hold rumour could be like 'hold parley with'" and goes through a
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retranslation of this short passage. "No one who had experienced civil war
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could say it had no sense." is a line which briefly sums up Robertson's
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reasons for his earlier claim on this passage, his lack of experiencing a
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civil war. Empson does a wonderful job placing himself as the first
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audience of Shakespeare and reliving these events to their raw meaning. I
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believe that once you've lived through a civil war with its traitors and
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violent times, this passage comes through more clearly and can be seen
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easier.
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A third point which Empson rebukes, "Before my body, I throw my
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warlike shield" is an example of a line which Robertson remarked as
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"admittedly intolerable, known even by its defenders to be very bad".
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Robertson even goes so far as to say that "(E.K.) Chambers does not
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distinguish between the sense of style and the sense of sense" implying
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that Chambers is not capable of examining this line fully. I believe this
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line to be a powerful line showing that MacBeth is trying to protect
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himself with the last of his bodily protection that he possesses. "I
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suspect the trouble is merely that the critics don't see the point." is a
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line which states clearly the problems of the previous 2 critics' mislead
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interpretations. William Empson has led several strong arguments against
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Robertson's translation of the story MacBeth. I agree with the points
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brought up by William Empson and believe that Robertson misinterpreted key
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events in the play of MacBeth.
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