Shakespeare acted as an augur when using bird imagery to foreshadow upcoming events. The augur was a priest and official in ancient Rome. His main role was to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds: whether they are flying in groups or seen alone, what noises they make as they fly, the direction of flight, and what kind of birds they were. This evaluation was known as "taking the auspices.”
In Act IV, Scene I, Shakespeare is referring to a red letter day (any day of special significance) when Macbeth states, “… Let this pernicious hour stand aye accursed in the calendar!” (149 – 150).* Macbeth is referring to the news from the witches that tell him of eight kings descended from Banquo (instead of Macbeth.) The witches tell Macbeth many things that he cannot understand; yet, the witches are telling Macbeth the truth…
In Act IV, Scene III of Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Malcolm tells Macduff that even someone who has morals and integrity may cave under the pressure of a demand from their king. Malcolm is referring to Lucifer (the Devil.) In most religious traditions, Lucifer is considered the most intelligent (the brightest as in genius) and the most outstanding (the brightest or best) of God’s angels. In addition, Malcolm is saying that Macbeth was once the brightest and best and now he acts a lot like Lucifer.
Because Shakespeare’s works reflect the humanity of individuals and show the singular events in life that can take one on a new and different path, who better to stage his works than Matt Wallace, director of Shakespeare Behind Bars, who works with inmates that interpret the events in life demonstrated by Shakespeare? This is in of itself a case of meta-theatricality; inmates are playing parts that encompass moral dilemmas and crime – perhaps even issues that they have directly faced – giving them the opportunity to explore their feelings unlike any typical therapy program could offer.
An explanation of the concept of "nationalism" and how it relate to The Odyssey.
“Beware of the [amazon_link id=”0060088907″ target=”_blank” ]Ides of March[/amazon_link]” is a commonly heard [amazon_link id=”0738712779″ target=”_blank” ]superstition[/amazon_link]. It’s a day to remember... Read More
Essentially, to “cast pearls before swine” is to share something of value with those who cannot appreciate it.