Macbeth. Being A Man.

1.) Quote:
Lady Macbeth

"Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full, of dirtiest cruelty.  Make thick my blood. Stop up th' access and passage to remorse"
(Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 48-51)

What Lady Macbeth is saying is that she wants to be more like a man and less like a woman. She wants this by the blood in her brains to be thicker, and her body to be filled with cruelty from head to toe.

She feels as though a woman can not be as cruel as a man, so she wants to be more of a man so she does not feel remorse. She wants to be so cruel and so manly that no human being will will be able to stop her.

2.) Quote:

Ross

"He Only lived but till he was a man, the which no sooner had his prowess confirmed in the unshrinking station he fought, but like a man he died." (Act 5, Scene 8, Lines 45-48)

In this quote Ross is saying that his son was indeed a man and this was proven by fighting like one. the only problem is that as soon as he was able to prove his manliness, he died like a soldier.

This is a sad and happy quote because what was wanted was accomplished, and what was accomplished was followed immediately by death. His son proved that he was a man and he ended up dying like one immediately after which, is saying that what is wanted in life is not always the most important. 

3.) Quote:

Malcolm

"Be comforted.  Let's make us med'cines of our great revenge to cure this deadly grief." 

(Act 4, Scene 3, Lines 252-254)

Here Malcolm is saying to be comforted and use the revenge for good. They will use this great revenge to make the grieving for their lost loved ones less hard.

If someone i was very close to were murdered, i would feel obliged to get revenge. I do not agree with Malcolm though because if i killed the killer, than that makes me worse than him and all of the guilt is on me. Two wrongs do not make a right.

4.) Quote:

Malcolm

"Be this the whetstone of your sword.  Let grief convert to anger.  Blunt not the heart; enrage it."
(Act 4, Scene 3, Lines 268-269)

Malcolm is saying that he should not grieve but be angry instead. He is also saying not to blunt the heart but use its rage for revenge.

If someone that your close to is murdered, you would be very upset. Malcolm is saying to be  man and be angry instead and get revenge.

5.) Quote:

Macbeth

"Why should I play the Roman fool and die On mine own sword? Whiles I see lives, the gashes Do better upon them"

(Act 5, Scene 8, Lines 1-5)

Macbeth is saying that it is pointless to kill himself with his own sword in battle. Romans would kill themselves before being killed and Macbeth thinks it is foolish.

If I were Macbeth, I would do the same thing. If you are willing to take the risk of battle, fight until the death of the enemy upon you, otherwise you are fighting for nothing.

The Odyssey

The theme of books 11,12,13,16,19,21 and 22 of The Odyssey is that things can be different that they may seem or appear. This theme is a huge part in the Hero's Path in the book and also the storyline. If everything important was exactly how it seemed it would be, the story would not be exciting and also the storyline would not work as well. The main theme of The Odyssey is that things can be different that they may seem or appear.

One example of the theme is when the suitors try to string Odysseus' bow and they all fail in book twenty-one. Odysseus looks like an old beggar so when he says he wants to try, they all think he is crazy. But when he starts to succeed one of the suitors says "The clever tramp means trouble-" (pg. 437, line 448). All of the suitors think that the old beggar will just hurt himself but when he actually appears to be doing it, the suitors start to realize that the old beggar seems to be different than he appears who he is. Even though he looked like an old stranger, he really turned out to be the King of Ithaca.

Another example of this is in book nineteen when Eurykleia washes Odysseus' feet. When Penelope sees that there is a poor, dirty old man, shes orders one of the maids to wash the old beggar's feet. Eurykleia starts to wash the old beggars feet when she sees a scar on his foot and she realizes her master, Odysseus, had the exact same scar in the exact same place. When she feels the scar on his foot she realizes it is Odysseus and she says "Yes, yes! you are Odysseus-oh dear boy- I couldn't know you before... not until I touched the body of my king!" (pg. 405, lines 536-538). Odysseus thinks that her excitement and eagerness will give him away, so Odysseus takes Eurykleia by the neck and threatened to kill her unless she kept quiet and didn't tell anybody. She cooperated and left to refill her water basin when Penelope came in. Eurykleia was just doing as she ordered, to clean an old beggar's feet, but it seems to be her Master Odysseus and the King of Ithaca.

A final example of the theme that things may seem to be different that they appear is shown in book sixteen when Telemachus returns home. Telemachus says hello to Eumaios and from inside the house Odysseus says "Telemachus!" and Telemachus does not know who it is. Eumaios says it is his father and when he comes out he thinks it is a trick being played on him so he threatens to kill him. Only when Odysseus says "No, I am not a god, Why confuse me with one who never dies? No, I am your father- the Odysseus you wept for all your days, you bore a world of pain, the cruel abuse of men." (pg. 344, lines 209-214). The explanation for Telemachus not believing that it is his father is because he hasn't seen his father in over ten years and everybody on Ithaca thinks he is dead. So in the end, Telemachus is not expecting to see his father again and it seems to be a trick, but it appears to really be him.

The theme of the Odyssey is that things can be different that they may seem or appear. There are multiple examples of this throughout the story and it shows how it can be related to things in real life. It is important to remember this and keep it in mind.