Frankenstein (Chapters 9-10)

Chapter Eight:

• We learn that Victor's father is close to his sons, and is deeply traumatised by the death of William. 'No one could love child more than I loved your brother... (tears came to his eyes as he spoke)'. Importance of family or companionship?
• Victor yearns to use his kindness to help others, maybe to help with his own guilt about creating the 'monster'? 'thirsted for the moment when I should put them into practice, and make myself useful to my fellow beings'.
• Nature as a refuge is an idea associated with Romanticism. When Victor goes out on the lake to escape the life in the house. 'passed many hours upon the water...gave way to my own miserable reflections'. Idea of peace and tranquility again. Maybe this reflects how Mary Shelley dealt with grief- as her own life was touched by deaths.
• Victor's state of mind isn't healthy- even thinks briefly of suicide. 'I was tempted to plunge nito the silent lake, that the waters might close over me and my calamities for ever... I wept bitterly'.

Chapter Nine:

• Romantic, emblematic language used when describing nature- 'imperial', 'glorious', 'sublime'.
• 'elevated me from all littleness of feeling'. The romantic idea that nature acts as a remedy for unhealthy emotions is brought up here.
• The conflict between science and nature is a theme throughout the novel, but it is particularly prominent in the language used here. 'perpendicularity of the mountain... uniform clouds'.
• Sympathy felt for the creature?- shunned by everyone. Only experience of human beings have been negative- he was like a child.
• Use of hellish language when Victor refers to the creature 'Devil!' 'daemon'.
• Creature more intelligent then Victor? Taught himself the language, and points out the wrong doings in Victor.

Frankenstein (Chapters 1-8)

Chapter One:

• Victor seems to have come from a happy, wealthy family background... 'one of the most distinguished'. Seems to respect his father very highly and what he has acheived? Maybe Victor's ambition stems from wanting to be as successful as his father?
• Gothic nature introduced- Death. (Caroline's father).
• His family adopted Elizabeth and introduces the idea of making somebody to fit their surrondings as she was from a poor family. 'Noble Savage'?
• Possession as a theme? Describes Elizabeth as being like a 'favourite animal'.
• Victor's favourite books aren't founded on scientific evidence, so aren't respected in the scientific world. 'sad trash'. But sparks the start of his dream to create life. 'My dreams were therefore undisturbed by reality'.
• Introduced to Henry Clerval.

Chapter Two:

• Victor is sent to university- parents encouraged him.
• Victor's mother dies, yet another death so soon in the novel.
• 'we could not tear ourselves away from each other'- Victor shows how he desperately wanted to remain with his family and friends (companionship).

Chapter Three:

• Victor's fascination with human form (or any animal's structure). Seems a bit obsessive over his dream of creating life. 'I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit'.
• Grim tone, as Victor goes to 'charnel houses' and the thoughts of using dead matter to construct this creation. 'dissecting room... slaughter-house'.
• His enthusiasm and obsession in his creation made him 'like a hurricane'. Destructive element of his nature implied?
• Loss of morality? Tortures living animals to help his work progress. 'tortured the living animal to animate the lifeles clay'.
• Even Victor seems to understand how his creation is grim. 'filthy creation'. 'turn with loathing from my occupation'. He is controlled by his ambition and enthusiasm, despite appearing to dislike what his is doing.

Chapter Four:

• 'dreary night of November'. Weather foreshadowing how things are to turn out? Gothic element.
• 'anxiety that almost amounted to agony'. Victor has now taken a complete turn aound from his rational self earlier on in the novel. He now seems scared.
• Terrifying description of the creature. 'horror and disgust'. After all his work, is scared and disgusted by the outcome.
• Dream about Elizabeth and his dead mother suggests his mind is not settled? Insanity? Gothic element of nightmares and dreams.
• Pity for the creature, as he tries to smile at Victor, but in Victor's mental state, he completely misinterprets the smile.
• 'nervous fever'- Victor is now suffering for his work.

Chapter Five:

• Elizabeth writes letters to Victor, she clearly cares for him. Taking on a motherly role?
• Introduced to Justine- she was taken from her home as well, and it didn't end well!
• Mention of William makes his death even more tragic- he is portrayed as angellic.
• Ends chapter on a happy note- is this to last? 'unbridled joy and hilarity'.

Chapter Six:

• Shock for the reader in that William is dead! Terrible crime, as he was only a child. 'that sweet child, whose smiles delighted and warmed my heart'. Death again touches Victor.
• Elizabeth feels guilt- she feels she is responsible for his death.
• Victor find comfort in nature. '...the calm and heavenly scene restored me'. Romantic element, use of emblematic language.
• More emblematic language- 'noble war in the sky'. Symbolic language.
• References to hell (Gothic element). 'daemon'.
• 'I resolved to remain silent'. Fear of the consequences he should face if anybody found out about him being responsible for the creature.

Chapter Seven:

• Victors shows he knows he is responsible. 'the result of my curiosity and lawless devices would cause the death of two of my fellow-beings'.
• Use of emotive language shows the extent of the guilt Victor is feeling. 'the fangs of remose tore at my bosom'
• Foreshadowing. 'these are not your last tears! Again you shall raise the funeral wail!' More misery to come!

Frankenstein- Preface to Letter IV

Preface:

• Gothic theme already shown- 'cold and rainy' and the theme of ghost stories.
• Why does it say that the novel is Percy Shelley's?
• Sets the tone.

Letter I:

• Gothic theme of dreams/nightmares. 'day dreams became more fervent and vivid'.
• Creates a tense atmosphere- 'danger of death'. Foreshadowing of danger/peril?
• A possible use of the gothic theme of heaven and hell, as there is alot of heavenly imagery used. e.g. 'perpetual splendour'.
• What is Walton doing there? Reader starts to question his part in the novel? But the letters add a more personal touch, drawing them into the story.

Letter II:

• Walton is lonely, and he tells Margeret that he has no friends- reader feels sympathy for him (maybe showing similarites to the monster later on?)
• 'the lieutenant...is madly desirous of glory'. Ambition seems to be a strong theme in the letters.

Letter III:

• Another use of ambition in the Gothic Nature: 'What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man?'

Letter IV:

• Again, use of weather is a gothic theme. 'a  very thick fog'.
• Mystery surrounding the 'old man'. Who is he? What is he doing there?
• 'Oh unhappy man! Do you share my madness? Have you drunk also of the intoxicating draft?'. Walton notices similarities with Victor. Sharing the thirst for knowledge?

Witches in Macbeth

What do the witches bring to Macbeth?
Act One:

• Shakespeare uses the witches here as the introduction to Macbeth. Along with the setting, they help to set the tone for the rest of the play. 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair'. It foretells the way Macbeth gets the crown- his terrible betrayals of trust. Further on in the act, Macbeth repeats what the witches have said, 'So foul and fair a day', possibly portraying the narrow line between him and them? How similar their moralities are. The witches could even be used metaphorically to reflect the evil traits and wrongdoings in Macbeth's nature.
• There is the argument that the witches are a figment of Macbeth's imagination. Although Banquo also sees them too, even he mentions the doubt he has in himself that what he is seeing is real- 'have we eaten the insane root//That takes the reason prisoner?'. Further on in the act and the rest of the play, the idea that Macbeth could be imagining the witches seems more likely, with the apparitions he sees such as the dagger and Banquo's ghost.
• The first moment that the audience is made aware of a prophecy that Macbeth will be king, is when the witches speak of it. 'All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!' This could be said to have planted the initial thoughts in Macbeth's head, and could be said to be the cause of all his murderous acts.
• The witches certainly induce fear within the play, which could mean that they are there simply as entertainment value, and to keep the audience involved. At the time, with King James, the idea of witches was terrifying- many innocent women were accused of witchcraft and killed.
• Lady Macbeth appears in several points throughout the play, to bare striking similarities to the witches- in her language. In scene 5 of act one, she calls to spirits to help her. This seems much like a supernatural element, just like the witches. This point further emphasises the idea that the witches are there to show the thin line between the supernatural evil and natural evil. (Even Lady Macbeth appears as ruthless as them). 'Come, you spirits... all-hail hereafter!'

Act Two

• Despite the witches not being physically on stage in this act, their presence is still felt. In the first scene, Banquo has clearly been disturbed by the sight of the witches, 'I dreamt last night of the three Weird sisters'. It confirms to the audience that there is a reason to be fearful of them, and that they are behind all the bad things happening.
• In Macbeth's soliloquy, the goddess of witches is mentioned 'Pale Hecat's offerings'. It appears here that Hecat is one of the entities responsible for the turning point in Macbeth's speech. He decides here that murder is the way he fulfills his desire for kingship.
• The idea of nature being turned on it's head is most prominent in the fourth scene of act two. When the old man describes the natural order going wrong- when Duncan's horses eat each other. The witches being the supernatural evil could be behind the strange events.

Act Four

• In the first scene of this act, the witches are again used to start the act. They are gathered around the cauldron, using various revolting and horrible things to use for their chanting. Although they are seen here to apparently be using magic, there is no evidence to suggest that they are definately powerful in that way. It could be argued that by Macbeth's willingness to accept and believe all they do, his is in fact giving them their supernatural status. 'What is't you do?' Macbeth is keen to see and understand the acts of the Witches.
• Macbeth, like his wife, uses the language and rhythm of the witches at some points. This further provides evidence for the argument that the witches are very close to LM and Macbeth. It could even be suggested that the witches are just reflections of the natures of both of their characters.

Act III as the 'Gothic Centre' of Macbeth?

How the gothic nature of the play has been used to heighten the tragedy of Macbeth by the end of Act III.

• Morality. At the time of Shakespeare, King James I (England) was obsessed by the idea of witches and witchcraft. Extensive hunts and burnings of witches occured all over the country, and thousands of women were killed after being accused. It has been said that it was these 'Burning Times' that inspired Shakespeare to use the 'weird sisters'. Even if you do not follow the chirstian religion, you will more than likely adhere to the ten commandments. It was these Christian morals that sparked the witch hunts, as they were closely associated with the Devil.
• In Act III of Macbeth, the murder of Banquo is shocking, as initially we are introduced to him as being a friend of Macbeth. It highlights the downward spiral of Macbeth and his sanity, as he is clearly becoming paranoid and insecure.
• In previous scenes, it is clear that Macbeth is aware of the wrong in murdering. He is reluctant to kill Duncan, and is seen to be feeling the guilt of his crime. It is in act III, however, that his morality can be said to have decreased alot.
• Supernatural (and Witchcraft). The theme of witchcraft becomes prominent in the fifth scene of Act III. The three witches are meeting with Hecat, the goddess of witches. Hecat is angry at them for going above their station in seeking Macbeth, and would have been frightening for audiences in the time already obsessed with the idea of witches.
• The ghost of Banquo also appears to Macbeth, again drawing attention to the hallucinations he has (the dagger in Act II). This could further give evidences for Macbeth's unhealthy mental state, and possibly the idea that he has a moral conscience. Despite the fact he appears bloodthirsty and willing to kill again, the apparition of Banquo's ghost could hint at the remaining morals within Macbeth.

Macbeth- Act IV (in progress)

Scene One:

• Immediately we are introduced to alot of gothic elements in this scene. The thunder is a typical gothic setting- bad weather.
• The three witches appear to be reciting an incantation, creating potions and spells. This would have been shocking to audiences when this play was written (early seventeenth century) because witchcraft was feared and many women accused were burnt. To actually hear the chants would have made a big impact. 'hell-broth...Fire burn... Finger of birth-strangled babe'. The image of the murdered child is yet another example of the death of a child. (When Lady Macbeth describes how she would kill her own child, and the murder of Macduff's son later on in the act). The witches use alot of language relating to evil or language that conjures up unpleasant imageries. It shows further how nasty the company is that Macbeth is meeting with (willingly, now).
• 'Something wicked this way comes'. When the second witch exclaims that Macbeth is arriving, it could be reflecting how his morality is pretty much non-existent now.
• Another gothic element present in this scence are the the apparitions arrive. One of which is a 'Bloody Child', which could foreshadow the coming murder of Macduff's son. This apparitions says how nobody will harm Macbeth, except one who is not human- 'none of woman born'.
• After the third apparition, one of Macbeth's sections of speech (Lines 93-100), he begins to speak in rhyme. The same rhythm of the witches suggest how similarly evil Macbeth is to the witches. It almost sounds like one of their chants.

My View on Lady Macbeth

• Originally, I found Lady Macbeth unrelenting in her ambition. I thought that she was an unpleasant person who used her manipulative ways to persuade Macbeth into murdering the king. She was cruel in her criticism towards her husband, calling him a coward.
• She also seemed to be a violent character, with her horrible description of how she would kill her baby. Despite this speech of how she would keep her word, she still refused to murder Duncan herself because he resembled her father. In my eyes, this makes her character quite hypocritical.
• She also shows no remorse for the part she played in the murder, as although she admits she is equally as guilty as Macbeth, she brushes it off, revealing that she feels it is easy to forget what they had done, and easy to ignore the guilt. Her cold attitude made me dislike her, as she was unsympathetic and nasty towards her husband. (Even though it is suggested they have a loving relationship by the way Macbeth writes to her).
• Lady Macbeth is a good actress, who uses her status as a woman to her advantage, to create the image of innocence at the scene of the murder. She swoons at the idea of murder. Although previously she had become the dominating, almost masculine, figure in the plot to kill the king.
• Despite her initial enthusiasm, when she sees Macbeth beginning to think of killing more, she appears to shrink back. She allows her husband to take more control than he had previously, almost as if she regrets planting the first seed of thought into her Macbeth's head. She even asks him what is to be done, whereas before she had been giving the instructions.

Macbeth- Act II

Scene One:

• As Banquo is disturbed, the sky seems restless too- 'There's husbandry in heaven'. (Line 4) Could this be a sign of the evil nature of what is happening?
• Banquo describes the King's sleep. It is ironic, as the audience is aware of what is to befall Duncan during the night. 'The King's a-bed'. (Line 12)
• The witches not only had a big impact on Banquo, ('I dreamt last night of the Weird Sisters'-Line 20) but we know they affect Macbeth too, thus seeing through Macbeth's apparent lack of concern regarding them. ('I think not of them'- Line 21)

Scene Two:

• Lady Macbeth appears to be on egde, starting at noises of her imagination. 'Hark! Peace'. We are also shown some humanity in her character, when she explains why she could not kill Duncan herself. Despite the fact she felt he resembled her father as he slept, she could be seen as a hypocrite, when she chastises Macbeth as being a coward- she described in horrific detail how she would kill her own baby.
• Within the scene, there is thick tension in the atmosphere, reflected by the rapid exchange between Macbeth and LM.
• Macbeth predicts the onset of insomnia. 'heard a voice cry "Sleep no more!"' Clearly he feels that his conscious will not let him forget the murder he has just committed.
• The use of 'S' sounds implies that Macbeth will whisper his explaination to LM. 'Shall sleep' (Line 43). It shows how concerned the character is feeling about the murder and of being caught, and of the guilt he is experiencing.
• Lady Macbeth scorns her husband in a sarcastic, nasty way. 'Why, worthy thane' (Line 44). She has consistently criticised his apparent cowardice or reluctance to carry out the bloody killing. She also calls him childish at his recation to having killed Duncan. ''Tis the eye of childhood That fears a painted Devil'.
• Macbeth feels that he will always be guilty, and that it willl take more than Neptune's ocean to wash the blood from his hands.
• Lady Macbeth seems to admit that she is just as guilty, but dismisses it easily, 'A little water clears us of this deed; How easy is it then!' She simply wants Macbeth to forget it and get over it.

Scene Three

• The Porter in this scene provides a much needed bit of comic relief, with his speech of alcohol and how it increases the desire, yet inhibits his sexual needs.
• There is a alot of mention of the Devil- 'Belzebub' - and this a classic element of the gothic. Along with mention of God and of faith.
• The weather is also severe and links in with the gothic genre. It is so bad, it could be linked to the first sign of nature turning 'wild'.
• Macbeth plays the innocent man well, showing off the two sides to his character- the Doppelganger which is also an element of Gothic literature.
• Macbeth kills the guards for two possible reasons. He wants to appear loyal to the king, and therefore innocent of the murder. He also wants to be sure that the guards could not provide any incriminating evidence against him.
• The conflicting language here could reflect the conflict of morals/conscience within him. 'temperate...furious...loyal...neutral' (Lines 105 and 106)
• Lady Macbeth also proves herself to be a good actress, she swoons at the night's horrors.
• Malcom and Donalblain seem to be aware of the deceit- 'There's daggers in men's smiles'. They then flee, but in doing so incriminates them- makes them suspicious.

Scene Four

• The old man opens the scene with an anecdote, and how he has never seen a worse night. Because of the respect shown by Ross, ('good father'), the audience trusts him and therefore his views on the matter.
• ''Tis said they ate each other'. When discussing how Duncan's horses turned wild, it is clear that something in nature is not right. The order of nature has been turned on its head.
• Macduff's decision to leave to Fife, and not to the coronation of Macbeth suggest that he already has his suspicions or some mistrust of Macbeth.

Macbeth's Soliloquy- Act 2

Hallucination:

• Can see a dagger, but doesn't know it's relevence. Is it a prophecy, a sign that he will kill the king? Or is it just an image reflecting what he had been thinking about lately. 'Art thou not, fatal vision... Or art thou A dagger of the mind , a false creation'. (Lines 36-28)
• Vision changes to one of a bloody dagger, and Macbeth seems to be concerned about the change, and it brings about the turning point within his soliloquy.
• He feels that by seeing it, his eyes 'are made the fools o'the other senses'. He is unsure as to whether he is actually seeing it. (Line 44)
• Brings out his own dagger, almost to compare with what he thinks he's seeing. Might be prophetic, that he is definately going to commit to the murder of Duncan. Macbeth believes the dagger is ordering him,or controlling him. 'marshall'st me the way'. (Line 42)

Change in attitude (Turning point)

• Macbeth snaps out of his concerned/confused state of mind about the hallucination, and tells himself 'There's no such thing.' (Line 47). You can almost say he starts to think 'rationally' (if rational is deciding to kill somebody!) He is more decisive, and sets his sights on the task at hand.
• He uses the visions of Hecat (goddess of witches) and Tarquin (rapist) to compare his movements towards the deed. 'Moves like a ghost'. (Line 56). These are two horrible visions, and really help to emphasise the evil in the act Macbeth is about to carry out.

Gothic Elements

• Blood/Gruesome imagery. The blood on the dagger and the use of a semantic field with 'deathly' vocabulary all tie in with the murder. 'Dagger... fatal... bloody'.
• Witches. Shakespeare uses the goddess of witches to compare with his act and movement towards it.
• Supernatural vs Nature. 'Nature seems dead...witchcraft celebrates'.
• 'That summons thee to heaven or to hell'. (Line 64).

Marxism Analysis

Jane Eyre is a novel that is relatively simple to look at alongside the theory of Marxism. Karl Marx stated that it was ‘not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness’. There are many characters in Jane Eyre that have led their lives in very different places than each other.

Firstly, Jane herself spent most of her early years at a school for girls. There, she had nothing material, and not a privileged life. Because of this, she grows into an adult, who does not yearn for material goods or a wealthy life, but an honest and good one. This outcome does not support the theory of Marxism, because despite Jane never experiencing owning anything valuable or precious, she doesn’t ever aspire to. 

For a character that does fit in with the theory of Marxism, Adele (Rochester’s ward) is a good example. She is a French girl who has been brought up in a wealthy home. She is constantly craving for the attention of Rochester, and the attentions of all the rich guests. She has lived a privileged life, around wealthy people, and can appear to the reader to be ‘spoilt’, which would tie in with the theory of Marxism.

Word Count: 209

Macbeth- Act One, Elements of the Gothic.

Gothic Elements:
Scene One

• The immediate focus point is the setting. There is thunder and lightening, a pretty dismal weather to be out in, and also a key feature of many gothic texts. The three witches are said to be meeting soon on a heath, which gives the feeling of iscolation and open landscape.
• Idea of the three witches is, in itself, an element of the gothic literature. Witches often play a part in gothic texts, and they link with the supernatural. They are devilish creatures, and something horrid that can often perform various items of witchcraft, such as divination and communicating with the dead.
• The witches have 'familiars'.

Scene Two

• The heavy, descriptive language gives a sense of how bloody the battle fought was. 'Which smoked with bloody execution'. (Line 18) 'bathe in reeking wounds'. (Line 40)

Scene Three

• The witches turn up to Macbeth, and speak of the future- make predictions. This hints at the supernatural, which is a main element of the gothic genre, 'shalt be king hereafter!' (Line 49)
• The appearance of the witches is ghastly. 'So withered and so wild... look not like the inhabitants o' the earth'. (Lines 39-45)
• The weather is yet again a perfect setting for a gothic scene. (Thunder)
• The witches speak of murder, a grotesque element of the gothic.
• Mabeth fears the witches (Line 130-140)

Scene Four

• Light/Dark contrast. 'Let not light see my black and deep desires'. (Line 52)

Scene Five

• Ambition shown by Lady Macbeth. She appeasr to b power-hungry and wants to do all she can to get Macbeth to be king. Although she is aware that murder is the only way, she seems to not want to do anything so horrible, and calls on spirits to make her feel no guilt and to make her cruel. 'Stop up the access and passage to remorse'... 'unsex me here'. (Lines 36-42)
• Heaven/Hell. 'dunnest smoke of hell'... 'Nor heaven peep through the blanket of dark'.
• Light/Dark. 'blanket of dark'
• Doppelganger suggested? By Lady Macbeth using the language of the witches, is she showing a second personality, much like theirs? Sounds like an incantation. She also shows duality in her character- 'innocent flower... be the serpent'.

Scene Seven

• Macbeth shows ambition, but he does not want to kill anybody to reach his goal. Doesn't want to betray Duncan.
• Lady Macbeth uses grotesque imargery in persuading Macbeth to understand murder is the best way to go about it. She said he had promised her, and that she would kill her own child if she had said. 'And dashed the brains out' (Line 58)

Coursework Ideas

For my comparative coursework essay, I will use Charlotte Bronte's novel, 'Jane Eyre' and possibly Daphne du Maurier's novel 'Rebecca'. As I have not finished reading Rebecca, I will focus this on possible themes within Jane Eyre.

One of the themes is the social status of women. Jane Eyre is treated with little, or no respect throughout her life, but this is due to her situation rather than her gender. The wealthy, upper class women that Rochester mixes with are treated completely different to Jane, so this is an argument against the idea that women are degraded. However, even the noble women are expected to marry and have children, in contrast today, where they can have a career, and it is not expected of them. Another woman in the novel is Rochester's mentally ill wife, Bertha Mason. She is hidden in the attic of Thornfield, and is kept as a prisoner in secret to keep Rochester's name and reputation safe. The three main male characters each try to keep Jane in a typical 'womanly' role, where she is not permitted to voice her emotions and opinions.

From this, I could look at the importance of status/reputation. How Jane and Rochester cannot be together as Jane refuses to stay while Bertha Mason is still around. She only returns having come into an inheritance, so that could signify that she does not want to be seen as needing him. Her pride, morals and self-respect prevent her from staying with him. Rochester hides his wife, as he is ashamed. His pride prevents him from acknowledging her existence. A theme of pride?

There are also the themes of love/passion, independence, morality and religion.