What makes &#x27;Macbeth&#x27; gothic

Original post by VictoriaS_xoxo

Hey, I'm wondering if anyone can help me with my essay by explaining how else, aside from creating fear and terror 'Macbeth' can be seen as gothic.
I'm trying to find some A03 points but everything leads back to fear and terror.
Hopefully somebody can help! Thanks

What defines 'gothic'? (That's the key to opening up the question...)

Reply 2

the bear

20

this may help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2rV9_lkwf8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b73OCo4iicI

Reply 3

crashMATHS

16

Original post by VictoriaS_xoxo

Hey, I'm wondering if anyone can help me with my essay by explaining how else, aside from creating fear and terror 'Macbeth' can be seen as gothic.
I'm trying to find some A03 points but everything leads back to fear and terror.
Hopefully somebody can help! Thanks

Not everything links back to fear and terror. Like a previous poster, what makes the gothic 'gothic'?

Think about the setting, the architecture, the religious idioms, the guilt, the archetype of the blood, the weather, the cathartic resolution, the violence and passion, the supernatural, the internal and external conflict of the protagonists, the inclusion of the gothic protagonist, the use of doubling, the uncanny elements and so on.

There are plenty of things that makes Macbeth an example of a gothic text - you just have to search for it. Though, be careful not to imply that this text is a gothic text - or was set out by Shakespeare to be so - it was written before the arrival of Gothic Literature and just has many gothic elements within it.

Also, not all the gothic elements link to fear and terror, as that is not all the Gothic is about. Of course, one of the features of the gothic is that it arouses its audiences with such feelings, but it has many other purposes too. And there is not a set list of these purposes - it's what you interpret the purpose to be - just read about the foundations of Gothic Literature and its context and plenty of meaning can be teased out.

Reply 4

jamesg2

11

I noted quite a good Word document on Macbeth and the idea of Gothic.

https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=macbeth+and+gothic+elements

As Kingaaran has pointed out Macbeth is not a Gothic text nor was it intended to be gothic. However it is perfectly correct to point out that it also does display classic gothic elements.

Reply 5

Original post by ageshallnot

What defines 'gothic'?

Pointy arches :tongue:

Reply 6

Original post by ageshallnot

What defines 'gothic'?

Pointy arches :tongue:

It is a totally pointless :colone:

question. Gothic literature is a literary movement of which Macbeth doesn't form a part. That movement could have been called Brian for all this mattered.

Reply 7

Original post by nulli tertius

Pointy arches :tongue:

It is a totally pointless :colone:

question. Gothic literature is a literary movement of which Macbeth doesn't form a part. That movement could have been called Brian for all this mattered.

Life of? Or the snail in The Magic Roundabout? :tongue:

Reply 8

Original post by ageshallnot

Life of? Or the snail in The Magic Roundabout? :tongue:

Snail definitely

I am just rather critical of something which is merely a device to get the OP to list what she knows as the attributes of Gothic literature. There is no real connection to Macbeth

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 9

Original post by ageshallnot

Life of? Or the snail in The Magic Roundabout? :tongue:

Original post by nulli tertius

Snail definitely

Blessed. Not Sewell.
Please tell me you both know this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtFPdkX5VqM

Reply 10

Original post by VictoriaS_xoxo

Hey, I'm wondering if anyone can help me with my essay by explaining how else, aside from creating fear and terror 'Macbeth' can be seen as gothic.
I'm trying to find some A03 points but everything leads back to fear and terror.
Hopefully somebody can help! Thanks

You're doing this for the AQA exam, aren't you?
Short answer:
The supernatural
Violence
Weather

Key speech to focus on - Second half of the 'Is this a dagger that I see before me?' soliloquy.

It isn't part of the Gothic tradition, since that is much later, but I know it's thrown in there as a set book, so you have to say it's Gothic.

Reply 11

Original post by Carnationlilyrose

Blessed. Not Sewell.
Please tell me you both know this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtFPdkX5VqM

'Fraid not.

Reply 12

Original post by nulli tertius

'Fraid not.

If you haven't listened to Cabin Pressure, you really haven't lived. I think you'd love it. Spouse and I play Brians of Britain in the car.

The eyeliner.

Original post by Bupdeeboowah

The eyeliner.

Boots No 7?

Reply 15

Original post by Carnationlilyrose

Blessed. Not Sewell.
Please tell me you both know this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtFPdkX5VqM

I think I must be too young to know of it...

Reply 16

Original post by ageshallnot

I think I must be too young to know of it...

Well, it only finished being broadcast on Radio 4 last Xmas Eve, and that is pretty much because Benedict Cumberbatch is too busy to carry on with it. You'd have to be pretty young and I happen to know.....

Reply 17