"Fair is foul/ And foul is fair!" proclaim the witches in Act I of William Shakespeare's Macbeth -- a drama that is full of double meanings and equivocation! Likewise, this engaging six-week class on Shakespeare's tragedy of mayhem, murder, and the supernatural will focus on not just the overall plot (parental guidance: there's a lot of killing!), but on the in-depth meaning of the plot twists and famous lines. When the witches proclaim that Macbeth will be king of Scotland, are they saying that Macbeth is predestined... or are they just messing with him? How does free will factor in to Macbeth's actions? And what role does ambition play in making these prophecies come true? We'll discuss this and much more, including symbolism, figurative language, allegories, allusions, paradoxes, ironies, foils, themes, and tone. 

The structure of each class will include a review of the Act read for homework (except for the first class, for which no reading is required); a warm-up assignment; a look at how to translate Shakespeare's language; hunting for literary devices; examples of Shakespeare's use of meter; a discussion of the plot; character analysis; predictions about what will happen next; and a brief overview of the next Act so that students are able to read with confidence and an appreciation of the language rather than worrying about understanding the twists and turns. 

The text of Macbeth is required for this class. The instructor will refer to "No Fear Shakespeare: Macbeth," and recommends this for students, although they are encouraged to read the original language and rely on the English translation only when they need assistance. 

Students are expected to complete the assigned reading and participate in class discussion. Each week, the instructor will provide a guide to the assigned Act that students should complete as they read. 

Additionally, students have the option of completing one of several in-depth projects over the six-week span (one project example is to create a character sketch of Lady Macbeth that uses lines from the text to describe her personality). 

Week 1: Students do not need to read anything beforehand. We will take a look at the life of William Shakespeare, the Jacobean era, King James, the historical Macbeth (yes, he was a real king!), and the liberties Shakespeare took with the story. We'll also discuss what a play/drama is and how they are constructed. 

Week 2: Act 1 is our focus as we meet the characters of Macbeth. Students will use the guide and questions (provided during Week 1) to follow along and participate. Through discussion, trivia, and spurts of creative writing ("You have one minute to write a recipe for the witches' brew, but you must do it as a rhyming couplet"), students will engage in a lively look at the beginning of Macbeth. 

Week 3: This week, we'll look at Act 2... and tally up the body count! Also this week, we will give our attention to literary devices, including the use of equivocation. 

Week 4: There's suspicion in the air... what devices does Shakespeare use as foreshadowing? We'll look at Act 3 and examine how the unrest might just lead to more murder.

Week 5: In Act 3, we met Banquo's ghost. In this Act, we'll meet some more, and we'll examine how the supernatural factors into Macbeth. 

Week 6: We won't be finished until Birnam Forest comes to Dunsinane... oh, wait. How does Macbeth end? Could it have ended any other way? We'll also circle back to the witches... were they right all along?