Macbeth

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I have brought you another one of Shakespeare's great tragedies. Hope you enjoy it!!!

The Tragedy of Macbeth, often shortened to Macbeth, is one of Shakespeare’s most acclaimed tragedies. The strong, unconventional character of Lady Macbeth, in particular, has garnered praise. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. The play involves the titular character, Macbeth, murdering the king of Scotland, Duncan, in his lust for power following a dubious meeting with three witches, and his own gruesome death at the hands of a nobleman, Macduff.

The play opens amidst thunder and lightning, and three witches speculate upon who their next prey shall be. They eventually decide it shall be Lord Macbeth, who is the Thane of Glamis. He is returning to the capital after a grim battle against the Thane of Cawdor who was guilty of treason. He is accompanied by Banquo, another nobleman. They are accosted by the witches, who address Macbeth as “The Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis” and “he shall be king hereafter.” Macbeth is both confused and delighted by these prophecies; while he is wondering about these prophecies, the witches vanish, and a pageboy arrives to  inform Macbeth that he is to be appointed Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth marvels at his good fortune. He now begins to plot to seize the throne for himself. The next night, King Duncan arrives at his castle, wishing to enjoy his hospitality.  Lady Macbeth, a strong willed, avaricious woman, persuades her husband to murder the king. Macbeth reluctantly does so while the king is sleeping. They plant the evidence on Duncan’s guards. The two princes, Duncan’s sons, flee the country and decide to bide their time. Macbeth now seizes the throne. This makes Banquo highly suspicious of him. Fearing Banquo’s suspicions, Macbeth has him brutally murdered, but his son, Fleance, escapes. Disturbed, and beginning to slip into insanity, he visits the witches once more. They warn him to “  beware of Macduff”. However, they also tell him that no child born of woman can kill him. Satisfied, Macbeth returns to his castle, only to find that his wife has killed herself because her guilt would give her no rest. Meanwhile, Macduff is forced to flee when his wife and children are savagely slaughtered by Macbeth’s forces. Determined to avenge his wife and children, he raises an army in England and returns to do battle with Macbeth, who boasts that he has nothing to fear as he cannot be killed by anyone born of woman. Macduff, however, was not born naturally; he was born through caesarean section, and is thus able to kill Macbeth. Once the battle is over, he places Duncan’s son, Malcolm on the throne, and Malcolm discusses how justice has been done.

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Hamlet

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I have brought you a new post today. Happy reading! 

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. It was penned by him at an uncertain date between 1599 and 1602. The play follows the titular character, Hamlet, as his quest for revenge following his father’s gruesome death brings misery and misfortune in the lives of many others, as well as his own.

The play opens with the news of the demise of the king of Denmark. His young son and heir, Prince Hamlet, is distraught; especially because of his mother, Queen Gertrude’s haste in marrying her brother in law, Claudius, who is strongly suspected of murdering the king by the unusually perceptive Hamlet. Now that Denmark is unstable, Prince Fortinbras of Norway is marching towards them. One dark, moonless night, Hamlet’s friends Horatio, Marcellus and Bernado encounter a ghost that strongly resembles Hamlet’s deceased father. Upon being informed of this, Hamlet determines to speak to his father himself. Ignoring his friends’ misgivings, he sets out for his father’s graveyard. His father’s spirit reveals that Claudius killed him by treachery, knowing that he could never win in a fair fight, and that he yearns for an opportunity to avenge himself. He asks Hamlet to kill Claudius. Despite the prince’s own misgivings and horror, he reluctantly agrees to do as his father wishes. He begins to lose his tenuous grip on reality, descending into complete insanity. Despite his physical proximity to his uncle/stepfather, he is unable to bring himself to kill him, and begins to find excuses to put off the difficult task. He is torn between loyalty towards his mother and love for his father, hence the famous “to be, or not to be?”. Wishing to test how true his father is being to him, he puts up a play, the theme of which is regicide. Upon seeing this Claudius begins to feel ill; proof enough for Hamlet.  He later confronts his mother, and insults and abuses her, causing her to faint. Soon after, the woman he loves, Ophelia, dies, and her brother Laertes, believing Hamlet to be responsible, challenges him to a duel. Hamlet reluctantly agrees. Claudius, desperate to get rid of Hamlet, hands Laertes a poisoned sword. Laertes and Hamlet end up stabbing each other at the same time, but, before dying, Hamlet grabs the poisoned sword and impales Claudius through the chest. Queen Gertrude also dies after consuming a glass of poison meant for Hamlet. With his last breath, Hamlet declares that the throne must be given to Fortinbras.

And thus, we learn that when one is consumed by vengeance, they destroy not only their own lives, but the lives of several others.

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Marxism in China

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You must be wondering why I write so many historical blog posts. The truth is, I am studying Humanities in A Levels and have opted for International History as my major. Presenting it in an interesting manner is my forte´. Happy reading!

Communism was undoubtedly extremely popular in the 20^th century. As several countries were left economically and militarily devastated, revolution broke out, governments were overthrown, and power was now in the hands of the common people. However, China was the country most unlikely to embrace communism; Marx’s vision of a godless society based on equality was poles apart from China’s hierarchical social structure. The Kuomintag was rapidly losing popularity; it had promised much but delivered little, and the laymen saw in communism the hope of a better life. The key figure in the growth of communism in China was Mao Zedong. Mao had been present at the meeting that established the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] in 1921. Within a decade, he gained an influential post in the CCP. However, despite having gained a number of followers, he controlled a very small region. Jiang Jieshi’s determination to “purge” the nation of communists gravely endangered Mao’s precarious position. He was forced to retreat to the mountains and carry out guerrilla warfare against the more efficient armies of the Kuomintag. His dream of a national revolution had not materialized. Realizing that he had to escape and seek a safer power base, Mao, along with 1,001,000 communists, broke through the KMT lines and embarked on the Long March. The poor communists faced several obstacles; they were forced to fight against the armies of the KMT, Tibetan tribals, and warlords; they had to pass through 24 rivers and 18 mountain ranges; they endured hunger and cold. These people had proved, by their dedication and fearlessness, that they were the true advocates of the common man. Support for them rapidly began to grow, though their control of China was far from complete. Ironically, the aggressive actions of Japan helped them gain complete control of China.

When the Japanese attacked, Jieshi adopted a policy of non resistance. This made him lose the complete support of the people. The communists, on the other hand, fought and won the battle against the Japanese. This made them heroes in the eyes of the laymen, and communism took china under its wing.

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