Free Will, Witches, Murder, and Macbeth, Part 1: Crash Course Literature 409
The Sound! The Fury! Today, we're talking about Shakespeare's Scottish play, Macbeth. So, was Macbeth really predestined to do all the murdering and bad kinging and other terrible stuff? That's the big question in Macbeth, and it's one of the ideas we're going to talk about today, among many. Also, Yoda joins us for the open letter.
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Пікірлер: 611
I love how John Green is still doing these videos. I mean he doesn't have to, but he still does and i freaking love it. Thank you.
@ZenDoggie
5 жыл бұрын
He's my hero. Plus, as a teacher of middle and high school students, he's TOTALLY MY HERO!!
@samudeh7064
4 жыл бұрын
@@ZenDoggie ikr
"I'M A C-SECTION BABY" is gonna be in my head for the next few weeks......
I have been in three productions of this play, and directed it once. In the first, our Lady MacB had a nervous breakdown the first night of tech week. In the second, our MacB was in a car accident on the way to cast call for opening night, and could not perform. The third time, I was playing MacDuff and was hit with a broadsword in the ending fight scene needing 17 stitches. I finished the scene (after catching my breath in the wings, leading to the longest improvised fight scene in the history of theatre, in which two more actors were injured.) When I directed it, on closing night, some of the scenery caught fire requiring the house to be evacuated. Needless to say, I call it, "MacB," or "The Witches' Play."
@josephbrennan370
5 жыл бұрын
Wow. It really was cursed
@Kiabellexox
4 жыл бұрын
When I was younger and first started in theatre I said Macbeth out loud doubting its ‘curse’, one of my cast members dropped a prop on my head and my costume got stuck around my leg so I walked funny for an entire scene. Never again.
The only thing I remember about Macbeth was that Tolkien was pissed because trees didn't actually come to knock down Macbeth's front door and a woman wasn't the one who killed him with the prophecy "no man can kill Macbeth." So he wrote his own medieval fanfiction where actual trees did knocked down a castle front door and a woman killed the "no man can kill me" prophecy person.
@pheonixrises11
6 жыл бұрын
Ruelux Prince nice
@sarahgrin
6 жыл бұрын
+
@sheepgray08
6 жыл бұрын
This was a great comment 😂😂
@garymcmascelyn
6 жыл бұрын
"none of woman born. Shall harm Macbeth." As far as I know women are also "woman born"
@Antiganos
6 жыл бұрын
The prophecy was "no man of woman born", the "no *man*" part is what Tolkien saw as a missed opportunity as Shakespeare instead focused on the "of woman born" part. Hence Eowyn and her moment in the LOTR.
I like how the witches look like the fates from Disneys Hercules
@nebulan
6 жыл бұрын
I would have also loved it if the wyrd sisters had white, yellow and black hair
@marquis911
6 жыл бұрын
Indoor plumbing. It’s gonna be big.
@jimbohalpert6647
6 жыл бұрын
Mona Teasley *huge,It's gonna be huge.
@zvimur
6 жыл бұрын
Who do you think Shakespeare was inspired by? I meant Greek mythology, not Disney.
@codybeasenburg6275
6 жыл бұрын
Honey, you mean HUNKules
I feel robbed, you didn't address the savageness of Lady MacBeth
@thatjillgirl
6 жыл бұрын
Maybe in part 2?
@fizzmcdermott902
6 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I hope so
@whalesharko4465
5 жыл бұрын
@Bogy 1 Kinoby she used her feminity (which she had asked to be rid of) to manipulate Macbeth, only to use HIS masculinity or lack thereof to humiliate and intimate him, she didn't feel any remorse due to her *entire existence* being a fable to any woman who tried to escape the bounds of a Shakespeareian society She never had any remorse, she was worried the blood would sell her out She wasn't allowed any remorse because she was a powerful woman, Shakespeare was saying that was a recipe for disaster
@ladyvoso6392
4 жыл бұрын
Whale Sharko her remorse shows in Act 5, or have you forgotten that?
Clearly the witches just tell everyone they come across that. Sure 99.99999999% of the time they look a little silly, but that ONE time they get it right man it amazes everyone.
@DarkComputerGirl
6 жыл бұрын
Munashiimaru its a legitimate curse.
WHAT, YOU EGG?
@mandyberry2500
6 жыл бұрын
[He stabs him.]
@jrdi3574
6 жыл бұрын
Young fry of treachery
@TheAdamDavid
6 жыл бұрын
+
@rafaymughal9908
6 жыл бұрын
He has killed me, Mother
@TisaMai
5 жыл бұрын
(dies)
OUT, DAMNED SPOT! [puppy whimpers as it crawls out the doggy door, tail between its legs]
@soccerandtrack10
6 жыл бұрын
oh,so other people write weird comments other then me?
@Pfhorrest
6 жыл бұрын
"Spot" is a stereotypically common name for a dog. "Out, damned spot!" is a famous line from MacBeth.
@syourke3
6 жыл бұрын
I always think of a little dog who just made a mess on the carpet and gets sent outdoors by an angry owner.
@rueluxprince6982
5 жыл бұрын
*Hades at three am in the morning, realizing Cerberus has snuck onto his bed again*
@margaritam.9118
4 жыл бұрын
Damned Spot xD
John Green: so macbeth is like "well trees can't travel so i got this." Also John Green: He says no one of a woman born can hurt me and Macduff's like, "I was a C-section baby!" And then he lops of Macbeth's head. Me: **hysterically rolling on the floor in tears**
I'm sure this isn't an unusual thing for you to hear, CrashCourse team, but I want you to hear it again. I am 25, have a master's degree, and have been out of any type of formal schooling for 2 years...and I absolutely love watching CrashCourse (esp. CrashCourse Literature). I know that you are commonly used inside and outside the classroom, and I want you to know how much I value your contribution to my ongoing, informal, life-long education as an adult. Much love, and thanks for being awesome!
Macbeth is what stopped me from overthrowing the government.
@merrittanimation7721
6 жыл бұрын
Abyssinia Empire Seems like it should have MADE you overthrow the government
@steelarsenal5843
6 жыл бұрын
You can’t overthrow the government with out using something crazy like a salted nuke
@zhamenable
6 жыл бұрын
Tommy B lol
@The__Creeper
6 жыл бұрын
No, I'm pretty sure you being a weak child that knows nothing about the government is what kept you from overthrowing a teapot let alone the government.
@NoU-jc4kq
6 жыл бұрын
Abyssinia Empire Good For You
Can someone jog my memory, werent the three apparitions that the witches foretold of Macbeths downfall; 1. The lights will flicker on and off 2. The phone will ring and no one will answer 3.THE WALLS WILL OOZE GREEN SLIME!
@danielputnam7431
4 жыл бұрын
The weird sisters were not apparitions and they obviously didn't make those predictions. Shakespeare's play was largely based on Rafael Holinshed's Chronicles, a history of England, Scotland and I think Ireland. Though it was not fiction, he did include the three sisters, who were part of pre-Christian Scottish folklore. The word weird meant wayward. Another interesting fact is that King James was the one who told Holinshed about Banquo, and other than Chronicles, he seems to appear in no other history books.
@humanityyy
4 жыл бұрын
@@danielputnam7431 The comment was a joke. It was a reference to a Spongebob episode.
Bro this dude wrote “The Fault in our Stars”
I love it how, in the video, John refers to the King as King James I, but the intro refers to him as King James VI, and that both of these ways to call him are entirely valid.
@johnmacdonald1094
6 жыл бұрын
James had been King of Scotland before receiving the crown of England. He was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and was James VI, King of Scots. With the unification of the crown, he became James I in England, while remaining James VI in Scotland. As an aside, since Elizabeth I was never the Queen of Scots, many Scots consider the current Queen to be Elizabeth I.
@varana
6 жыл бұрын
There's a QI snippet on that flying around KZread somewhere. (For exactly the Elizabethan problem, they decided to go with the highest number in any constituent kingdom.)
@yaumelepire6310
6 жыл бұрын
I still love the fact that both names are good and that the intro and John disagree. It's a fun historical tidbit.
“So far, so Macbeth” probably one of the greatest quote ever
Sorry, for Lady Macbeth isn’t the blood spot on her hand?
@soslothful
6 жыл бұрын
Yes, I caught that too.
@lailatbarbie1884
6 жыл бұрын
Yea I was thinking that too
@lailatbarbie1884
6 жыл бұрын
She kept washing her hands saying they were dirty.
I always imagined the dagger hallucinaton as a crazy taxi-style arrow floating in the air above macbeth's head. How could he refuse the beckoning of a quest marker?
Interesting that this play should come after the dystopian stories. When I was a student at UNC Greensboro, the theatre department put on a wonderful performance of Macbeth. It was set in a post-apocalyptic land, inspired by the original Mad Max movies. Also, the actor playing Macbeth was missing his left forearm, which definitely fit the dystopic theme. It is, to this day, my favorite experience with the Scottish Play.
@rexappleby4981
6 жыл бұрын
that's awesome
Could you please do russian literatures such as War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and many others
@merrittanimation7721
6 жыл бұрын
Pravda Dandun Jadmiko Crime and Punishment !
@DanielR0828
6 жыл бұрын
The master and margarita?
@thatjillgirl
6 жыл бұрын
Agreed, but Madame Bovary is French. ;)
@michaelwu7678
6 жыл бұрын
Also Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and Chekhov
@aliasjon8320
6 жыл бұрын
I really want one on war and peace, let's get this comment loaded with likes!
Every time I hear about Macbeth, I think of that episode of Jimmy Neutron where they did this for the school play and Sheen kept trying to figure out how to deliver his line: "My Lord, your wife, Lady Macbeth approaches." I was quite saddened to find out that that line isn't even in the play.
@merrittanimation7721
6 жыл бұрын
mangaluver1231 Me too! It amazed me when I learned what the play was actually about and how different it was. I was like 12 at the time.
@pancreasnostalgia
6 жыл бұрын
I think that I forgot about that episode until I saw this comment.
@andrewollmann304
5 жыл бұрын
That play is just a mish-mosh of Shakespeare quotes....hecka funny, though.
absolutely no one: my brain at work: WHOS HORRID IMAGE DOTH UNFIX MY HAIR
this is one of my all time favorite plays!! i love the analysis and history you gave us in the episode but i have to admit i'm a little bummed at the lack of Lady Macbeth! she is equally fascinating and the way Shakespeare approaches gender in the tragedy is, in my opinion, part of what makes it so great!! i hope we'll get to hear more about her next time. 'come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts!'
@diabeticparxie
6 жыл бұрын
My teacher emphasized that Lady Macbeth showed the times view that if a woman was equal or above a man in a relationship that bad things would happen, that woman in power brought bad things. The captains wife, witches, and Lady Macbeth all showed this.
@MissBrekel
6 жыл бұрын
Yaasss! I love me some Lady M!
@JBLuv78
6 жыл бұрын
What I remember as a take away in high school was the gender roles, too. How Macbeth, with all that power, etc, still sought out the witches. Listening to this analysis, tho, made me aware of the historical context. Elizabeth's recent passing fresh in people's mind -- there must've been some early forms of feminism there, seeing how a queen ascended the throne... Two of them, in fact...
@ryanscottmccormick191
6 жыл бұрын
Is this the dagger I see before me?
Finally! More Shakespeare! Thanks John and the CC Crew.
This channel is the backbone of the American school system. 10/10.
I've totally been noticing and appreciating how awesome the thought cafe illustrations are! They make me happy!!
I learned that much from this video which I can't learn in a month by attending my Literature classes. Love you, John Green! You're awesome.
The play that shall not be named.
@merrittanimation7721
6 жыл бұрын
Henry Henderson Don't you mean Macb-
@dense_and_dull
6 жыл бұрын
You theatre nerds I swear...
I can’t believe you didn’t talk about the porter he’s THE BEST CHARACTER HE INVENTED THE KNOCK KNOCK JOKE
i just loved it, loved the explanation and the person explaining it, crash course is my favorite channel among all education channels,
i love the historical context; it truly helps me see and understand the authorial intent
Do you know how much I love crash course because of this I can finally ace GCSE literature
I'm sorry but you're making *a lot of mistakes* on the plot. 1. Macbeth only calls the witches 'imperfect speakers' because he wants the witches to tell him more since they stop giving him more information after just a few sentences, not because he doesn't believe the witches. 2. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth don't plan to kill Duncan's sons. They only plan to kill Duncan. 3. Lady Macbeth keeps washing blood that she can see on her hands, not on her clothes.
@bullrun2772
4 жыл бұрын
Kat Liu wrong
Great video!
Who else is SUUPER excited about the upcoming Jane Austen episodes!!!! 😄✋😄✋😄
@SandKeats
6 жыл бұрын
wisegirl_ 1227 when is it?
@rachelelizabeth6017
6 жыл бұрын
I’m not sure. In the last episode he said that there was going to be an “upcoming” Jane Austen episodes!!
@SandKeats
6 жыл бұрын
Ugh I can't waiiiiiit, the one about Jane Eyre was already fantastic! I have a false hope every week ha ha
@rachelelizabeth6017
6 жыл бұрын
biguattipoptropica I hope so too! That’s one thing I REALLY love about Jane Austen!! 😄
Right on time for exams THANK YOU JOHN GREEN
Just saw the show "Sleep No More" in New York, which is based on Macbeth. All I kept thinking while running around was "I wish I remembered what happened in the normal play!" So this video is very helpful, thanks!
Doing a project on this, thanks John!
Loved the video. None of those annoying speech breaks and editing madness that's in the older Crash Course vids.
Brilliantly done as ever.
I have an exam on this Friday. This video truly is a gift from the heavens.
I have an exam on this play tomorrow and this just got uploaded. YAS MAN YAS
@kevind814
6 жыл бұрын
Unfortunately, all the correct answers to the exam won't be revealed until Part 2 ;-)
Thank you so much for this video, this'll really help with my GCSE's in English.
I have waited for this for TOO LONG
Ive been sub'd for only a short time but love all your stuff CrashCourse!
THANK YOU. I HAVE BEEN NEEDING THIS.
Heck yes! He mentioned Cymbeline!! That’s one of my favorite Shakespeare plays!!!
I would love it if you could cover some of the key literary periods like the renaissance and romantic periods :)
disappointing that John Green doesn't know that V for Vendetta was actually a graphic novel first
After the machbeth two part series could you visit "les miserables" ?
how awesome? This is my last year of high school, and I have a test over Macbeth tomorrow and you just happen to upload this a month before. Thanks John,
"I am opposed to the social order blindly attacking the weak." - Thanks, John
What perfect timing. We started it a few days ago.
I mean... England was pretty into prosecuting witches in thw 16th century. But apart from that, as an early modern historian, I was super impressed! You even mentioned Garnet. Love you guys. Can't wait for the next one.
Thanks for making this video AFTER my huge test on this
"If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir..." Indeed, the simplest solution to all of the difficulties!
Thank you, John Green.
thanks for uploading this the day after my midterm
i love listening to john green talk about anything related to literature.
Thanks, needed this to help with my GCSE's.
What did you say about V?
@Jader7777
6 жыл бұрын
It's overrated. O V E R R A T E D. **Truth bomb**
@dan7564
6 жыл бұрын
START A BOYCOTT!
@covenawhite4855
6 жыл бұрын
It is a comic/movie if England had a disease epidemic wiping out so many that a fascist organization NorseFire solved the disease by killing undesirables. A women meets a man named V who does terrorist attacks to overthrow the government to learn NorseFire started the disease epidemic they claimed to stop. Several books and artworks are illegal and is in V's home. The women is also tortured by what appears to be the government just to come back stronger and a better rebel against the government that tortured her
@adhhxgxhhg
6 жыл бұрын
The novel by Pynchon?
@cholten99
6 жыл бұрын
The film is pretty good but the graphic novel is excellent. It'd be fascinating to know if John also thinks that is overrated and, if so, why.
I love this play sooo much!!!!
OMG thanks @crashcourse +crashcourse for listening to my comment earlier and to make a video on Macbeth omg thanks a lot love you John and I personally like world history the best
Thankyou. This came out exactly when im going to do my o level exam.
Pretty funny seeing this right after finishing Wyrd Sisters today.
I get so into these videos they are really great, and a plus for my drama/literature studies on Shakespeare next semester!!😊👍
Thanks for explaining this play. Can you do one on the prologue of wife of Bath.
reminds me of the matrix: "Ohh, what's really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?"
Reading MacBeth in class right now, so this was perfect timing!
Interestingly in the Greek Tale of Pandora, the One Sin That remained in the box after Pandora shut it , it Foreboding. That feeling of knowing what is to come in a person's life. Here the knowledge or foreboding of his future is what led to Macbeth's downfall.
@whalesharko4465
5 жыл бұрын
That is really interesting, as if Shakespeare wanted Macbeth to seem so unholy and such a deterrent, he made him follow a sin so bad the devil didn't wish it on the world
Just this morning I had an exam about Macbeth, this video would've been so useful ... yesterday! Hahaha
Damn I love this play! And now I love it more!
first 50 this is going to be a big help, we are learning this right now.
I love crashcourse!!
I actually have my final in English on Macbeth so... thanks for clearing up stuff!
This is literally what I'm learning about this is a miracle
this helps me so much because I'm studying this in school right now
Can you do an analysis on Ray Bradbury's"The Martin Chronicles"?
@joshuajenkinsmusic
6 жыл бұрын
just wait a little, Extra Credits (Extra Sci Fi) is about to do an episode on exactly that
I literally needed this not 24 hours ago...
Now this is what I've been looking for
Anyone else love shakespeare's history plays? ( i know this isnt one, butas he said its baseed on real history). I love them! My favourite is Richard III. I dont understand why the history plays tend to scare people off!
Excellent job. :)
We’re doing this is English so this is great!!
I was a witch in this play last year... And now I'm reading it in English. *fist pump* Thank you, John Green, I love this play.
@williammassey8761
6 жыл бұрын
Seyton
How often will this being coming out ? ...I want it to help with my exams. Something about this teaching style is far more effective than how i have been taught the play so far . In posing questions to the audience i genuinely feel like I'm able to think and interpret the play in the way it probably should have been and therefore it's far more enjoyable than just being told to repeat information to an exam board. Thank you for restoring my love of Shakespeare .
Thanks for this video 👍🏽
I absolutely LOVE that the witches are represented in the Thought Bubble as The Fates from Disney's Hercules!
Oh, I already had my lit test on this😂😂😂
Pls. do more Shakespeare! Thanks John~
omg thanks sm this is on my midterm in two days
@sabrcaptainprice8590
6 жыл бұрын
Jada Mendez but is January how are u mid term?
@jadamendez3015
6 жыл бұрын
OnlyOneGam1r i'm in high school
@wrybreadspread
6 жыл бұрын
OnlyOneGam1r When I was in high school, the first term would carry over after Christmas vacation into January. Having said that, I should mention that I attended high school in the 1960s and it changed soon after I went to college.
@jadamendez3015
6 жыл бұрын
wrybreadspread high school midterms r still the same schedule. that's pretty cool. something they haven't changed
This would have been helpful a year and a half ago when I was studying Macbeth in grade 11
@HolyToledo-
6 жыл бұрын
Do they have one for taming of the shrew
literally just in time. i'm reading Macbeth for English and we have an essay coming up and this is great!!
finally!!! my 3rd fave by the Bard
I get to see Macbeth live tomorrow so I'm brushing up on my knowledge
Hey, would you be able to do a video on King Lear?
Very useful 💖
Cool video!
well done
Will you do crash course lit on A Tale of Two Cities?
hey i needed this