English 433
I give you a choice of several topics, which will be drawn from this list (itself related to the Wordcruncher)
1. Looking at references to children and babes in Macbeth (3e) formulate a hypothesis as to why Macbeth realizes that he has filed his mind for Banquo's issue between his two encounters with the witches. What about his and Lady Macbeth's attitudes toward heirs and succession make this delayed but self-generated realization possible?
2. Using the wordcruncher exercise about tyranny and the excerpt from James's Basilicon Doron, explain why Macbeth is a tyrant or alternatively, why Macbeth might be a "good king." (Use 2a-e and also 4, where human nature is discussed.)
3. If this is a play about God's providence or God's special protection of the divine right king (as in the Gunpowder Plot), why does evil seem to predominate more in the play? (Look at 1a- e.)