Macbeth Connection- Jenna Blocher

By: The entire plot of Shakespeare's Macbeth is based off the theme of a husband and wife who commit terrible murders. I found this very relatable to the crimes of Bonnie and Clyde during the Great Depression. The story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow starts in January of 1930, when the two first met. Clyde had already been a small-time criminal before they met, and some say that this is what made Bonnie fall in love with him. Bonnie was only 19 at the time, and her husband was currently serving time in prison for murder. Ironically, Clyde was imprisioned for robbery shortly after their meeting. Nevertheless, Bonnie went to visit him every day and at one point even smuggled a gun in to help him escape; although he ended up getting caught and was sent back to jail. This was just the beginning of Bonnie's strong loyalty to him, before she started to actually commit crimes with him when he was paroled in 1932. They started stealing cars and committing several robberies across five states, and didn't hesitate to kill anyone who got in their way. The death toll caused by the pair was thought to be upwards of thirteen people, including nine police officers. They became increasingly infamous, and their fame was only heightened by the fact that Bonnie was a woman, and that the couple always posed for playful photos that were soon released to the public. They just looked like two kids in love who were having fun, although their fun included murders. Much like the tale of Macbeth, the story had a "tragic" ending. On May 23, 1934, they were ambushed and killed on a rural Louisiana road by four Texas police officers. It was said that Bonnie and Clyde were shot 25-50 times each.

Bonnie and Clyde were a couple very similar to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth remained loyal to her husband throughout the murders he committed, and even stepped up to cover up the crimes when he wasn't being enough of a man. Much like Bonnie, Lady Macbeth was always loyal and protective of Macbeth. Although, the motives of the two women were different. Bonnie committed the crimes out of love for Clyde. In some ways, she was just blinded by her love. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth stayed loyal to Macbeth for selfish reasons. She wanted her husband to be king, so she could gain more power. Most people believe that she didn't love her husband at all.

Another similarity between Macbeth and Clyde is the brutality and tragicness of how they died. Clyde and Macbeth's arrogance was what led to their demises. Bonnie and Clyde were shot fifty times each, while Macbeth was beheaded by Macduff.  Clyde had the mindset that he could never get caught, that his life of crime would continue on forever. Obviously, he was proven wrong. In Macbeth's case, it's a bit more complex. In act 4 scene 1, the witches prophesize, "Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn/ The power of man, for none of women born/ Shall harm Macbeth." (4.1.90-93). Now, Macbeth believes that no man can kill him, because all men are born from women. This leads Macbeth to meet Macduff in battle with no fear, because he can't be killed. Until, Macduff reveals that he was born from a Cesarean- Section. This leads all his fear to build up and stun him, letting Macduff kill him.

Bonnie and Clyde, along with Macduff and Lady Macduff were couples with different motives. Bonnie and Clyde were just having fun, along with needing money in the desperate times of the Great Depression. The Macbeth's had a motive of making Macbeth king. In the ends of both their stories, they were struck with tragedy and brutality.

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 25, 2018 at 9:34 AM

    Great connection between the two couples especially considering the gender role that Bonnie plays in a time when women didn't do much other then be a housewife. The theme of murder is obviously very prevalent in both these stories and we see that Macbeth murders Duncan, Banquo and Macduff's family. How many people did Bonnie and Clyde end up murdering? Macbeth and Lady Macbeth murder to become king and queen. Did Bonnie and Clyde murder just for money or for some creator purpose? Do you think that if Bonnie and Clyde didn't live in the great depression they would have still become criminals and murderers? Lastly, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are royalty while Bonnie and Clyde are lower class so it is very interesting to see how two couples at opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum can be so similar.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Esch and Medea- Jenna

Image
     Throughout Salvage the Bones, Ward makes connections between Esch and Medea both implicitly and explicitly, seeing as Esch and Medea are very similar characters. Esch relates to the mythical woman and wishes to think of herself as a version of Medea. One point in the novel that I think perfectly encompasses this idea is a quote on page 38, "In Mythology , I am still reading about   Medea and the quest for the Golden Fleece. Here is something that I recognize. When Medea falls in love with Jason, it grabs me by the throat. I can see her. Medea sneaks Jason things to help him: ointments to make him invisible, secrets in rocks. She has magic, could bend the natural to the unnatural. But even with all her power, Jason bends her like a young pine in a hard wind; he makes her double in two. I know her." When Esch speaks of Medea and Jason in this quote, she is referring to her love with Manny. Esch sees herself as a powerful girl, but when she's near Manny, she shrink...
Read more

Trump vs Macbeth: What's the Difference?

Image
Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a bloody and multi-faceted tale of corruption and exploitation. Right off the bat, readers are introduced to conflicted and naive Macbeth, a Scottish general who becomes obsessed with the idea of power, after receiving his prophecy at the beginning of the play from a trio of witches that say he will become King of Scotland. Macbeth soon is consumed with the idea  of all of the power he could potentially have, so he and his wife, Lady Macbeth, devise a plan to murder King Duncan and steal the Scottish throne for himself. Once Macbeth kills King Duncan and claims his position, he starts to act out and behave differently than he did before. While reading this play, Macbeth’s “ambition” and “desire for control” reminded me of President Donald Trump. The perception of authority and jurisdiction has gone to both of their heads, which has caused them to  act out in their own distinct ways. Macbeth’s desire for control has lead to murder, war, and over...
Read more

NLMG Connection post- Wes Pierce

Throughout Never Let Me Go, we constantly debated the topic of whether it is okay or not for Kathy and her friends to have their organs harvested in this dystopian setting. Although we know that this is simply a story and nothing more, this is a serious issue in the real world today. In this article by Dale Archer,   he discusses the serious issue of organ harvesting throughout the black market globally. Archer explains the various issues in regards to organ harvesting, such as young children and teenagers suddenly dying because of organ harvesting. He states that many of the "clients" that needs these organs are wealthy, greedy, middle age men in need of an instantaneous transplant. Archer also notes that this organ harvesting process can have ties to human and sex trafficking. The demand for such organs relates to nearly the entire concept of Never Let Me Go mainly because Kathy and her friends don't have a choice that their organs are being taken and they are essential...
Read more