Zsolt Almási –⁠ Meeting Macbeth: A Close/Slow Reading

Meeting Macbeth: A Close/Slow Reading

Course description
Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most renowned works, is often assumed to be familiar
territory, but how well do we truly comprehend its intricacies? This course offers a
comprehensive exploration of Macbeth’s text, employing a rigorous approach to close
reading. We will meticulously dissect the play, line by line, delving into the subtleties and intricacies of Shakespeare’s language. Our analysis will extend beyond the confines of the text itself, encompassing its cultural, theological, and theatrical dimensions—both past and present. Throughout the course, we will also delve into scrutinizing why and how Macbeth remains relevant to our contemporary world.
Each class session, as indicated below, will require students to read specific sections of the play. For instance, when a timeslot is specified “(e.g., 1.1.1-1.2.10),” it implies that students should read the tragedy from Act 1, Scene 1, Line 1 to Act 1, Scene 2, Line 10. Each class will entail a comprehensive exploration of the textual, literary, cultural, and performative facets related to the assigned portion. To provide contextual understanding, we will commence with a full reading of the entire play during the initial class, allowing us to establish critical thematic frameworks that will underpin our subsequent examinations.
By the conclusion of this course, students will not only possess a profound understanding of Macbeth but will also have honed the essential skills and methodologies required for conducting meticulous close readings of literary texts.

Classes and their themes
16 October
10.00-11.30: Themes of the entire play and introductions
• 1.1.1-1.13. Witches,
• (1.2.9-25. Macbeth introduced)
• 1.3.39-81 Macbeth and Banquo meeting the Witches
17 October
14.00-15.30 Prayer and the Theological Universe
• 1.5.44-61 Lady Macbeth,
• 2.3.1-21 The Porter scene
18 October
10.00-11.30: Fiction (?) and Poetry
• 4.3.61-79 Malcolm testing MacDuff
• 5.5.18-31 Tomorrow, tomorrow ...

Sources
The Text: Macbeth
Critical editions
The Arden Shakespeare: Macbeth, edited by Kenneth Muir. London: Methuen, 1984.
Macbeth: The New Oxford Shakespeare, edited by Nicholas Brooke. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1998.
Macbeth: The New Cambridge Shakespeare, edited by A. R. Braunmuller. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2008.
Finding further secondary sources
Google Books
Google Scholar
Understanding Shakespeare

Kurz můžete zapisovat pod následujícím kódem: DISE008 Guest Lecturer Course 8 (Zsolt Almási).