Light

Chapter 7: Flashlight

"Macbeth has many themes, such as ambition, loyalty and the supernatural. Today we'll be discussing to what extent Lady Macbeth is to blame for her husband's downfall."

Mr. Rivers clapped his hands and smiled at us.

"Time for feminism to flourish! We'll throw some ideas around and end the lesson with a debate." 

His eyes scanned the room and rested on me. I looked down with an inaudible sigh. Mr. Rivers must've spoken to Mr. Langard about my low grades in English, which is why he had called Mum in for a meeting next week. I hoped he wouldn't say anything about me that would make Mum worry more.

"Holly, what do you think? Is Lady Macbeth the reason for Macbeth's fall?"

I swallowed hard and tried not to glare at Mr. Rivers as he sat back on his chair. Everyone turned to look at me, waiting for my answer. I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the stares. Thankfully, I didn't have to deal with Clara and Larissa in any of my classes except for IT. At least they weren't here, I told myself.

"I don't think she is to blame," I answered meekly.

Mr. Rivers nodded encouragingly and I resisted the urge to glare at him.

"Why not? She's the one who, 'led him on', as you guys would say. She supported Macbeth, even gave him the idea of how to kill King Duncan! How can you say she's completely free of blame? Can you support your statement?"

I swallowed and glanced at my messy notes. I was supposed to rewrite them a while ago but I had too many essays to finish, so I never got around to it.

"Well, Macbeth was approached by Witches at the start of the play, before Lady Macbeth is even introduced, so the idea of becoming King is already planted in Macbeth's mind. His ambition to get the throne is what makes his wife crazy, which is why she then leads him on."

"But she could've stopped him, no? Murder is a sin, and when Shakespeare was writing this, Heaven and Hell were very real. People would've likened Lady Macbeth to the devil, and having sold her soul in exchange for worldly gain."

"If Shakespeare is blaming Lady Macbeth, then it's like Adam and Eve all over again. The serpent tempted Eve in the Bible, but in Macbeth, the serpent is represented by the Witches and Macbeth is the one who is tempted with a vision of the future."

Mr. Rivers nodded appreciatively and smiled. 

"A very good point Holly."

"But I think everyone is accountable for their own actions, just because Lady Macbeth supported Macbeth in killing the King, doesn't mean that he had to. He chose to, because of the Witches prophecy. So he alone is accountable for the murder, not Lady Macbeth. If the Witches hadn't told Macbeth about the future, he most likely would never have thought about becoming King."

"Excellent argument, well done! As Holly said, in the eyes of the law, Macbeth is guilty as he is the one who committed the crime. So, can the blame be fully put on Lady Macbeth? Do you think the..."

My face flushed and I pretended to take notes. I stayed quiet during the debate, only handing my notes to the group I was in. The lesson finished quicker than I expected, and we were dismissed for break. As I gathered my things, Mr. Rivers came over to my desk.

"You made good points, well done today Holly."

I smiled awkwardly and mumbled a thank you. He still wasn't in my good books.

"If you write like that in your coursework essay, you'll be easily aiming for an A. If you need help with essay structure, come to my office at lunch and we'll discuss it. You have potential Holly, and I want you to do well."