Macbeth Pre-Reading Work

Part One

1) Behind every man is a great woman (every great man is supported, guided, helped and even pushed by a great woman)

            I disagree. It's possible that a great man can be supported by a great woman, but I don't think that that's applied for every single guy. Guys could also be supported by their loved, or even better, they could support them self. I know tons of guys that are great, not because of some woman, but because they had really good morals.

2) Witches demons, and evil spirits actually exist.

            I wouldn't say witches exist, but I agree that demons and evil spirits exist. I believe that when people get possessed, a demon or evil spirit is in them. I don't have my own experiences with them, but I just believe they exist.

3) Sometimes it is necessary to do something wrong to get what you want.

            I totally agree. I think that if you really want something you'd fight for it even if it means going against what is morally right. Sometimes you do "wrong" things to prove a point or to stand up for what you believe in. For example, my parents told me do the dishes, but I said no because I wanted to watch Breaking Bad (hahaha).

4) What goes around comes around (karma).

            I totally agree with this, too. I'm pretty sure everyone does. Do something good, life will reward you. Do something bad, life will punish you. When I'm really mean to people life punishes me by making me feel like a huge idiot for it.

5) Human beings are easily tempted by things they want, even if it's wrong.

            I agree. Like I said earlier, when we really want something we give in to our temptations and sometimes do what is wrong just to have it. This even applies to really small things. For example, when I was in the fifth grade I wanted a boyfriend. I knew I wasn't supposed to have one, but I really wanted to so I did (hahaha).

6) If someone feels that the ruler/s of his/her country is destroying the country, that person should try to overthrow the ruler/s.

            I disagree, kind of? If MAJORITY of the country feel their ruler is destroying their country then they should do something about it. Maybe not overthrow the ruler, but you know what I mean. I don't have an experience with this, but from my history text books I know trying to overthrow someone can just make things a lot more worst.

7) There are circumstances or events that justify murdering someone.

            Yes and no. Being mad at someone doesn't give you the right to murder that person. BUUUT, if they murdered someone you loved then that's a different story. I have no experience with this.

8) Success is worth any price you have to pay.

            Again, yes and no. Success is worth it when you know  you know you worked hard and you feel proud of yourself. It's not worth it when you're like Hitler and you plan on killing a bunch of people to feel successful. To me, success in school is being on the honor roll. In this case, success is worth it because I know I work hard in school and I feel proud of myself.

9) Kings are appointed by God, and they rule as His representatives on Earth.

            Um, depends? I think everyone's God's representative on Earth. It all depends on if they go by his word and all. My entire family are die-hard Christians. I think they're God's representatives.

10) Your astrological forecast (your horoscope) is a good indicator of how your day will go.

            I disagree. I think that your day is what you make of it. And, plus, anything can happen. My horoscope told me something negative about my day, but I made sure that it didn't get to that. I stayed positive throughout the whole day and that's exactly how my day went.

11) Traitors should be executed.

            I disagree. I think everyone should have a second chance. There are always two sides to a story. For example, talking crap about someone behind their back; yes, you're a traitor, but no, you don't deserve to be executed.

Part Two

1) Is evil inherent in human nature? That is, are some people just “born evil,” or is evil caused by circumstance or environment?

            No. I don't think that people are born evil. Actually, I think that we're all born pretty clueless. I believe that when a person is evil or does evil things it's because of their environment or how they're raised. They might see or hear things that make them act a certain way. Or something could happen to them and it just brings out the worst in them. Sometimes they just feel so angry and overwhelmed that they act out, and it makes it seem like they're horrible people, but they're not. No one is really "born evil".

2) Are our lives determined by fate, or by the acts of our free will?

            Both, I guess. I believe that everyone is born for a reason. All our lives are determined by fate. But I also think that it's up to the person on what path they choose for their life. For example, they could be born to be a role model for their peers, but because of free will they decide to do something entirely different which leads them a whole new path.

3) Is redemption truly possible? That is, is it possible to commit an act of genuine evil and truly recover from it?

            Yes, I think so. It's possible for someone to do something so evil and horrid and then truly recover from it. Because I go to church a lot, I hear many stories of people whose lives were touched and changed by the works of God. There are murderers, thieves, and gang members who end up in prison for doing horrible things. But after years and years, their lives get touched by God and they just become some whole new person. It sounds ridiculous, but I believe it's possible.

4) Is it possible to admire or respect a person whom you know has committed acts of genuine evil?

            Of course, it's possible to respect someone who's committed acts of evil. The reason you respect them could actually be because they've committed such acts and that they've changed from it. You can admire and respect someone so much because of how much they've grown and changed; how different they are from their past. In fact, I admire the person that I admire today because partly because of this; they've gone through so much and has changed into a whole new, better person because of it.

5) Do “the ends justify the means”? That is, if one uses morally evil methods to acquire a goal, is that goal forever tainted or polluted by the actions one has taken to achieve it?

            I guess in a way it is. If you know you've used really horrible ways to achieve a goal then you're probably going to be so filled with guilt and disappointment for yourself. It wouldn't be too late to change and work towards the goal again, but I'm sure all those horrible things you did would stay with you forever.