|
|
REVIEW
- Phillips, Brian. SparkNote on Macbeth.
- <http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth>
- Visited: 29 September 2005
Contents: Much like Cliff Notes, this study guide consists mostly of scene summaries. Each scene summary is followed by an "analysis," in which the author comments on how the scene contributes to the development of a character or theme.
There is also a complete HTML text of the play (but no search function, so what's the point?), and a message board, which -- like all such -- consists almost entirely of pleas for someone to "PLEEEZZZ" do someone else's homework.
In addition, Phillips provides other pages. Here's a list:
- "Context": General remarks on Shakespeare and Macbeth.
- "Plot Overview": The whole play on fast forward.
- "Characters": One paragraph each about Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the Witches; two sentences or less about everyone else.
- "Character Analysis": Two paragraphs each on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth; three paragraphs on the Witches.
- "Themes, Motifs, and Symbols": Mini-essays on the following:
- "The Corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition"
- "The Relationship between Cruelty and Masculinity"
- "The Difference between Kingship and Tyranny"
- "Hallucinations"
- "Violence"
- "Prophecy"
- "Blood"
- "The Weather"
- "Quotations": One or two paragraphs each on each of five quotations.
- "Key Facts": An odd page of miscellaneous information, most of it repeated from other parts of the site.
- "Study Questions and Essay Topics": Three study questions, with answers. Six essay topics, with no essays.
- "Quiz": A multiple-choice test. Too easy for anyone who has actually read the play.
- "Suggestions for Further Reading": A list of six scholarly books.
Evaluation: Reasonable opinions are expressed and no facts are distorted, but everything is very short. Macbeth gets fewer than 500 words, even in the "In-Depth Analysis," and the rest of the mini-essays are even shorter. The result of all this brevity is that the play seems dull. It's like listening to Beethoven played on a kazoo.
Warning:
When I visited the site it was running semi-transparent ads placed right over the text, making it very hard to read the underlying text.
Bottom Line: OK for those who want to be told what to think.
|