context - proto gothic

Question 1

what is atavism

Answer 1

• fear of reverting to ancestry
• projected past through revenant - fear of reverting to ancestry

Question 2

significance of good vs evil

Answer 2

• heightens conflict / tension
• complexity of good + evil in macbeth’s mind (soliloquies)
• hero is flawed creating sympathy

Question 3

motif of blood

Answer 3

• world of blood seen in the gory aftermath of battle (a1s1)
• symbol of guilt
• provides horror

Question 4

significance of witches

Answer 4

• liminal charachters - not entirely human
• reneissance obsession w/ natural vs supernatural
• lady macbeth aligned w/ witches
• grotesque figures