Business Studies F297 Revision – Apsl case study Ocr

Discuss the appropriateness of APSL’s 10 year strategic objectives.

In order to become a successful business, APSL understands the need of having updated objectives to ensure that they are constantly meeting the demand of the market and gaining the best return on their investments as possible. APSL currently intend on improving their solvency as well as expanding their export market by 15%. However, considering the current financial issues that APSL appear to be experiencing, APSL need to ensure that they carefully consider the implications of their objectives and assess the appropriateness of their aims.

Currently, a large consumer of APSL’s products is the caravan business in the UK. Correctly, APSL have recognised that the majority of caravans produced that source APSL’s products tend to remain in the UK, therefore- the caravan business does not directly help APSL reach their objective of expanding their exports to the external markets by 15%. If APSL are serious about meeting their 2018 objective of increasing their exports, they will need to consider businesses that will help them reach their target. The evidence suggests that APSL should focus on businesses such as car companies to help meet their objectives, as they have correctly realised that car companies that source APSL’s products are more likely to export the final product to outside of the European Union. Therefore, one suggestion could be that APSL no longer supply to the caravan companies, and make a direct focus on the exporting markets. However, with all business decisions- this could derive a number of implications. If APSL decide to stop or limit their dedication to providing to caravan businesses in the UK, it could mean that they experience a significant loss of profits and orders. APSL need to recognise that the UK market has been a major factor for their success and therefore, if APSL begin to neglect them for overseas consumers, it may not be the best decision. Additionally, APSL may find that they are unsuccessful in meeting their targets of expanding their exposure to the international market by 15% and therefore they would have lost a significant customer in the UK market. Although APSL should focus heavily on the international market if it wishes to reach its objective, they will need to assess the impacts of their sacrifices.

Additionally, APSL intend on improving their solvency ratios in their 10 year strategic objectives. APSL will need to consider the cut backs they will need to make to improve their solvency ratios such as on machinery or staff payments. Currently, APSL pay staff a competitive 10% over other manufacturing skilled staff. Inevitably, this is likely to impact the amount of net profit that APSL are left over with in order to make the company less solvent. However, making cutbacks on staff salaries will also cause implications such as unhappy staff. It could be argued that making cutbacks on pay is not the most moral thing to do, as staff may have initially signed up to APSL due to their competitive rates of pay. On the other hand, it may be the wisest thing for APSL to consider doing in order to make cutbacks to widen their profit margins to make the business most solvent. If the staff of APSL are unhappy with the changes, APSL will need to inject more money in to the business finding appropriate staff and recruiting the right people for the job as well as training them. However, APSL may find that through recruiting new staff, they have exposed themselves to people with fresh ideas and people that are likely to be more motivated as they still want to work for APSL despite the average salaries that they are now offering.

Certainly, APSL’s objectives could be said to be ‘too far out of reach.’ Essentially, this means that APSL appear to be taking on too many projects at once. Currently, the evidence suggests that APSL are considering new heat efficient machiney, moving to a location in Hull and introducing a new night shift. It could certainly be said that APSL need to focus on one objective at a time or else the company could be impacted negatively through diseconomies of scale. Often when a business tries to take on too much at once, it derives a number of complications such as poor quality across the board as well as  no clear focus or direction in which way the business is heading. Although allowing 10 years for APSL to meet these objectives might appear fairly realistic, when combined with the other projects that APSL intend on committing to may mean that they will hinder the overall direction of the business.

Indeed, APSL have created objectives that are appropriate in meeting the needs of the business. If APSL make appropriate decisions that have clear focus such as cutting back on spending and committing to directly related business they will then be able to achieve their 10 year strategic objectives.

F297 BUSINESS STUDIES APSL OCR REVISION

Discuss the extent to which different stakeholders might be able to influence APSL’s possible relocation decision?

APSL’s current decision to move to hull will have a significant impact on the business’ stakeholders. Inevitably, the decision will not suit all stakeholders and therefore APSL will need to analyse who’s interest in the business they prioritise most in order to influence their possible relocation decision.

Shareholders Kate, John and Peter are likely to be keen on the move to Hull for a number of reasons. For one, communication is likely to improve as a result of moving to a 20,000 factory where all sites are under one roof, in comparison with the current three site operating system. This will improve communication in APSL as it means that information can be more easily spread through workers and can be delivered to the right place. This is the case with supplies “trying to deliver just in time to the wrong unit” which resulted in last year’s production being halted three times. Thus, by moving to a location where everything is closely linked together- suppliers can deliver to one property without the hassle of distinguishing which one of three is the correct one. Ultimately, this is likely to improve the efficiency of APSL as customers will receive their products much faster by ruling out the delay of supplies being delivered to the wrong place and thus delaying the whole process.

However, shareholders will also need to analyse the risk factor involved. Certainly, it is likely that this decision will impact the most. The three main shareholders Kate, Peter and John have collectively created two long term objectives and therefore it may mean that by moving to their factory in Hull, they may not be able to afford to maintain their two other objectives. For this reason, the shareholders will need to assess their financial accounts to see if they are able to afford the move. Currently, APSL’s accounts show that they are not making as much profit compared to last year and therefore it might mean that APSL have less retained profits to work with and invest to a number of projects at once. The evidence suggests that APSL should halt all major decisions and focus on where money should be correctly spend whether it means holding back on moving to Hull and investing in marketing to the export market.

Additionally, creditors will be another major influence when APSL decide whether to relocate to Hull. Due to the loss of profits from last year to this year, by _______ APSL may find that they have less retained profits to cover the cost of moving. After all, it is not just the building that APSL will have to purchase. The move to Hull may mean that APSL need to consider specialised shipping to dismantle machinery, and may well also have to negotiate or find new suppliers that are willing to travel an extra 80 miles to and from Hull to deliver materials to APSL- which may result in adding extra charges to current prices. Overall, APSL has less money to invest into the new property and therefore will need to explore other sources of finances. APSL will need to assess the likelihood of creditors giving the business a loan. It is likely that creditors may not want to give out a loan due to being weary of not gaining it back due to the risk implications that moving causes and therefore APSL will need to consider if they can afford/find a right creditor to subsidise them. However, if APSL do find a creditor that is willing to give APSL a loan, they will need to consider the rate of interest that they are offering upon paying back and therefore decide if the additional cost of interest is worth it. Creditors are likely to impact APSL’s decision of moving immediately or slowing down the process until they are able to afford it through selling assets and retained profits without taking out a loan.

Currently, employees are paid a competitive 10% over all other semi-skilled staff in the area. Therefore it is likely that staff will be concerned about their job and may not want to move outside their home to support the business. If APSL move, it means that employees will need to travel a total of 80 miles to reach and get home from the new location. Expectedly, this move will not be desired by all staff and therefore APSL will need to consider the further implications that may arise.

If the majority of APSL staff does not wish to move to the new location, it means that Kate, John and Peter will need to find employees in a new area. Certainly, this adds to the further cost implications of spending time and money finding new and reliable staff that will need to be trained to the expectations of APSL’s high quality assurance. This means that by moving, APSL may end up having to spend more money than saving in the long run.

Finally, the community will play a big part in APSL’s decision to move to a new location. Currently, APSL are experiencing issues with community seen in figure 1 (Mr.Gilman’s letter) where 15 tonnes of plastic and other industrial waste has been dumped. If Hull find out about the unethical dumping of APSL currently, it is likely they will protest against it and therefore will be harder for APSL to secure the new factory at Hull. However, it is likely that the community of Hull will assess the benefits of having such a large business move into the area. If APSL do move to the new factory in Hull, they will need to be aware of the potential amount of jobs that will be created for possible suppliers and employees and thus the community will be pleased with the unemployment rate in the area reducing despite the high level of industrial pollution that will arise if a business such as APSL move into the area.

APSL will need to consider a number of stakeholders when deciding whether to relocate to the new factory in Hull. However, the true stakeholders that should be trusted with choosing to relocate should be Kate, John and Peter. If they believe that they have the finances to relocate, as well as the level of planning that will be needed to ensure that most employees are content with the decisions: they should certainly go ahead with the plans as they are the most knowledgeable and experienced when it comes to APSL.

A2 Business Studies OCR F297 Revision – Apsl Case Study

Hi. Some people on TSR have asked me to post some of my essays that I have done so far on the business APSL (JUNE 2014 F297). I don’t know if it will help anybody but a few people have asked me to give an example of the kind of responses I write after seeing my English essays that I post on this blog too. These questions have been suggested by the APT pack but the answers are my own.

Evaluate how specific objectives might contribute to the success of APSL?

APSL have widely expressed their ten year strategic objectives that they aim to achieve by 2018: these consist of expanding their export market by 15% and improving their solvency ratios. Certainly, there are many advantages associated with setting specific objectives such as providing a suitable way of measuring these objectives have been met, however it is also reasonable to argue that specific objectives may be too rigid to suit the ever-changing economy.

Firstly, APSL aim to improve their export market to countries outside of the EU to a total of 15% by 2018. APSL have created time specific and measureable objectives by ensuring they have a set target (15%) and a timeframe they believe is suitable (2018.) Indeed, by setting SMART objectives, APSL have set targets in place that they will be able to monitor the progress of. For example, in 2016; APSL will be able to look at the percentage of exports they currently produce and thus track if they’re on track for meeting their aims. For instance, if APSL recognise that their current exports are at 13% for 2016, it is likely that they are slowly making their way to their final target and therefore know their current strategic methods of reaching their target are working and therefore APSL can recognise what they need to continue to ensure more improvements. However, if APSL recognise that their targets are only at 8%, they will be able to place tactical aims to meet their long term objective such as sign new contracts with export markets alongside their current agreements. Undoubtedly, having specific objectives will mean that APSL have a quantifiable measure to track the progress of their objectives and identify what needs to be done to ensure they meet them.

However, there are many implications to implementing such specific targets. It could be argued that if APSL foresee the business is not on track on meeting their 2018 objectives, it is likely they will introduce short term tactical objectives to ensure they are on target. Inevitably, these short term tactics may not always help “the bigger picture.” APSL’s specific objectives are likely to put pressure on owners Kate, Peter and John to meet objectives and therefore cause them to make rushed decisions to ensure they meet them on time. For example, if APSL see that they have not been able improve their solvency ratios, it may lead to making quick decisions such as making a number of staff redundant or cutting back on staff salaries which will work in a downward negative spiral meaning APSL may have not made the right choice for the business as a result of being over pressurised. Therefore, having specific objectives could lead to managers making irrational decisions to meet them on time. Ultimately, it could be argued that having specific objectives are too rigid instead of having less specific objectives that allow managers to change them to the suitable economy. Thus, if APSL had set less rigid objectives, they will be under less pressure to meet them and therefore would allow themselves to constantly make changes to objectives as time passes e.g reduce their targets when experiencing a recession.

Nevertheless, the benefits from setting specific objectives for APSL cannot be ignored. Certainly, setting such targets will likely to increase motivation in staff at APSL. Although it could be seen as adding extra pressure, the evidence suggests that by having set objectives, staff have a visible form of motivation to work towards when staff morale is low. If APSL have objectives that have a clear direction, it means that staff will have an opportunity for appraisal. For example, if the employees of APSL work hard towards reaching their 10 year strategic objectives, the owners at APSL may want to increase their pay/providing appraisals and fringe benefits to appreciate the staff. Although the objectives that APSL have set appear to be targeted specifically at the top of the hierarchy (within the managers and owners) the employees can also contribute to objectives such as operating more efficiently to improve their solvency ratios by ensuring that the business will have more money and become more solvent through saving more on wastage. Thus, if APSL have specific objectives it is likely that staff will be motivated to achieve them as these objectives are a direct measure of staff performance and therefore APSL’s overall presentation.

As previously expressed, introducing specific objectives cannot always be a good thing for a business. However, APSL have set objectives that appear achievable and therefore will be advantageous. Due to staff already achieving an overall 10% salary above other manufacturing staff in the area, they are likely to be a lot more motivated to ensure that these targets are met and therefore, specific objectives will be a dominant factor in ensuring the success of APSL.

Lady Macbeth as a “fiend like queen”

Is Lady Macbeth a fiend like queen like Malcolm suggests? What do you think?

**This essay was done after a lesson on developing my own personal voice. So although the structure isn’t so much back and forth as usual, there is still AO3 by developing my OWN personal voice as well as giving some alternative interpretations within my own argument.

Lady Macbeth- a “fiend like queen?” I love this picture, although it seems a tad bias considering the essay title!

It is no wonder that Malcolm’s appellation reveals Lady Macbeth as a “fiend like queen” and her husband, Macbeth, “the dead butcher.” After all, it is Lady Macbeth who goads on the death of his father, King Duncan. More importantly, it is the deceptively satanic queen, and the falsely labelled “butcher” that ultimately jeopardise Malcolm’s rightful descending title of “King.” Thus, Malcolm’s epithet appears fully justified; but perhaps in retrospect, Lady Macbeth’s character is far from the one-sided, villainous connotations that a “fiend” entails. Despite appearing to completely transgress against social convention through rejecting her maternal instincts; Lady Macbeth’s sudden expression of humanity and protection of her husband, allow us to conclude that Lady Macbeth is not merely just a “fiend like queen.”

Lady Macbeth is presented as purely fulfilling the role of a loyal wife. Through commanding her husband imperative verbs such as “sleep,” “wash [your hands]” and “speak not,” she associates herself with the comforting gestures a mother offers a child. By ordering Macbeth to complete these actions, Lady Macbeth is in actual fact protecting him from the guilt and insanity that blood is often associated with, seen through many parts in the play. Lady Macbeth has no doubt that her husband has good intentions, rightfully so, she questions Macbeth being too “full of th’ milk” of human kindness” to murder. It could then be argued that Lady Macbeth is weary about the sight of innocent blood on Macbeth’s hands having the potential to remind Macbeth of his own humanity, and thus Macbeth could potentially rethink his (already uncertain) decision to murder the king, therefore by asking Macbeth to “get” some water to “wash this filthy witness from [his hand]” Lady Macbeth is simply encouraging Macbeth to avoid the possibility of hindering his own position as “King.” Additionally, the banquet scene in Act 3 scene 4 further expresses this view of Lady Macbeth as a maternal and supportive figure, rather than an inhumane “fiend.” Also visually presented in the 1978 version of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth appears to shield her husband, scolding guests “Goodnight!” whilst ordering her husband to “speak not; I pray you”: Lady Macbeth is defensive over her husband, and strongly protects himself from tarnishing his professional image as “King” in which case, the supernatural sightings of Banquo’s ghost would have lead the guests to label Macbeth as ‘mad’ rather than a ‘noble’ King. Despite some views that might believe that Lady Macbeth is selfishly manipulating Macbeth in order to make herself queen instead of wanting the best for her husband, the evidence suggests that the loss of her child that she has “given suck” forces the mourning queen to channel her maternal grievance into an overwhelming pursuit into making Macbeth king. It is then reasonable to argue that Lady Macbeth transgresses beyond traditional “ambition” due to the inconsolable loss of a child, and as a result: wanting to fully pursue the role of a supportive and encouraging mother by using her husband who similarly possesses qualities reminiscent of a child such as vulnerability and indecisiveness and thus Lady Macbeth automatically falls into playing the more controlling, motherly role.

Whilst Lady Macbeth is certainly seen as the catalyst stimulating the death of King Duncan, Banquo, Macduff’s family and Young Siward, the distressed queen’s sudden instances of humanity can neither be ignored. Lady Macbeth cannot merely play a “fiend” due to the satanic and inhumane connotations the term implies. Fiend, being one that lends itself to the characteristics of the Devil, does not certainly express the same feelings of guilt, madness and a conscience in the same way Lady Macbeth does. Unusual, for the once decisive woman, Lady Macbeth’s character presents a side of humanity to the audience: by expressing that she would have murdered Duncan “had he not resembled [her] father whilst he slept.” Ironically, the ‘former’ Lady Macbeth was seen to “shame” wearing a pure heart, considering emotion as a form weakness in Macbeth, and therefore the character is projected as contradicting herself whereby Shakespeare is able to emphasise her humanity in this scene. Ironically, by Lady Macbeth showing a flaw in her emotionless exterior by controverting herself, Shakespeare allows this event to stand out amongst the deceptively evil behaviour of Lady Macbeth in previous acts: this quote is then pivotal in marking the progression of a ‘transformed’ Lady Macbeth, apparent from the downward spiral into madness from here. However, it could also be argued that Lady Macbeth is far from morally humane or even transformed in this scene. Some may say that despite an instance of humanity, the idea that Lady Macbeth goes on to “gild the faces of the grooms withal” shortly after, presenting Lady Macbeth as still very much tactical and satanic enough to frame two innocent guards. Despite this however, Lady Macbeth could be seen as trying to avoid acknowledging the degree of her evil, revealed by consoling Macbeth “these deeds must not be thought(…)it will make us mad” thus: Lady Macbeth is only able to frame the innocent guards not because she is a “fiend” but because the character is prevented from facing the reality of her actions and therefore stripped from the ‘reality check’ often needed to provoke remorse.

 It is unreasonable to conclude any character that allows their guilt to completely consume them, resulting in death, a “fiend like queen.” Lady Macbeth is merely used as tool to provoke disruption in the narrative of Macbeth as a matter of coincidence, whereby her actions of humanity and remorse are much more suitable to describe the Queen. To conclude, through her instances of conscience, Lady Macbeth is far from the demonic connotations the term “fiend” entails.

“Brave Macbeth” to “dead butcher”. Butchery or Bravery in Macbeth?

This was a marked and timed essay I did. This picture made me laugh 🙂

A butcher is one that kills without a conscience. Thus when Malcolm calls Macbeth a “dead butcher” it becomes clear that Shakespeare has more than established between “bravery” and ruthless murder. However, Macbeth appears to fall in to both, and therefore the ever-changing complexity neither conforms to either a “brave” soldier or a foolish murderer.

It is unreasonable to argue that Macbeth is a butcher due to his unjust killings. Macbeth is far from contained after the murder of Duncan, crying “Macbeth hath murdered sleep. Certainly in this scene, Macbeth’s conscience totally consumes him and therefore Shakespeare takes away the carnal necessities away, in this case-sleep. The use of losing sleep totally detaches Macbeth from any form of restoration, by stripping him away from the base needs of a human. In other words, Macbeth becomes aware that he is no longer allowed what have now become the luxuries of life. This idea is certainly echoed further on after Duncan’s death, as Shakespeare allows the audience to gain an insight into the eponymous villain of the play. “Better to be with the dead”- Macbeth’s conscience, again, consumes him as he now envies the corpse of Duncan for being at “peace” ironically though, after the metaphorical “gates of hell” he has created for himself. Macbeth simply cannot be a ruthless butcher with a guilt that has the ability to eternally disrupt any form of equilibrium for himself.

However, as with all Gothic protagonists, things are not as ‘black or white’ as they appear. A modern day reading of the play would certainly suggest that Macbeth’s taunt is an uncontrollable action of the mind, a long with the “black and deep desires” that seem to push Macbeth into transgressing beyond social conventions. It could then be argued that the personification revolving around “murdering sleep” is a metaphor to project Macbeth’s latent “deep” ambition. Through “murdering” sleep, Macbeth subconsciously murders Duncan, as ambitions of becoming King are the true ‘dreams’ of this tyrant. Therefore, a Freudian interpretation of this may well debate that although it is his guilt that allows Macbeth to fall into this disempowerment, it is actually all a consequence of his initial “dark[est] desires” and therefore, Macbeth is a true butcher at heart.

Deceivingly though, our initial introduction to Macbeth may not appear to be as brutal as it seems. Despite the “brave Macbeth” showing us no apparent hesitation at “unseaming [the traitor] from the nave to th’ chaps”, the statement is only as reliable as the “bloody captain” who delivered it. Here, the blood on the captain foreshadows the similarly fractured comments he makes. Macbeth is no by means showing bravery, even through the use of the verb “unseam” Shakespeare comments on his unsuitability for the role. The word “unseam” instantly foregrounds a feminine movement of sowing, and therefore Macbeth is only as brave and brutal as literature in the early 1700’s would allow females to be. Thus Macbeth only shows no remorse or hesitation when defeating “the enemy” or moreover, when he feels that he has a worthy enough justification to hide behind. In other words, Macbeth allows the fact he is murdering on behalf of his nobility to the King, to work as a mask to hide behind his uncomfortable attitude of the cold blooded murder.

However, could Macbeth’s ruthless and frivolous action of killing Macduff’s wife and children showcase another side of this complex protagonist? Indeed, the futile murder of a “wife and babes” appears to have no purpose and therefore illustrates the epitome of a butcher in Macbeth. Certainly, the fact this command has been set post-prophecy, adds to the ruthless brutality of Macbeth. Even after hearing the witch’s prophecy “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” it becomes clear that Macbeth’s murder of innocent people is done out of spite, and therefore he displays no conscience in doing so.

Ultimately, due to the murder of Macduff’s family taking place post prophecy, it is clear that Macbeth has inherited a sense of false security. Despite appearing invincible, Macbeth is far from it. He allows himself to carry out these unjust actions in order to fulfil the criteria of what Lady Macbeth views to be a man: carelessly “dash[ing] the brains” of a baby, and “sham[ing] to wear a heart so white.” Therefore, Macbeth’s deceptive actions of butchery are merely a way of falsely fulfilling these “borrowed robes”. In other words, these murders are not frivolous, but strategic in ensuring security for Macbeth.

Teacher comments:

AO1: well structured and varied. Aim for concise precise!

AO2:Try to include analysis of form. Good focus on specific analysis.

AO3:Clear debate throughout. Don’t be afraid to pursue your own point of view.

AO4:Integrated and relevant.

General feedback: This was really interesting to read! (especially your section on “unseamed” 😀 )

You could consider the fact that he only actually commits one murder himself?

Mad, Bad and Dangerous

**Disclaimer: I apologise for any typos. This was initially a written essay that I typed up for the purpose of uploading on to WordPress and therefore I was a bit rushy doing it.

The cynical trio of “mad, bad and dangerous” alludes from the description of the wicked Lord Byron: but to what extent do these terms address the often complex and dimensional Gothic villains in Macbeth? To say that Lady Macbeth or even the eponymous protagonist of the play adhere to either one or all three is far too reductionist, as with many other Gothic villains-these characters are far too complicated to be labelled thus.

Shakespeare utilises dramatic techniques such as the soliloquy to allow readers into the mind set of the solitary speaker. In act 2 scene 1, Macbeth’s acclaimed ‘dagger’ soliloquy readers “hear not my steps, which way they walk.” Too well, he knows the extent of his own evil. The command “hear not” certainly embodies a conscious within the character, suggested he is aware of the sin he will shortly commit, thus , Macbeth is undoubtedly ‘bad.’ Indeed, this scene lends itself to the supernatural, adding to the equivocation surrounding a palpable dagger by accompanying it with a Gothic villain appearing to envy the untraceable appearance of ghosts, whishing his steps were undetectable. The fact Macbeth is aware of his transgression beyond social conventions allows the reader to totally embrace the title ‘bad’ hand in hand with questions such as ‘let me clutch [the dagger]’ Macbeth appears to set up his own fall, he is damned for an ill ending.

However, typical of Gothic literature- not all appears black or white. The equivocation frequently expressed during the dagger speech can neither be ignored. It could also be argued that Macbeth is merely a victim of the supernatural. Perhaps the ‘handle towards [his hand’ is the message that Shakespeare is truly trying to convey, as this shows that the dagger is coming “towards” Macbeth and thus taunts Macbeth into committing regicide, opposed to being a true dark and “deep” desire. Nevertheless, Macbeth neither conforms with nor rebels against the title ‘bad.’

As with most Gothic villains, madness is also a dominant criteria that allows readers to establish characters into those who they empathise with or those which they loathe. Certainly, this appears to be the case with Lady Macbeth, as this “fiend like queen” depicts a true downfall from now deceptive sanity, into madness. The recurring motif of the “knocking at the gate” instantly associates Lady Macbeth with the drunken Porter of the “gates of Hell”: in which Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are the king and queen of Hell. Yet, this connection is established only to the very ear end for Lady Macbeth, and thus contrasts with the manipulative and decisive character. Typically, during the Elizabethan era, Doctors were called in to control madness, offering herbs and treatments to compensate for insanity. Therefore, the use of the Doctor in Lady Macbeth’s final scene certainly lends to Lady Macbeth’s madness as the contemporary audience would have easily been able to identify the Doctor as a symbol for madness opposed to the modern audience, likely to associate a Doctor with casual illness.

 However, Lady Macbeth’s madness had not always been a prevailing aspect of her character. At the start of the play, readers had been able to establish Lady Macbeth as the dominant one in the marriage and therefore considered her to be sane before her decent into madness. It could be argued that in order to criticise another, it is important to first be self-critical- therefore through Lady Macbeth commenting that she ‘fear[s] thy nature’ it shows that by recognising Macbeth may be too “full of human  kindness” Lady Macbeth is self-critical of herself against others, and thus must be sane to recognise the difference. The character of Lady Macbeth is able to employ moral into the play: once boundaries transgress into madness, punishment lies ahead. Therefore, similar to Macbeth, Lady Macbeth does not totally fit in to ‘mad’ due to her gradual progression in to the role.

As the audience, we have been able to see Macbeth’s capability for danger from the very start. As the bloody captain delivers Macbeth “unseamed him from the nave to th’ chaps” – it is no secret that Macbeth has the potential for brutality” Surely, the idea that the first time the audience are introduced to Macbeth he is arriving back from battle suggests something of his character. Shakespeare makes it clear the character Macbeth was prior to the prophecy, and yet, we still question Macbeth as a true threat. Despite Macbeth being heavily associated with brutality and gore, even in the first few acts, it could also be said that Macbeth appears to be deceivingly dangerous. Macbeth displays this struggle by not even being able to pronounce the word murder and uses the euphemism of “bloody business”. The idea that he is unable to say the word suggests he cannot come to terms with such sin in his mind and therefore completely detaches himself from being dangerous. It could be said that Macbeth feels ashamed about his actions, or has totally become ignorant to reality and therefore evokes an unclear split between his inherit danger, or being a victim of Lady Macbeth’s ambition. Macbeth’s disconnected and duplicity character definitely meets the criteria of a typical Gothic protagonist and their frequent inner battle.

Villains in Macbeth share the common cloak of duality and complexity often expected of Gothic protagonists. The ever-changing mind set and progression of Shakespeare’s character neither counter nor completely adhere to ‘mad bad and dangerous’; in true gothic fashion.

Mad, Bad and Dangerous- Macbeth

The cynical trio of “mad, bad and dangerous” alludes from the description of the wicked Lord Byron: but to what extent do these terms address the oftencomplex and dimensional Gothic villains in Macbeth? To say that Lady Macbeth or even the eponymous protagonist of the play adhere to either one or all three is far too reductionist, as with many other Gothiv villains-these characters are far too complicated to be labelled thus.

Shakespeare utilisies dramatic techniques such as the soliloquy to allow readers into the mind set of the solitary speaker. In act 2 scene 1, Macbeth’s acclaimed ‘dagger’ soliloquy readers “hear not my steps, which way they walk.” Too well, he knows the extent of his own evil. The command “hear not!! certainly embodies a conscious within the character, suggested he is aware of the sin he will shortly commit, thus , Macbeth is doubtebdly ‘bad.’ Indeed, this scene lends it self to the supernatural, adding to the equivocation surrounding a palpable dagger by accompanyign it with a Gothic villain appearing to envy the untraceable appearance of ghosts, whishing his teps where indetectable. The fact MAcbeth is aware of his transgression beyond social conventions allows the reader to totally embrace the title ‘bad# hand in hand with questions such as ‘let me clutch [the dagger]’ Macbeth appears to set up his own fall, he is damned for an ill ending.

However, typical of Gothic literature- nto all appears black or white. The equivocation frequently expressed during the dagger spech can neither be ignored. It could also be argued that Macbeth is merely a victim of the supernatural. Perhaps the ‘handle towards [his hand’ is the message that Shakespeare is truly trying to convey, as this shows that the dagger is coming “towards” Macbeth and thus taunts Macbeth into comitting regicide, opposed to being a true dark and “deep” desire. Nevertheless, Macbeth neither confroms with or rebels against the title ‘bad.’

As with most Gothic villains, madness is also a dominant criteria that allows readers to establish characters into those who they empathise with or those which they loathe. Certainly, this appears to be the case with Lady Macbeth, as this “fiend like queen” depicts a true downfall from now deceptive sanity, into madness. The reccurring motif of the “knocking at the gate” iinstantly associates Lady Macbeth with the drunken Porter of the “gates of Hell”: in which Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are the king and queen of Hell. Yet, this connection is established only to the very ear end for Lady Macbeth, and thus contrasts with the manipulative and decisive character. Typically, during the Elizeaneathean era, Doctors were called in to control madness, offering herbs and traetmnets to compensate for insanity. Therefore, the use of the Doctor in Lady Macbeth’s final scene certainly lends to Lady Macbeth’s madness as the contemporary audience would have easily been able to identify the Doctor as a symbol for madness opposed to the mordern audience, likely to associate a Doctor with casual illness.

However, Lady Macbeth’s madness had not always been a prevailing aspect of her character. At the start of the play, readers had been able toestablish Lady Macbeth as the dominant one in the marriage and therefore considered her to be sane before herdecent into madness. It could be argued that in order to criticise another, it is important to first be self critical- therefore through Lady Macbeth commenting that she ‘fear[s] thy nature’ it shows that by recognising Macbeth may be too “full of human  kindness” Lady Macbeth is self critical of herself against others, and thus must be sane to recgonise the difference. The character of Lady Macbeth is able to employ moral into the play: once boundaries transgress into madness, punishment lies ahead. Therefore, similar to Macbeth, Lady Macbeth does not totally fit ino to ‘mad’ due to her gradual progression in to the role.

As the audience, we have been able to see Macbeth’s capability for danger from the very start. As the bloody captain delivers Macbeth “uneamed him from the nave to th’ chaps” – it is no secret that Macbeth has the potential for brutality” Surely, the idea that the first time the audience are introduced to Macbeth heis arriving back from battle suggests something of his character. Shakespeare maeks it clear the character MAcbeth was prior to the phropehcy, and yet, we still question Macbeth as a true threat. Despite Macbeth being heavily associated with brutality and gore, even in the first few acts, it could also be said that Macbeth appears to be decievingly dangerous. Macbeth displays this struggle by not even being able to pronounce the word murder and uses the euphemism of “bloody business”. The idea that he is unable to say the word suggests he cannot come to terms with such sin in his mind and therefore comlpetely detaches himself from being dangerous. It could be said that Macbeth feels ashame about his actions, or has totally become ignorant to reality and therefore evokes an unclear split beween his inheret danger, or being a victim of Lady Macbeth’s ambition. Macbeth’s disconnected and duplicit character definierely meets the criteria of a typical Gothic protagonist and their frequent inner battle.

Villains in Macbeth share the common cloak of duality and complexity often expected of Gothic protagonistts. The everchanging mind set and progression of Shakespeare’s character neither counter nor compltely adhere to ‘mad bad and dangerous’; in true gothic fashion. 

In Wuthering Heights, Bronte shows that more suffering is caused by a diseased mind than by a diseased body” discuss.

Hello everyone 🙂

Today I am sharing with you my first Wuthering Heights post! It has been created by a great friend of mine, Tas, addressing the question 

 

“In W/H, Bronte shows that more suffering is caused by a diseased mind than by a diseased body” through a mindmap. It is currently unfinished, but I will be sure to update it when it’s complete 🙂 Please let me know if these maps are useful because I can create more of them or if you have any suggestions that could be added on to this one! Thank you for your support 🙂

 

(Click to see larger)

Just an update..

Hi guys, I received an email from a WordPress user asking why I haven’t uploaded many essays recently. It is not that I have given up revision! I have been hand-writing my essays so I get into the habit of accurate timed essays but I understand that you guys may also want to see them. If it helps, I could scan them and then upload them on to my blog or I could type them up after I’ve done them? It doesn’t matter but please do comment and let me know if that is what you guys want because otherwise it takes up too much time ( I dont mind as long as it helps!) 🙂

The Erl-King brief analysis and key quotes

Good morning everyone! I have a short class test today that will require me to use The Erl King and The Bloody Chamber in my answer so I’ve created a few notes and quotes to help me on The Erl King.

Context

The traditional folklore legend “Erlking” lends our protagonist the name The Erl-King. The Erl-king was an elf known to lure young people (in this instance, young girls) in to their impending death.

Narrative perspective

Narrative perspective is constantly shifting in The Erl-King. Initially, The story begins to describe the woods in third person. The sudden shift then transforms in to second person, recognised by the pronoun “you.” Again, the narrative perspective shifts back in to third person, recognised by the pronoun “her” and then shifts again seen by the first person use of the word “me.” – and so on. Could the shift in narrative perspective reflect the fractured fragments of the woods?: the wood is inevitably a place to get, and also feel lost. Some critics also argue that the change in narrative voice resembles the protagonist’s lost voice and integrity. Additionally, this brings about a disorientating and unsettled atmosphere for unnatural events to occur. Thus, Carter is using narrative perspective not only to reflect character state of mind (feeling lost, feelinig of the sublime taking over) but also to foreshadow and set the tone for future events to take place.

The Erl-King himself?

The Erl-King “came alive from desire of the woods.” Briefly, The Erl-King completely engulfs the woods, and inevitably is nature. Expectedly, the Erl King goes on to encapsulate nature too, and seeks to capture young girls and keep them with him. The Erl King’s eyes also reflect this utterly emphasised depiction of nature within the King: his eyes “as green as apples” and “as green as dead sea fruit.” Furthermore, Carter may be expressing how male nature has the power to dominate women and bring
about their destruction.

What role does the protagonist play?

To well the narrator of the Erl King, also is aware of the danger of the wood, and ultimately sets up her own peril. Inevitably, the female protagonist is damned for confinement. By recognising the light had “vertical bars of a brass coloured distillation”- even the setting of the wood begins to echo the powerful imagery of confinement and entrapment. Certainly, she is aware of the danger she faces. However, she sees the Erl-King as merely a “tender butcher.” She feels as though the ‘vertigo’ takes over when she is around the Erl-King: “afraid of vertigo, of the vertigo with which he seizes me.” Additionally, the “young girl would go in to the woods as trustingly as Red Riding Hood to her granny’s house” adds to the idea of the female narrator knowing the extent of her own peril.

Key quotes for this text

“vertical bars of a brass coloured distillation” – damned to confinement.

“come alive from desire of the woods”

“green as apples”

“green as dead see fruit”

Narrative perspective: third when describing the wood, second by “you”, third by “her” then back to first person by using “me””

“his white teeth pointed”

“an air of impending death”

“a young girl would go in to the woods as trustingly as Red Riding Hood to her granny’s house”

“Erl King will do you grievous harm”