Thankful

I am thankful for myself. 

I did all my work by myself. Most of it was on time. I maintained an average grade in an honors class, which is pretty cool, because that's the equivalent of getting a slightly above average grade in a regulars class. I did a lot of things I wouldn't have done if not for my relentlessness self management and devotion to perfection. Even when I have homework for all of my classes I usually just do English because I get a feeling of accomplishment early on in the next school day. 

I am also thankful for Mr. McCarthy for being a wonderful teacher with an impressive collection of 45's that I am very jealous of. 

I am thankful for Maddy for sharing cookies with me that one time in class, that was cool.

I am not thankful for Eleanor because she won't go out with me. 

Then He is Dead?

For the payout that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth received, their actions were definitely not worthwhile. In order to make their multiple murderous, deceitful, and immoral acts worth it, there would need to be a much better reward than being temporarily king and having to worry about mutiny and being succeeded by someone out of your bloodline. If Macbeth were to rule for the rest of his life, and perhaps not go insane with guilt (this applies to Lady Macbeth as well), and not have to worry about being murdered, and rule over faithful subjects, and not have to kill his closest friends in order to prevent being succeeded by someone besides his own son, the murders and lies would maybe be worth it.

"Macbethish" acts would not be worth doing for me, personally, unless I was assured the unchallenged position of king for the rest of my life (or at least score) and did not have to worry about being murdered or plotted against. Since being king isn't exactly a priority of mine, Macbethish acts might be worth it if one got to be king for less than a lifetime, but I cannot see any situation where it would be worth it to commit murder and other heinous acts and only get to be king for less than a decade. If Macbeth was introduced to us having a desire to be king, and not just presented with the idea by the three witches, it may make more sense for him to go through with the murder of King Duncan. Since it didn't seem very important to him until he was told it would happen, Macbeth's acts were not worth it, as he was only king for a very short time.

No New Tale to Tell

The Pardoners tale is about three men who aim to slay Death, but when they encounter a sum of gold, they forget about their original goal and are overcome by greed. In order for each man to keep the money for himself, they all plot to murder the others. Coincidentally, all of the men end up dying and are thus defeated by their original enemy, Death.

I believe there are only seven stories that have ever been told. They are the following: overcoming the monster, rags to riches, the quest, voyage and return, comedies, tragedies, and rebirth. (See http://lenwilson.us/seven-stories/) Therefore, modern day stories and literature must emulate The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. For example, The Pardoners Tale, which demonstrates greed and corruption over material goods, is not only seen in modern literature but also in everyday life. We covet material goods and money as if without it there could be no life. The Pardoners Tale shows what happens when greed leads to corruption of the mind, and eventually combat and murder. Bank robbery, petty theft, identity theft, and most of government corruption would not be a problem if greed had lost its potency from Chaucer's times.

Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth is introduced to us as determined, fearless, cunning, somewhat heartless, ambitious... all uncommon things to be portrayed in a women in Shakespeare's time. It is Lady Macbeth, not Macbeth himself, that is adamant about their murdering of King Duncan. Where Macbeth is wary of killing the king and would much rather it happen on its own, Lady Macbeth takes matters into her own bloody hands and makes sure Duncan is killed properly and without any possibility for anyone to be suspicious of her husband or herself. Lady Macbeth, until later, keeps a strong head and seems to be unfazed by her murderous, deceitful acts.  In her soliloquy, she exclaims, "And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty!", urging herself to leave all morals and kindness behind in order to get what she wants. She asks to be filled with cruelty, whereas Macbeth is still basically psyching himself out about wronging his king. Lady Macbeth takes charge, unlike what most women were known to do at the time.