The Monster Within Man

          For the final "Make-a-Thing Project" assigned, I went with an interpretation of the theme found within 'The Tempest' by William Shakespeare: the difficulty in distinguishing man from monster. This theme is directly associated with the character Caliban, a brutish man-beast that serves as a slave to Prospero. "By this good light, this is a very shallow monster. I afeard of him! A very weak monster. The man i' th' moon! A most poor credulous monster.—Well drawn, monster, in good sooth!" -Trinculo. Caliban and Ariel are both considered having the physical forms of men; however, in the play, Shakespeare constantly depicts them as having many monstrous qualities. You can read more about this theme here. This brings forth the question-- "Is it a man, or is it a monster?"

          I did it! I made a thing! And it also happens to be a thing that I'm very proud of, too! I made a mirror (yes, I know, I'm vain), but this isn't just any mirror- it's a Monster Mirror! Let me explain, using modeling clay, I created a mold of a ghoulish creature with, horns, pointy ears, and other undesirable qualities. I then used paper mache as a protective outer layer and painted the skin green. When you look into the mirror, You obviously see the three-dimensional figure staring back at you; but once you adjust your vision you can see your reflection with the hideous reverse-mask on. Through this, I was able to raise the ambiguousness of differentiating man/woman from monster.

          Additionally, I wanted to play around with the different attitudes certain characters hold towards Caliban. When you first look in the mirror, you see one of two things: the monster or the human, it all depends on viewpoint and perspective. The same can be said for Caliban! At first glance Miranda, Prospero and Ariel, see Caliban as a hideous beast capable of nothing but destruction; yet, later on in the story, Trinculo basically says that once he got a good look at Caliban, he realized he really isn't a monster and he couldn't believe he was ever afraid afraid of him!

THE FINAL PRODUCT! 

          There's the final product of "The Monster Mirror"!  Fair warning, this project not only serves as a representation of deep, philosophical literary analyzation; it will also take any mirror selfie to the next level and it can also scar any young child who looks into it.

          The entire time I worked on this project, I listened Nicki Minaj's verse in "Monster" on a continuous loop. 

Me Thought I Heard a Baby Cry, "Sleep No More"

 

       In William Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' the protagonist Macbeth becomes haunted after following the dangerous prophecy foretold to him in an attempt to gain success and kingship. Macbeth is a noble man: he is a strong, brave solider; yet, he lacks any degree of independence or moral virtue. His wife and the three witches that promise him glory push Macbeth into doing acts of evil. After prophesying to Macbeth that he will become king, the three witches tell Banquo, Macbeth's great ally, that he will not be king, rather, the throne will be inherited by one of his children. In a lustful rage, Macbeth kills Banquo. However, by taking that life, he makes a haunting mistake he wont soon forget. Haunted by the ghost of Banquo, Macbeth is stripped of his sanity and is sent on a downward spiral to madness.

      Like the ghost of Beloved in Toni Morrisson's 'Beloved', that shakes the house and disrupts everything at 124; the ghost of Banquo, raises the tension faced by Macbeth, making him hear noises and cries that take away his ability to sleep. Alternately, both ghosts are to blame for the destruction of others. Just as Beloved drains Sethe of her physical powers, the same is done by Banquo to Macbeth. Macbeth, the courageous warrior that attacks first and asks questions later, is deduced to a cowardly man who quakes at any mere noise. The ghost cries out to the entire house that Macbeth shall "sleep no more" as a sort of reimbursement for all the evil he has committed. What happens when you deprive a man of a primary drive, you ask? He begins to go mad.  Furthermore, Banquo can only be seen by Macbeth, which further drives a wedge into his sanity by isolating him from the rest of the characters in the play. The same isolation found within Beloved as the ghost of the baby isolates the residents of 124 from the rest of town. Both Beloved and Banquo share a similar symbolic meaning; they are both manifestations of pain and tragedy. Beloved is a physical representation of the past, -- specifically, she embodies generations of slavery. Beloved forces the characters within the story to recognize the pain they once faced. Banquo is a constant haunter over Macbeth that reminds him of the murder and crime he's committed and foreshadows more death to come. 

Banquo at dinner

            The two works share one aspect: they both use the supernatural to act as manifestations of the past and force other characters to face their truths. However, in both works, the motive behind this act is labeled as “revenge”. I believe the real efforts of both ghosts are to provide characters with self-actualization: Beloved fuctions as an exploration of the consequences for Sethe’s actions, as does Banquo for Macebeth. In Zane Strumfeld’s article, see here, he posits that the Banquo’s main purpose is to make us look at Macbeth in a different light. Once introduced to Banquo’s ghost, Macbeth begins to feel a certain emotion not much portrayed in the play: regret. Throughout the story, Macbeth is strong for the witches; brave as a solider; and wicked for his wife, but when he’s faced with a reflection of the past that only he can see, he shows how scared of the entire situation he truly is.