Double, Double, Toil, and Trouble--Writing Tutorial Pt VIII

On today's The Scriptorium, I want to continue our writing tutorial on poetry, but this time by going very close and specific on Shakespeare's Macbeth. Wait! You cry. It's bad because it's all about witches. Let's not be over hasty. Remember the Bible's account of Saul consulting with the Witch of Endor. The difference between how the Bible portrays evil and wickedness and how some popular writers treat it is that the Bible never tempts me to say, "O, this sounds fun. I think I will dabble in witchcraft..." or adultry, or murder, or idolatry and all the rest. Good writing will be honest about evil. On the one hand it will not titilate the reader and lure them into the evil. But on the other hand, nor will it ignore evil and sugar coat reality so that we have something imaginary (as opposed to imaginative--Lewis makes the clear distinction very wisely), something that is contrary to reality, something that is false (think much of how Holyywood portrays evil and you will see the vast contrast with how the Bible unmasks evil and shows it as ugly and disgusting).

Macbeth. One of my all-time favorite Shakespeare plays. I have taught it many times over the years, lectured on it at conferences (and had people walk out), seen it live on stage, and will see igt next week with my Oxford Creative Writing Master Class in Stratford-upon-Avon at the Royal Shakespearian Theatre. Here's some of what we will discuss on the podcast today:

"…But ’tis strange.

And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,

The instruments of darkness tell us truths,

Win us with honest trifles, to betray ’s

In deepest consequence."

This is Part A of a two part podcast on Shakespeare's Macbeth and why we need it today