MACBETH

Before even starting Macbeth, the class got into a heated discussion about whether or not to use the name of the play outside of reading directly from the script. We were split on whether to say it when even discussing or not, as some felt that it would be “disrespectful” to those who believed in it to even utter the two-syllable word. I feel that it is ridiculous to not say it because at the beginning of the year, we agreed that it would be acceptable to use whatever language was necessary in the context of the reading. Therefore, I should be able to say “Macbeth” if I want to talk about, oh, I don't know, MACBETH.

Although I do not believe in the curse, some people are superstitious about it and do not want to say it, which is completely fine with me. But it is not their place to tell me if I can say it or not; that’s up to me. As cliché as it may sound, I have the Freedom of Speech and should be able to exercise my right in a classroom of all places, where teachers tell us to express our opinions and share our views without having to censor them, but then I am told not to say the name of a play we are studying?

Here, we see Mr. Yee spinning

after saying the cursèd word.

In addition, the stories that Mr. Yee told us do not contradict this point but further strengthen it. Both of his friends repeatedly said “Macbeth” for the pure sake of annoying their classmates (from what I gathered), which is not at all what I am saying. For those who feel comfortable saying it, they should only say it when necessary (when referencing the play or character), and not just randomly. Furthermore, the two tragedies happened in their own lives, not in those of any of their classmates. So if I were to say “Macbeth,” I am not putting anyone else at risk (...of having a random incident happen purely out of coincidence...) but myself. By voting to ban that word, the class is restricting people from saying a word that could theoretically affect no one but themselves, instead of letting those who feel comfortable to say “Macbeth” say it, so everyone can be happy.

In the following weeks studying Macbeth, the name has been said many times, with many of those times being the same people who claimed it was disrespectful to say it...hypocritical much? As a "punishment" for speaking his name, one has to spin around three times (you can now watch Mr. Yee spin around for eternity following the countless times he has said Macbeth!!!), which makes even less sense than the curse itself. Even if there really was some mysterious curse, standing up to spin around would do nothing to prevent it. Like Macbeth wouldn't say, "You just said my name, so now I will do something bad to you! Oh wait you spun around, nvm." So basically my point is that this whole thing makes no sense. Bye.