#Read Macbeth for my gcses

[asweetsorroww]

Macbeth and Snow as parallels (a comparative analysis on ambitious protagonists)

Collins is no stranger to Shakespearean references, whether through character names or the deeper parallels that emerge between her characters and those in Shakespeare's plays. This is especially evident in the striking similarities between Coriolanus Snow in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the main characters in Macbeth, where their ambition ultimately leads to their downfalls.

At the outset, both protagonists show potential. Macbeth begins with a relatively clean slate, while Snow is (debatably) portrayed as a morally grey character. Snow's narcissistic tendencies surface early on, as seen in his disdain for everyone around him and his deep-seated resentment of his own poverty. He believes he is entitled to wealth and power, much like Sejanus. Snow's entitlement is also evident in his condemnation of Tigris when she implies that she might have sold her body to feed their family. He begins to harbor skeptical feelings about her. Though Snow’s selfish and narcissistic tendencies are apparent from the beginning, they remain largely internalized, leaving his true nature ambiguous.

Macbeth and Snow heavily parallel each other at the beginning of their reign.They both encounter a major turning point—a moment of epiphany where they become so entangled in bloodshed that there is no return. For Snow, this moment occurs when he kills the tribute, Bobbin. Although the act is driven by desperation and survival, the way he kills is undeniably cruel. Snow chooses to brutally murder Bobbin even after the tribute is incapacitated and poses no real threat. This shift changes Snow's motivation from self-defence to pure hatred, reflecting his view of the districts as barbaric and savage. Similarly, Macbeth’s major turning point comes in Act I, Scene VII, during his soliloquy when he resolves to kill King Duncan. This decision marks the beginning of his irreversible descent into bloodshed and tyranny. This leads us to a common thread among literary antagonists: their ambition often ignites in a crucial moment of life, where they feel wronged or misunderstood.

So, we ask ourselves now, why is that one scene so crucial, and if it is, who is to blame—the circumstances or the person themselves? In other words, nature vs. nurture. Were Snow and Macbeth simply victims of their environments, or did they always harbour the potential for such destruction?

As we have already established, Snow exposes his corrupt disposition early in the book. He is willing to destroy, use, and manipulate anyone standing in his way, which is heavily focused on in his internal monologue. Each minute action is calculated and executed accordingly. In the scene where a tribute kills Lavinia, Snow's response is a striking reflection of his character. Instead of reacting with immediate panic or concern for Lavinia’s well-being, Snow remains unnervingly composed. His first instinct is not to help or comfort the person in distress but to deliberate on how his actions might affect his public image. As Lavinia's body writhes, Snow’s focus is on the potential repercussions of the situation rather than the immediate human tragedy unfolding before him. Snow’s pragmatic, calculated nature is evident right here.

Similarly, Macbeth’s nature is inherently ambitious, which is hinted at through the witches' prophecy that eventually drives him to regicide: "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other." (Act 1, Scene 7) However, an observation can be made: Macbeth’s actions are only executed after being persuaded by Lady Macbeth. At the very beginning, Macbeth is constantly unsure of his actions and needs to be swayed by external forces. So how much of Macbeth’s nature can we hold accountable?

We see at the beginning that the witches are the ones who plant the seed of ambition in his mind. Even more so, Macbeth’s initial reaction to the prophecy is curiosity; it is the witches who nudge him down that path, which he might have otherwise not taken. Another critical factor is Lady Macbeth’s manipulation; her relentless questioning of his masculinity pushes him toward the edge. It can be said that Macbeth is more of a victim of external forces. It is also plausible to say that Macbeth’s initial ambition might have remained unchecked, and thus would not have committed regicide.

Naturally, we ask ourselves the following question: Was Snow a victim of nurture? Snow makes it very clear from the beginning that he is not here to play the game, but to control it. Despite the cutthroat politics in the Capitol, Snow finds a way to be cultivated by his environment instead of being exploited. Take Snow’s relationship with Doctor Gaul—time and time again, he goes out of his way to obey Dr. Gaul, to the point where he submits his best friend to her. He is not a victim but a willing student. In contrast to Macbeth, Snow lacks guilt and shows little to no moral conflict in his decisions. And hence, being devoid of guilt and hesitation makes Snow not a victim of his nurture but a product of it.

Circling back to the topic of guilt—we find ourselves in the position to ask whether Macbeth’s guilt is his greatest weakness. Macbeth’s guilt and paranoia begin immediately after his murder of King Duncan. He is plagued with insomnia and hallucinations as his guilt manifests, and he descends into madness. As his paranoia and guilt fester, he begins to act out of fear rather than necessity. His ability to think straight and calculate his actions completely erodes by this point. Macbeth certainly does not achieve that prosperous reign, but his guilt is one aspect that humanizes him and allows the audience to relate to him.

But what of Snow—was his lack of guilt and empathy his greatest strength? Snow certainly reigned for a long, prosperous period—longer than Macbeth could, that’s for sure. What was it that upheld him for so long? What did he possess that no other antagonist before him had? The answer to all our questions rests in one quote: “You take your own humanity out of the equation. And then you’re free to do whatever’s necessary. It’s the only way to be safe.” This is it—Snow’s dire philosophy encapsulated in one line. Snow completely rejects the idea of humanity; notice he uses the word "free." It is almost as if Snow views humanity as a burden, something that is tying him down, from which he wants to be freed. So, is rejecting humanity the only way to achieve such a long rule? Is it really a strength?

While we can certainly say Snow avails a longer rule than anyone that came before him, Snow’s lack of guilt and empathy is a double-edged sword. It most certainly helps him make swift, calculated decisions without bringing his victims' emotions into the equation, but it ultimately destroys him in the end. It is his incapability of understanding Peeta and Katniss’ effect that annihilates his rule. “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective; a lot of hope is dangerous.” Snow recognizing hope is accurate, yet it is his lack of empathy that blinds him from seeing the uncontrollable aspect of hope. His approach to overcoming hope is to manage it—notice I use the word "manage." His perception of hope is in a very technical manner, just like we see in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Snow is prone to formulating plans, and thus, he uses this approach on Katniss as if she is just a step along his plan. But his failure to truly understand the power of hope is what leads him to make decisions that only spark the rebellion even more.

In conclusion, ambition is a powerful force in shaping the paths of literary antagonists like Snow and Macbeth. While their environments certainly played a role in nurturing their darker tendencies, it is their inherent ambition and how they choose to wield it that seals their fates. Macbeth's guilt humanizes him, making him a somewhat tragic figure who is ultimately consumed by his ambition. Snow, on the other hand, thrives by rejecting humanity altogether, but this very rejection blinds him to the power of hope, leading to his eventual downfall. Both characters remind us that unchecked ambition, whether fuelled by internal desires or external influences, can lead to self-destruction.

[cameronf129t]

Hope this helps anyone out there who is currently studying Macbeth for GCSE <3

Personally, I'm enjoying it, can be tricky, but its worth it!

[nonbinary-sticks-the-badger]

thinking of making sonic aus of an inspector calls, macbeth, a christmas carol and a couple of poems literally just so that i remember the quotes better for english but also i dont wanna do that because i dont want blorbo from my shows to be a rapist.

[thomdoesthings]

Just finished To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

I didn't read this book in high school. Every other class read this and Of Mice and Men for their GCSE, but my English teacher said we'd ruin one of the best books ever written if we had to analyse it, and to read it ourselves later. I finally read it for myself, and yes, it's one of the best books ever written. I don't think I can say anything that decades of people smarter than me haven't already said about it, but it was a fantastic read, and I'm glad that I finally sat down with it.

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

I'm not tryna be like.. A 'born in the wrong generation' cunt, but I do kinda wish I was born maybe 10 years earlier for trans healthcare, pandemic timing, economy and education reasons

(that last one is personal not universal, my highschool crumbled to absolute shit around the time I got there)

[joaosnovia]

heyyy, hope ur doing great! Soo I had this crazy and random idea about a cubarsi x reader, the reader is hector’s twin sister and lamine’s best friend. For the plot I was thinking that Hector and Pau have been playing a lot of matches but are also stressed cause their school exams are coming up and everything is a bit tense. And at some point the team and some of the wags organise a bqq and after they eat and have fun they sit around the outside fire pit and Cuba and hector who are sleep deprived fall asleep using the reader as a pillow, Pau’s head on her lap and hector’s on her shoulder, and lamine is staring at the two for a while and the rest of the teams asks him about it and he admits that he is worried about his best friends being so stressed but he is also proud because they both have been playing extremely well as defenders despite their age. Really pure fluff and Lamine being worried. Really appreciate ur work and talent keep up the great work ❤️❤️❤️

❦ - mis chicos.

warnings:: cussing I THINK..? angst if you squint and also comfort

pairings:: twin!hector x reader , situationship!pau x reader , friend!lamine x reader

writers notes:: sigh i’m posting this after my first gcse… english lit. i wanna SOB bro it was the worst but shoutout to macbeth ❤️. anywho! enjoy, this is rushed asf 💔.

tags:: @barcapix @n0vazsq @httpsdana @paucubarsisimp @universefcb @mariejuli

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you’d been watching it happen for days.

hector walking through the house like a ghost, textbooks in one hand, his boots in the other. pau answering texts at 2am, the read receipts timestamped way too late for someone with morning training. both of them running on energy drinks and adrenaline, trying to balance being fc barcelona starters and passing their exams like their lives depended on it.

you’d tried to check in, multiple times.

‘bro,’ you said to hector one night, watching him eat cereal for dinner while reviewing anatomy flashcards. ‘maybe sleep? like just a lil nap?’

he’d barely looked up. ‘no time.’

pau was the same. texting you and lamine in the group chat like:

‘chemistry exam tmrw. if i fail i’m changing identities. wish me luck.’
‘also who has the notes from ethics. i think i was unconscious during that class.’

and lamine, bless him, was so worried. not in a loud way. but in a quiet, watching everything kind of way. you’d catch him frowning when pau forgot to tie his laces, or when hector stared blankly at his locker for two minutes straight.

so when one of the older players suggested a bbq to ‘clear the air’ after a rough week of training, everyone jumped on it. wags included. someone offered a garden, someone else offered food, and suddenly the group chat was on fire with emoji spam and location pins.

you were mostly excited for a moment to breathe. for all of them to relax.

especially your boys.

the bbq had been chaos, in the best way.

someone (you were 99% sure it was ferran) set off the smoke alarm twice, the playlist was full of early 2010s throwbacks, and someone brought water guns, which turned into a full war between the midfielders and the defenders.

and through it all, you’d been watching your boys.

hector had finally relaxed a little, laughing when someone made fun of his haircut and letting go of his notes for the first time in days. pau was smiling again, actually smiling, not the tight tired one he’d been faking all week.

and lamine? he was hovering. not in a weird way, just always near. watching, checking, protecting. it was kinda cute, honestly.

now the sun had dipped low, and everyone had migrated to the fire pit in the garden. blankets were thrown over laps, half-eaten marshmallows forgotten, the music soft now. just vibes. glowy and golden.

you were sitting in the middle of the bench seat, hoodie zipped up, legs pulled close.

pau had dropped beside you with a dramatic sigh, mumbling something about being so full he might explode, then somehow… just stayed there. head eventually resting in your lap, eyes fluttering shut mid convo.

hector followed not long after, yawning like a baby lion and flopping down with his head on your shoulder, mumbling ‘you smell like smoke and perfume’ before fully passing out.

you blinked down at them.

two fully grown, exhausted footballers using you as a human pillow. you were literally a cubarsí sandwich.

lamine plopped down on the ground across from you, a marshmallow stick still in his hand. he was staring at them, brows a little furrowed, lips pressed in that way he did when he was thinking hard.

you caught his eye. raised a brow.

‘what?’ you mouthed.

he hesitated… then the others noticed too.

iñigo leaned forward, voice low. ‘lamine. you good? you look like you’re watching a movie or something.’

lamine looked at the two boys, your brother and your maybe something (he wasn’t your boyfriend, but also… he was). then back at you.

‘they’ve just… been through a lot,’ he said finally, his voice softer than usual. ‘and no one really talks about it. how hard it is. being that young, playing at that level. then having to study for a physics exam like it’s nothing.’

you smiled gently, brushing your fingers through pau’s hair without thinking. ‘they’re trying so hard.’

‘yeah,’ lamine nodded. ‘and i’m so proud of them. i just don’t say it enough.’

the others went quiet for a moment. even the fire popped at the right time, like it knew this was something that needed to be said.

pure softness. pure love.

and as hector snored lightly against your shoulder and pau mumbled something in his sleep about ‘don’t forget the flashcards’, you leaned your head back, warm inside and out.

your boys were safe. lamine was watching over them. and for once, just for tonight, the world could slow down a little.

the fire had burned low, the air crisp with the last breaths of warmth from the embers. your legs were falling asleep under the weight of pau sprawled in your lap, and you couldn’t help but smile at how peaceful everything felt now.

hector, on the other hand, had been using your shoulder as his personal pillow for the last little while. his head was still resting there, and his breathing was steady until, of course, he shifted slightly and mumbled, his voice still thick with sleep.

‘mm… what time is it?’

you chuckled softly, adjusting yourself to make sure you weren’t crushing pau. ‘it’s late, i think. everyone else is inside by now.’

hector blinked up at you, looking a little groggy. his hand rubbed at his eyes, and his head flopped back onto your shoulder with a quiet sigh. ‘guess i really fell asleep on you, huh?’ he mumbled, voice muffled by your hoodie.

‘you’ve been running on empty for days,’ you teased, nudging his shoulder. ‘you needed it.’

hector grinned sleepily, his lips pulling into a lazy smile. ‘yeah, maybe... i’m just glad i have a sister like you to nap on.’

you laughed quietly, your hand brushing through his hair, trying not to wake pau. ‘well, someone has to be the pillow, right?’

hector’s smile softened, and for a moment, he just looked at you really looked at you, like he was seeing you for the first time in a while. the tiredness in his eyes was still there, but there was something else too. something softer. ‘you’ve been here for me through everything, huh?’ he said quietly. ‘even when i don’t deserve it.’

your heart swelled at the sound of his voice the vulnerability in it. ‘always, hector. you’re my brother. no matter how stressed you get or how many exams you have, i’m here. always.’

he smiled again, leaning his head into your shoulder once more. ‘i don’t say it enough, but i’m really glad you’re my twin.’

you rested your cheek on his head, laughing softly. ‘i’m glad you’re my twin too, idiot.’

just then, pau stirred in your lap. he groaned and rubbed his eyes, half awake. ‘are you two seriously having a moment while i’m stuck here?’ he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

you shot him a playful look. ‘you literally fell asleep in my lap, pau. don’t act like i’m the one being dramatic.’

pau just blinked at you, his head still a little groggy as he sat up. ‘fine, fine. i’m not complaining. you’re comfy,’ he grinned, looking at hector, then back at you.

hector chuckled, but before he could say anything, lamine approached the bench, standing a little behind you and observing the scene quietly.

you caught his gaze, and for a second, his eyes softened. he leaned against the back of the bench, his arms crossed, as he took in the sight of you, your twin, and pau.

‘you alright?’ you asked him gently, feeling his concern without him having to say a word.

lamine hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering to hector, then back to you. ‘yeah. i’m just… thinking.’

‘about what?’ you asked, offering him a gentle smile.

he ran a hand through his hair, then shrugged. ‘about them. about hector and pau. they’re really putting so much into their games right now, but no one really talks about how stressed they are off the field. no one sees that part.’

you nodded slowly, understanding where he was coming from. ‘yeah, they’re both carrying a lot. i think they just don’t know how to stop pushing themselves.’

‘i see it,’ lamine said softly, his gaze now focused on hector, who was leaning into you with his eyes half closed. ‘and it makes me proud. they’re both playing so well despite everything. but it’s like... they’re too hard on themselves sometimes.’

you smiled, your heart warming at the thought of how much lamine cared about your brother and pau. ‘they don’t show it, but they appreciate you looking out for them.’

lamine’s eyes softened at that, and for a moment, you felt a deeper understanding pass between you two. it wasn’t just about being there for hector or pau; it was about the three of you watching out for each other.

just as the moment settled in, hector let out a small yawn, his head lifting slightly as he looked at lamine. ‘you good?’ he asked, still groggy but clearly aware of his best friend’s quiet mood.

lamine blinked and gave a small nod. ‘yeah, just making sure you’re both alright.’

you smiled at that. lamine’s loyalty to your brother was something you’d always admired, even if he was a little shy about showing it.

pau, now fully awake, stretched and groaned. ‘i need to get up before my back dies,’ he muttered, standing up and shaking his legs out.

hector gave him a lazy wave. ‘go ahead, old man. stretch it out.’

pau threw a playful glare his way, then nudged you as he started to walk inside. ‘you gonna leave them to be all cutetogether, or are you coming?’

you laughed softly, feeling the warmth of the fire on your skin. ‘in a minute.’

pau rolled his eyes but gave you a small smile before heading inside.

and as the fire died down even further, you sat there with lamine and hector, a quiet calm falling over the three of you. you didn’t need to say anything more, not right now.

you were all just together. and for the first time in a while, it felt like everything would be okay.

[lizardsfromspace]

The Odyssey thing happening on Twitter is so bizarre bc it's largely

a. British people who've never read/heard of it

b. who got mad at people getting mad at them for it

c. and who? Decided to blame Americans?

There's a minority who seem to think The Odyssey is an American book, but most just imply it's only a thing taught in American schools bc they never learned it in Britain, declaring "America forgets other countries exist", about...teaching a book from Ancient Greece in schools...?

Like yeah we did a whole unit on the Odyssey and Greek mythology at my American school but the odds that it's American Only are zero. This is the apex of trying to find a reason an inane opinion you hold is actually righteous. British people justifying not reading an Ancient Greek poem by pointing to Americans and going "oh, you think the world revolves around you?" It's maybe the most taught text that's not a sacred text or Shakespeare. If British schools no longer teach it - which may be the case, based on what I've read - then it's likely the only country that doesn't. Like we're not out here demanding people in other countries know what A Separate Peace is, it's? The Odyssey?

All of them mention a list of Important Books people should know, and they name Macbeth and something called An Inspector Calls, and they wonder why Americans don't know that, and true to that I've never heard of it, so I look it up and Wikipedia tells me it's mainly notable for being in a GCSE course. Guy who only did his high school English reading complains about being expected to know a second book

[gothmuppetenthusiast]

I am very aware of Terry Pratchett's art of taking the piss (AKA the discworld series) and while I have read a few of Rincewind's adventures and Lipwigs misshaps I hadn't yet dived into the witches series which is a surprise considering my sensibilities. I couldn't find myself a copy of Equal Rites so I've dived into Wyrd Sisters instead, though I hope to listen to the audiobook of equal rites when I get the chance. The name Wyrd sisters is funny to me as a Dracula fan but also having done GCSE English literature and I've realised something very quickly

Wyrd Sisters is a satirisation of Macbeth

And that is very funny to me

[candy8448]

Biology paper 1 done!!

Gcses rambles masterlist

So im doing higher triple science and the first question was written so dramatically XD

"A person's heart stopped.

They stopped breathing.

A first aider started pressing down on the person's chest.

The pressing put pressure on the person's lungs."

Like whoa, its so dramatic to how usually they write sentences with nice and flowing lines and stuff. This immedietly felt like how a fanfic wacks you with stuff. It almost made me laugh XD

Also for the "give an antibiotic question" i almost giggled again as i wrote "paracetamol" like, paracetamol my beloved, all of those headaches and period pains you've quelled, i shall dedicate this 1 mark to you 💖

But i finished when the combined students finished and left, so did most of the other triple students, so we just sat there for 30 mins =_=. I went to the toilet cuz i so very smartly decided to drink an entire cup of juice right before foing in. I also filled my water bottle to take it in with me, then i proceeded to forget to bring it in with me, how wonderful.

Im so confident that i got basically all the marks for Q5, the potato osmisis practical and i wrone so so much for it so i really hope i get full marks for that section.

That paper was amazing, aqa blessed us with this easy exam and i am so happy! ^v^

Anyway i started a conversation with my friends afterwards during break based on this post i saw yesterday. We then started thinking of some cursed ships based on the texts we studied which included:

Scrooge X Macbeth

LadyM X Lady Macduff (the sapphic lesbians <3)

Shakespeare X Dickens X Priestley (in a throuple)

Percy Shelly X The traveller from an antique land (mine, XD)

Scrooge X Bob Cratchit

Bob X Marley (XD)

(Also it's crazy how my shool didn't block Ao3 lol, i love reading fanfiction during school.)

(Also i know my english teacher is litterally the best human on earth, but she litterally noticed one kid sleeping, and then let him sleep and then when he woke up, she just gave him some notes we were taking for him to copy down which is so sweet)

[denbo66]

A few Posts back I was mentioning USA Signet Classics books. I was able to find a few pictures of the ones I studied and used when I was doing GCSE A Level (1982-84). The distinctive covers were by the Graphic Artist, Milton Glaser. We studied 'Macbeth' and 'The Winter's Tale' for the O&CUEB in English Literature. But, one of our English Lit. Teachers also took us to see 'King Lear' at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at Stratford-upon-Avon and 'Much Ado About Nothing' in an RSC Touring production at The Empire Theatre, Liverpool. I read 'The Tempest' for my own pleasure.

[everythingcanadian]

Sherlock/Watson/Lestrade/Mycroft idea

Just joined this fandom. And i have a thought here.( Yes this includes holmescest. Fuck off if you don't like it.)

And it may have already been said.

But the skull Sherlock has in the flat being used as Yorick's skull in a small reciting of Hamlet.

It's a Sunday. Neither Greg nor Mycroft are needed at their places of work. So it's a rare day off for all of them.

Greg is slowly making himself and Mycroft cups of afternoon coffee. A small indulgence they share and enjoy. The little frother Sherlock gave him at a crime scene whirring away in a small metal carafe to create light and cold milk foam.

A case had been solved on Friday morning in the wee hours, so Sherlock is content to relax for the moment. He's playing with his fingers on the chair's armrests, mentally going through a section of a piece of music he's been lowly composing.

John is writing something down on a pad of paper with the pen Mycroft got him for Christmas. The buttery soft scratch of the fountain pen in his hand is a delightful harmony to the soft tapping of Sherlocks fingers and socked toes along with the even hum of the frother.

And Mycroft is perfectly happy relaxing on the couch with his eyes closed, listening to the soft trio of sounds in 221B. The domestic silence is a balm over his usually busy mind. The slippers Greg had told him to get were warm and cozy as he had his feet elegantly proped up on the fool rest John had bought for the flat.

The silence never lasts. It only pauses.

They had put their mundane conversation on hold for the few minutes it took for Greg to get himself and Mycroft a treat. And to toss the pack of dark chocolate coated digestives to Sherlock. And to bring a small packet of crisps for John to pick at.

Once he had sat back down next to Mycroft on the couch. However, it was like someone had pressed play again.

They had started out earlier with reminiscing on University days. Then Greg had laughed and said Sherlock probably blew through all his classes in one year. Which then dragged them down a line of their early childhood and teenage educations.

"What load of tripe did you lot have to read for Shakespeare. We had a play each year from year 7 until year 11." John had bemoaned. "I then had The Dumb Waiter for my GCSE program. Thank christ."

Greg smiled into his mug when he heard Mycroft scoff. This was good.

"Shakespeare may be entirely over taught but his tragedies still hurt to experience."

"You had Macbeth, didn't you?" John lifted his pen and looked at Mycroft.

"Three bloody years in a row." The mild disgust on Mycroft’s face had both Greg and John grinning. "I didn't really care for the plays, Shakespeare or otherwise. The epics were more for me."

"Posh boy." John teased with affection.

"Indeed."

Greg swallowed around the rich warmth. "We had Romeo and Juliet for the 8th. Then Othello for the 9th. Then the two Richards. Got stuck with The Tempest in uni. It was alright."

Sherlock laughed. And then bit his lip to try to keep it in. But it was woefully impossible.

"Thanks, love." Greg's voice belayed his eyeroll. "What did you have?"

"He got lucky. Only had to do two." Mycroft said through his teeth. Semi-annoyed.

"Macbeth. And, Hamlet."

"Is that why you have the skull?" Greg's brows rose.

"Oh- no, that's a different item altogether. The original was blown up, remember? I replaced it. But-" Sherlock stood up, putting the still unopened pack of biscuits on the floor next to his chair. He glided easily over to his skull friend and picked it up. He held it out and regarded it. A smile flicked up his lips. John capped his pen and sat back in his desk chair as Sherlock cleared his throat and stood tall, face changing into one of teasing but serious nature as he pressed his voice to be bold.

"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio. A fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath borne me on his back a thousand times. And now how abhorred in my imagination it is!

My gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips that I have kiss'd I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one now, to mock your own grinning? Quite chap- fall'n?

Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come. Make her laugh at that."

Sherlock bowed when he heard the claps from his lovers, Greg taking the piss and shouting, "Bravo, bravo! Encore!"

Sherlock snorted before placing the skull back on the mantle. Patting the cranium lightly before going back to his chair.

"You did enjoy the theatrical, brother mine." Mycroft sighed it softly, "I remember you performing the whole of Henry the fifth's speech. Quite emotional for me to hear you like that."

Sherlock closed his eyes and tipped his head in a bow.

John's little smile grew to be that all encompassing hug of one. Where his eyes softened and it made you feel safe. "I'd love to see that. I bet it's a deep moment."

"My voice cracked in the middle of it on my last performance of it."

"It was a- fragile time if I remember it right." Greg's voice pitched down as he looked at Sherlock, his hand finding Mycroft’s leg for something to hold. "You wanted to prove you were sober. Finally. We were at Mycroft's home, in the guestroom, and it was officially a month clean. And here Sherlock was, standing on the bed in his pyjamas, voice steady for the beginning, and quieting down as the intimacies of the speech hit him." Greg took another sip of his drink. Licking his lips he tilted his head and kept his brown eyes trained on Sherlock. "It was the most beautiful thing I had ever witnessed. Held you between the two of us we did. Let you cry it all out. Fielded your tantrum after. But it's worth it."

Sherlocks shoulders relaxed as he heard that.

Mycrofts own hum of assurance added to Greg's sentiments.

"And it led us here." Sherlock murmured into the room between them all.

"Indeed it has." Mycroft smiled warmly and placed his free hand over Greg's on his thigh.

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

ranking of GCSEs i've done so far

1.) English Literature Paper 1. love love loved it, the Macbeth and ACC questions were so open-ended and i actually had time left to check, useful cause i spelt Shakespeare wrong at one point

2.) Computer Science Paper 1. i actually didn't think it was going too well in the actual exam but after it when sharing what we put for stuff, many people agreed with me!! so feeling good!!

3.) Biology Paper 1. pretty good!! nice questions, except the last bullshit about the fucking discs of leaf floating when colourful light idk THEY DIDN'T ASK ABOUT DIFFUSION OR ENZYMES THOUGH AND I REVISED THEM SO MUCHHHH

4.) English Literature Paper 2. alright, the continuous fast writing for 2 hours and 15 minutes made part of my hand go blue. but i think i did alright. LotF question was great. I NEARLY GASPED WHEN THEY GAVE US MY LAST DUCHESS ON THE POWER AND CONFLICT THOUGH. and unseen poetry was. fine.

5.) Chemistry Paper 1. sooooo i didn't revise the fucking like. metal reactions. ALSO THERE WERE SO MANY MATHS ONES AND I FORGOT TO CONVERT THE UNITS IN ONE OF THEM AND ONLY FOUND OUT AS MY FRIENDS WERE DISCUSSING THEIR ANSWERS AFTER

6.) Maths Paper 1. LITERALLY CAN GO DIE WTF WAS THAT, I CRIED I'VE LOST AT LEAST 20 MARKS I'M NOT EXAGERRATING I COUNTED UP THE ONES I DEFINITELY LOST

7.) French Listening and reading. KILL ME I WAS GUESSING ALL THAT SHIT I NEARLY CRIED PART 2 I HATE THE FRENCH THEY NEVER EVER SHUT UP THEY JUST KEEP SPEAKING AND ADD MORE DETAILS TO GASLIGHT YOU INTO SECOND-GUESSING YOUR ANSWER AAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHH

anyway, 7 down. 10 to go. i have Physics Paper 1 and Computer Science tomorrow and i am not of the logical brain if i go offline forever you know what killed me

[the1975attheirverybest]

its honestly so so so so cool to me that you're a teacher and you're doing a phd because i fucking love when we get to talk about nerdy classics stuff it makes me want to know more about what you teach to be able to talk about it but i am limited to gcse macbeth 😔 - 🐸

Awwww YOU ARE SO SWEET OMG 🥹

Well, we do have classics in common. Because that’s what Shakespeare would have read when he was young and that’s the only “western literature” that he had access to besides like Chaucer. So, Homer, Ovid, Virgil, etc. were very important to him. So anyone who specializes in Shakespeare must also learn the classics and I teach them quite a bit. Like he has the entire story of the Trojan War made into a play complete with Achilles and Patroclus’s likely queer relationship. Except in Shakespeare’s version Aristotle is alive at the same time???? HAHA makes no sense. But he does tend to do that a lot.

Funny cuz Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet are the only plays that I will never teach. Or write about. Like my dissertation is about love and sex as forms of philosophy in Shakespeare’s plays and my advisor keeps suggesting I write a chapter on love and sex in Romeo and Juliet and I’m like “nope. I refuse. You can’t make me.” lol.

BUT, having all of these expertise, and having teaching experience since 2016, I can honestly say that you are smarter than most college level students that I have encountered. So I wouldn’t say your knowledge is limited at all.

[steelycunt]

i remember you saying you like to rank stuff (a person after my own heart, truly) so rank the Shakespeares you've read so far

(only if you want ofc!!!)

i do LOVE to rank stuff!! was thrilled to see this ask come in i love ranking + i love shakespeare thank you anon xx i would only say ive actually ‘read’ five shakespeare plays but i will rank them worst to best xx

fifth -> romeo and juliet. controversial perhaps…i think i would appreciate it maybe if i were to revisit it now because i read it so many years ago now but i did not like it all that much…honestly i found it a little dull..

fourth -> the tempest. again i did not love this one…in fact of all of them i remember the least about this one it was just. i have no notes i am just indifferent to the tempest..

third -> twelfth night. twelfth night! i did it at a level for my englit course and while i did not enjoy it while i was studying it i have more of an appreciation of it looking back…i tend to prefer the tragedies but twelfth night is a good time i was too harsh on it back then (and bitter over the poorly worded exam question i got on it) xx smthn smthn dost thou think because thou are virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale like okay girl say that!

second -> hamlet. which i read last month! really liked it i still haven’t sat down to watch the andrew scott production yet which i need to do…i’ve never seen any production of hamlet actually xx it was so good when i read it though i understand why it’s a popular one xx

first -> macbeth. my favourite shakespeare play i LOVE macbeth it’s so fucking good…did it for gcse and loved it even then it’s so fun like life […] is a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing? people DIED!

[dracolizardlars]

a total list of every text I was assigned in highschool in chronological order bc i can't sleep and i just saw a post on it

Coraline (year 7) (6th grade equivalent). I was bored and annoyed because I had already read this in year 5 of primary school

some modern book about an ex military guy serial-killing homeless people; I do not remember the title and don't care to find it (year 8)

Macbeth (year 9)

Selected Edgar Allen Poe stories including The Telltale Heart, Cask of Amontillado, and Masque of the Red Death (year 9)

The Tempest (for GCSE in years 10-11)

Selected Thomas Hardy poems (yawn, except for The Meeting of the Twain which slaps) (GCSE)

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (GCSE)

and all for A-Level, in "years 12-13" / sixth form;

Twelfth Night ❤️❤️❤️

An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Selected Christina Rossetti poems, including the legendary Goblin Market

A very misleadingly titled contemporary play called Jerusalem by Jeb Butterworth (named after the hymn, and nothing whatsoever to do with Israel or Judaism)

For pieces of coursework where we could choose our own text to write it on: a Billy Collins poem (do not remember which one I went with); and Brave New World

I've said this before but I cannot emphasise enough how much all the texts I was assigned for A-Level, except for the Rossetti poems and Jerusalem (though I still like those two), literally changed my life and had a major lasting impact to this day.

[mayday505]

GCSE results day except I slayed so hard and got a Grade 9 (A** equiv.) in English Lang by writing a Honkai Impact Fanfiction.

thats it thats the post.