Change is the act of becoming different and it is an inevitable aspect of our lives. The material that was covered in this area of study has presented this topic in two different ways. A study was conducted on the core text, a play called Living with Lady Macbeth that alludes to Shakespeare’s Macbeth using intertextuality, and a cartoon called 7 ages which documents the stages of a male’s life through individual frames. Despite the different mediums each author has used, change is an evident feature in both and this essay will elaborate why this is so and how these two are linked together.
In Living with Lady Macbeth, our protagonist Lily is struggling. She is struggling because everybody has labelled her as merely “average” and do not hesitate to point out that she has never done anything remarkable in her life. When the opportunity comes up to play Lady Macbeth in a school play, Lily expresses her interest. Instead of the support you would expect, she is confronted by a deluge of negative reactions which were not only from her peers, but from her family and teachers as well. Due to her determination, it had helped her tackle the strong frustration and hard time they give her. She feels like to she relates to Lady Macbeth, this extremely ambitious and powerful character, and this mindset helped her pursue her goal. All this information is highlighted during the opening scenes where the author uses contrast to emphasis Lily’s unwavering faith with herself compared to the less that flattering opinions of everyone around her. As we follow the character’s thoughts throughout the whole play we are able to witness the gradual build-up of her change in character but the rest of the characters don’t see what we do. The major transformation is only showcased to the rest of the school through her exceptionally convincing portrayal of Lady Macbeth. This is when people’s opinions of Lily start to turn around as the teacher comments, “The problem is the girls. They don’t seem to be developing any power. It’s almost as if they were holding back. Inhibited. And Lily’s there at every rehearsal, looming largely at the back, with her measuring tape and a large pair of scissors.” She finally earns the respect she never received through this astonishing twist in personality. “And they look at her and they seem to shrink. It’s quite extraordinary how they’ve shrunk.” This play has explored that change can occur in the most unexpected place and in an interesting way that many teens may relate to.
In the cartoon 7 ages, it demonstrates how the stages in the circle of life are based on a cylindrical structure. One of the things it points out is the irony of when we enter life, young kids need the assistance of an adult and when we’re old and frail, it reverts and we leave in the same way. This is demonstrated by the hand that guides the child
