{"id":31278,"title":"The Birds of Macbeth","description":"The Golden Eagle. My most recent drawing and gentle reference has been made in association with Heart of Glass and Shakespeare North Playhouse.","content":"<p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/ahawjcwayuizzkvbbpqrv7iqdbh5nga8nksijo4usewfpnno.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"ahawjcwayuizzkvbbpqrv7iqdbh5nga8nksijo4usewfpnno.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>My most recent drawing and gentle reference has been made in association with <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.heartofglass.org.uk\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Heart of Glass<\/u><\/a>. They have produced my visit to St Helens and Merseyside this September, part of their <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.heartofglass.org.uk\/projects-and-events\/projects\/a-sense-of-green\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Sense of Green<\/u><\/a> series of events. I will be delivering some workshops when I visit for a week from the 11th of September. I\u2019m delighted that as part of my many workshops I will be visiting <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/shakespearenorthplayhouse.co.uk\/event\/birds-can-fly-family-workshop\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Shakespeare North Playhouse <\/u><\/a>for the first time. To help promote my workshop they asked if I would bring together some gentle references of bird illustrations and gentle references that happen to feature in Shakespeare\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/shakespearenorthplayhouse.co.uk\/event\/macbeth-ett\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Macbeth<\/u><\/a>, on at the Playhouse from <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/shakespearenorthplayhouse.co.uk\/event\/macbeth-ett\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>1st-23rd<\/u><\/a> September. Below includes a range of drawings that stretch back from the beginning of what has become Birds Can Fly, it\u2019s interesting (for me) to see how this process (and my many hairstyles) have evolved since 2020. In my workshops I\u2019ll be explaining more about the process, sharing my tips on drawing and encouraging participants to draw and gently reference their own birds, <strong><em>book your place <\/em><\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.heartofglass.org.uk\/project-and-events\/events\/paul-harfleet-birds-can-fly-workshops\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em><u>here.<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/w49vcvhdm8b0joqyccow2bvnq5meqwywnfx5skkrml2dabsf.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"w49vcvhdm8b0joqyccow2bvnq5meqwywnfx5skkrml2dabsf.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>And so to Macbeth\u2026 I have some memory of studying the play at school, as I was partly schooled in Edinburgh, I\u2019m sure it was an essential part of the curriculum. I will focus on the significance of the birds featured rather than attempting to interpret the meaning of the play. If you want to discover more about how to understand the play I found this <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HFzYuXOLqgc&amp;t=3352s\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>lecture<\/u><\/a> from Harvard in 2007, a very insightful refresh. As is my want, I went down a Youtube rabbit-hole watching many past productions of the Scottish play to see what birds I have previously done that could be relevant. One of my favourite performances (below) stars a rather dashing Ian McKellen as Macbeth and the masterful Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth.<\/p><div data-youtube-video=\"\"><iframe class=\"youtube\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IgEshHhnLqU\"><\/iframe><\/div><p>I dug out my copy of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and studied the text. The first mention of any bird occurs in SCENE II of ACT I and has been the motivation for a new drawing and gentle reference of the Golden Eagle.\u00a0I have drawn and gently referenced several birds of prey over the years (see the full range <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/birdscanflystore.com\/gentlereferences\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>here<\/u><\/a>), I have even done an eagle, though that was a Bald Eagle, I couldn\u2019t bring myself to use an American eagle in this context. The Golden Eagle is also native to Scotland, so seems especially relevant. <\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/2z0ssqsef9yrdojbgbstftk773bjnkguiifh2m7twgxglam2.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"2z0ssqsef9yrdojbgbstftk773bjnkguiifh2m7twgxglam2.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>An article <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.macbeththefilm.co.uk\/birds-in-macbeth\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>here<\/u><\/a> discusses the birds featured in Macbeth, and reveals the evolution of the meaning of birds. \u201cBirds make frequent, and often noisy, appearances in Macbeth. There are sparrows, eagles, ravens, \u2018martlets\u2019 (house martens), owls, falcons, crows, chickens, kites, \u2018maggot-pies\u2019 (magpies), choughs, rooks, and wrens. They croak, breed, haunt, shriek, scream, clamour, tower, hawk, kill, wing, rouse, fight, swoop, and, in the case of a little \u2018howlet\u2019 missing its wing, provide an ingredient \u2018for a charm of powerful trouble\u2019 brewed by the weird sisters. But these birds haven\u2019t always been understood in the same way, and so we might overlook some of their intended implications in the play if we aren\u2019t careful.\u201d<\/p><blockquote><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/xealnbavqj9qizkxibxgqswfxri7p5zxxqa2s7jzyvngvenr.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"xealnbavqj9qizkxibxgqswfxri7p5zxxqa2s7jzyvngvenr.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>SCENE II, ACT I - \u201cAs sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p>I was immediately struck by the contrast, between the sparrow and the eagle. The eagle has been associated with power across the world for millennia:<\/p><p>\u201cEagles play a long-standing and prominent role in Native American culture, with numerous tribes having one or two Eagle Clans and several revering eagle gods or spirits. Eagle dances are performed, which express the bird\u2019s soaring flight, while wearing its feathers or carrying its feet are both said to convey power and success in battle. In Aztec folklore, wandering people looking for a place to settle and to found a city were told by their god to build on the spot where they found an eagle perched on a cactus, eating a snake. The city in question, Tenochtitl\u00e1n (now Mexico City), became the capital of the Aztec Empire.\u201d<\/p><p><strong><em>Source: Birds of Myth, lore and legend, Rachel Warren Chadd, Marianne Taylor - Bloomsbury<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>Sparrows were incredibly common in Britain at the time and were seen as vermin due to their attraction to crops, during the Tudor age (1485-1603) they were heavily persecuted. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth for King James in 1606.<\/p><p>\u201cIn 1603, at about the middle of Shakespeare\u2019s career as a playwright, a new monarch ascended the throne of England. He was James VI of Scotland, who then also became James I of England. Immediately, Shakespeare\u2019s London was alive with an interest in things Scottish. Many Scots followed their king to London and attended the theatres there. Shakespeare\u2019s company, which became the King\u2019s Men under James\u2019s patronage, now sometimes staged their plays for the new monarch\u2019s entertainment, just as they had for Queen Elizabeth before him.\u201d<\/p><p><strong><em>Full article <\/em><\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.folger.edu\/explore\/shakespeares-works\/macbeth\/about-shakespeares-macbeth\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em><u>here.<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p><p>Certain birds had been a problem for farmers since the beginning of agriculture, but by the 1500\u2019s the competition between humans and birds for food resources had become intense. This desperation resulted in a series of Vermin Acts, not so much to protect the poor but to create a sense of social unity... In 1533 Henry VIII passed the first Act of Parliament designed to protect the working farmers from birds. Under Elizabeth I the Act of 1566 \u2018for the Preservation of Grain\u2019 identified nineteen different birds and thirteen animals as \u2018Noyfull Fowles and Vermyn\u2019. Money was given to those that killed animals on the list.<\/p><p><strong><em>Source: Tim Birkhead, Birds and Us - Penguin\/Viking<\/em><\/strong><\/p><blockquote><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/ieo1tczrykmmefj7yggu3wuu6ccirw9435tmoiyw1dmveyus.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"ieo1tczrykmmefj7yggu3wuu6ccirw9435tmoiyw1dmveyus.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>ACT 1 SCENE 5, \u201cThe raven himself is hoarse \/ That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan\u201d  Lady Macbeth\u2019s first great soliloquy<\/p><\/blockquote><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2007\/jan\/07\/conservationandendangeredspecies.theobserversuknewspages\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>The Guardian<\/u><\/a> article quoted below suggests that the Tudors are responsible \u201cfor bringing many native species close to extinction.\u201d The article continues;  \u201cAll parishes had to raise a levy to pay for the bounties, while communities that failed to kill enough animals were punished with fines. \u2018The inducements appeared to be successful,\u2019 said Lovegrove, who studied medieval archives from more than 15,000 parishes in England and Wales that recorded the slaughter of millions of birds and mammals between the mid-16th and mid-18th centuries. \u2018I uncovered evidence in the parish records of a frenzy of killing that continued for many decades.\u2019\u201d <\/p><p>So called \u2018Sparrow Clubs\u2019 in England and in Europe continued until the early 1900\u2019s, the birds were trapped and sold to shooting clubs for the mere pleasure of shooting them. Today the House and Tree Sparrow are in decline. <\/p><blockquote><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/hfkjyp5iroe8xguj6zbbbvrj8x28cdjivcz6qlf6czpxulwb.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"hfkjyp5iroe8xguj6zbbbvrj8x28cdjivcz6qlf6czpxulwb.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>ACT 3, SCENE 4 \u201cBy maggot-pies and choughs and rooks brought forth The secret\u2019st man of blood. What is the night?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p>As described above there are many other birds referred to in Macbeth, all symbolically placed. The \u2018Maggot-pie\u2019, now known as the Magpie is an interesting example of how the common names of birds evolve, the corvids mentioned still retain an association with superstition and death probably because crows are known to feast on carrion.<\/p><blockquote><p style=\"text-align:center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/vrfwzwkauejzxbskuchxtd3xoxh8q7f2rvmj7a8g4bpnyr35.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"vrfwzwkauejzxbskuchxtd3xoxh8q7f2rvmj7a8g4bpnyr35.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>ACT 4, SCENE 2:\u00a0LADY MACDUFF\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\">\u201cWisdom? To leave his wife, to leave his babes,<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\">His mansion and his titles in a place<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\">From whence himself does fly? He loves us not;<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\">He wants the natural touch; for the poor wren,<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\">The most diminutive of birds, will fight,<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\">Her young ones in her nest, against the owl.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\">All is the fear, and nothing is the love,<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\">As little is the wisdom, where the flight<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\">So runs against all reason.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p>One of my favourite mentions of a bird in Macbeth is the above from Lady Macduff, The suggestion that one of the countries smallest birds fights against the owl to protect her young contrasts to the size of the eagle, this emphasises the tenacity of the humble wren and humiliates her husband in the process. <\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/htsf8pilv9hminqxfiitjsb9j0lm4ltmomaxkrsamqggigew.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"htsf8pilv9hminqxfiitjsb9j0lm4ltmomaxkrsamqggigew.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>I included two other birds that aren\u2019t featured in the play but seem to me to have such relevance, the Slavonian Grebe is a humourous nod to the weird sisters or three witches as they are also known. The Slavonian Grebe is a Scottish based grebe known in folklore as a \u2018Devil Diver\u2019 or \u2018Water Witch\u2019 and seemed too good not to include in this context, read more about this bird <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/the-magical-guardian-of-a-red-listed-bird\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>here<\/u><\/a>. <img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/zq427ynps5i0xyvxoqkbkrqjawbrs9dv3dyu4rtentc4z21t.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"zq427ynps5i0xyvxoqkbkrqjawbrs9dv3dyu4rtentc4z21t.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/>I also could not resist sharing this image again, the Amazonian Royal Flycatcher is a bird native to South America, it\u2019s \u2018crown\u2019 encouraged me to make my own and reference the Green King. Read all about how I made it <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/blog\/who-wears-the-crown\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>here<\/u><\/a>. The association with the monarchy and a quest for the crown makes this an ideal reference to Macbeth. <\/p><h3><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/bmq10q0wre3advr8flmludaykgmvbfc65iyrtixpw0ohts1w.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"bmq10q0wre3advr8flmludaykgmvbfc65iyrtixpw0ohts1w.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><strong>The Gentle Reference <\/strong><\/h3><p>The gentle reference of the Golden Eagle is a return to a more simple process, I considered making something that emphasised the nape of the Golden Eagle which is apparently the source if its name, as the sun occasionally shines on the russet feathers of the nape creating a glowing gold effect. Though I felt I could create a sense of this with hair and make-up. I dusted myself in gold dust, coloured my hair with eye shadow and paint and wore my brown vintage flight jacket, and brown trousers, simple! My make-up as usual, refers to the eye of the bird, I used Photoshop to change the colour of my eyes, which adds to the drama. The \u2018eagle-eyed\u2019 amongst you may spot that I\u2019m wearing a small dagger ear-ring which is intended to refer to one of the most famous quotes from Macbeth.<\/p><blockquote><p style=\"text-align:center;\">\u201cIs this a dagger which I see before me,<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\">The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:center;\">I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><p>My pose is intended to echo the eagle on it\u2019s perch, I even dusted my hands in yellow to echo the amazing talons of the Golden Eagle. This one is more restrained, and might just encourage you to try it yourself, you don\u2019t need a vast wardrobe and crafting skills all the time\u2026 See the others <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/birdscanflystore.com\/gentlereferences\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>here.<\/u><\/a><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/pajlibe11jhsm6nnzcjigxanmrgfwtlc7uoxdhe6qmx50qn7.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"pajlibe11jhsm6nnzcjigxanmrgfwtlc7uoxdhe6qmx50qn7.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><strong><em>As ever, my research continues.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>","urlTitle":"the-birds-of-macbeth","url":"\/blog\/the-birds-of-macbeth\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/the-birds-of-macbeth\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/birdscanflystore.com\/blog\/the-birds-of-macbeth\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1693469928,"updatedAt":1693481938,"publishedAt":1693481938,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":107566,"name":"Birds Can Fly"},"tags":[{"id":1114,"code":"art","name":"Art","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/art\/"},{"id":1115,"code":"birds","name":"Birds","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/birds\/"},{"id":1116,"code":"ornithology","name":"Ornithology","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/ornithology\/"},{"id":1917,"code":"history","name":"History","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/history\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/v7zjxopovzt1pgd8ksrcqx9bmppcgtlf19z3tvtweeiloity.jpeg?z=1.1&fx=0.49838044892471&fy=0.53520184420328","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/v7zjxopovzt1pgd8ksrcqx9bmppcgtlf19z3tvtweeiloity.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855&z=1.1&fx=0.49838044892471&fy=0.53520184420328","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/v7zjxopovzt1pgd8ksrcqx9bmppcgtlf19z3tvtweeiloity.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440&z=1.1&fx=0.49838044892471&fy=0.53520184420328"},"metaTitle":"The Birds of Macbeth","metaDescription":"The Golden Eagle. My most recent drawing and gentle reference has been made in association with Heart of Glass and Shakespeare North Playhouse.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":9889,"title":"LGBT History Month","url":"\/blog\/lgbt-history-month\/","urlTitle":"lgbt-history-month","division":107566,"description":"Paul Harfleet reflects on LGBT History Month 2021.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ekp1npewm3bbdgz5vh688egmi8wa75ayhuzytu5v3mmwofwu.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ekp1npewm3bbdgz5vh688egmi8wa75ayhuzytu5v3mmwofwu.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":9902,"title":"Stories Behind the Designs","url":"\/blog\/the-story-of-birds-can-fly\/","urlTitle":"the-story-of-birds-can-fly","division":107566,"description":"The journey from drawing to garment.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/logdy9wz68ihyajfcrhjcrncc3nxc9tms1c6yx9jculeotz6.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/logdy9wz68ihyajfcrhjcrncc3nxc9tms1c6yx9jculeotz6.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":10431,"title":"Birds Can Fly: Hearing from the Winners","url":"\/blog\/reflecting-on-the-birds-can-fly-competition\/","urlTitle":"reflecting-on-the-birds-can-fly-competition","division":107566,"description":"Hearing from the winners of my Second Birds Can Fly Competition and reflecting on the impact of this new body of work.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/4ssny9ukfh73kvpgeqxj8aclazu3iziv69lte62andyxlhqx.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/4ssny9ukfh73kvpgeqxj8aclazu3iziv69lte62andyxlhqx.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}