Witch-slapped: Macbeth's fall from grace

Question 1: Why do people who are not "evil" take the first step into evil? What, for instance, is involved in taking that first step "down the primrose path to the everlasting bonfire" (Macbeth, 2.3)? What are the consequences of the individual choosing evil (particularly the internal consequences)?

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In my opinion, I believe people who are not "evil" take the first step into evil because they are either pressured into it or curious about what the other side entails. The first step into evil could be anything from stealing to lying to cheating to murder. In Macbeth, we can see that Macbeth's first act of "evil" is his decision to murder King Duncan. It is no doubt that Macbeth was pressured by Lady Macbeth to kill Duncan, but could there be another reason behind his decision? In the beginning of the play, Macbeth meets the Weird Sisters (three witches) and they tell him his prophecy of becoming king. The second witch says, "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!", then the third witch says, "All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!" (Macbeth, 1.3). Macbeth continues to think about this prophecy and becomes determined to make his prophecy come true. This leads him to do pretty much anything that will give him more power, including murdering anyone who stands in his way of the throne. 

The consequences of any individual choosing evil include getting sucked in to evil ways, getting caught and punished for his/her actions, and if he/she is actually a good person, feeling guilt or remorse all the time. So far in the play Macbeth, we have seen Macbeth feel guilt, yet continue to act evilly. Right after killing Duncan, Macbeth is talking to his wife and says, "I'll go no more: I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on 't again I dare not" (Macbeth, 2.2). He knows what he just did was wrong, but tries to ignore it because he doesn't want to face it or deal with any repercussions it might have. 

I think Macbeth is a good example of why choosing evil can be so bad. At the time, it may seem like nothing too horrible could come out of murdering one of your good friends to become king, but in reality, it can lead to a lot of other problems. This one evil action of Macbeth's created sort of a snowball effect, and Macbeth couldn't help but continue to do evil things. Although Macbeth got what he wanted (to become king), I think the consequences weren't worth all the trouble he went through. 

Searchin' in Santiago Sierra

Santiago Sierra

(b. 1966, Spain)

89 Huicholes

2006

84 black and white photographs

Panorama of the art

My sketch of the art

I chose to do my art analysis on Santiago Sierra's compilation of 84 black and white photographs called 89 Huicholes. This piece features photographs taken of people from the Huichol tribe in Mexico. 89 Huicholes almost takes up a whole wall at CAM Raleigh with four rows of 17 pictures each and one row of 16 pictures. The photographs were all taken in Mexico in 2006, but the artist lives in Spain.

In these photographs, it is important to notice that the people's faces are not showing and the only visible portion of the people are the backs of their heads. While I was at CAM Raleigh, the museum's tour guide told my group that the Huichol tribe believes if a picture of their faces is taken, it will take away a part of their souls. I believe that the artist's decision to photograph this particular group of people, who only believed in showing their backs to the camera, was intentional. By hiding a person's face or just a part of their face, it seems to intrigue viewers with a sense of mystery and curiosity.

89 Huicholes is a part of the exhibit called Limited Visibility and I think this piece fits with that theme because the viewer is unable to see the full person in the photograph. For me, these photographs are trying to convey that there is so much more to a person that just what you can see. Because you are unable to see the people's faces, you are almost forced to create faces for them using your imagination. When I look at this piece, my mind tends to wander and think about the story behind the person in each of the photos. 

The artist organized these photographs kind of randomly with no evident pattern. If the artist, Sierra, had sorted out the photographs, it would have taken away from the sense of freedom that is evoked from this piece. I think Sierra's decision to use photography was smart because I believe photography is as real as you can get to seeing the thing in person. If he had painted the people, the effect would have been different by making the barrier between the what the artist has experienced and what the viewer is seeing more noticeable. Another element to discuss about this artwork is that the photographs are in black and white. Sometimes, I think that black and white pictures have a greater impact than pictures in color because the colors can distract the viewers and take away from the details of the picture.

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