macbeth part one

macbeth part one

1. Act one scene 1

   • takes part in a desert/open place
     • thunder and lighting
       • pathetic fallocy = storm is scary/ negative atmosphere
       • dark world. there is confusion nothing is as it seems.
   • introuduces the witches
     • unsure whether for good or evil
     • starts with 'when shall we three meet again?'
       • end of conversation so promps the audiences curiosity at what they could of been talking about
   • ends with 'fair is foul and foul is fair hover through the fog and filthy air'
     • reinforces the idea that this is a frightnening scary world and that the supernatural hold some sort of power
   • witches speak in rhyme
     • rhyme in cuplets
       • gives a sinister air to the play
       • effective in shakespears time as witchcraft was held much more serouisly
     • shakespear uses language to signify how important characters where.
       • noble characters spoke in Iambic pentameter which has 5 stressed and 5 unstressed syllabals in a line.
         • witches speak in Trochaic tetrameter stressed followed by unstressed words.

2. Act one scene 2

   • macbeth is described through his actions in battle through the opinions of other people
     • shows the audience how well respected macbeth is by the characters in the play
       • this gives the drama in the rest of the play more impact
       • 'brave' 'he deserves that name' 'smok'd with bloody execution'
         • imagery used is brutal, blood filled and shocking.
   • learn that the thane of cawdor betrays scotalnd so he is stripped of his title and it is given to macbeth
     • shakespear has created a paradox. While we are ment see the contrast between the disloyalty of the thane of cawdor and the loyal brave macbeth by the end of tge play they are very simialar as macbeth ends up betraying the king and his country
       • foreshadowing
         • treason of the thane of cawdor foreshadowes what macbeth will later do

3. Act one scene three

   • return to the witches
     • shown the power of the witches
   • combination of act one and act two as we have the witches and the humans
   • language used for the witches is always rude, vulgar and shocking
   • 'I'll drain him dry as hay'
     • foreshadowing macbeths fate as he is drained physically, morally and spiritually at the end of the play
       • macbeth ends the scene with the lines 'so foul and fair a day I have not seen' shakespear is linking macbeth with the supernatural and evil element of the play from his very first appearence because of how similar this is to the words of the witches in act one
   • uses banquo as a contrast to macbeth just to show the audience that what macbeth does is just as much his fault as anyone elses
     • banquous not intrested in the witches but skeptical and aware of them as he tells them 'neither beg nor fear your favours nor your hate'
       • he is suprised at macbeths answer to the witches
     • we can see macbeth as thought about being king before as he reacts to the witches prophecy with fear and not suprise
       • he wants to know more from the witches

4. Act one scene 4

   • dramatic irony
     • gives audience knowledge of the play and involvment
     • macbeth takes on the title of someone who was a trator and he himself has betryal of the worst kind on his mind
       • macbeth told thane of cawdor 'died a good death'
     • we are watching duncan praise on the man who wants to kill him
   • Shown macbeths journey into deception, evil and brutallty is begging now not long after the witches made their prophecys