Macbeth

Macbeth

1. Next Dramatic Effects

   • Macbeth is above all a drama
     • performance on the stage
       • Macbeth in your critical essay
         • avoid writing about the characters as if they are real people
           • avoid writing about the play as if it is a novel
             • avoid referring to the play as a 'book'
               • stage and audience
                 • technical
                   • aside and soliloquy
                     • internal thoughts of a character perfo.
                       • soliloquy or an aside
               • always include some dramatic terms in

2. soliloquy and Aside

   • A character alone on the stage will appear to be thinking aloud.
     • An aside works similarly, except that the character will not be alone on stage. When a character makes an aside, it is the accepted convention that while the audience can hear the words clearly, the other characters on stage are oblivious to them. In At One Scene 3, Banquo describes Macbeth as 'rapt' or lost in thought. Only the audience know what he is really thinking: about murder!
       • characters cannot be lying as we see into their innermost thoughts.
         • empathise with them
           • over the various dilemmas which face him. In Act One Scene 7, for example, tension is built up as we see how close he comes to resisting the blandishments of the witches. however, soliloquy also reveals the darkness and evil Macbeth
             • bitterly reflects in Act Three Scene 1 on how Banquo is the better man and how the murder of Duncan may have been to Banquo's benefit than his own. The soliloquy prevents us seeing Macbeth too sympathetically as a simple solider acting on his wife's commands.
               • Lady Macbeth's soliloquies are thrilling dramatically, particularly the one where she prays to the spirits of evil to 'unsex' her.
                 • underlying lack of real ruthlessnes.
                   • soliloquy in Act Three Scene 2: "Nought's had, all's spent..." is poignant as it contrasts with her briskness
                     • not as confident as she pretends.
                       • Banquo's short soliloquy in Act Three Scene 1 reveals him to be an ambitious character also, as he is "set up in hope", but also builds tension as he voices his suspicions of Macbeth's guilt.
                         • emotional distance from them
                           • being diluted.
                             • Act One Scene 3
                               • oughts race on towards murder.
                                 • oughts must be kept separate from his words sh
                                   • ourse of deception
                                     • Banquo, as a man of integri
                                       • Macbeth lies: "I think not of them'
                                         • , the audience realise that Macbeth is becoming devious as we know he is thinking of little else

3. Dramatic Irony

   • raise tension and grip the audienc
     • character knows less than the audience
       • anticipation for the character to find the truth.
         • Act One Scene 3
           • "Thane of Cawdor"
             • "the Thane of Cawdor lives"
               • Duncan condemn him to death
                 • "What!? Can the devil speak true?
                   • Duncan arrives at Macbeth's castle and is struck by the peaceful atmosphere of the place: "This castle hath a pleasant seat". These words follow immediately after the scene in which Macbeth and Lady Macbeth begin plotting his murder. Duncan's complete unawareness of danger builds suspense.
                     • subtle form of irony is where a character's words only become significant late
                       • "A little water clears us of the deed." By the end of the play she will be obsessively washing her hands, imagining "the smell of the blood still
                         • So, it will make us mad." This ironically looks ahead to her own descent into madness.
                           • Visual irony is used effectively in Macbeth.
                             • "he was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust", h
                               • "Enter Macbeth".
                                 • Duncan is repeating his error. A
                                   • "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent..."
                                     • "Enter Lady Macbeth". At once we see she will act as a spur does to a reluctant horse, urging it on.

4. Presenting the Supernatural

   • pervade Macbeth
     • witches are supernatural beings
       • "have more in them than mortal knowledge".
         • to believe literally in such spirits,
           • n as the embodiment of evil and servants of the devil. The opening scene rai
             • universal theme of good versus evil. Although the witch scenes would perhaps be terrifying to a contemporary audience, there is also much black comedy which provides a foil and light relief to the serious drama of the main action.
               • offend them,
                 • horrible recipe they concoct to raise the spirits are very effective theatrically.
                   • The Ghost. In Act Three Scene 4, th
                     • Banquo
                       • haunt Macbeth for his crimes. T
                         • most embarrassing moment
                           • great banquet Macbeth is
                             • celebrate his accession
                               • most important people in the country witness his breakdown, wh
                                 • scene
                                   • dramatic impact. Th
                                     • ghost is only visible to Macbeth
                                       • "What sights, my lord?"
                                         • he audience is invited to empathise with Macbeth, as we, too, see the ghost. We can understand his frustration when even Lady Macbeth cannot share his horror: "you look but on a stool." His reaction seems rational and leads on to his eventual isolation in Act Five.

5. Off-stage action

   • imagination of his audiences
     • In Macbeth, the greatest demand on the audience's imagination occurs in the scene of Duncan's murder, which takes place off-stage.
       • It is not because Shakespeare likes to avoid showing violence on stage. Banquo's murder does take place on stage, and in other plays very gruesome
         • for example, a character
           • Having the murder take place off-stage raises the tension. It throws the spotlight firstly on Lady Macbeth's fear, as she paces the stage alone, jumping at every noise. It also focuses the audience's attention on the effect of the murder on the two main protagonists. We see Macbeth almost driven mad by guilt, while Lady Macbeth suppresses her feelings. We are not distracted by feelings of sympathy for Duncan. The scene ends with a dramatic sound effect: 'knocking'. This very effectively raises the tension, as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth seem likely to get caught literally red-handed. Shakespeare shows Macbeth is already paying the penalty of his crime, by losing his peace of mind for ever.

6. Contrast

   • Juxtaposition. One type is the placing of very different scenes side by side
     • An eerie, supernatural scene with three strange female characters chanting is followed by a scene of bustling normal activity with a large cast of male characters.
       • first scene of Act Five, Lady Macbeth's sleep-walking, contrasts effectively with the following scenes. It is at night, in a chamber, quiet and dark, with only three characters present, two of whom are very still observers. The scenes that follow are all busy daylight scenes of action. However, scenes 2-9 also contrast with one another, as Shakespeare alternates scenes involving Malcolm's huge army outside Macbeth's castle, with scenes showing Macbeth growing increasingly isolated inside the castle.
         • Comedy/ tragedy.
           • comedy with tragedy in
             • audience relief fr
               • motional build-up
                 • tension
                   • Th itch scenes do this to some extent, bu
                     • triking example i
                       • haracter of the drunken porter wh
                         • comic monologue
                           • placed between the tension of the murder scene and the drama of the murder being discovered

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