How Shakespeare Creates and Maintains Tension and Dramatic Inpact in Act 1 Scene 3 of Macbeth
Macbeth is a dramatic and well written play by one of the world famous
authors…William Shakespeare. Throughout the play Shakespeare uses many
clever and sophisticated techniques, which help create and maintain
tension and dramatic impact. Also Pathetic Fallacy, dramatic irony &
characters which foil one another and are juxtaposed adds to the
question, How does Shakespeare maintain and create tension and
dramatic impact to Act 1 scene 3?
Firstly, Shakespeare creates tension and dramatic impact in act 1
scene 3 by introducing an efficient technique called Pathetic Fallacy.
This helps give a dramatic effect when the witches first come on
stage.
'The heath: Thunder. Enter the three witches.'
The play starts with the Witches, with thunder and lightning, both
heart-pounding. The audience may feel the atmosphere and mood is of
disarray. This is first of all a pathetic fallacy because of the
weather being so bad and the hideous appearance of the witches. This
scene also gives us the first sign of the supernatural. The witches
are the man source of the evil and supernatural in the play and they
also give an impression of fear, horror and mystery. As well as this
Shakespeare had set this scene away from society and desolate.
Therefore this could arouse curiosity in the viewers mind. All this
could suggest that what is happening is wrong; it could also indicate
that God is not happy. The situation is very ominous.
Furthermore, William Shakespeare commences a drum to the scene when
Macbeth first comes in vision of the 'weird sisters' this i...
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...ainst the witches and this would have
created dramatic impact to Act 1 scene 3. As Macbeth and Banquo both
think differently and both of their actions are different, this
technique which Shakespeare has used once again creates tension, and
dramatic impact to Act 1 scene 3.
In conclusion I believe that by using different techniques and methods
throughout Act 1 Scene 3 of the play: Macbeth, William Shakespeare has
managed to grab to audiences attention. These various schemes have all
worked in different ways to cause tension and dramatic impact to Act 1
Scene 3. By making the scene like this the audience stay intrigued in
the play and this helps make the play a successful play. So how does
Shakespeare create and maintain tension and dramatic impact in Act 1
Scene 3? I believe this is by using many different techniques.
Handling the adversity that develops within a character’s life is something that requires ultimate determination, dedication and thought. However, when the given adverse situation is handled in a violent manner, the following occurrences include downfall and destruction. Throughout William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, he is able to convey the realistic negative consequences that may follow the effects of violence on adversity. From the very genesis of the play, Macbeth is constantly handling adversity, which at times results in various dilemmas as a result of his tragic flaw. The violent acting on adversity or challenges placed before main character Macbeth, causes him to build a “snowball effect” of downfall and dismay throughout the play. Initially, Macbeth begins handling his challenges in different manners and is constantly altering his procedure. From handling situations cautiously to thoughtlessly, or having his own opinions to none of his own at all, and finally from fighting the truth to accepting his fate, regardless of the type of task, his violent handlings of them causes his own domino effect of transformations. By applying a variety of literary techniques such as personification and foreshadowing, William Shakespeare is able to effectively prove that acting violently upon adversity has a strong potential of resulting in pure disaster.
Previous to Act 3 Scene 1 Romeo and Juliet marry each other. This is a
Dramatic Tension in Act Three, Scene One of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Although the plays of Shakespeare were written for a mixed audience, anyone watching Romeo and Juliet would appreciate the tension and drama in act three, scene one. It is unusual for two major characters to die so early on, but Shakespeare was a master playwright, and this is arguably his dramatic best. The scene opens with light humour from Mercutio and Benvolio, and follows on from the relaxed atmosphere of the previous scene, the wedding. Benvolio, however, is worried, and tries to persuade Mercutio to 'retire'. He talks of the days stirring 'the mad blood' of the family feud.
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The scene I chose was act 2 scene 2 of Macbeth written by Shakespeare. It was between two characters, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. I played the role of Macbeth. In the scene, Lady Macbeth celebrates her plan being a success. Lady Macbeth waits for Macbeth to come with news that he has killed Duncan. Macbeth announces that he has committed the murder but he is so afraid that he brings the bloody daggers with him and Lady Macbeth takes them from him, to place them with the sleeping guards. Macbeth hears knocking sounds which frightens him so his wife comes to lead him away, they then wash the blood from their hands before they get caught. My character was challenging because I had to understand his emotions and find ways of interpreting that on stage. I chose to perform this act because Shakespeare was able to create tension, build the right atmosphere to show them Macbeth’s reaction to Duncan’s murder but also show the relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. Shakespeare’s use of imagery, dramatic irony, rhetorical questions helped emphasise the guilt Macbeth felt after the murder.
Prior to deciding whether or not conflict is central to the dramatic development of MACBETH, one must consider all the dramatic factors that contribute to the Shakespearean play. The gradual decline of the protagonist , the role portrayed by characters and the order in which the events occur, greatly influence the direction in which the development of the play takes place. After reading the text MACBETH, by Shakespeare and viewing the film version, directed by Roman Polanski, it is logical to see that ambition and the deceptive appearances of what really is, is central to the dramatic development of MACBETH.
This scene sets the atmosphere for the rest of the play. If this scene was not there it would be difficult for the audience to understand how later scenes are linked or how these three women can tell Macbeth’s future. Also if elements of the supernatural were not used in Act 1 Scene 1, as they have been, the witches could not be shown as sinister and evil. These two elements of horror, “sinister” and “evil” would later be used to explain the cause of the three witches’ behaviour further on in the play.
The Dramatic Effect of Act 5 Scene 1 on the Play Macbeth In this scene the doctor and the gentlewoman wait for Lady Macbeth as it was reported to the doctor that she had been sleepwalking on previous occasions - "since her majesty returned from the field, I have seen her rise from her bed". It is reported by the gentlewoman that every time Lady Macbeth sleepwalks she writes something on paper and she had also seen Lady Macbeth continuously perform an action of washing her hands vigorously. Lady Macbeth enters holding a candle.
Everything that happens within the play appears to revolve around this particular scene. Not only is this important because it contains the murderous act, it also conveys to the audience the rapid disintegration of the relationship between the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In Act 2, Scene 2, the murder of Duncan takes place. The audience should be on the edge of their seats by now, wondering if Macbeth will actually have the nerve to murder his king. The tension increases dramatically when we see Lady Macbeth pacing about in a nervous but excited state, awaiting Macbeth’s return, increases the tension dramatically.
When we, human beings, are about to commit wicked acts, we feel a variety of emotions. One of those emotions is guilt. You may also feel guilt due to moments you chose not to act. The presence of guilt is a driving factor that prevents us from acting irrationally. Citizens of the 16th century possessed these emotions as well, no matter their social standing. The citizens included Shakespeare as well, a poet and playwright of the 16th century, and writer of the play Macbeth. Shakespeare transfers the idea of negative emotions to Macbeth by using blood to symbolize guilt, among other emotions in the protagonists they do not show otherwise. In Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses blood to show the inner-conflict of the
When the play first opens we hear 3 strange witches standing in a field while it is thunder and lightening. They begin to chant spells and talk about their meeting with Macbeth as they vanish into thin air.
They challenge Macbeth’s character over the course of the play by giving him three simple prophecies about his life. The witches cause the play’s theme to start as very dark and gloomy because of their prophecies to Macbeth. If
The stage effects are in place right from the beginning of the play which begins in the first act with the witches, awakening Macbeth’s ambition. This carries on into Act II scene II, where Macbeth will take the first steps towards achieving his mean purpose. The second act of the play, represents an intense way the violence of King Duncan’s murder, which is dram...
As the play begins, we are introduced to the witches. They speak in rhyming couplets, just as all supernatural elements in Shakespeare’s work do. This could have been to let the audience, which would have been aware of this technique, that the witches are in fact, or simply appear magical. The stage directions indicate “thunder and lightning,” every time the witches appear, this same stage direction is given throughout the play to set the intended atmosphere, this is pathetic fallacy.