Shakespeare's Dramatic Effect in Act II Scene 2 of Macbeth
Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' was written some time between 1603 and 1606
and was his eighth tragedy in as many years, and has proved to be one
of his most renowned plays of all time. It is a tragic tale of
betrayal, malevolence and mystery, where a heroic soldier by the name
of Macbeth becomes enwrapped in witchcraft and begins to believe the
words of Hecate (the witches' god). He starts a spate of murders
initially with Duncan the King of Scotland and then becomes lonely and
looses everything. The scene I am going to concentrate on is Act II Sc
2; the aftermath of the murder and the climax of the play. I will look
and analyse the dramatic effect that Shakespeare aims for in this
scene, and how he achieves it.
'Macbeth' was written in the seventeenth century; just as James I
became King, after the death of Queen Elizabeth. James was very
interested in witchcraft and Scotland and hence the themes of the
play, also some of James' ancestors feature in the play, such as
Banquo.
First Witch
"When shall we three meet again?
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"
This quote opens the play and is crucial to the setting of the play.
In Shakespeare's time people believed that Witches were servants to
the devil, destroying people's lives, causing havoc and should be
killed and sent to hell.
In Shakespeare's time there was a prominent hierarchy, the monarchy at
the top, and then generally decreasing to the peasants at the bottom;
Witches were not part of this hierarchy since they were considered
born evil and although they had female bodies they had manly
attributes su...
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...sually high-ranked on the hierarchy. For example when Macbeth speaks
to the murderers in Act III Sc 1, he does so in prose,
"Ay, in catalogue ye go for men,
As hounds, and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,
Shoughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves are clept
All by the name of dogs"
Also when people were nervous they would in effect 'share' their lines
- meaning that the iambic pentameter was shared between two
characters, as shown here in Act II Sc 2,
Lady Macbeth
"Did you not speak?
Macbeth
When
Lady Macbeth
Now
Macbeth
As I descended?"
Not only does this create tension, it also moves the plot along very
quickly.
Notice how descended is used and not "come down" so that it fits the
iambic rule.
I have thoroughly enjoyed studying Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'.
I. Conflicts in the Play - There are many types of conflict evident in this play. Some are as follows:
The ‘confessions’ in the play are not usually about truth, as they are enforced and arise out of fear. Discuss the role you think confessions play in the dramatic force of this play.
The Dramatic Impact on a Jacobean Audience of Act 1 Scene 5 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Shakespeare Reveals Macbeth's State of Mind in Act One Scene Three. Macbeth's state of mind is revealed through Macbeth's soliloquies. As Macbeth speaks "aside" as he reveals to the audience his plans to murder. to Duncan.
day it is, and as to whether it is past midnight or not. They work out
William Shakespeare's Language use to Create an Atmosphere in Act 2 Scene 1 and Act 2 Scene 2 of Macbeth
In this essay I will explore how significant act 3 scene 7 is to the
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.
story and lasting throughout the play with the constant themes of deception and doing evil in the
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.
4. Finally the reactions that the characters have to their fathers' deaths are also similar. When Hamlet learns that his father was murdered and that his stepfather is the killer[,] it is more than he can handle.
The Impact of Act 2 scene 2 of Macbeth & nbsp; Act 2 scene 2 is the most violent and intense part of Macbeth, although we do not actually witness the murder of King Duncan. It is interesting that Shakespeare chooses to have Macbeth kill Duncan offstage. We can only guess why he wrote the scene that way, I think that Shakespeare wanted to focus not on the murder but on Macbeth’s reaction to it; the bloody details supplied by the audiences imaginations will be much worse than anything that could be done onstage. It is also the most crucial part of the play; it is the first of many murders. This scene takes place at night; I feel the darkness represents what is unnatural, cruel and evil.
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.
In Shakespeare’s MacBeth, a Scottish thane ascends his way to becoming king by killing off anyone in his way. MacBeth’s first victim, and most difficult to kill, was King Duncan. The reason killing King Duncan was harder for MacBeth than killing other victims, was that MacBeth had never committed such a crime, and he was unsure whether or not he wanted to go through with his plan. He had promised his ambitious wife, Lady MacBeth, that he would kill Duncan, though he later reassesses the idea. If it were not for Lady MacBeth’s persuasion, Duncan most likely would not have been murdered.
What do you consider to be the most successful stage effect and language techniques used to create dramatic tension in Act 2, Scene 2?