Tension in Act 2 Scene 2 of William Shakespeare's Macbeth
Macbeth was written in1605; this was a period where there was a great
interest in witchcraft and the supernatural. Many people including
James I were scared and confused by ideas of the supernatural. The
opening scene would in itself create tension amongst the audience, as
it would suggest a play full of evil and lies, and also a theme of
opposites and contrasts which occurs in the play, 'Fair is foul, and
foul is fair', 'so fair and foul a day'. This also links in with the
appearance and reality of Macbeth.
At the end of Act 2 Scene 1, and just following on from his soliloquy,
Macbeth has been preparing himself to murder Duncan. There was a
strong belief of the Divine Right of Kings, which was extremely more
important than now. The position of a king was like that of God and
any attempt to usurp his position was regarded as an offence against
God and the divine order of thing. This would also have a massive
impact; the audience will be left wondering if he will actually commit
the murder and if he will be found out. Shakespeare leaves the
audience in suspense at the start of act 2 scene 2 by not allowing
them to found out if he has done it or not. Lady Macbeth also appears
to be scared;
"And 'tis not done: the attempt and not the deed Confounds us. Hark! I
laid their daggers ready ;"
She appears to think the worst about the crime, that she the deed will
not be done, and that the duo will be caught. Following on from scene
1, Banquo is unable to sleep; thoughts of the witches have invaded his
dreams. "Yet I would not sleep". This links to later on in the play,
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completely fearless, this contrasts with Act 2 scene 2, where Macbeth
is panicking and terrified of what he had just done.
Shakespeare's use of language and structure manages to create tension
right up to the murder of Duncan and in places after that. It is
gradually built up until the death; he uses a lot of dramatic irony,
in a previous scene, the audience already know that Macbeth has been
made 'thane of Cawdor' before Macbeth even knows himself. This is
creating dramatic irony, which also creates tension later on in the
play.
To conclude, I would say that Shakespeare uses many different ways in
order to create tension on this scene. I personally think that this
scene is dramatic because he uses language and themes that link
together in order to create tension and combined with a story line of
regicide.
in Act 1 scene 5 at his ‘old accustomed feast’. In this scene he acts
themes of love and hate are very important in the play as the plot is
Without a general supernatural stigma from the witches, the story would not be as interesting as it is and wouldn’t lay a clear foundation. The reader can enhance their experience by making predictions about the prophecies, thus grabbing the readers attention to continue to read. The role of supernatural is to also create suspense. Suspense of the prophecies gives the reader a sense of what’s to come next. In contrast this will make the reader have motivation to continue as it is a difficult text to understand. The following quote creates suspense as it shows the reader Macbeth is at decline point while constantly relying on the prophecies to save him The mind I sway by and the heart I bear. Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear.
that is not going to be cleaned from them, sooner or later it is going
Fear motivates many people to act upon matters, right or wrong. This emotion has been important in many events in both works of literature, and in the real world. It has forced military geniuses into retreat, and influenced them to plan another method of attack. Fear can be both a positive and a negative acting force in one’s life, a quality that can motivate one to success as well as to downfall.
...ne else in the play the power of language to alter reality, and the issues of conscious or unconscious deceit.
William Shakespeare's Language use to Create an Atmosphere in Act 2 Scene 1 and Act 2 Scene 2 of Macbeth
Sympathy for Macbeth in the First Two Acts of William Shakespeare's Play Act one, scene two reveals Macbeth’s greatness, potential, courage and. most of all his loyalty to Scotland. The sergeant had just brought the news that Macbeth had killed the ‘disloyal traitor,’ the Thane of. Cawdor in the battle of the. The sergeant speaks of Macbeth as ‘brave’.
Part of human nature is struggling to choose between two random forces. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare describes how conflict within a person can drive someone mad until the end of their lives. For Macbeth, part of this struggle was keeping his sanity intact after all the bad deeds he had committed. Another part of his struggle was swaying between the forces of innocence and guilt. The final struggle Macbeth had within him was going up against fate and free will. Throughout the play, Shakespeare demonstrates the inner conflict within Macbeth, as he contends against the conflicts of fate and free will, sanity and insanity, and innocence and guilt.
In Act I, Scene I three witches plan to meet MACBETH upon a heath. They announce the major theme of the play: appearances can be deceptive.
story and lasting throughout the play with the constant themes of deception and doing evil in the
...the betrayal and dishonesty that is omnipresent in the play. Not only do they simply embody this concept, but they also serve to conclude the events of the play, by being the ending to what started the beginning.
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?