The Porter’s Speech

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The Porter’s Speech

At the beginning of act two, scene three, we are introduced to a

drunken Porter, who gives a speech to the audience. Shakespeare

used the convention of the Fool or Court Jester to great effect,

especially in his Tragedies where the Fools are less identifiable and

can have major parts. Like more modern versions, the continuity

person on TV, the Fool offers relief from unbearable tension and keeps

us busy and amused during scene changes. Unlike the modern circus

clown, pantomime or stand-up comedian, as Shakespeare tells us

clearly, he is not a buffoon and has a serious job to do. His is an

essential and fast moving part in Macbeth.

There are many reasons as to how the Porter’s speech can contribute to

a production of Macbeth. The first one we may think of is that by

letting the audience laugh, having just seen Macbeth’s blood spattered

hands, they should be more able to accept further bloodshed and

revulsion in the following scenes.

The humour of having a drunken Porter in the middle of the play can be

thought of as a ‘laugh conductor’ and would prevent the audience from

doing this later on in the scene.

“Here’s a farmer that hung himself on the expectation of plenty”.

This links with the theme of nature in the play and how Lennox

describes the strange happenings and the brutality of the night when

nature seemed to have been in key with the violence of men’s doings.

Later on in the Porters speech, “Faith, here’s an English tailor come

hither for stealing out of a French hose”. This associates with the

image of clothing and how Macbeth is not worthy of, or comfortable

with, the robes of kin...

... middle of paper ...

... much in the witches’ half truths and he has ‘stolen’ the king’s crown.

Certainly, the porter gives a satirical picture of a dishonest world.

What with treachery, lying and unnatural events such as Lennox

recounts “strange screams of death” and “the night has been unruly”,

it is, for the audience at that moment, no surprise that people like

Macbeth rise to be kings. However, as in all good morality tales,

Nemesis is usually not far behind.

In conclusion, the comical Porter and his speech provide a ‘take’ on a

range of issues in everyday Elizabethan life. Shorter scenes in the

play are either a reminder of what has happened so far, or a

preparation for what is coming. This scene is light hearted and

relieves the tension of the last scene as well as contrasting with the

next, when Duncan’s murder is discovered.

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