Act 2 Scene 2 as a Turning Point in the Play for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
On the way home from a courageous battle the play begins with Macbeth
and Banquo's noble and victorious return. During their journey they
are greeted by 3 witches whom prophesize Macbeth's rise to power as
King.
Macbeth is very curious about these strange beings and their message
and starts to wonder if it really is quite possible to find himself in
such a kingly position. He soon shrugs off the idea however as he
realizes there is nothing that he could do as Duncan - the king
already and dear friend to Macbeth - is still in his position and will
most likely stay there for the next couple of decades. Macbeth also
realizes that any attempt to thwart Duncan's reign would be highly
dishonorable and ruin his noble and dignified reputation and respect.
I would imagine that King James and the Shakespearian people of that
age in time would have greatly recognized this act of loyalty and
appreciate Macbeth's worries that any action he could take would
object with the Divine Right of Kings - a view that treason is
sacrilegious and a sin against God - and therefore damn him to hell.
Macbeth shrugs off any such nonsense and decides to leave such matters
to when he can discuss them with his wife Lady Macbeth. I think this
already shows a great deal of trust and confidence in their
relationship in that Macbeth would share this kind of information with
Lady Macbeth and confide in her to help him decide an answer and
solution.
He however cannot wait to talk to Lady Macbeth face to face and
therefore decides to write a letter to her explaining his ordeal with
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... unmoved and
shows no form of mourning. We can obviously see that the relationship
between the two has come to a diminishing end and affection had died
long before Lady Macbeth did.
Macbeth then faces Macduff, but is not fearful, as he has been told
that he will not die from anyone woman born. But then Macduff tells
him that he was not woman born; he was "from his mother's womb
untimely ripp'd". When Macbeth realizes that he has been tricked, he
gives up and is killed. Macduff decapitates him and King Duncan's son
becomes the new king of Scotland.
I think in conclusion King James and the Shakespearian audience would
have been very pleased with the outcome of the play, as the would have
appreciated the Divine Right of Kings and understood that justice must
prevail. "Sacrilege must, and will, be punished by God".
At the start of Act 1, Scene 2 Macbeth is shown brave and loyal with
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.
Scene 2 act 2 is set at night when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are in the
direct Act 2 scenes 1 and 2 (the ones before and after the murder of
Act 2 scene 2 is the most violent and intense part of Macbeth although we do no 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. 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.
Macbeth’s heroic deeds at the beginning of the play soon seem insignificant next to the primary event in the Act: the revelation of the witches’ prophecy. Their insightful proclamation that he will be king someday is both shocking and pleasing to Macbeth. Without this occurrence, this play might not have traveled a road of ambition and death, but instead one of calm acceptance and enjoyment of an already-elegant lifestyle. The seeds of desire were here planted, however, eliciting what became a bloody ordeal. The spark ignited, and a plan began to take shape.
`Act 1- The three weird witches meet and they are planning on when they are going to meet again to talk to Macbeth. In the next scene King Duncan talks to the injured captain about the battle against the invaders, who are under the command of Macdonwald. The captain tell King Duncan how he saved Malcolm and Macbeth was very violent and fought with great force. Then the Captain is taken away by the servants then Ross enters and he tells Duncan that Cawdor has been beaten and the Norway army retreated. Then King Duncan comes to the decision to kill Cawdor and then Macbeth will "become Cawdor". Then Duncan sends out Ross to go tell Macbeth about what had happened at this time. In scene three the witches approach Banquo and Macbeth when they were on their way to Forres. The witches inform Macbeth and Banquo about what had happened in the kings court and they tell him he is the Thane of Cawdor and Glamis and that Macbeth will eventually become king. Then Banquo is told riddles that his children will be royal and he will not. After the witches disappear then Ross and Angus come up to them and Ross informs Macbeth the news which he just heard. Then Macbeth contemplates whether he will have to spill blood to become king, then when he is done they all continue to Forres. Then Duncan finds out that Cawdor dies because his son killed him. Then Ross, Angus, Banquo and Macbeth arrive. Then Malcolm becomes the heir to Duncans throne and Macbeth has Duncan dine at his castle that night so he rides to tell his wife. When Macbeth gets home he tells his wife the news and she starts to plot the murder of Duncan and Macbeth fallows. Then Duncan and the Scottish lords arrive and they are tak...
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.
Bear Grylls once said, “A man’s pride can be his downfall, and he needs to learn when to turn to others for support and guidance” (brainyquote.com). Throughout Macbeth by William Shakespeare, there exists contributing factors which lead to the occurring events. The aforementioned quote discusses the idea that one’s unchecked ambition leads to cause hardship throughout life. Moreover, it symbolizes this novel as Macbeth senses a driven motivation for pride along with the influences around him which in turn lead to the tragedies that occur. In Macbeth, even though Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to take such barbarous actions, Macbeth remains at fault.
The last two scenes are a very important part of the play. They are the last two scenes in the play in which Macbeth is alive. They are also a very effective part of the play; the audience will have already realized that something will happen which will decide the ending of the play. This awareness that something is about to happen is made so by the commotion of the two great armies as they prepare to fight and by Macbeth's eagerness and confidence to win.
In Act 3, Scene 4 of Macbeth we are able to identify the disintegration of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s characters in the overwrought scene. Throughout this scene Shakespeare uses a range of techniques to present their conflicting characters, creating dramatic tension. From the darkness of Banquo’s murder in the previous scene, there is a sudden tonal shift, as the scene abruptly changes to the bustle of the banqueting hall. The “Banquet Scene” is one of the most engaging scenes as it may be considered to be the pivotal point of the play. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth need the banquet to be a success as this is the first time they will be presenting themselves as monarchs and the rightful successors to the throne before society. However, this creates a sense of fundamental irony as the audience is aware that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are illegitimate figures and falsely usurped the crown. There is also a sense of comic relief as Macbeth publicly humiliates himself when he is confronted supernaturally by his sins. It is interesting to observe the changes within the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and their shifting relationship after the appearance of Banquo’s ghost.
In a world where murder is seen as a way to check if the prophecies of the witches are real, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth get caught by greed, the only escape seems to be a murder that will stop the nightmare of the killings. Once the murder has been committed, the revolt against it becomes very absurd and very illegitimate, making Macbeth a tragedy of the dark that develops in the night. In Act II scene II, Shakespeare uses tension and dramatic interest along with stage effects and language techniques to illustrate how Macbeth, with the help of Lady Macbeth influencing him to do so, commit the dreadful murder of King Duncan, and the after effects of this deed.
In this soliloquy, Macbeth mentions how becoming the king is pointless if he cannot pass down the crown to his son (Shakespeare, Act 3, Scene 1, 65-67). The weird witches foretold that Macbeth would become King, which he now believes, but they also told them how Banquo descendents will become Kings as well. This stirs anger in his heart because he killed Duncan to become king, and if his descendents will not become kings there is no reason to take the helm (Shakespeare, Act 3, Scene 1, 68). Now Macbeth feels horrible, and his animosity towards Banquo worsens. Macbeth mentions how this, “put rancours in the vessel of my peace”, and immediate distress on the killing of his dear friend Duncan for the future descendents of Banquo (Shakespeare,
Splendid Productions adaptation of ‘Macbeth’ was performed on the 13th of December 2016, at the RADA studios, London, and was performed by Scott Smith, Genevieve Say and Mark Bernie. The original version of Macbeth was written in 1606 during the Jacobean era, and the adaptation created in the 21st century. I would agree with the statement as the interpretation by Splendid was created to be enjoyed, engaged and relevant to the audience of the 21st century.
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.