The Creation of Tension in Shakespeare's Macbeth
There are many ways that Shakespeare creates an atmosphere of tension
and fear in act 2, scene 2. I think he creates this tension to keep
the audience engrossed in the play.
The crime itself creates a lot of tension because in Jacobean times
killing the monarch (known as Regicide) was the highest crime you
could commit because it was believed that the monarch was appointed by
God. And if you committed a crime against the king you were committing
a crime against God. Also the audience could relate to the play
because only a year earlier the Gunpowder Plot was attempted and this
scene is about killing a King. I think Shakespeare had this in my mind
when he wrote the play because this would bring the crowds in.
Lady Macbeth tries to keep her fear of being caught covered to try and
show Macbeth that if she is man enough to not be scared he should not
be scared because generally men are more courageous than women. But
she is actually very scared of being caught. At the slightest sound
she calls: Hark
Take, for example the owl shrieking and someone knocking at the door.
Also the audience can tell she is very fearful of being caught and
nervous because of the way she speaks to Macbeth. When Macbeth brings
the daggers back the chamber she snaps at him and gets very angry with
him:
Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
They must lie there.
After Macbeth has committed regicide, he is very distressed when he
comes back to his room. He sort of loses his mind for the scene so
Lady Macbeth has to take charge. She calls him a coward because he
cannot handle the pressure. He keeps on running through his head what
he has done and it drives him mad.
Still it cried, ‘Sleep no more’ to all the house;
He didn’t think about what he was doing when he brought the daggers
Fear motivates us to do many things, whether they are right or wrong. In the play Macbeth, fear was the main motivation that influenced the outcome of the play. This can be proved by the subsequent murders after Duncan's. Why were these committed? Macbeth was scared of being caught and having to pay for the wrongs he had done. Also, look at Lady Macbeth. The constant washing of her hands, sleepwalking, and other behavior like this is done out of fear. It resembles her husband fear of being caught. The final piece of proof is Macbeth's actions. They were all due to fear, not only of being caught but of the witches' prophecies. He was scared of them coming true and tried to stop them from happening. This whole play was inspired by fear and what it can do to a person.
Macbeth is a very power greedy person. It is not necessarily his own doing that he is such a ruthless person. It all started (Macbeth being power greedy) with the Three Witches predictions: "All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!/ All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of/ Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth!
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.
manliness and tempt him to prove to her he is strong. On the other hand, Macbeth, being a man at that time, holds legitimate power over. Lady Macbeth, because women were expected to stay home, cook, clean. and take care of the children. We can clearly see that Lady Macbeth isn't one of these women; she is strong-willed and determined. The The more comments that she made, the stronger she got.
When Macbeth kills King Duncan in William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, there is a breakdown of order throughout Scotland. This breakdown is evident through three main factors; within the person, mainly through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, through the kingdom and through nature. From a completely ordered nation into the depths of chaos - Scotland collapsed from the lack of strong leadership. In the end, when resolution is reached, this chaos is reversed and Scotland is restored to a peaceful nation as it was before Macbeth's reign.
to the earthly at the base of the chain; everyone had a place, and a
Macbeth, the main character in William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth was not secure in his manhood. This insecurity led to the downfall of Macbeth because he felt the need to prove himself to Lady Macbeth. After he proved himself by killing Duncan, Macbeth became desensitized to killing.
The most important emotions that we see in Macbeth are ambition, remorse, and fear. They are significant because they provoke Macbeth to do evil and cruel things. Ambition takes control of him earlier in the play when the witches tell him he is going to be king. After he already has done the deed, killed Duncan, he is remorseful for his actions. Out of fear for himself, Macbeth murdered Macduff’s family and killed Banquo.
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.
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.
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
She knows that Macbeth is courageous and will never back down from a challenge and this is exactly what happens. He ends up listening to his wife.
What do you consider to be the most successful stage effect and language techniques used to create dramatic tension in Act 2, Scene 2?
or stand up to good when faced with a battle between the two. The play
Lady Macbeth is able to achieve such power over her husband by continually insulting his manliness and boasting her...