Tension in Act 2, Scenes 1 and 2 of William Shakespeare's Macbeth
Shakespeare's Macbeth is a play that develops around tension all the
way through. Shakespeare manages to create tension in a variety of
ways in terms of the thematic aspects, linguistic aspects and dramatic
aspects.
Act II (scenes I and 11) is the part of Macbeth where Lady Macbeth and
her husband (Macbeth) actually carry out their plans and do the deed.
Instead of planning and talking about killing King Duncan of Scotland,
the Macbeths go ahead and actually do it. Tension is built up before
the killing in scene I and also in scene II when Macbeth reappears
having done the "deed". We can see the Macbeths' reactions and
feelings to their crime and if the characters are uneasy or on edge,
then it adds to the tension.
Act II, scene 1, starts off at night, in fact after midnight. In
Shakespeare's time midnight was considered to be the "witching hour".
Shakespeare's use of the concept of darkness is an excellent way of
creating tension because many people have a deep founded fear of the
dark. The darkness can be seen in the language, "The moon is down" and
in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Macbeth an eerie
atmosphere is created through dim lighting. This version of Macbeth
uses pauses and silence by the characters in order to create tension.
Also evil things come from the dark; Banquo says "All the candles are
out", meaning there are no starts in the sky. Banquo finds it
difficult to get to sleep because of "cursed thoughts". This language
shows us that Banquo is obviously very anxious and fear is plaguing
his imagination. The semantic field of sleep is ...
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hath made me bold". She doesn't know whether Macbeth has followed
through with their plans. She waits alone in anticipation on the
stage. This creates suspense and is crucial to the dramatic aspect of
the play. Macbeth on the other hand is off stage. Shakespeare
structures it cleverly so that the audience sees characters on their
own and together. He shows Macbeth's worry through his line, "Who's
there". This shows Macbeth's great concern that someone is there who
might disturb him and identify him as the murderer. Lady Macbeth
starts to become agitated and her optimism is gradually fading. She
wonders whether the plan might have failed - and Shakespeare shows
this by Lady Macbeth saying lines such as "I laid their daggers ready"
and "He could not miss them". These show her real desperation at this
point.
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.
king. In scene 2 act 2 we are shown Macbeth in a state of shock and
After Macbeth dismisses his assassins, the next scene is another moment where the Macbeths confer. In
direct Act 2 scenes 1 and 2 (the ones before and after the murder of
By the end of Act I, we can see that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have...
In act 2, scene 2, the murder of Duncan takes place. The audience should be on the edge of their seats by now, wondering if Macbeth will actually have the nerve to murder his king.
Act I Scene 3 seems to be where the play really starts. The Weird Sisters open Macbeth’s eyes to the idea of more power, and the passion of ambition. The (purposeful) awakening of that part of him is what leads to the next tragic events in the story. The way Macbeth handles the information from the Sisters is up to him. He can act or refrain from doing anything a...
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
At the start of Act 1, Scene 2 Macbeth is shown brave and loyal with
William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is truly a masterpiece of writing, and a great example of this is Shakespeare’s use of the writing technique Elision to create a feeling of suspense, as well as provoking imagery and emotion throughout the play. This writing technique is used by making key events take place of stage. These such events were the killing of king Duncan, the death of Lady Macbeth and the beheading of Macbeth.
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.
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 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.
What do you consider to be the most successful stage effect and language techniques used to create dramatic tension in Act 2, Scene 2?
of the 'evil' witches as he was sure that witches were out to get him