How did Shakespeare capture the audience’s interest in the first three scenes of Macbeth. Is his opening still successful with the audience 400 years later?
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Introduction
Hayley Woodall English Coursework Shakespeare: Macbeth How did Shakespeare capture the audience's interest in the first three sense of Macbeth. Is his opening still successful with the audience 400 years later? In the first three scenes of Macbeth we are introduced to most of the main characters such as; The Three Witches, Duncan, Malcolm, Ross and Macbeth. You are not introduced to other main characters such as Lady Macbeth and Macduff until later on in the play. During the play of Macbeth the story of Macbeth the Scottish Lord is told, in the first three scenes it starts with the three witches meeting in a wild and stormy place and they are talking about their plans for the future: meeting with Macbeth at the end of a battle. Then on in scene two King Duncan is told about the brave Macbeth killing a rebellious Macdonwald, the title Thane of Cawdor is also given to Macbeth this is due to the old Thane of Cawdor being of aid to the Norwegians who were involved in the fighting. In scene three Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches, the witches then tell Macbeth of his upcoming titles of Thane of Cawdor, then later on to be King, Macbeth at this moment in time did not know about being Thane of Cawdor. ...read more.
Middle
scences containing voilence because in the world today there is lot of voilence and some people like this for entertainment, so while this play would shock and possibly scare the shakespearean audience it would be normal and exciting to a mordern audience. In act 1 scene 3 the witches are casting a spell on a sailors ship as the sailor's wife had upset them, this would be scary for the audience as the witches would be chanting their spells and shouting out loud causing a fright for the audience. Quote : "Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o' the Tiger : But in a sieve I'll thither sail, And, like a rat without a tail, I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do." Macbeth at the moment would be covered in blood due to the battle and his involvement in the fighting. He would have appeared in amour and blood stained yet they did not explain the way he looked in depth. Banquo in scene 3 mentioned how the witches looked ; Quote ; "What are these, So wither'd and so wild in thier attire, That look not like th' inhabitants o' the earth," Hayley Woodall English Coursework This shows what the audience would be seeing from another actor's point of view. ...read more.
Conclusion
In a modern day production Macbeth would not enter the way he did in the old play he would enter on such thing as a motor bike to show that he is a brave and strong person and capable of doing anything. It would appeal to the modern audience because people like motorbikes and would recognise that Macbeth is an important person. The witches to a modern audience would not seem frightening as stories about witches have brought the fright of them down, so they would not affect people the same way that they would in the Shakespeare's plays. The reason of Hayley Woodall English Coursework This is because now in the year 2002 people don't believe in witches or fortune telling so it would not have much of an affect on them. I think that Macbeth does not appeal to a modern days audience tin the same way that it did in Shakespeare's time. The reason of my thoughts on this is because people of today including myself are not interested in this kind of play any more and people don't want to go and see them. I have seen a few videos and to back up my thoughts is the fact that not many people enjoyed the show. I think that there are to many new style plays and movies out and there is to little time for people to watch it anymore. ...read more.
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