Explain how the part of Macbeth should be played to show how he reacts to events and how his relationship with Lady Macbeth develops in this scene.
Explain how the part of Macbeth should be played to show how he reacts to events and how his relationship with Lady Macbeth develops in this scene.
Act two scene two is very significant to the play, as this is where the tragedy of Macbeth really begins. Up until then, Macbeth can still change his mind, but after this scene there is no going back for either him or Lady Macbeth. It marks the point when Macbeth changes from a national hero, loyal to his King and country, into a liar, a murderer and a traitor who embarks on a course of evil that will eventually cause his death. All of this takes place because of ambition, both his own and Lady Macbeth's. The scene is highly dramatic and full of tension, and although we do not actually witness the murder of King Duncan, it has to be the most violent and intense part of the play. This is the first of many murders to come, and we can only guess that Shakespeare chose to have Macbeth kill Duncan offstage to increase the tension by letting the audience use their imagination to supply the bloody details.
The story so far is that Macbeth and Banquo, co-leaders of the Scottish army, whilst returning from a successful battle, are met by three "weird sisters". These sisters, who would definitely have been thought of as witches by Jacobean audiences, give several prophecies in the form of riddles, predicting that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, and later King. Macbeth recoils at this news, and it could be interpreted that this is because he has already a great ambition to become King, and hearing the witches voice aloud what he has been pondering shocks him. They tell Banquo that he will not be King, but that his children will be Kings in the future. They also predict that he will be "lesser than Macbeth and greater, not so happy and yet much happier". Later, Macbeth finds that he has been made Thane of Cawdor and because of this, begins to seriously consider the possibility of becoming King. When Duncan names his son Malcolm as heir to the throne, Macbeth's hopes are dashed. He sees Malcolm as "A step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies." Lady Macbeth receives a letter from her husband telling her of the prophecies and his new title. She is determined to help him become King, and when he returns home, she persuades him to kill Duncan, who will be staying with them overnight. Macbeth later chickens out, and so Lady Macbeth agrees to do it.
Why then, at the start of the scene do we see Lady Macbeth waiting for her husband to return from killing the King? This would have confused the audience greatly, and increased the tension in the scene.
The scene takes place at night, with the darkness representing what is unnatural, cruel, and evil. The curtains would open on Lady Macbeth, standing outside in the courtyard, anxiously pacing up and down carrying a candle. The only other light would be a thin beam of pale blue moonlight. Light represents good, and the light from the candle would show hope, the small chance that Macbeth could still go back and change his mind. There would be lots of shadows cast around the stage, and at the start of the scene, Lady Macbeth would emerge from the darkness in order to represent her guilt. There would also be fleeting silhouettes of birds and animals glimpsed, making Lady Macbeth jump, illustrating her paranoia that they will be caught. These animals could be familiars of the witches, which would show their supernatural influence over everything evil.
There shouldn't be any sound; the theatre should be deathly quiet in order to create the atmosphere of tension in the castle, as the Macbeths would be terrified of someone awakening. By now, the audience would be on the edge of their seats wondering if Macbeth will actually have the nerve to murder his own King.
In the audiences view at the time, after committing treason, anything else would be a lesser sin. This was because Jacobeans believed that the whole universe had an order to it, decided by God. Anything unnatural was against this divine order. Kings were second only to God, so a crime against a King would have been a crime against God. Satan had rebelled against God directly, so therefore, he was responsible through witches and evil spirits etc., for all attacks on this divine order.
As Lady Macbeth paces about in a nervous state, awaiting Macbeth's return, she ...
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In the audiences view at the time, after committing treason, anything else would be a lesser sin. This was because Jacobeans believed that the whole universe had an order to it, decided by God. Anything unnatural was against this divine order. Kings were second only to God, so a crime against a King would have been a crime against God. Satan had rebelled against God directly, so therefore, he was responsible through witches and evil spirits etc., for all attacks on this divine order.
As Lady Macbeth paces about in a nervous state, awaiting Macbeth's return, she reveals that she has drugged the guards' hot drinks. She doesn't know if what she has given them will kill them, and she remarks that they are on the borders of life and death, that death and nature are locked in a battle over them. She should speak in a confident voice as she says that she has been "made bold" by "that which hath make them drunk", meaning alcohol has steadied her nerves. However, all this confidence is shattered when an owl shrieks, and Lady Macbeth jumps, shouting "Hark! Peace!" Her relief should be visible when she realises what made the noise, and she goes on to make a sinister comparison between the owl and the "Fatal bellman" who was paid to ring a bell outside the condemned cell of Newgate prison in London at midnight before an execution. On the last line of her speech, on the word "die", we would hear the wind blow and Lady Macbeth's candle would extinguish. This is the actual moment of Duncan's murder, and the candle going out represents the end of all hope that Macbeth will change his mind.
We would hear loud footsteps, and then a nervous, fearful voice exclaim "Who's there? What ho?" The person speaking should not be visible to either Lady Macbeth or the audience, making the tension of the scene come to a climax. Lady Macbeth, on hearing this voice, should start frantically looking around and walk even faster, shaking her hands in a state of sheer panic. Her voice should be trembling as she goes over the preparations she had made to ensure that everything would go according to plan. She had laid the daggers ready, so how could Macbeth have missed them? She is sure that they will be caught because Macbeth has botched the murder up in some way. This shows that she already distrusts him, and that cracks in their relationship are now beginning to form. She tries to justify her reasons for not killing Duncan herself as she had promised, saying, " Had he not resembled my Father as he slept, I had done't" This means that she couldn't bring herself to kill Duncan, because he looked so much like her own Father as he slept. The audience has now been provided with an answer as to why it is Macbeth who kills Duncan, and not her. It also shows Lady Macbeth's true character, and that she doesn't really know herself as well as she thought she did. She had thought that she would be able to steel herself to do what was needed by "unsexing" herself, and "replacing her milk with bitterness". Unfortunately for her, when it came to the crunch, she couldn't do it. This small reminder of Lady Macbeth's humanity helps us to empathize more with what happens to her later on in the play.
When Macbeth enters, she should run up to him with relief. Macbeth however, should turn away from her and stare into space with his hands trembling.
His voice should be full of horror as he chokes out "I have........" and then he should pause, as if to search for a word to describe the unspeakable crime that he has committed. He finally comes up with "......done the deed.", a euphemism, as he can't actually bring himself to say that he has killed the King.
Here, the audience would share in Macbeth's complete horror at his crime.
Then, he should come out of his trance, turn to Lady Macbeth, and grab her shoulder roughly with one hand as he asks her urgently if she heard a noise.
Their next few lines are syncopated and monosyllabic, and should be said with highly charged emotion and edgy nervousness. As they say them, they should move closer together and hold each other, as though giving each other support, but they should not look at each other. Instead, they should be frantically looking around into the shadows, paranoid that they will be caught.
The fact that Macbeth still holds the daggers intensifies the uneasiness felt in the scene. His hands are covered in blood, making the drama explosive. When Macbeth sees the blood on his hands as he points toward the second chamber, he should shudder as he says "This is a sorry sight". His voice should be full of remorse for what he has done, and he should hang his head with shame and regret. His hands should be shaking.
Lady Macbeth tries to reassure him, saying, "A foolish thought to say a sorry sight". This should be said in a falsely bright tone of voice, as if to say "Look this is what we wanted, now you can fulfil your dream of becoming King."
However, Macbeth pays her no attention, as thoughts of the murder plague his mind. He should appear transfixed, and very troubled by his actions, as he stares back into space, and tells himself more than Lady Macbeth, about the two people who woke up and prayed, while he was walking past their door. As he says these lines, he should raise his voice, and begin to talk frantically, ignoring Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth, while he is doing this, should be worried about someone hearing him, and anxiously trying to shut him up. She should be following him around the stage, but not looking at him. She should be more preoccupied with looking around into the shadows, anxious about getting caught.
Macbeth should shout the words "hangman's hands" in horror, and look at his hands, which should now be shaking uncontrollably. He should say the words "but wherefore could I not pronounce 'Amen'?" quieter and pleadingly, and fall to his knees in anguish. He should be nearly in tears as he says the next lines "I had most need of blessing and 'Amen' stuck in my throat" , meaning that he would need a blessing for what he was about to do, but he obviously was not given one as he could not pronounce the word "Amen". He has now realised that he is damned to Hell for the terrible crime he has committed.
Lady Macbeth should not go to her husband as she says "These deeds must not be thought of after these ways; so, it will make us mad." She is trying more to convince herself than Macbeth, and these lines are ironic as later on in the play it is her who goes mad and eventually commits suicide.
Macbeth's nervous ramblings are full of guilt and remorse as he uses several metaphors for sleep, and realises that he will never again sleep peacefully because of what he has done. He likens sleep to the main course of a meal, the "chief nourisher in life's feast", and says that sleep is "the death of each day's life", meaning that after having slept, we are reborn each day and can make a new start. The mysterious voice he thought he heard may have been his own guilty conscience, but the words it spoke may also have been another of the witches chilling prophecies. "Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more". This makes the audience think once more about the theme of the supernatural depicted throughout the play, and lighting or sounds could be used to convey this, such as a witches cackle after Macbeth has said this line, or a silhouette of the witches gathered around a cauldron could be flashed quickly across the stage.
With these words about hearing a voice, Lady Macbeth should turn quickly to Macbeth and say the line "What do you mean" sharply. She thinks he means that someone saw him and knows what he did. Her voice should be on edge and harsh. Macbeth can't seem to hear her and just ignores her, saying his next lines in a demented tone of voice, still on his knees. Lady Macbeth should then drag him to his feet and shout at him "Who was it that thus cried?" urgently. Then, realising that it wasn't a real voice, and remembering that they don't want to get caught, quietly tries to get him back on track, and firmly tells him to get some water and "wash this filthy witness from your hand". As she looks at his hand, she should grab it with a disgusted facial expression. Then it should change to a look of shock, as she sees the daggers, now together in his other hand, and says, in a quivering voice "Why did you bring these daggers from the place?" The daggers are a visual reminder of what they have done, and Lady Macbeth should close her eyes and swallow after saying this, as if to try and rid herself of a mental picture of what the bloody scene would look like. Then she should get herself together, as she tells Macbeth to return the daggers to the murder scene and smear the King's grooms with blood. She should say this firmly, but in a voice that shows she can't believe that Macbeth would be so stupid as to bring the daggers away with him.
Macbeth should shout, "I'll go no more" desperately, then should say his next lines quieter, in horror and again nearly in tears.
Lady Macbeth is really annoyed with Macbeth when she says "Infirm of purpose" but she should say it in an angry loud whisper instead of shouting, as if to remind him that they need to be quiet so they don't get caught. Then she should turn away and muster up her courage before saying, "Give me the daggers" in a resigned tone of voice. She should turn to him and try to take them, but she would have to force them from him, as Macbeth would be gripping them tightly.
When she gets them, she should pause, and then say as if to herself "The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures. 'Tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil." This means that there is no reason to be afraid of a dead body, because it is only a representation of a living person and it can't hurt you. It's like a picture of something scary like the devil. Only children should be afraid of a picture of the devil. She is again trying to convince herself more than her husband when she says this and is trying to steel her nerves to visit the scene. She should look back at Macbeth and say her next lines overconfidently, as if she is trying to prove that she is not afraid, when in fact she is. As she exits she should have her back to the audience so they cannot see her face but her shudder should be visible as she carries the daggers to Duncan's room. Macbeth should hardly notice his wife's exit as he is too caught up in his guilt and depression.
When the tension is increased yet again by the sudden loud knocking on the door, he should jump up in alarm. He should shout his line "Whence is that knocking?" in a petrified voice with an unnerved look in his eyes. Then he should fall to his knees and cover his face distraughtly with his hands, as he says "How is't with me, when every noise appals me?" When he sees his bloody hands, he should pull them away, jump to his feet and shout his next line, "What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes." He should close his eyes as he says it, and hold his hands out in front of him in desperation, as if when he opens his eyes the blood will be gone, and it will all have been a dream. We should be able to see his self-hatred as he continues with his nervous ramblings and puts his head down in misery. As he says "This my hand" he should speak in a disbelieving tone of voice, that says he can't believe it really is his hand that killed Duncan.
When Lady Macbeth re-enters, she should walk slowly with her head down and she should speak sadly. As she hears the knocking she should jump, and then get moving to get rid of the evidence. In her highly nervous state, she is aware that it is still possible that their acts may be discovered. She says "A little water clears us of this deed" which is a direct contrast with what Macbeth said earlier, about a whole ocean not being enough to clear the blood from his hands. She speaks again in a falsely bright tone, but also anxiously, as she is trying to hurry while washing her hands. When we see what happens later on in the story, we see the irony in these lines as it is her who sleepwalks in the night, washing her hands over and over, reliving this night in an attempt to cleanse herself of the guilt. With the repetition of the knocks, Lady Macbeth becomes more and more agitated and she should speak in a very highly pitched and nervous voice. However, she still manages to keep her head and tries to speed up Macbeth, who appears to be losing his mind. She tries to usher her disturbed husband to their chamber, where they can rid themselves of the signs of their guilt, but he is still in turmoil over the events of the night and keeps staring into space. In the end, she literally has to drag him off stage. As Macbeth says his final line, he should turn to the direction from which the sound of the knocking is coming and shout in utter despair "Wake Duncan with thy knocking, I would thou couldst." His remorse is now at it's peak, and as the scene ends, the audience would probably be speechless.
This scene is definitely pivotal to the story of Macbeth, as everything else that happens throughout the entire play seems to be a result of, or revolve around this particular scene. Not only is it important because it contains the first murderous act, but it also conveys to the audience the beginning of the rapid disintegration of the relationship between the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Their relationship changes in this scene from a trusting one in which both considered each other equal, into one where they lie to each other and neither of them involves the other in their actions.
All of the themes of the play are illustrated in this single scene; treason, the supernatural, ambition, light vs. dark, and good vs. evil, and this also shows just how important the scene is. It provides the events on which the whole play is based and after it has taken place, nothing is the same.
Jenni Walsh - 1 -
