Secondly, looking at the dramatic techniques, one can see the variety Shakespeare uses to create drama. He uses a lot of contrasts in the play, such as contrasting the emotions in the way Macbeth acts in front of Banquo’s ghost. When the ghost is present, Macbeth acts very scared and hesitates and panics in front of his guests. This is illustrated by “Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold;” (l.94) which Macbeth says when he sees the ghost. The way Shakespeare contrasts this is by making Macbeth appear hospitable towards his guests when the ghost isn’t present. This is portrayed by when Macbeth says “Do not muse…, my most worthy friends.” (l.85), Macbeth appears calm and innocent. Another aspect that Shakespeare creates to make it more dramatic is the ignorance of Lady Macbeth. When Macbeth hallucinates, she simply stands her ground, and instead of feeling for him, she ignores everything. When she says “[You] broke the good meeting / with most admiral disorder” (l.109-10) it shows how she starts to question him spitefully about what he is doing. This reveals how the introduction of the ghost helped to create a clear contrast, and how Lady Macbeth’s ignorance added to the significance of this scene, and also helped to structure the theme of guilt.
Thirdly, it is necessary to understand the linguistic techniques Shakespeare uses to create such a powerful scene. Shakespeare writes differently when the ghost is present, to when it is absent. When Macbeth sees the ghost, the sentences become shorter, quicker and more intense, for example, “Avaunt and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee!” (l.93) shows how short and intense the sentences are, taking notice of the exclamation marks at the ends. On the other hand, when the ghost is absent, the lines and sentences become longer, milder and more descriptive. This is evident when Macbeth says “Blood hath been shed ere now, i’th’olden time, / Ere humane statute purg’d the gentle weal;” (l.75-6). Notice the long metaphorical sentences, in contrast to the previous example. Shakespeare also writes in a dark tone. He uses words like: fire, end, murders, blood, dagger, devil, and die to make this scene a dark, sullen one. This aids in making the scene significant, as well as the contrast between the writing.
Lastly, one should look at the audience’s response to the scene. The audience would feel one of two things, varying on whether they knew that there was a ghost, or not. If they knew the story, and were aware of the ghost, the dramatic irony would occur. This is when the audience know what the cast do not. This would lead to tension as whether the other members would take the hints and understand what Macbeth has done, or remain unaware and let the play continue. However if the audience did not know what was going on they would be indeed very confused. As well as listening to difficult Shakespeare writing, they would see Macbeth talking to the air, which may confuse them, especially when he returns to normal.
In conclusion, one can see the various ways that Shakespeare creates a dramatic and significant scene. The theme of guilt and consequence really backs up the previous scene of Banquo’s murder, and the introduction of the ghost and reaction of Lady Macbeth explains Macbeth’s emotions very well. The way in which Shakespeare writes is also effective in distinguishing what is happening, and all of this really boosts the effectiveness and dramatic significance of Act III Scene IV lines 60 – 116.
