How does Shakespeare create a sense of evil and disorder in Act 1 of Macbeth?

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How does Shakespeare create a sense of evil and disorder in Act 1 of Macbeth?

In this essay, I aim to effectively analyse how Shakespeare manages to create a sense of evil and disorder in Act 1 of Macbeth. Macbeth is a play set in Scotland, and the whole play is about a regicide and its aftermath.

The play begins with a sinister scene featuring the infamous three witches. This immediately creates a sense of unease and disorder about the scene, as the audience is captivated by the unnaturalness, and the uncanniness. It is interesting to notice how the play seems to start with the end of a conversation, which adds to the sense of mystery and evil. Also, in the second line of the play there is the mention of thunder and lightning, giving this idea of conflict in the natural world and in the sky. A factor that also contributes to the sense of evil is the setting, as it is set on a heath, which is away from society.

At the time it was written, in the Jacobean period, witches were seen as evil and demonic. It was believed that they were given powers by the Devil, and in return, they allowed him to drink their blood. IF you were thought to be a witch, you were examined for the “Devil’s mark”, which was a red mark which would suggest that Satan had sucked their blood. In 1604, King James declared that anyone found guilty of witchcraft should be executed. They were often referred to as ‘agents of the devil’, ‘enemies of God’, and ‘Satan’s allies’ therefore this would cast an even darker shadow over the scene. Not only this, but it would also draw the audience even further in, as they would be keen to find out more about witches, and their minds would encourage them to be more attentive. It is also clever how Shakespeare designates the three main evil characters as witches, as it will be easier for the audience to identify, because witches are known to be evil. The witches then immediately show their malevolence, and abnormality by reciting the lines “fair is foul and foul is fair” in unison. This means “good is bad, and bad is good” which is a statement that completely blurs all moral boundaries, as it is saying that everything good in the world is bad and everything bad in the world is good. Moreover, it creates a sense of ambiguity, as the ideas are contradictory and morally wrong. The lines “fair is foul and foul is fair” are very clever lines, as they show very strong alliteration. The repetition of the letter ‘f’ in the words fair and foul also contribute to the idea that it sounds like the witches are chanting. Their eeriness is also shown through the language they use. For instance, instead of speaking in iambic pentameter, or blank verse, they always speak in rhyme, which makes the audience think they are doing a spell, or some kind of witchcraft. In addition, they sometimes share lines, such as in Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 2 and 3, where it says “Killing swine. Sister, where thou?” This creates a sense of unease among the audience as it is as if the witches can read each other’s minds. Shakespeare also links the idea of bad weather in with the idea of evil, as during the scene there is a huge thunderstorm going on in the background. This is effective as a thunderstorm is considered a disturbance in nature, so it shows how evil the witches are.

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Shakespeare is also careful to include little details about the witches, like their delight in evil. This is shown in Scene 3, when the witches are talking about how they have been attacking farmers’ livelihoods by killing swine for fun, and how they have been attacking an innocent sailor, by means of deprivation of sleep. Although these details aren’t directly important to the plot, they are effective and useful, as it means the audience can build up an image of just how evil and malevolent these witches really are. Also, throughout the play, there a frequent references to things such ...

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