How does Shakespeare make Macbeth(TM)s crisis of conscience dramatically effective in acts 1 and 2?

This essay hasn't yet been marked by one of our teachers

You can view 7 essays on Macbeth that have been Marked by Teachers

The first 200 words of this essay...

How does Shakespeare make Macbeth's crisis of conscience dramatically effective in acts 1 and 2?

A person's conscience is affected by their surroundings, what they experience, what people tell them and their environment in which they live. Macbeth is set in a time where war is going on and things of a gothic nature happen often throughout the country. In the 1600s, as James I was king, the rate at which witches were persecuted increased dramatically. James I was a man who was obsessed with witchcraft, so when he became king his ideas spread and an atmosphere of fear of witches spread throughout Britain. James I even appointed a witch finder general, Sir Matthew Hopkins. Hopkins' job was to go to towns and villages and find and persecute witches.

Witches were feared and hated across Britain. A person living in 15th century Britain must have had some dark and gothic thoughts in their conscience.

We know from the start that this play is going to be of a dark, violent nature because the start of the play consists of three witches talking in thunder and lightning. In the 1600s, thunder and lightning