How Does Shakespeare Use His Secondary Characters In Macbeth?

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How Does Shakespeare Use His Secondary Characters In Macbeth?

       Every character in a play or story is used in a different way; however we naturally concentrate on the main characters, the hero or villain. If possible the secondary characters have a much bigger role when it comes to what they’re used for, because they not only carry the plot but they influence the audience making them feel what the playwright intended. Not only do the secondary characters influence feelings but they also, move plot lines, clarify information and sometimes just purely entertain.

      Influencing the audience to feel what you want is an amazing power in the hands of playwright; using characters to build up sympathy or hatred are the most common emotion played on. The Macduff’s in Act 4 Scene 2, are the best evidence for this in Macbeth, their death, short yet significant sways the audience to hate Macbeth but somehow builds up more sympathy for him. There’s one line that hits more than any other “He has kill'd me, mother / Run away, I pray you!” hearing this line from a young boy would have made the audience’s stomachs turned. However a feeling of catharsis is given from this scene, the death of a young child, of a woman (shown as pregnant in Conall Morrison’s version) some members of the audience maybe even most would have taken pleasure from it. The theory of Catharsis is an audience, watching a murder or other crime gets to experience the rush it brings, but without ever having to do it. This scene more than any other makes the audience reflect upon Macbeths journey though out the play, how could a brave and loyal knight be breaking the natural law of combat and killing a family? Slight tricks are very obvious in this scene such as the innocents of young Macduff, his wisdom beyond his years “My father is not dead, for all your saying” makes the heart long for him, to try and protect even if what’s going to happen is known. Lady Macbeth is quite obviously heart broken by the “flight” of her husband, “From whence himself does fly? He loves us not;” Her pain and suffering is felt, this character more than any other builds sympathy, pity and hatred. At this late point in the play the audiences begins to sway away from Macbeth and herald Macduff Campion.

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      A typical trait of Shakespeare’s tragedies is there’s always an element of humour to stop the audience getting too depressed. In Macbeth this character is the Porter; many find this scene uncomfortable to sit through as it’s not very funny. Placed in Act 2, Scene 3 to add humour just after the death of Duncan, the porter himself imagines himself has the porter of the gates to hell, welcoming in various sinners. He talks about the sort of people he would allow in “Here's a farmer, that hanged / himself on the expectation of plenty” followed by ...

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