Thomas Moffitt        12J        Macbeth

Macbeth

        In the final Act of the play Macbeth and his wife are described by Malcolm as “This dead butcher and his fiend-like queen.” Consider how Shakespeare introduces us to the character of Macbeth in Act 1.

        Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 and wrote 37 plays throughout his lifetime. He wrote Macbeth in 1606 and it is probably one of his best known plays. ‘Macbeth’ is one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies-the others being: King Lear, Othello and Hamlet. ‘Macbeth’ was written under the rein of King James I, so it is not surprising that the play is, in many ways linked to the King. It is a Scottish play (King James was the new Scots King of England). One of the central characters, Banquo can be traced as one of King James’s ancestors. The play also deals with the subject of Kingship and loyalty. This would have appealed to the King as during the gunpowder plot, people who he trusted turned against him and tried to kill him. The play also deals with the subject of the supernatural; this would have interested the King because he was very interested in the darker sides to life.

        Macbeth is first introduced to us in Act 1, Scene 2. We can see from the start of the play the difference in the language used nowadays to the language used then. He is first described as “Brave Macbeth and well he deserves that name.” This would lead you to believe that he is a brave soldier; someone everyone admires and respects.

        The Bleeding Captain then goes on to say, “Like valours minion carved out his passage.” This is the first sign of the difference in language. This means that he is a great warrior. There is a description “Unseamed him from the nave to th’ chop.” This implies that he is a ruthless warrior because he would do anything without thinking twice about it. Duncan’s description of Macbeth shows his high opinion and regard for him.

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        At the beginning of the play we hear of Macbeth through the witches. They are meeting each other in stormy weather, which is significant because in the Jacobean period, people believed that violent storms were the sign of evil and were omens of strife for individuals and countries. From this scene we can see that Macbeth is going to be associated with evil throughout the play. We can tell this from the quote “there to meet Macbeth”. Perhaps the most significant line in the scene is

“Fair is foul and foul is fair!”

From this we can tell that ...

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