In the scene, Macbeth becomes less commanding and his conviction of being a ‘less powerful’ character is verified. Shakespeare also uses themes here to represent Macbeth’s flailing character. It is a motif of sleep that is used and this illustrates Macbeth as he exclaims, “Me thought I heard a voice cry, ‘sleep no more!’ Macbeth does murder sleep- the innocent sleep, sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care, the death of each day’s life.” With this is image of darkness, Shakespeare has made it more alarming for the audience, and Macbeth is apparently out of control by giving sleep a transition from one context to another. For example, sleep can be defined as a number of things such as absolution and neglect, and as Macbeth has just murdered Duncan he can not refresh his mind by sleeping, therefore he can not forget what he has done and never be forgiven.
At the beginning of the play it is evident that Macbeth and his wife enjoy a healthy relationship, but when events develop and it is decided that the plot to kill Duncan should be carried out, it is then that we see the bond fail and both of them become more distant. It is at this point that the Lady’s character becomes increasingly stronger, and more determined to carry through with promises. She utilises this power to try to convince her husband that the King should be murdered, and with it great power will come to both of them. Here, Shakespeare creates tension by differentiating between the couple.
At the very beginning of the play, Macbeth is self-appraising, grossly independent and heroic and it is because of this that he is appointed Thane of Cawdor. However, with the additional input of his patriotic wife, he soon becomes dishonest with his king, and his country. It is in Act II Scene II where we see Macbeth’s strange behaviour and differing character. He is seen to be particularly weak and is constantly hearing and seeing images of the murder, and its consequences and he soon senses a depth of guilt. It is worse though, when Macbeth looks at his hands. He recognises the significance of the blood on his hands, by saying
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.”
This co-incides with the ‘knocking’ on the door, which easily disturbs Macbeth’s fragile state of mind - Coupled with the fact that Macduff (who is the person making the noise and who eventually murders Macbeth), it effectively represents the consequences that there will be for Macbeth, when his deed has been investigated. It is even more devastating when his wife mocks his fear and tells him she would be ashamed to have a heart as white as his. She then exploits the fact that she is most acquainted with Macbeth’s disposition with Macbeth, by realising he will be incapable of overcoming this deed, and by once again, influencing him with remarks such as “a little water clears us of this deed”, which is clearly a lie. Her unhelpfulness in this situation is soon recognised by Macbeth and he begins to grieve the loss of the king and his mind. Although, she does try to help insist that he shouldn’t worry when she remarks, “don’t be lost so poorly in your thoughts”, to which, he responds with “Twere best known to myself.” This suggests he is appalled by this act that he has committed. When Macbeth questions himself with, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood?” he feels he will not be able to get rid of the guilt and memories of the deed.
Lady Macbeth is a particularly strong character in the play. She is remarkably effective as becoming the principal influence in any discussion. Her attitude of disgust towards Macbeth in Act II Scene ii is characteristic of the features Shakespeare has employed her with. Her persistency in the desire for total rule, a feature of someone who is authoritative and demanding, drives her to the successful persuasion of Macbeth. But it is after this point, that this personality soon dissolves and her true feelings about the murder come alive with vivacity. This is shown in the opening few lines of the scene when she alarmingly shouts (to herself) “Hark! Peace!” – This is representative of the fear of not only detection, but also by her own recognition she seems to have encountered a loss of self-control. Her rather ambivalent attempt to name the deed “it” re-enforces this statement, as it also shows her feeling of not wanting to be connected to this murder that is about to be committed which, ironically, she coordinated. Her ambition affects her further, especially when she remarks, “Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers, the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures: ‘tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil.” This explains her indecisive thoughts on whether he or she should bring the weapons back to the scene, as with the exclamation mark, it adds urgency to the situation, a sense of drama and excitement. By the end of the play, she wanders aimlessly through the castle, affected by the demise of her husband. As this is after the murder, she is imagining her own death (which is eventually what happens), and she is unable to cope with the invisible blood stains on her hands and soul.
So referring back to the original question, “How does Shakespeare create dramatic tension in Act 2 Scene 2 of Macbeth?” – Well, he does it in multiple ways. Firstly, he creates dramatic irony, which is where a contrast between what the audience perceives and what a character does not know is shown. The fact that Macduff or any other character doesn’t know that Macbeth or Lady Macbeth were involved with the murder of the King, increases dramatic tension as the audience can pre-empt what may happen but still be left wondering what the actual response will be. Shakespeare also uses stage effects, for example the knocking on the door, is representative of not only the fact that Macbeth will actually be convicted of the murder later on in the play, but also that “knocking on the door” may be symbolic of Macbeth’s death, as ‘knocking on the door’ can mean coming close to death. This idea is supported when we see the Kings as the divine right of God, i.e. King Duncan’s power coming directly from God. Shakespeare also uses imagery and personification for effect. The uses of sleep and prayer as motifs where Duncan won’t come back and not being able to “wash thy hands” even with the sea, greatly exaggerates the situation and utilises the fact that the murder reaches further than the imagination. He also uses repeated words and short phrases for effect. An example is when at the beginning of the play between the opening line and line 20, there is a rapid procession of words, using the urgency and indecisiveness of the characters to full effect. The short exchanges between Macbeth and his wife are evidence of the loss of control shown by Macbeth. It is during this again that Shakespeare makes Macbeth look at his hands and feel guilt and grievance for the murder of his King, a king who was revered by his subjects.
