Macbeth essay

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Mabeth English Coursework

Macbeth the whole way through the play is full of universal themes that apply to all generations and societies. This means that it was in tune with its audience when Shakespeare first wrote it but it would still be of interest and the events of concern to modern viewers.

Shakespeare brings the murderer on stage instead of having a private scene between Macbeth and the murderer. The murderer could come on stage from the wing guided by hand by one of the witches before she lets him go to carry on to Macbeth and turns around and goes off stage. He would be dressed as a messenger and the only thing to identify him as not what he appears should be a smear of on his face along his jaw line: ‘There’s blood upon thy face.’ this backups that it was a brutal attack and murder which later on is shown physically by Banquo’s ghost’s appearance. After the murderer approaches Macbeth he should draw him away from the table nearer to the audience without the Lords or Lady Macbeth noticing. The rest of the characters can continue to be festive but in mime so that the audience can clearly hear the conversation. At the line ‘thou art the nonpareil’ Macbeth catches Lady Macbeth’s eye as she waves and smiles. After the line ‘Fleance is scaped’ Macbeths smile quickly disappears and he moves in threatening close to the murderer though the line ‘Then comes my fit again.’ Macbeth is angry as the point of having Banquo murdered was so that he could prevent the part of witches prophecy taking place. Banquo’s son has lived though meaning that Banquo has been murdered for nothing as his descendents will take the throne away from Macbeths if he has children.

The appearance of Banquo’s ghost and then reappearance are the most dramatic parts of the scene. The ghost first appears when Macbeth makes a toast to the ‘missing’ Banquo, ‘To our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss’, as if it chide Macbeth for mocking his death. The three witches could be above the banquet table in a gallery looking down on the Lords and Ladies.  Macbeth’s throne would be in the middle of a long table and directly underneath the witches. Macbeth calls them ‘Juggling fiends’ which would be appropriate as they play with the ghost, the audience should be made to wonder how much control they have over him as though they have no regard for him yet they still use him for their own evil games. The lights would only show the witches just before they lower the ghost down on puppet strings into Macbeth’s throne. The actor playing Banquo will play the ghost so that the audience can see him and the witches’ direct control over the evil spirits. When the ghost exists for the first time you see the witches pulling the dead body back up onto the gallery with them. The scene will continue until the ghost reappears when the witches quickly lower the body/ghost over the railing off the gallery back into the throne. When the ghost hits the throne all the stage lights turn off with just a spotlight remaining on the ghost which will slowly fade out before suddenly flooding back on when Macbeth starts to speak.

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Banquo’s ghost can be shown in different ways or not at all to portray different ideas. If the ghost were not on stage so that the audience can see it then it would give the impression that Macbeth is going insane and seeing things that are not there is reality. This might be a more suitable idea for a modern day audience as it is not likely that a ghost on stage would scare them as much as it would have done in Shakespeare’s time, when belief in the supernatural was more common. Despite this though I feel that ...

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