MacBeth - how setting, characters and literacy devices are used to make Act 1 Scene 5 dramatic

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In this essay I am going to discuss how Shakespeare makes Act 1 Scene 5 dramatic for the audience—how setting, characters and literacy devices are used to make this scene dramatic.

Macbeth, or ‘The Scottish Play’ as it is sometimes referred to as it is believed bad luck to say ‘Macbeth’, is a story of tragedy written between 1603 and 1606 by William Shakespeare. The play is a dramatic portrayal of Macbeth, a brave soldier who is tempted by ‘the weird sisters’ and urged by his wife to murder his way to the throne. After having committed regicide (killing King Duncan), Macbeth’s conscience tortures him and increasingly isolates him from the ambitious Lady Macbeth, with his paranoia escalating, Macbeth commits more murders in order to protect himself from retribution. The king at the time of writing, James I of Scotland, VI of England, was a devout believer in the supernatural. For example, parliament passed a law on the wishes of James I in 1563, which was not repealed until 1951, which banned the use of witchcraft and any person breaking this law ‘shall suffer death’.

The nature and effects of evil dominate the action of the play from the mystical, eerie opening scene. Shakespeare presents the view that potential for evil is present in nature, in man and in animals, and the play’s imagery evokes this. All evil in the play can originate back to the three weird sisters. The ‘rooky woods’, ‘crows’ and ‘black bat’ are all symbols of witchcraft. There are other supernatural elements too (for example when the weird sisters conjure up apparitions). The duality of order versus chaos runs throughout the play. The first scene opens against a chaotic backdrop of heavenly disorder, with thunder, lightning and a terrible storm. The ‘witches’ chant that “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” and this oxymoron sets the tone. It means that things that are good will become bad and things that are bad will become good. Secondly, it means things that look pretty "fair" will become ugly "foul" and things that are ugly will become beautiful—they are then referring to the entire world of the play. If you look at Duncan's first lines, at the start of Scene 2 in Act 1, the normal humans are operating in a world where appearances honestly and accurately represent reality. Likewise, Macbeth is tagged as praiseworthy by the soldier's report and he deserves it. However, as soon as Macbeth meets the witches, everything changes—he hears great predictions, but they lead him to evil actions.

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From the very start of Act 1 Scene 5 to line 28, the main focus is upon Lady Macbeth—this is the audience’s first introduction to her and her soliloquy reveals her reactions upon introspecting the letter Macbeth has sent to her. At the end of which the main features of her personality are clearly visible: she has a very strong character, even stronger than Macbeth’s. However, at the present day this would not seem to be ‘dramatic’ for a woman to have a strong character, whereas in the age when Macbeth was written, women were mainly of a gentle, kind ...

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