‘Macbeth’ was written during the reign of King James, who claimed to be a descendant of Banquo. The king had a fascination in the supernatural and particularly witchcraft. Shakespeare included the witches in the story, to interest the king. They also played a part in the portrayal of Banquo. As the king claimed to be a descendant of Banquo, he would have found it offensive to have Banquo playing a part in the murder of the king and being affected by the prophecies of the witches. Instead, Banquo suffers a tragic hero’s death, which would portray him as a good and noble character like Macduff.
The use of the supernatural in Macbeth is a dramatic device that has a series of effects that impacted the Elizabethan audience. The witches foreshadow events in the play, and in doing so, create suspense for the Elizabethan audience of the past, In addition, the supernatural creates for the audience and Macbeth a good sense of the role of fate. Shakespeare bases ‘Macbeth’ around the common belief at that time, that there is a natural hierarchy, of which the King is paramount. They believed that if the King were removed from this position of power, then chaos would ensue. This is demonstrated in the language of the characters and the imagery Shakespeare creates after King Duncan has been killed. “And Duncan’s horses, a thing most strange and certain. Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, Turn’d wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out” This shows that once the King was gone, all of nature would be affected, like Duncan’s horses.
In ‘Macbeth’, the main female character is Lady Macbeth and although she is a woman, she has a very powerful influence over Macbeth. It was unusual for a female character to be portrayed in this way because women were meant to be under their husband’s rule. A very strict social order was applied to everyday family life, and as a result, the man commanded obedience from his spouse. Lady Macbeth acts in very manly ways and we rarely ever see a human, womanly side to her character. Shakespeare shows this by Lady Macbeth’s soliquoy. “Come you spirits, that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here” She is asking the gods to “unsex me here” to make her a man, meaning give her power. This is the first glimpse we get of her influential character, and the authority she exercises over Macbeth.
Shakespeare manages to move the plot along very smoothly, moving one scene into another and then changing the mood. It is demonstrated in Act 2 Scene 2 as we can see elements of contrast and continuity. Act 1 Scene 7 is the beginning of the tension. Lady Macbeth persuades and taunts Macbeth to kill Duncan. “When you durst do it, then you were a man. And to be more than what you were, you would” Shakespeare carries the tension thorough into Act 2 Scene 1 and it is intensified by Macbeth’s soliquoy.
We are lead to believe in Act 1 Scene 7 that Macbeth is not going to commit the murder and in Act 2 Scene 1, we can see Macbeth’s change in character and attitude towards killing Duncan. The soliquoy increases the tension into the build up into to the murder. The very last lines of Macbeth’s soliquoy move the scene into the climax of the play. “Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or hell” It prepares us and offers a suggestion of what is to happen in the next scene. Act 2 Scene 2 is the climax of the whole play. Here, Shakespeare brings into play the build up of tension that has occurred in the previous two scenes.
The tension of the scene is shown in the character’s speech and their reactions to the environment around them. Lady Macbeth is very nervous and reacts to every noise around her. “Hark, Peace! It was the owl that shriek’d, the fatal bellman” When Macbeth re-enters, he and Lady Macbeth share their lines to create urgency and more tension. “Did you not speak? When? Now. As I descended? Ay.”
Act 2 Scene 3 gives the audience relief from all tension in the previous scenes. The mood of the play changes suddenly, and the audience has been as tense as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. In Shakespearian times, the audience would have been more appreciative of the Porter’s jokes but it gives a short pause from the chaos that will follow. Shakespeare also allows the characters to make comparisions with previous scenes. Tension mounts in Act 2 Scene 3 as Macduff comes closer to discovering the body of King Duncan. Lennox comments on the night and weather
