How did Shakespeare capture the audience’s interest in the first three scenes of Macbeth. Is his opening still successful with the audience 400 years later?

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Hayley Woodall

English Coursework

Shakespeare: Macbeth

        How did Shakespeare capture the audience’s interest in the first three sense of Macbeth. Is his opening still successful with the audience 400 years later?

        In the first three scenes of Macbeth we are introduced to most of the main characters such as; The Three Witches, Duncan, Malcolm, Ross and Macbeth. You are not introduced to other main characters such as Lady Macbeth and Macduff until later on in the play. During the play of Macbeth the story of Macbeth the Scottish Lord is told, in the first three scenes it starts with the three witches meeting in a wild and stormy place and they are talking about their plans for the future: meeting with Macbeth at the end of a battle. Then on in scene two King Duncan is told about the brave Macbeth killing a rebellious Macdonwald, the title Thane of Cawdor is also given to Macbeth this is due to the old Thane of Cawdor being of aid to the Norwegians who were involved in the fighting. In scene three Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches, the witches then tell Macbeth of his upcoming titles of Thane of Cawdor, then later on to be King, Macbeth at this moment in time did not know about being Thane of Cawdor. The witches disappeared and Macbeth was told he was Thane of Cawdor; this news then fills Macbeth with fear.

Shakespeare produced this play with the opening being of thunder and lightning, the thunder and lightning alone gives off a dramatic impact and grabs the audience’s attention, it also represents evil with dramatic sound effects with an eerie sense to the play. It creates a supernatural atmosphere, which Shakespeare would have wanted. It introduces the play as a dark and dangerous play and the theme of evil is central. The appearance of the witches would have not been expected the audience would have expected to see Macbeth first but instead they saw three horrible, ugly women, with the Shakespearean audience they would have believed in witches so it made more life like to them than it would do to today’s people. In there day there would have been no music or sound effects or lighting as there was no way to produce it. The words used also would have built up the audience’s expectations with the build up to Macbeth’s entrance in Act 1 scene 2.

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Quote ; "Show’d like a rebel’s whore : but all’s too weak ;

             For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that

                Name-"

Hayley Woodall

English Coursework

The appearence of the King would have been powerful as to an Elizabethan audience a king mean’t power he woukld have been dressed in armour and crowned. The audience would react badly to the way that the captain explains the battle when Macbeth fights so fiercely, because it would not be something that the audience would be used to. The audience also ...

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