In Macbeth's convisation with Banquo Macbeth says " give me my sword, who's there? " give me my sword is a imperative and it shows that he is affraid in his friends house, "who's there?" is a interrogative and it create's tension. Banqou says " what sir, not yet at rest? " which is another interrogative. He also says " he hath been in unusual pleasure " " unusual " is a premodifier which suggests he is very pleased with Macbeth which makes the murder more horrific because he has only good things to say about him which refers back to Macbeth 's earlier quote " let light not see my dark and deep desires " which emphasises that he would not get any good pleasure from doing it, but he would get unusual pleasure which his dark and deep desires, committing regeside and becoming the new King.
When Macbeth and Banquo are having a convisation there is a contrast because of Macbeth is constantly lieing and Banquo is being honest which creates tension and shows how unstable their friendship is between them and how much he doesn't want his dark desires to be known because he is lieing to his friend.
Macbeth contradicts himself when he says " i think not of them, yet we can entreat an hour to serve, we would spend it in some words upon that business, if you would grant the time ". He contradicts himself because he says that he doesn't think of them but then he asks if Banquo if he would give him support and grant him time to spend it oin some words upon that buisness,. this emphasise that Macbeth is confused and doesn't know what he wants. Macbeth says to Banquo " if you shall cleave to my consent, when ' tis, it shall make honour for you " which emphasises the fact of Macbeth is contradicting himself because he said earlier that he did not think of the witches and now he is saying that it will be a honour to Banquo which make Banquo think that it is a good idea. Banquo then says "so I lose none in seeking to augment it, but still keep my bosom franchised and allegiance clear, I shall be counselled " which emphasises the loyalty to the king and seals his own fate, this emphasises that Macbeth is bounded to his word.
This scene is mostly Mabeth on stage except for Banquo's speach at the very beggining so it is a soliloquy which is whereyou see and hear what the character thinks and feels. Macbeth says to a servant " go bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready , she strike upon the bell. Get thee to bed " this is a imperative sentence with a double meaning, the appearence is ordenary because he is telling Lady Macbeth that when his drink is ready, she should strike the bell and once the servant has done that go to bed, the reality is that the coast is clear and Macbeth can commit regacide which is a crime against god and kill the king.
Macbeth is only a few minutes away from the crime and you can see the burden of his conscience wieghing heavily on his thoughts. He says " is this a dagger which i see before me, the handle towards my hand? " this is a soliloquy and he uses the world "dagger " because it is a harsh sounding word and it makes the crime seem more horrific. It is a interrogative which highlights the uncertainty, the audience would react with shock and fear because they didn't think that he would actually kill the king. He then says " come, let me clutch thee: i have thee not, and yet I see thee still " which emphasises that it is all in his mind and that he tries to grab the knife but he can't grab it because it is not there.
There is a lexis of sense with the words " vision " , " feeling " and " sight " which shows Macbeth 's confused state. He then quote's " a dagger of the mind, a false creation , proceeding from the heat-oppresséd brain? " this emphasises that Macbeth realises it may be all in his mind. He then Says 2 as this which now i draw " he draws his own knife which emphasises that he is moving nearer to the crime because he is holding the dagger which will be part of the worst crime possible, regicide and to prove to himself that he is imagening anymore because he has a dagger in his hand now. He then says " and on thy blade and dudgeun gouts of blood " gouts of blood are large drops of blood which represent Macbeths guilt and fear for what he is about to do . He then says " there's no such thing " which is a simple sentence where he is trying to convince himself that it is all in mind. In the next sentence shakespeare uses alliteration and a euphemismm with " bloody buisness , the alliteration creates tension and the euphemism emphasises that Macbeth doesn't want to admit and to take its place which in his mind is linked with murder. Then he says " thus to mine eyes " which emphasises that he is thinking about the crime of regacide which he is about to commit so much it is causing him to see things. There is a lexis of evil with " wicked dreams abuse ", " wolf ", " horror " and " hell " which hints that Macbeth is turning evil because his talking on the stage on his own and speaking his thoughts which involve evil plans. Macbeth quotes " plae hecate's off' rings and withered murder " there is peronification of murder with the word dead which was not in that quote, and murder. In the quote above is the word " hecate's " who is the goddess of witchcraft which relaters back where Macbeth first heard the withces predict that Macbeth would become king and now he is a few moments away from becoming king and killing Duncan. There is a lexical set of sleep with " the curtained sleep " and " wicked dreams " which emphasises the fact that it is late at night , dark and that it will be Duncan's last ever dream before Macbeth kills him, this shows that Macbeth is thinking of his nightmares which he will experience once he killed duncan. He also says " Tariun ravishining strides " who is the a roman general prince and shows he is taking a big step to become king. There is also a lexis of movement with " stealthy pace " , " ravishing strides " and " moves like a ghost " this emphasises Macbeth is going throught the plan because he will have to move like a ghost not to be seen or heared but at the same time at a fast pace, he uses the words " Tarquin's ravishing strides " that emphasises that Macbeth is like Tarquin because he is a war general and a prince eho is heir to the throne.
Macbeth then quotes " thou sure and firm-set earth, hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear thy very stones prate of my where about " this ephasises that Macbeth is worried that he might be discovered murdering duncan.
Macbeth realises that he is only tyring t odelay his task which emphasises how much he does not want to do it and how he changed because he used to be a brutal, heartless soldier who wouldn't hesetate to kill anyone but now he can't 1 person, this is shown in " whiles i threat, he lives ". There is a bell ring in the stage directions and that can only mean 1 thing, that it is the signal to Macbeth that Lady Macbeth has drugged the quards and the coast is clear to go and kill the king, the audience will be suprised because they would all have thought that he wouldn't kill him.
Macbeth says " I go, and its done " shakespeare uses short simple sentences to make it seem resigned. this emphasiises that whi a stab of a knife and it is done. The last sentence to the end of the scene is where Macbeth is about to leave to kill the king " hear it not, Duncan, for its a knell that summons thh to heaven or to hell " this emphasises that the bell that he heard was a " knell " at Duncan's funeral which will send Duncan to heaven or hell, the scene ends on a rhyming couplet and ends at the point where Macbeth is just about to kill Duncan and leave the audience anticipated to find out wether Macbeth has the courage to commit regacide.
At the start of this section the dramatic tension is highlighted by the audience awaiting the comfirmation of Duncan's death.
Lady Macbeth starts the scene by saying " that which hath made them drunk, hath made me bold, what hath quenched them hath given me fire " this emphasises that Lady Mabeth is nervous and tense and the same drink that made the guards drunk has given her Deutch courage. There is then a stage dircetion saying an owl shrieks, this is associated with death so the audience will be in suspence with wether the owls shriek brings death to the king. Lady Macbeth uses the words " the fatal bellman " who is a man who rings the bell before a execution of burial, that reinforces that a owls shriek is associated with death. She then says " which gives stern'st good night " this emphasises how drunk the guards are, they are so drunk it is hard to tell if they are dead or alive.
There is a stage direction saying " Macbeth enters with 2 bloody daggers " the audience will be shocked because Macbeth has just commited regacide and they didn't think he would have the nerve's. He enters with the bloody daggers so he has not stuck to the plan by leaving them by the drunk blood smuthered guards, this also creates tension in the audience because they will wonder if the plan will owrk and did he cover the guards in blood and shows dramatic comfirmation of the kings death. Lady Macbeth is very concerned that the plan has failed because of Macbeth returning with the 2 blood covered daggers, this is backed up by Lady Macbeth saying " alack, i am afraid they have awaked and ' tis not done; th'attempt and not the deed " she uses the word " deed " for a euphemism for death because she feels gilty. Lady Macbeth then says " had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done't " this shows and reveals that Lady Macbeth has a conscience and " I had done't " is a euphemism which shows she is unable to face the true nature of what they have done. She then says " my husband? " which shows she is still uncertain. Macbeth says " I have done the deed " Shakespeare uses alliteration which focuses attension on Macbeth's actions and Shakespeare also uses a euphemism with " deed " which shows Macbeth can't face what he has done.
There is a contrast between the way he was in Act 1 where he was brave and the way he is now which is nervous and tense because he askes Lady Macbeth " didst thou hear a noise? ". Lady Macbeth says " I heard the owl scream and the cricket cry " there is a lexis of sound associated with death which will set a dark and evil atomosphere. There is a break in iambic pentameter which draws attension to the short sylibals which shows how they are confused because they are asking short questions. In the next few sentences there are four interoggatives which highlights extreme tension and nervousness experienced by the characters. The last 2 words on this page are " sorry sight " which is alliteration which draws attension to the words which show the feeling of shock, disbelief and regret for what they have done.
Macbeth says " there's one did laugh in's sleep, and one cried, Murder " this emphasises the contrast of good and evil between Macbeth and the guards because the guards call it murder and Macbeth calls it a deed. There's a lexis of religion with " prayers ", " god bless ", amen " and " blessing " which shows all the things Macbeth lost from commiting a crime against god for example eternal damnation and at the time religion was a big part of peoples life and it would have a big part of peoples life and it would have a big effect on the audience. Macbeth uses the words " hangmans hands " which are the hands of a man who kills people by being hung and choked to death which will have the effect of Macbeth being a killer and makes them think that killing the king is more important than just 1 man, and there is also alliterationwhich draws attension to all of the above. There is 2 simple sentences in the next next 2 sentences which are " there are two lodged together " and " consider it not so deeply " whichemphasises that Lady Macbeth has control over Macbeth and is major influence in the opperation of killing the king. Lady Macbeth says " these deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us mad. " this emphasises as later Lady Macbeth is driven insane due to guilt. Macbeth says " sleep no more: Macbeth does murder sleep " which is direct speech to dramatise action, it also reflects on what Macbeth done which is killing the king in his sleep and that Macbeth has killed his own sleep and can't ever have 1 decent sleep again. He also says "innocent sleep " which is sleep without anything on your mind. Then he quotes " sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care " which means when you go to sleep all your problems are knitted back together and when you wake up all your problems are gone, but Macbeth has lost that by killing Duncan. Then he says " The death of each day's life " which emphasises that going to sleep is the end of the day, you put your problems to bed, you wake up and all your problems are gone and fresh new day is waiting. He then says " sore labours bath " which shows sleep is like a relaxing bath, it sooths your aches and pains. Macbeth then says " Balm of hurt minds " which shows the balm of sleep protects yoy from bad thoughts and the danger you have expirenced through the day. The last thing Macbeth says in the sentence is " Great nature's second course, cheif nourisher in life's feast " this is saying that sleep is the second course of the day. All of these are the qualities of sleep that Macbeth has lost from killing the king. Lady Macbeth has lost from killing the king. Lady Macbeth says " What do you mean? " this shows she is confused with what Macbeth just said. Macbeth says " Glamis hath murdered sleep' , and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more" this emphasises that Macbeth's life is only concerned by what he has done because every part of sentence is tainted by his crime. Lady Macbeth says " Go get some water " which is a imperative and show she is in control over Macbeth because she is demanding Macbeth around, it also shows the difference to Macbeth's character because he was a strong leading soldier and now he is getting told what to do by his wife. She also usesthe words " Filthy witness " as a euphemism for blood and emphasises that if they get caught with the blood on his hands it will be a witness to the crime. She the says " why did you bring these daggers from the place? " this increases tension because the plan may have failed and they may get caught. She also says " Go carry them " which shows she is trying to take charge over Macbeth so they don't get caught. Macbeth says " I'll go no more " which is a simple sentence which has 1 meaning and emphasises his imphatic refused which increases the tension.
Lady Macbeth uses loads of imperative to take action by using word like " Infirm of perpose " which is a critical tone and " give me the daggers " which emphasises that Lady Macbeth wants it to all go to plan and highlight the saying if you want something done, do it yourself. She then says to Macbeth " the sleeping and dead are but as pictures " which emphasises there is nothing to be afraid of and nothing can be done to prevent duncan's death. Then she says " If hedo bleed, I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must seem their guilt " this emphasises that she is willing to get her hands dirty with the kings blood to make the plan a sucess, she then leaves to take the daggers bacl leaving Macbeth alone on stage.
As soon as she has left there is a stage direction " Knocking within " the sound adds a huge amount and expectation because it seems like someone has noticed something strange and wants to investigate. Macbeth is on the stage on his own and he uses frequent interoggatives to highlight his fear and uncertainty. Macbeth says " How is't with me, when every noise appals me? " this emphasises that he is shocked by every sound and there is no sign of former bravery and that he is now worried that someone knows what is going on. He also says " What hands are here? " which shows disbelief and shock at what he done and that he doesn't know what controlled his hands to kill the king. He then says " Will great neptune's ocean wash this blood " neptune is a god of the seas and it is such a bad crime that he thinks not even the god of oceans' will be able to wash away the blood, and it show a religous asspect because he commited a crime against a god ( neptune ) that he wont spare a little water to wash some blood, shows what he lost for killing Duncan. He also says " No; this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnodine " he says no to show that he will never be free of guilt. Then says " Making the green one red " which is a simplified version of the past quote so all the audience will all understand, and it emphasises that he feels such guilt that his hands will change the colour of the sea and it emphasises the enormity of the crime.
Lady Macbeth has returned from placing the dagger next to the guards. She then says that her hands are the same colour as Macbeth's and that she is ashamed to have a white heart which shows she has no courage, there is a contast between Lady Macbeth because she has just covered 2 drunk guard with the dead kings blood and she then says she has no courage.
There is another stage direction of a knocking which creates more tension because the person who is knocking hasn't left. Lady Macbeth says " Retire we to our chamber ", they are going to their chamber so they can pretend that they were there when Duncan was murdered. There is contrast in guilt because Macbeth says that gods oceans can't clean his hands and then Lady Macbeth says that a little bit of water will clean them. There is another knocking which creates more tension due to the frequency increasing. Lady Macbeth is still in control because she is demanding Macbeth around by telling him to " Get your night-gown" , which that they will be going back to their chamber to sleep soon. Once again there is another knock which creates tension and expectation towards the end of the scene. Macbeth's last sentence of this scene is " Wake Duncan with thy knocking; I would thou couldst. " the scene ends with Macbeth full of regret and still many unanswered questions leaving the audience awaiting more.
The main point of what i have done are the witches , the dark atomsphere , the contrast of lies and honesty between Macbeth and Banquo who are good friends, the soliquy when Macbeth is left on the stage on his own after he murdered the king of Scotland and the audience having to wait to see if Duncan has been killed.
By Jack Thomas
