'Hark! Peace!
It was the owl that shrieked'
Lady Macbeth's interrupted speech and the use of exclamations add to the tension and suspense, it also highlights that she is restless and apprehensive. Shakespeare is presenting her as a callous and apathetic person, devoid of any feelings of compassion because she even makes a joke about the intoxicated guards. Lady Macbeth speaks in the present tense ('he is about it'); Shakespeare is letting the audience see the murder as an ongoing event. In a way, Lady Macbeth is giving us a running commentary of what is happening. Lady Macbeth is alarmed by a noise from within and this reveals again that Lady Macbeth is actually quite troubled and concerned. She is worried that Macbeth has not had the courage to commit the deed. Lady Macbeth also reveals:
'Had he not resembled
My father as he slept, I had done't.'
This seems to be the first sign that Lady Macbeth has a suppressed conscience and signals to the audience that the callous woman may still have a softer feminine side to her character.
Macbeth finally enters the room having murdered Duncan in his bedchamber. The two characters speak using short words and phrases. The use of stichomythia creates a sense of nervousness. At this point in the scene, one similarity can be seen between Macbeth and his wife - they are both on edge. Macbeth is obviously worried and quite shocked at what he has done ('This is a sorry sight.') The rhythm of his speech and repetition of certain words such as 'Amen' and 'sleep' make Macbeth seem obsessive and irrational:
'Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor
Shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no
more.'
Macbeth thinks he has murdered sleep. He is anxious that his horrible crime will never be forgiven.
On the other hand, Lady Macbeth is more calm and collected. She is dismissive about the murder and tells Macbeth that his anxieties are 'brainsickly'. She tries to gloss over events which have taken place and assuage her husband's fears and worries ('consider it not so deeply') With more than a hint of dramatic irony, Lady Macbeth warns:
'These deeds must not be thought
After these ways; so, it will make us mad.'
In retrospect, this is very ironic because Lady Macbeth herself eventually goes mad.
Macbeth makes the mistake of carrying the daggers with him from the murder scene. Lady Macbeth is angry because of his careless mistake:
'Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
They must lie there.'
Shakespeare again shows a distinct contrast between the two. Macbeth has made an unprofessional attempt at the murder because he brought the daggers from the murder scene. Unlike his highly artful and organised wife, Macbeth does not have the presence of mind to think about the logistics of the murder. Lady Macbeth commands her husband to return to the bedchamber and 'smear the sleepy grooms with blood.' Macbeth replies in a monosyllabic and emphatic manner:
' I'll go no more.
I am afraid to think what I have done.
Look on't again I dare not.'
Macbeth definitely seems to regret his actions and because of his response, Lady Macbeth makes him look infantile and immature:
'The sleeping and the dead
are but as pictures. 'Tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil.'
She succeeds in making him look pathetic and questions his manhood. In contrast to Macbeth's horrified reaction, Lady Macbeth almost seems to revel in the idea of returning to the scene:
'If he do bleed,
I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal,
For it must seem their guilt.'
This macabre image shows Lady Macbeth thinking of the task as an act of bravado and a chance to show that she is much stronger than Macbeth is. By having Lady Macbeth take charge of the situation, Shakespeare is showing a contrast between her and Macbeth.
Using a short soliloquy Shakespeare develops Macbeth's character even further. Macbeth's reaction to the knocking from within shows that he is tense and nervous. He also is in a state of complete shock and cannot believe what he has done:
'What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine
eyes.'
Macbeth is so horrified that he is acting like his hands are disjointed from the rest of his body. The oceanic imagery used is exaggerated:
'Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand?'
The hyperbolic language suggests that Macbeth is totally shocked.
At the end of the scene, Macbeth is standing in the room awe-struck by events ('To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself') while Lady Macbeth tries to disregard events ('A little water clears us of this deed.') While her husband stands in a state of dread, Lady Macbeth has to make sure that everything else goes to plan so that they are not found out, despite Macbeth's botched attempt. Throughout the scene, Lady Macbeth is the dominant character. Although tense at times, she is calm, organised and supportive of her husband. She is still presented as a callous and malignant character. In contrast, Macbeth is shocked and regretful. His mistakes almost cause them to be found out. He relies on Lady Macbeth to rectify his bungled attempt and needs her to be his advocate.
In this scene, Shakespeare intended to develop themes of the play. The extreme gesture of regicide manages to consolidate three themes: good and evil; appearance and reality; and ambition. The theme of evil is highlighted because Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have undertaken to kill their King for their own interests. Both characters are equally guilty for the murder and the blood on both their hands is symbolic of this. On this occasion the forces of evil overcome the forces of good, as the virtuous, benevolent King of Scotland is murdered by his own 'loyal' subjects. The murder itself also develops the theme of appearance and reality. Before the murder, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth had to try their best to appear loyal and unthreatening to their King. After the murder, at the end of the scene, the couple has to conceal the grim reality of their evil thoughts and deeds by appearing to others as 'watchers'. Finally, the murder of Duncan advances the theme of ambition. Regicide shows to what extent Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will go to achieve their ambition - to obtain the crown. After the murder has been committed, Macbeth repeatedly refers to his own appellations, which shows he recognises his own ambition and he is obsessed with his titles. Lady Macbeth is equally ambitious; her eagerness to cover up their guilt ('Get on your nightgown') shows that she is very anxious to procure the crown.
Having looked at Shakespeare's intentions and methods in the original text, I can now analyse how effectively the R.S.C realise the scene in their performance. Firstly, I examined how close the performance was to the original text. Very little of Shakespeare's text was left out in the video version and they did not try to condense any of the important scene.
The setting of the scene is very powerful and efficacious. The scene is set in complete darkness, the stage is bare and the lighting is dark. Apart from the blood on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's hands, everything is monochrome. The dark, portentous setting is suitable for the monstrous crime that the couple commits. The production of the scene is probably close to how Shakespeare would have intended, with no props, minimalist stage and darkness. The darkness of the set creates an intense and evil atmosphere apropos to the corrupt nature of the scene. In the R.S.C. performance Lady Macbeth is played by Judi Dench and Macbeth by Ian McKellan. In this scene, Dench is wearing a simple black dress and a black headscarf. The headscarf is effective because it covers all of her hair and lets the audience focus more on her facial expression; it also makes the character of Lady Macbeth seem less feminine. McKellan is also wearing a simple, black costume. Both costumes are minimalist, non-descript and have no period feel. The fact that their costumes are black highlights the theme of evil.
There are few props used in the R.S.C''s production of Macbeth. In the scene the only props used are the bloodied daggers that Macbeth used to kill Duncan. A less significant prop used is the coat that Lady Macbeth drapes over her husband's shoulders while trying to calm him. Shakespeare had intended the daggers to be part of the scene, they are almost like a focal point in the scene because they represent instruments of evil. The daggers are covered in Duncan's blood, this is the only addition of colour in an otherwise monochrome scene. The daggers are handed between the two throughout the course of the scene and at the end both characters' hands are covered in blood, this signifies that both are equally guilty of the murder.
To judge if the performance was effective, it is important to look at the interpretation of roles by the actors and their portrayal of character. At the start of the scene, in Lady Macbeth's soliloquy, Dench speaks in hushed tones to show that Lady Macbeth is anxious of getting caught and she doesn't want to be overheard. Dench speaks slowly at the start and she looks to be calm and in control. Effective use of sound effects breaks the quiet. The loud, invasive sound of an owl shrieking increases a sense of urgency. Dench brings a hand over her mouth and her facial expression shows that Lady Macbeth is startled by the noise. Although relieved when she realises that it was only the sound of an owl, the next lines are delivered urgently and it shows that Lady Macbeth is still on edge. After making the sick joke, Dench begins to laugh hysterically and acts quite giddy. It shows that Lady Macbeth is almost excited about the murder.
McKellan enters the stage after the murder is committed and there is an exchange between the two. Although not mentioned in Shakespeare's stage directions, in the R.S.C version Dench and McKellan back into one another. They cannot see the others presence and both are obviously startled and taken aback. Their movement and facial expression shows that both are very much on edge. There is a stichomythic exchange; the pace becomes rapid and both speak in hushed whispers conveying a sense of fear and exigency. Dench speaks in hushed and even-tempered tones to show that Lady Macbeth is trying to palliate her husband's concerns. The camera is used effectively during this exchange as the shot shifts quickly from one alarmed face to the other. McKellan competently evokes Macbeth's horror at what he has done. His eyes are wide and staring fixedly into space and he shakes his head like he cannot believe what he has done. There is an eerie light on McKellan's face and the camera dwells on him. McKellan uses monotonous intonation while he rambles -
'Methought I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep,' the innocent sleep…'
He does not emphasise any of the words and this shows that Macbeth is dazed and still in a state of complete shock. McKellan's gaze is fixed and he is perspiring, he gives the impression that Macbeth is going mad. While McKellan continues to ramble and look horrified, Dench's facial expression is one of fear and confusion. It is like Lady Macbeth does not understand what is happening to her husband and is fearful because Macbeth should not be dwelling on the murder but trying to conceal it. Dench scans McKellan's face like she is trying to discern what the problem is. At this point, Lady Macbeth is becoming more agitated by her husband and more desperate. Dench shows this by covering her ears with her hands like she does not want to hear any more insane verbosity.
Dench's tone becomes more abrupt and scolding as she tries to Macbeth to gather his thoughts. For the first time, she realises that Macbeth is carrying the murder weapons and there is an obvious look of panic on her face. The tone of voice is discourteous and brusque when Dench delivers the lines -
'Go carry them, and smear
The sleepy grooms with blood.'
McKellan indicates that Macbeth is nervous and dazed because he begins to shake, causing the daggers to clang together. Dench then abruptly pulls the daggers from Macbeth's hands showing her contempt for him and goes to the bedchamber. Macbeth is left alone in the room, McKellan examines his hands like they are foreign objects; indicating Macbeth's disgust at what he has done. He makes an undulating motion with his hands and his breathing is heavy. The camera focuses on Macbeth's bloodstained hands, suggesting his immersion in the crime. McKellan's speech is broken and each syllable is separated.
Dench returns to the murder scene carrying the daggers and begins to move agitatedly about the stage suggesting she is worried about being caught. She tries to invoke a sense of urgency in Macbeth ('Be not lost so poorly in your thoughts'). McKellan is in a trance. He shakes his head and looks at his bloodied hands trying in vain to wash them clean. He is introspective and his fixed gazed suggests he is not listening to Lady Macbeth. Finally, Dench has to drag McKellan off the stage in the crook of her arm. Her hands are too bloody to touch him, McKellan's hands are also covered in blood; this symbolises their complicity.
Theme development was already identified as one of Shakespeare's intentions for the text. Did the R.S.C version succeed in developing the themes previously mentioned? I think the R.S.C. succeeded mostly in developing the theme of evil. The darkness of the set and costume, the ominous atmosphere, character portrayal and blood all explicate the theme of evil effectively. The theme of appearance and reality is dealt with more subtly. At the end of the scene, Dench appears to be saying something that should be dismissive and collected ('A little water clears…'). In reality, the strident and insincere tone of her voice suggests that she is not convince by what she says. Lastly the theme of ambition is dealt with throughout the scene because we see all the trauma the characters go through to achieve their aim.
In my opinion, the R.S.C's performance of the scene is excellent and would be difficult to fault. The original text was followed closely and the dark, minimalist setting was probably how Shakespeare intended it to be in his day. Dench successfully interpreted her role as Lady Macbeth, presenting her as a dominant, evil character but also manages to show her as being fearful and vulnerable. McKellan also competently interpreted his role as Macbeth. He portrayed Macbeth as being weak, in complete shock and on the verge of going mad.
The murder of Duncan is a pivotal point in the play and for the R.S.C, it was essential that they effectively realised the scene. I identified Shakespeare's intentions for this scene and the methods that he used. I then discussed how well the video version managed to realise these and how good their actual performance was. I have now concluded that that the R.S.C have made an excellent attempt at effectively portraying the murder of Duncan in 'Macbeth'.
