How might a Jacobean audience see certain events in MACBETH differently to a modern one?
How might a Jacobean audience see certain events in MACBETH differently to a modern one? Four hundred years ago in the time of the Jacobeans, beliefs then were very different from what they are today and this had impacts on the way Jacobean audiences interpreted certain events in Shakespeare's plays. This essay sets out how some events might be interpreted differently in Macbeth. Bad things that happened to people were blamed on the supernatural like curses, witches and ghosts e.t.c. First of all was the whole idea of witches. For everything bad that happened to people, witches were blamed for them. Witches were seen as real people who had magical powers and could do almost anything. In Macbeth the witches appear at the very start of the play and accompanying them was thunder and lightning. The Jacobeans see that type of weather to be a bad omen and meant forces of evil or bad things were coming, whereas nice weather meant good things were going on. Today we see bad weather as being caused by scientific reasons; to do with air pressure for example. It has nothing to do with any events happening in the world. In Act 1 scene 2, the witches go on to create a massive thunderstorm. A Jacobean audience would believe this really happened because they thought witches did actually have the power to do that. Nowadays, a modern audience would see that as simply just made up, because we
Discuss the presentation of the supernatural in 'Macbeth'. What part does it play in the drama?
Macbeth coursework essay Discuss the presentation of the supernatural in 'Macbeth'. What part does it play in the drama? 'Macbeth' is a play full of darkness and horror, to which the supernatural plays an important and necessary role. 'Macbeth' was written at the time that King James the first of Scotland was on the throne. Some people believe that the play was written for him, this is due to his extreme fascination with witchcraft. This is not the only thing that links King James to the play; he was also a real-life descendant of Banquo, Macbeth's best friend in the play. The people of England throughout King James' reign were Christian, both Catholic and Protestant. The Jacobeans believed in Heaven and Hell and lived in fear of eternal damnation, a severe consequence of witchcraft. Practising witchcraft was seen as being sinful and ungodly and not a positive and normal way of society. The Jacobean audience would have been somewhat intrigued and interested in a play with such characteristics like 'Macbeth'. They would have also been curious of Shakespeare's exploration of the supernatural, especially the aspect of Witchcraft. The play opens with three Witches, this sets the entire theme for the play as being dark and evil due to the language used and also the setting. This scene also mentions the aspect of good and evil, "Fair is foul and foul is fair." This quote is
How far are the witches responsible for Macbeth's downfall?
How far are the witches responsible for Macbeth's downfall? The witches are quite a main part in the play 'Macbeth' and are seen as the main or only contributors towards Macbeth's downfall. However, I believe that there are other possible contributors including Macbeth himself. Lady Macbeth can also be seen as a possible contributor as she thought of the evil plan by herself without conferring it with Macbeth. The weird sisters would be seen as 'evil' in the play especially for the contemporary audience. This is because in Shakespeare's day, they were all Protestants so thought that witches were evil and should be damned to hell. They were seen worse than rebels. They were not only political traitors, but spiritual traitors as well. When we first see the witches (weird sisters) in Act One Scene One, we as the audience do not know what they are or where they have come from. However, because of the surroundings and the atmosphere we see them as 'evil' and keep this assumption throughout the play, '...the fog and filthy air.' Even Macbeth and Banquo are unsure about the sisters' identity when they meet them on the heath in Act One Scene Three, 'That look not like th' inhabitants o' th' earth...' Macbeth is given three prophecies when he first meets the weird sisters, 'All hail Macbeth...Thane of Glamis...Thane of Cawdor...King hereafter!'(Act One Scene Three) At first, he
The Supernatural in "Macbeth"
Macbeth Supernatural, no matter if you believe in it or not it still attracts the audience's heart. In the time of William Shakespeare there was a strong belief in the existence of the supernatural. Thus, the supernatural is s recurring aspect in many of Mr. Shakespeare's plays. In "Macbeth", the supernatural is an integral part of the structure of the plot. Not only do witches appear but also a floating dagger transforms into reality. Shakespeare intelligently introduced the elements of the supernatural in Act 1, Scene 3. Shakespeare located his scene in a mysterious marshy, deserted "heath" on a day with "thunder", perfect for paranormal activity. Thunder and lightning was believed to be associated with evil, and when the play was presented in Shakespeare's time, cannonballs would be rolled to create the sound effect. Three characters are introduced; immediately we knew that they are involved with the supernatural because the second witch told the others that she was "killing swine". Witches tried to hide from humans in fear of being burned at stakes, so they had to be in an empty heath to meet Macbeth. Back in the day, witches were blamed for the death of animals. Also, the witches repeated phrases three times. "I'll do, I'll do, I'll do" and instead of any other number of witches, there were three of them. The number three was regarded as a magic number. The
