Write about how Shakespeare uses dramatic technique and language to create an atmosphere of evil and suspense in the first three scenes of Macbeth, and how he prepares the audience for what happens in the rest of the play.

As Macbeth and Banquo enter the Kings Palace, they are profusely honoured for their heroism in the battle. King Duncan then announces his intention to make his son, Malcolm the heir to the throne, Macbeth declares his joy but notes that Malcolm now stands between him and the crown.

The next scene shows that Macbeth writes Lady Macbeth a letter and tells her all about his encounter with the witches. Lady Macbeth feels that Macbeth is very ambitious but fears that he is full of human kindness. Lady Macbeth was very greedy and advised Macbeth to do whatever he had to, to get the crown. Lady Macbeth is then warned about her husband’s arrival, upon his arrival, they discuss the Kings forthcoming visit. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth not to worry and to leave the plan up to her.

The next scene shows that King Duncan, the Scottish Lords and their attendant arrive outside Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macbeth had a superb plan which was that after the King had finished dining and was off to bed, she would offer his chamberlains wine, to make them drunk. Once they were unconscious, she and Macbeth would murder Duncan and smear his blood all over his chamberlains o it would look as if they had committed the crime. After killing Duncan, while Macbeth is walking around the darkened halls, he sees a dagger floating in the air before him, smeared with blood. He thinks of it to be a false vision of his oppressed brain. The night around him seems thick with horror and witchcraft.

After the death of the King, as the witches had predicted, Macbeth becomes the King of Scotland. Now he sees that his friend Banquo and his sons can be a reason for his short lived reign. So Macbeth kills his friend Banquo, but Banquo’s son manages to escape to England. After killing Banquo. Macbeth slowly starts going mad and sees Banquo’s ghost at the dinner table.

The next scene shows that, Macbeth has an encounter with the three witches again and they tell him that no man born from a woman can kill him. This confuses Macbeth. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth suffers from a guilty conscience and begins to sleep walk, in her dreams, she dreams about her and Macbeth killing Duncan. The next scene shows that Scotland is invaded by England, Macbeth goes off to the battle field, in the midst of the battle, he hears of the death of Lady Macbeth.

Macduff, Thane of Fife, and a nobleman of Scotland, comes in search of Macbeth. Macduff knows of Macbeths actions and they get into a fight in which Macbeth is killed. Macduff was very loyal to the Deceased Kings family and hence makes sure that the Malcolm, the legal heir of the throne is proclaimed King. Macduff was able to kill Macbeth because he was born through C Section.

Shakespeare uses the witches to influence the first scene of the play because during Shakespeare’s time, people thought witches and witchcraft were real. Withes were seen as mystical creatures that could turn good into bad. In the play, Shakespeare describes authentic witches in their physical appearance and behaviour and Macbeth’s character is made more villainous through his association with these terrifying figures. In the play, the witches influence on how Macbeth made his decisions played a crucial part in contributing to his eventual destruction. The witches were trying to create chaos by prophesying to Macbeth in order to get him to act. They planted the seed of evil in Macbeth's head that grew to dominate his mind. But it was Macbeth who made the choices that determined his
fate. He was not forced to kill Duncan nor any of his other victims. But after
he murdered Duncan, Macbeth lost his sanity. The witches were easily able to
control his mind. They made him believe that he was invincible, and then he
willingly continued to fight when he knew that it would mean his doom. Macbeth's
downfall was planned by the weird sisters, but it was Macbeth's own free will
that lead him to it.

Macbeth is set in a very dull atmosphere, full of jealousy and greed.

Macbeth is a courageous Scottish general who is not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds, yet he deeply desires power and advancement and hence kills his King.

Lady Macbeth on the other hand pursues her goals with greater determination. Yet, she is less capable of withstanding the repercussions of her immortal act.

The motifs of the play are that visions and hallucinations serve as reminders of Macbeth and Lady Macbeths supernatural signs of their guilt. Macbeth is a violent play where most of the killings take place off stage. Throughout the play, the characters provide the audience with gory descriptions of the carnage, with the opening scene where the captain describes Macbeth and Banquo wading in blood, on the battlefield. To the endless references to the blood stained hands of Macbeth and his wife.

In conclusion, Macbeth is both a victim of external forces and of his fate. The witches and his wife are both evil influences on him in the first part of the play. In the last acts, he is in control but exercises his power badly.

Like most tragedies, Macbeth the main character, has a fatal flaw in his character. Macbeth’s problem was that he was too sharing with his ambition. He opens up his path of life to include others as well, namely the witches and his wife.

The play ends with Macbeth, the main character being killed.