Directing the Actor Playing Macbeth in Act 2

Imagine you are a director. Direct the actor playing Macbeth in Act 2

Scene 2.

Shakespeare's Macbeth has been a play out of the ordinary. It was

written to upset, and show life at its most cynical and brutal. It is

among his darker pieces of work along with Othello, King Lear and

Hamlet. It was also written to please the current King of England at

the time, King James I. The play is based on real Scottish history, as

King Duncan was killed by one of his kinsmen who then became King. It

is set within a Scotland in which frequent wars occur. Returning one

of theses wars are Macbeth and Banquo - generals of the Scottish army.

Lady Macbeth has made a soliloquy, in which she has asked demons to

take away her sexuality and have it replaced with evilness. She asked

literally to have her 'breast milk replaced with bile'. Having her

milk replaced with bile would supposedly give her the ability to do

masculine actions. She desires power and starts to mildly bully her

lover, Macbeth, and ridicule his masculinity. She talks about a

smiling baby and then one with it's brains smashed out she'd prefer

this to having a husband unwilling to kill in cold blood. Lady Macbeth

challenges Macbeth to prove his masculinity, by aiding her in killing

King Duncan, who will soon be a guest at their house. The conspiracy

is that they kill the King and smear the blood on his guards, which

would make them the prime suspects. Macbeth is next in rank and is

likely to become the next King of Scotland. Between them, there is an

enormous desire to gain power and become leaders of the country. With

this desire and Lady Macbeth's challenge combined, you have the play

of Macbeth. Shakespeare has cleverly set the play in certain themes,

such as ambition, good vs. evil, disorder and the supernatural. In

this scene, Lady Macbeth will rendezvous with Macbeth in the courtyard

as he returns from his challenge - the murder.

Act 2 Scene 2 is an early climax of the Macbeth play. Anticipation has

built whilst the conspiracy has been planned and the audience would be

very eager to see what happens, as they have been posing questions in

their head which need answering, such as 'Will they get caught?' or

'Will Macbeth become the King of Scotland?' A murder always attracts

interest, and a murder of high treason would multiply such interest

and excitement. It is highly significant as the infamous murder is

committed here (not chronologically - it is not shown in the play).