Free Macbeth Essays: Atmosphere and Setting

Atmosphere and Setting in Macbeth

Atmosphere and setting plays a very important part in Macbeth.

The play starts with the Witches, which is at a desolate place with thunder and lightning. This is first of all a pathetic fallacy because of the weather being so bad and the hideous appearance of the witches.

This scene also gives us the first sign of the supernatural. The witches are the man source of the evil and supernatural in the play and they also give an impression of fear, horror and mystery. It is important of them to start the play, as they are the catalysts for all

Macbeth's decisions, so obviously they effect the play quite a lot.

They can foretell the future, defy the laws of nature and change the weather. But their powers are ambiguous; they have to answer to Hecate. They can turn into animals but when one of them turns into a rat it has no tail, showing their flawed power. They also can't make Macbeth kill Duncan; they just create an atmosphere, manipulating him, which makes him want to kill him.

They use animals to enhance the atmosphere and amplify their evil, unnatural state.

Shakespeare doesn't just use animals to show the evil of the Witches he also uses animals to convey the state of the country, ie, when the horses eat each other after Duncan has been killed. This shows that

Scotland is in a state of disorder.

The witches also speak in riddles, "fair is foul and foul is fair" which gives the play an uneasy atmosphere, as does their language "Birth strangled babes". The Witches mainly give the play an uneasy feel because they are violating God's natural order.

Noise also gives quite a tense atmosphere in the play. When Macbeth goes to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth hears a knell (a traditional funeral bell), an owl shriek and crickets cry. These are all signs of death and it makes Macbeth think that more people know about what Macbeth has done. Also when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are talking after the murder, there is a knocking which gives a very uneasy and tense feel.

Also as the play goes on, Macbeth becomes very paranoid about any noise and it makes the play very tense.

Colour does play a role in setting the atmosphere but only in one or two of the scenes. Red, of course is very important because of the amount of blood in the play. It also plays a big part because both Macbeth and

Lady Macbeth talk about the 'red misty hell'.

Linked with colour is the important use of light and dark ni the play to