Lady Macbeth Act 1 Scene 5 Essay

Act one scene five is where we first see the Macbeths together. Lady Macbeth has read the letter, and then they have a conversation about what to do next.

In the beginning we see Lady Macbeth reading the letter her husband, Macbeth, had sent her. In the letter it suggests that he sees them as equals when he addresses her as ‘my dearest partner in greatness’. The noun ‘partner’ suggests equality. After reading the letter, she has a soliloquy, we discover that she feels that Macbeth may not be able to kill Duncan, ‘yet do I fear thy nature. It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.’ The metaphor reflects Macbeth’s personality that it’s too full of natural goodness. Lady Macbeth clearly feels like she is the dominant figure between the two.

This is clear when she says ‘Hie thee hither! That I may pour my spirits in thine ear.” The metaphor ‘pour my spirits in thine ear’ expresses that she will have to influence Macbeth with her own courage and ruthlessness.

In the opening of the play the witches plan to meet Macbeth.

Macbeth had killed the rebels in the west with their leader Macdonald; then he marches back to the east and defeats the king of Norway. The thane of Cawdor betrayed them and was with the rebels. King Duncan gets very disappointed and appoints Macbeth thane of Cawdor, however he doesn’t know that yet.

Three witches then approach Macbeth and Banquo. The witches hail Macbeth as thane of Glamis (his original title), as thane of Cawdor and the future king. Macbeth is perplexed by this information. He doesn’t believe it is real and that they are just tricking him, and so does Banquo.

Ross informs Macbeth that the King has declared him the new Thane of Cawdor. He thinks the witches might be right, they knew about it before it happened and he thinks that maybe he will become King after all. Macbeth has always felt like deserves to be king because he is stronger than Duncan. He thinks that if Duncan were to die now he would have a good chance of being elected king –although Malcolm, the king’s son, is an

obstacle.

Then Macbeth comes in, Lady Macbeth flatters him by saying ‘Great Glamis! Great Cawdor! Greater than both, by the all hail hereafter!’ she is trying to boost his confidence therefore he will feel that he can kill Duncan. By saying ‘I feel now the future is present ‘ she is saying that she wants him to do the deed tonight, while they have the chance. The metaphor shows her determination to encourage Macbeth to kill Duncan this very evening. Macbeth’s response is very neutral ‘Duncan comes here tonight’ this shows he wants Lady Macbeth to take control of the situation and make up his mind for him. Lady Macbeth is clearly dominating the adjacency pairing, it is when two people are having a conversation in a play.

We continue to see this more and more when she gives him orders disguised as advice. ‘Look like the innocent flower. But be the serpent under it’. She is telling him to give a friendly face but be a devil under it. The imperatives emphasize the fact that she is taking control of the situation. Macbeth is obviously not taking control and is panicking. She tries to ease Macbeth by making the murder look less deadly that it really is. ‘He that’s coming must be provided for’ ‘This night’s great business’ she uses synonyms to avoid scaring Macbeth with thoughts of what they are planning to do. Lastly, to reassure him, Lady Macbeth tells her husband that she will make arrangements for the murder by saying ‘Leave all the rest to me’. The authoritative tone shows that she believes she has control over Macbeth and the task.

There are some differences between the play in act one scene five and the film. With modern day technology special effects are easy to film and cameras are used in very effective ways, for example a low angle shot is used to show authority which is evident in both the play and film but easier to represent in the film. Also the use of props makes everything seem more believable and realistic. For example, when Duncan was murdered in the film we could see the blood and knife however in the play you would have to suspend your belief that he’s not actually dead. therefore when Polanski was making the movie I was much easier then when they tried to act it out on a stage.

One example of the differences is when lady Macbeth reads the letter in the play it happens at the beginning of Act 1 scene 5.

However in the film the scene divides her reading of the letter and Macbeth’s arrival by Malcolm being nominated as next in line to the throne. This causes Lady Macbeth to be seen as distanced and independent from Macbeth from the very beginning. When he arrives, in the play, she is the more dominant speaker. This is shown by how the focus is mostly on her reinforcing the idea that she is the dominant one between the two. Nevertheless, in the film an establishing shot is used when Macbeth enters. Representing how he seems more independent, in control and

confident.

Also in the play there were no animals. Yet in the film they use dogs to represent a feeling of domestic harmony, because of how both of the Macbeths’ are seen stroking them. When they are both together in the play they are alone. This makes it easier for her to take control and dominate. In the film are first seen together surrounded by people this causes the meeting feel less intense, threatening or more one sided.

In the play we encounter that there is barely any movement. On the other hand, the film starts with a low angle shot to show Lady Macbeth running down to meet Macbeth and a tracking shot is also used at the same time to follow her movements down the stairs. This shows that she is excited by the prospect of meeting her husband. When they are together it turns to a close up two shot to show their love for one another. In the film the Macbeths’ move from outside to their bedroom together, this proves they are more intimate in the movie. In the play all feelings and movements are conveyed through the dialogue and there is an imbalance in the adjacency pairing, showing Lady Macbeth’s dominance. In the film more of the dialogue is cut, therefore changing the adjacency paring and making them seem more equal as partners.

In the play it is hard to see facial expressions therefore making body language important. Two shots and close ups make is easier and more comfortable to show their relationship, and its intimacy. During the play it is hard for other sounds than the actors them selves to be playing. Nevertheless in the film diegetic noise, for example dogs barking, is used to make the castle warm and relaxing. Also non-diegetic sounds, for example a quiet harmony interrupted by a drum beat shows the sense of excitements and disturbance. This makes the film seem more realistic and believable as the sounds are used to build up a domestic environment.

In this section of the play, Lady Macbeth is seen as the dominant figure between the two. In Act one Scene seven she re-persuades him to do the deed. She drugs the guards and throws a faint because she felt that Macbeth needed rescuing when he was justifying himself of killing the guards.

However after the killing of Duncan, she begins to lose control over Macbeth as he starts to make his own decisions, for example to murder Banquo and to slaughter MacDuff’s family. The breakdown of their relationship and her sense of guilt drove her to suicide.