Mood Of Act 2 And 3 Of Macbeth

521 Words2 Pages

In Acts 2 and 3 of Macbeth, the tone of the story is developed through the use of many phrases and words throughout the acts. The major tone of these acts is a foreboding one. Foreboding tone essentially means that the author is writing with a strong sense of fear of future problems. This foreboding tone is developed especially in Scene 1 of Act 2, and Scenes 2 and 4 of Act 3. This tone is used to advance the plot, build suspense, and reveal the feelings of the characters. First, Macbeth’s dagger soliloquy majorly introduces this tone by saying things such as “And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood” (2.1.46), “Nature seems dead” (2.1.50), and “Moves like a ghost” (2.1.56). These phrases, especially the words “blood,” “dead,” and “ghost,” help develop an ominous and foreboding tone. These words show the reader that something bad is going to happen soon, something that the author is planning. The words evoke a feeling of suspense for the reader, which was the author’s plan all along. This advances the plot as well by showing the changes in Macbeth’s character and his decision to kill the king. …show more content…

One line that significantly displays the tone is when Lady Macbeth says, “But in them nature’s copy’s not eternal” (3.2.39). Her statement tells the reader a lot more than what it says. Not only is the foreboding tone obvious in the implications of her line, that more people will die, but also the fact that the characters’ relationship dynamic has shifted from Lady Macbeth’s taunting of her husband to her comforting of him. Macbeth’s changes as a character are also obvious in this line. This line makes it clear to the reader that although the plan for Duncan’s murder has been executed, there is still more evil to

Open Document