The Creation of Tension in Shakespeare's Macbeth

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The Creation of Tension in Shakespeare's Macbeth

There are many ways that Shakespeare creates an atmosphere of tension

and fear in act 2, scene 2. I think he creates this tension to keep

the audience engrossed in the play.

The crime itself creates a lot of tension because in Jacobean times

killing the monarch (known as Regicide) was the highest crime you

could commit because it was believed that the monarch was appointed by

God. And if you committed a crime against the king you were committing

a crime against God. Also the audience could relate to the play

because only a year earlier the Gunpowder Plot was attempted and this

scene is about killing a King. I think Shakespeare had this in my mind

when he wrote the play because this would bring the crowds in.

Lady Macbeth tries to keep her fear of being caught covered to try and

show Macbeth that if she is man enough to not be scared he should not

be scared because generally men are more courageous than women. But

she is actually very scared of being caught. At the slightest sound

she calls: Hark

Take, for example the owl shrieking and someone knocking at the door.

Also the audience can tell she is very fearful of being caught and

nervous because of the way she speaks to Macbeth. When Macbeth brings

the daggers back the chamber she snaps at him and gets very angry with

him:

Why did you bring these daggers from the place?

They must lie there.

After Macbeth has committed regicide, he is very distressed when he

comes back to his room. He sort of loses his mind for the scene so

Lady Macbeth has to take charge. She calls him a coward because he

cannot handle the pressure. He keeps on running through his head what

he has done and it drives him mad.

Still it cried, ‘Sleep no more’ to all the house;

He didn’t think about what he was doing when he brought the daggers

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