The Dramatic Impact on a Jacobean Audience of Act 1 Scene 5 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth
In this essay I will be examining how Act 1 Scene 5 of “Macbeth” would
have had a dramatic impact on a Jacobean audience. I will also be
exploring how Shakespeare’s stagecraft – his use of devices such as
symbolism, references to contemporary events and imagery – would have
helped to create this dramatic impact. Macbeth was written to be
performed – on a stage, by actors, and to an audience. In Jacobean
England, drama was considered to be the greatest art form, and was
appreciated by many classes of people, from King James downwards, so
these audiences would have been large and varied. Shakespeare’s
stagecraft is such that it would have been understood by the whole
audience – though many themes were linked to the particular interests
of King James, they would have been understood by all, as would all
the imagery and symbolism in the play.
Act 1 Scene 5 begins with Lady Macbeth reading the second half of a
letter she has received from Macbeth. Starting the scene with the
second half of the letter helps with continuity in the play and
between the scenes, and also means that the audience will not have to
hear Lady Macbeth read information that they already know. The part
of the letter that is read reveals much information about Lady Macbeth
and Macbeth’s relationship. It shows that they have a loving
relationship - Macbeth addresses Lady Macbeth as ‘my dearest partner
of greatness’. This line also shows that they share a love of power,
and both have strong ambitions. However, after she has read the
letter, Lady Macbeth reveals in her soliloquy...
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...suspense and dramatic irony. Dramatic irony – when the audience know
something that a character does not - is also very important
throughout the play. In Act 1 Scene 5, when Lady Macbeth is planning
to kill the King, the audience knows that the King will be staying at
her castle that night, but she does not, and is shocked when she is
told – ‘Thou’rt mad to say it.’
In my opinion, Shakespeare effectively creates dramatic impact in Act
1 Scene 5 of Macbeth. I think that this impact would have been
particularly pronounced on a contemporary Jacobean audience.
Shakespeare uses a wide range of techniques, all of which are used
successfully. The scene, and the play, would have appealed to and
interested all of a Jacobean audience, from the King downwards,
because of these techniques and the dramatic impact they create.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play. Macbeth’s rise to the throne was brought about by the same external forces that ensure his downfall.
start, but in real life he was apparently not as good a king as is
Macbeth’s heroic deeds at the beginning of the play soon seem insignificant next to the primary event in the Act: the revelation of the witches’ prophecy. Their insightful proclamation that he will be king someday is both shocking and pleasing to Macbeth. Without this occurrence, this play might not have traveled a road of ambition and death, but instead one of calm acceptance and enjoyment of an already-elegant lifestyle. The seeds of desire were here planted, however, eliciting what became a bloody ordeal. The spark ignited, and a plan began to take shape.
At the end of the play Lady Macbeth is described by Malcom as being a
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press New Folger Edition, 1992
Four hundred and seven years ago William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Macbeth is performed for the first time at The Globe theatre. The Tragedy of Macbeth capture its audience by using a wide range of emotions giving its audience the uncontrollable feeling of catharsis. This well known tragedy tells the story of a great hero who earns the crown of Cawdor and Glamis because he wins the battle for his people against the scottish; this great thane goes by the name Macbeth. He is once known for his kindness and good heart; but, later transforms to a ruthless tyrant thirsting for more power, killing anyone and everyone who stands in his way including: the current king of.., his best friend, and the innocent. Macbeth proves that it is human nature
William Shakespeare's Use of Language and Staging to Create Dramatic Interest in Act 4 scene 1 of Macbeth
Macbeth is a play revolving around many key ideas observed in Shakespeare’s time with various messages communicated to the audience successfully, despite the lack of the cinematic effects present in today’s literature entertainment. The interweaved themes of immoral ambition and corruption are displayed throughout the text, unveiling the corruptive nature of one’s excessive greed for supremacy, affecting both themselves and others. This idea in Macbeth is successfully conveyed to the audience in Shakespeare’s time through the literary devices of characterisation, soliloquy and plot.
The Dramatic Effect of Act 5 Scene 1 on the Play Macbeth In this scene the doctor and the gentlewoman wait for Lady Macbeth as it was reported to the doctor that she had been sleepwalking on previous occasions - "since her majesty returned from the field, I have seen her rise from her bed". It is reported by the gentlewoman that every time Lady Macbeth sleepwalks she writes something on paper and she had also seen Lady Macbeth continuously perform an action of washing her hands vigorously. Lady Macbeth enters holding a candle.
Lady Macbeth’s atypical and complex character directly challenged the archetypal principles and beliefs of the Jacobean era which as a result, drew major fascination through the ages. Lady Macbeth was Shakespeare’s device to not only stimulate audience’s emotions, but to also provide historical context and elicit dominant themes which reflected Jacobean society. Her ambiguous character and remarkable influences in the play raised a lot of controversy and fascination amongst both modern and Jacobean audiences. She can either be seen as linked to the witches in a feminist bid to overthrow the balance of power, or as a representation of the evil side of Macbeth. Nevertheless, it was her distinct characteristics and actions which ultimately catalysed the chain of conflicts of the play. Again, this reinforces her important role in the play.
of the 'evil' witches as he was sure that witches were out to get him
To explore the demise of Lady Macbeth, it is crucial to compare various scenes beginning with Act 1 Scene 5 and ending with Act 5 Scene 1. It is going to examine, using language, stagecraft and structure, how in the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth is manipulative and dominant over Macbeth, but towards the end of the play, the roles have reversed and Lady Macbeth is needed less and less. Towards the closing scenes, Macbeth becomes totally independent in his actions and decisions, in stark contrast, Lady Macbeth becomes isolated, anxious and tormented by the crime they have committed, so much so that she feels that is too much to bear, and by the end of the play, takes her own life.
Shakespeare emphasises the opulent ambience through the lavish descriptions of the banquet. The scene opens with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s warm welcome to the lords as they must “play the humble host,” being an important political stage in their lives. Here Shakespeare uses a metatheatrical reference which is dramatically effective to remind the Jacobean audience the falsity of their roles. As they are illicit figures, it sugg...
113 Macbeth. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1990. The. Coursen, H. R. Macbeth: A Guide to the Play. London: Greenwood Press, 1997.
This specific action consequently resulted in Macbeth’s level of morality to continually decline as he is acutely aware of his own tyranny. Therefore Macbeth attempts to forget the horrific deed he has committed and be the figure that orders and disorders. Our perception of Macbeth being a wise and loyal soldier is now eroded, as we start to view Macbeth constantly questioning his own actions, and is also impelled to perpetrate further atrocities with the intention of covering up his previous wrong-doings.