Blogging Reflection
The process of blogging throughout the entire read of Macbeth has been an interesting learning experience. By carefully looking at each scene’s observations, and then later analyzing its significance on character, theme, and conflict, we are able to interpret the play of Macbeth so much easier than if we were to just read, or make notes.
The analysis of the third act on plot was rather tedious, because there was quite a lot that needed to be included for every scene- a brief summary, traffic of the stage, ordering/arrangement of action, and usage of dramatic irony. All this needed to be completed for all six scenes in the act, making it fairly difficult and repetitive when there wasn’t much to comment on or analyze.
The analysis on the fourth act of language/music would have to be the post I had the toughest time with, because I found it challenging to correctly analyze Shakespeare’s use of diction, and its effect on character or the play. The difficulty in tracking language or music is that it was something we had to go back and look for if we weren’t paying close attention the first time around, which could sometimes be troublesome and annoying. Additionally, sometimes with the use of Shakespeare’s diction, it is uncertain to audiences what he wants to portray, thus making it hard for us to interpret its suggestive meaning on tone, feeling, etc.
The analysis of characters in the last act seemed to be easier to blog as I found it more straightforward and to the point compared to other aspects of the play. Perhaps it is because it was the last act, so readers/audiences already have a fairly clear idea on the nature of every character, making it less difficult to comment on their effect on the play. We are able to refer back to previous acts and analyze its effect on the characters, and make comparisons on before and after. For example, in Act 5 Scene 1 where Lady Macbeth hallucinates the bloodstain on her hands, we are able to relate to her character in the beginning of the play and how that’s different from when she first saw the blood than in the end.
Act 5: Characters
Scene Observations
Scene 1
The characters in this scene are Lady Macbeth, the Doctor of Physic, and the Gentlewoman. Both the Doctor and the Gentlewoman are introduced for the first time in this scene, while Lady Macbeth remains a recurring character. The lines between the characters in this scene seem to be equally divided among the three. The doctor and gentlewoman speak first before Lady Macbeth appears, and as she restates her previous murderous crimes while sleepwalking, both the doctor and gentlewoman’s lines become shorter as they’re attentively listening to what she has to say. The doctor later has a short monologue on what he has heard, reflecting his horrified emotions.
In this scene, Lady Macbeth has a very significant statement in which she says:
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!—One, two. Why, then, ’tis time to do ’t. Hell is murky!—Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.” (28-32)
These few lines show how Lady Macbeth is not as strong as she appears to be in the first few acts of the play. In this scene, she starts to lose her sanity and sense of control; she starts sleepwalking in the castle and desperately tries to wash away the bloodstain on her hands, mirroring exactly what Macbeth said after his guilt of killing Duncan. This illustrates how Lady Macbeth is slowly turning insane like her husband in the beginning of the play. She is unable to cope with the guilt of murder, hence the sleeplessness and hallucinations.
Scene 2
The characters in this scene are Menteth, Cathness, Angus, Lenox, and the Soldiers. Both Menteth and Cathness (noblemen of Scotland) have not appeared before, and are introduced in this scene to help fight the battle against Macbeth. All noblemen have a relatively equal number of lines, though Cathness has slightly more dialogue than the others. All characters in this scene are part of the army, preparing to attack against Macbeth. They wait outside the castle of Dunisinane (Macbeth’s castle) to meet with the English forces.
Angus:
“Now does he feel/His secret murders sticking on his hands./Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith-breach./Those he commands move only in command,/Nothing in love. Now does he feel his title/Hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe/Upon a dwarfish thief.” (16-22)
The lines above refer to Macbeth and reflect the Scots’ perspective of him. Angus expresses his disapproval towards Macbeth by saying that rebels “revolt” against his “faith-breach”, his treachery, and that the throne does not fit him, it is too big for him-like a “dwarfish fish” trying to fit into a “giant’s robe”.
Scene 3
Characters that appear in this scene are Macbeth, a servant, the Doctor, and Seyton, being the only new character introduced, who is Macbeth’s trusted servant. Macbeth has the most lines in this scene as he commands the people in the room to get ready for all war preparations. The characters are distinctly characterized by social standing in this scene, as audiences can clearly see the way the servant, Seyton, and Doctor work under Macbeth’s commands.
Macbeth:
“The devil damn thee black, thou cream-faced loon!/Where got’st thou that goose look?” (14-17)
This line brings forth the idea of Macbeth’s transformation over the course of the play. He now criticizes other people for being ‘white with fear’, and for being cowardly. Ironically, Macbeth used to have expressions like those of the servant in the beginning of the play, yet he now curses the servant by asking the devil (Satan) to damn him the color black, the color of evil. I believe this reflects how Macbeth has become stronger and braver as a character in the play, showing he has the courage and fearlessness of fighting the battle with the English.
Scene 4
Characters in this scene are Malcolm, Siward, his son, Macduff, Menteth, Cathness, Angus, Lenox, Rosse, and soldiers. The large number of characters in this scene helps emphasize the strong opposing forces against Macbeth.
Malcolm:
“Let every soldier hew him down a bough/And bear ’t before him. Thereby shall we shadow/The numbers of our host and make discovery/Err in report of us./” (4-7)
These lines show Malcolm’s tactical wisdom as he tells every soldier to break off a branch and “bear’t before him” (hold it before him), that way Macbeth’s spies will make a mistake on the number of people in their army, since they’ll all be covered by trees. This suggests that Malcolm may be a more suitable King than Macbeth as he has the higher wisdom on understanding how to fight in war.
Scene 5
Characters that appear in this scene are Macbeth, Seyton, and the Soldiers (all recurring). Many incidents occur at this point in the play as Macbeth hears news that his wife has died, and that the Birnam woods appear to be moving towards Dunsinane, hence resulting in him having the most lines in this scene due to his terrified reaction toward these events.
After Macbeth hears of his wife’s death, he says: “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, /And then is heard no more. It is a tale /Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, /Signifying nothing.” (24-28) This shows Macbeth’s love for his wife, as he seems to see no purpose and meaning in life without her existence. He sinks into despair and discouragement as evidently seen through this dialogue and in lines 49-52: “I ‘gin to be aweary of the sun,/And wish th’ estate o’ th’ world were now undone.—/Ring the alarum-bell!—Blow, wind! Come, wrack!/At least we’ll die with harness on our back.”, where he wishes for the existence of the world to be destroyed as he’s growing tired of life.
Scene 6
Characters in this scene are Malcolm, Siward, Macduff, and their army. All characters are moving forward towards Macbeth castle, and the battle commences.
Malcolm:
“Now near enough. Your leafy screens throw down,/And show like those you are.—You, worthy uncle,/Shall, with my cousin, your right-noble son,/Lead our first battle. Worthy Macduff and we/Shall take upon ’s what else remains to do,/According to our order.” (1-5)
This shows Malcolm already starting to take on the role of King-he orders the English soldiers to throw down their tree branches and to move forward. He has already drawn up a battle plan; he is completely ready for war, shown through his organized and prepared war tactic against the opposing forces.
Scene 7
This scene consists of Macbeth, Young Siward (Siward’s son), Macduff, Malcolm, and Old Siward.
From lines 2-3 Macbeth says: “What’s he/That was not born of woman? Such a one/Am I to fear, or none.” and later, “Thou wast born of woman./But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn,/ Brandished by man that’s of a woman born.” (12-14). Macbeth’s constant mention of ‘the one who was not born of woman’ reveal he is still insecure and afraid of his death, despite having previously stated he wished for the world to come to an end, and destroyed (Act 5, Scene 5). Macbeth is still fully convinced that the witches’ prophecies will come true, showing he is one who really believes in fate and the occurrences of unnatural events.
Scene 8
Macbeth and Macduff generally have an equal amount of lines in this scene as they finally come face to face in the battlefield. Macbeth insists that Macduff cannot hurt him because of the witches’ prophecy, Macduff surprises him however, as he tells him he was not of woman born, but “from his mother’s womb/untimely ripped” (line 15).
Macbeth:
“Accursèd be that tongue that tells me so,/For it hath cowed my better part of man!/And be these juggling fiends no more believed,/That palter with us in a double sense,/That keep the word of promise to our ear,/And break it to our hope. ” (16-21)
This dialogue of Macbeth reveals his gullible, over-trustful character. He fully believed the prophecies of the witches, never stopping to realize whether they could be true or false, or realistic at most (like the Birnam Woods moving to Dunsinane). He claims that the witches “palter with us in a double sense”, or equivocate, telling him ‘double truths’ without revealing the underlying reality.
Scene 9
The final scene of the play consists of Malcolm, Siward, and Rosse, along with the other thanes and soldiers. Malcolm has the most lines in this scene as he finally triumphs with victory as King of Scotland. He makes all his thanes earls and ends the play by giving examples of what he would do as King, showing that he intends to rule well for his country.
Rosse:
“Your son, my lord, has paid a soldier’s debt./He only lived but till he was a man,/The which no sooner had his prowess confirmed/In the unshrinking station where he fought,/But like a man he died.” (5-8)
In this dialogue, Rosse tells Siward not to feel discouraged over his son’s death because he paid a soldier’s price (death) and fought with courage without backing down. This illustrates not only the character of Rosse, but of all characters in the play, the idea of manliness. One became a real man once they have fought in a war, and died an honorable death.
Act Analysis
The tragic aspect of the play is emphasized in the first scene of this act as audiences learn that Lady Macbeth has started sleepwalking within the castle. When Lady Macbeth appeared in the beginning of the play, she left an impression of a ruthless, strong, cold-blooded female, who had over-powering ambitions to murder King Duncan. However, in this last act, we find out that Lady Macbeth isn’t as strong as she perceives to be, as guilt later takes over her. She sleepwalks at night, having delusional visions of her murderous deeds.
Lady Macbeth:
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!—One, two. Why, then, ’tis time to do ’t. Hell is murky!—Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.” (V, I, 28-32)”
This dialogue is extremely ironic as the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem to be reversed-it was Macbeth in the beginning of the play who claimed his hands would forever be stained with blood. He said rather than his hands being made clean by the ocean, it would turn the ocean red, to which Lady Macbeth responds, “A litter water clears us of this deed” (II, II, 66). This is ironic because in this end it is she who starts hallucinating the ‘damned spot’ of blood on her hands.
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is also deprived of sleep after killing the King, claiming he can “Sleep no more!” (II, II, 40). Lady Macbeth’s act of sleepwalking ironically displays that she too, can no longer sleep, because all the guilt inside her has caused a “disease of the mind”. This shows that towards the end of the play, Lady Macbeth is slowly going into a state of paranoia, showing how she is unable to cope with the guilt of her crimes, ultimately leading herself to suicide.
Act 4: Language/Music
Scene Observations
Scene 1
Conceptual Effects
Throughout the scene, all the witches’ dialogues appear to contain a certain rhyme scene, and maintain a certain rhythm. This is extremely apparent in the beginning of the scene when the witches are circling around the cauldron chanting spells and adding bizarre ingredients into the pot. For example (act 1, scene 1, lines 4-11):
“Round about the cauldron go;/
In the poisoned entrails throw.-
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Sweltered venom, sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ th’ charmed pot.
(All)
Double, double, toil and trouble:
Fire, burn; and cauldron, bubble.”
In the example above, the witches start speaking in a steady beat of four heavy syllables (Round a-bout the caul-dron go), reflecting the movement of the witches’ dancing around the cauldron. The rhyming couplets also help express the witches’ supernatural powers and ability as it not only stands out from other characters in the play, who mostly speak in blank verse or iambic pentameter, but it also adds on to the feeling of a chant, making it easier for audiences and other characters like Macbeth to believe in their spells.
Musical Effects
Most of the rhythm in this scene is not iambic pentameter, since most of the lines are spoken from the witches (and Hecate), who speak in rhyming couplets. Cacophonous diction is also used multiple times for the witches, especially the letter “c” (cat, cauldron, cold, charm, chaudron…), possibly to further emphasize the evil and powerful effect of their chant through discordant sounds.
As the witches bring up the display of the eight kings in line to the throne, music starts playing in the background, acting as an indication of the build up of conflict and suspense bound to occur in future scenes.
Scene 2
Conceptual Effects
As Rosse tries to convince Lady Macduff that her husband has left to England for a good purpose, she still remains unconvinced, making him feel worried over her hopeless situation. He starts to talk in broken, short sentences starting from lines 14-26 (“when we hold rumour/from what we fear/yet know not what we fear/…each way, and move/…”), reflecting his troubled mood. At times, he breaks off his sentence, unfinished, (“and move-”, “To what they were before. –”) showing his frantic emotions.
After Rosse leaves the castle, Lady Macduff and her son both exchange one or two sentence conversations with each other for quite a long time before the murderers arrive. These lines are spoken quickly and fluidly, possibly so that audiences gain suspense while waiting for something misfortunate to happen to Lady Macduff and her son (the murderers’ arrival).
Musical Effects
There is close to no rhymes in this scene, as Shakespeare probably wanted to enhance the troubled mood of the characters, choosing not to use rhyme for fluidity of dialogue.
Scene 3
Conceptual Effects
Diction related to fear and violence (ex. bleed, sword, gash, wounds, suffer, harms, sin…) is used throughout the entire scene, particularly in the beginning, as Malcolm converses to Macduff on his ill-suited position to be King. Malcolm’s negative choice of diction help fool Macduff into thinking he would be unfit for the position, and that he would bring even more upheaval to their “poor country” (line 31) of Scotland than Macbeth.
Malcolm ends this scene, entering the next act, with a rhyming couplet (“Receive what cheer you may/ The night is long that never finds the day”).
Musical Effects
There is no iambic pentameter in this scene as most is written in blank verse.
In this scene, Malcolm testes Macduff’s loyalty by telling him he is unsuited to be King because of his greedy and lustful nature. Throughout this dialogue between the two men, alliteration is used many times with the letter “s” (seek, some, sad, sword, sorrow, strike, Scotland, syllable, still, so…). The letter “s” can be associated with the symbol of the snake, which represents evil, relating to all of Malcolm’s so-called sinister actions in the beginning of the scene.
Act Analysis
Passage 1 (scene 1, lines 94-103)
MACBETH
That will never be:
Who can impress the forest, bid the tree
Unfix his earthbound root? Sweet bodements! Good!
Rebellious dead, rise never till the wood
Of Birnam rise, and our high-placed Macbeth
Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath
To time and mortal custom. Yet my heart
Throbs to know one thing. Tell me, if your art
Can tell so much: shall Banquo’s issue ever
Reign in this kingdom?
Passage 2 (scene 1, lines 112-120)
MACBETH
Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo: Down!
Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs: and
thy hair,
Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first:
A third is like the former: —filthy hags!
Why do you show me this? A fourth? Start, eyes!
What! will the line stretch out to th’ crack of doom.
Another yet? — A seventh? — I’ll see no more: —
And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glass
Which shows me many more, and some I see
That two-fold balls and treble scepters carry.
Horrible sight! —Now I see ’tis true;
For the blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me
And points at them for his. —What! Is this so?
Macbeth delivers both of these chosen passages in the first scene of Act 4, contrasting his emotions before and after he sees all of Banquo’s descendants in line for the throne, with Banquo’s ghost following closely behind.
In the first passage, Macbeth feels safe and protected from any threats that may arise to his position as King. The first three apparitions seemed not to scare him, thus resulting in his calm and confident mood. This can be shown through the 4 pairs of rhyming couplets (underlined and italicized) in the passage. Macbeth’s relaxed mood reflects in this passage as the rhyming couplets may serve as a literary device to show the fluidity in his dialogue. Macbeth loses his calm composure in the second passage however, after the witches reveal that all of Banquo’s descendants will stretch out into the future as Kings of Scotland, almost leaving him in a state of hysteria. Multiple exclamation marks are used to show his strong feelings of fear and surprise over this prophecy, and the many uses of a dash are used to show his various changes in thought, illustrating his panicked state of emotions.
This contrast of before and after reveals more about Macbeth’s character, and how even though he appears to be powerful and strong on the outside (“…answer me/ To what I ask you”, lines 60-61), he still fears greatly for his murderous actions. It may be this major tragic flaw of both greed and fear combined together that leads to his final downfall in the play.
Act 3: Plot
Scene Observations
Scene 1
This scene starts off with Banquo’s monologue in the royal castle at Forres. Banquo starts to suspect Macbeth, but quickly remembers the witches’ prophecies and how it was his descendants who were in line for the throne. Macbeth and his wife enter as their new identities as King and Queen of Scotland, and invite Banquo as their guest of honor in their feast that night. Banquo mentions that both him and Fleance plan to go horse riding that afternoon and won’t be back till nightfall. Macbeth is then left alone and meets with two hired murderers, claiming to them the wrongs Banquo has brought upon their country and their people. The scene ends with the murderers’ promise to kill Banquo and his son Fleance.
In this scene, both Banquo and Macbeth have soliloquies mentioning the other. Banquo first mentions his suspicions on Macbeth in the beginning of this scene. This allows for audiences to be aware of Banquo’s standpoint on the murder of Duncan, so that we can become more conscious of Banquo’s noble character and how that may pose as a threat to Macbeth. Macbeth then has a soliloquy on his fear towards Banquo because of his good and brave character. Audiences are able to reflect on Macbeth’s words since it mirrors exactly what Banquo has said at the start of Scene 1. The arrangement of these monologues in this scene help outline the importance of this ‘fear’ in Macbeth and show why it is important (in Macbeth’s point of view) for Banquo to be murdered.
Because Macbeth’s soliloquy was positioned before Macbeth’s meeting with the murderers, the audiences have an understanding of why he wants to kill his good friend, Banquo. This creates an effect of dramatic irony because audiences now understand that it is out of fear and safety, however the murderers have no knowledge of this fact and are led to believe that Banquo is their enemy, thus ironically killing Banquo for the wrong reasons.
Scene 2
Macbeth and his wife have a discussion somewhere within the castle, where Macbeth hints at his plan to murder Banquo by saying that there is still unfinished business as there are still threats to the throne. However, this time, Lady Macbeth is not as enthusiastic and determined as before, so Macbeth decides not to tell her the details of his plan.
In this scene, audiences are already aware of Macbeth’s plan to kill Banquo, and although Macbeth tries to tell Lady Macbeth, she is still oblivious to the matter, once again creating dramatic irony. In addition, we see that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem to have traded roles as he is now taking full control of his plans without telling her, just like how she did in the murder of Duncan. Macbeth also echoes Lady Macbeth’s words on being a man by questioning the murderers’ manhood in the previous scene.
Scene 3
It is twilight; the two murderers plus a third stand in a park outside the palace waiting for Banquo and Fleance’s return. They are ready for the murder, and have lighted their torches, and soon hear Banquo and Fleance approach with their horses. The murderers successfully kill Banquo, who tells his son to leave and to avenge for his death. Fleance escapes in the darkness.
Since audiences are already introduced to Macbeth and the murderers’ plan to murder Banquo and Fleance, we are not surprised by Banquo’s death in this scene. However, the fact that Fleance escapes is significant because according to the witches’ prophecies, it is Banquo’s line of descendants that would be King, not Banquo himself, illustrating how fate is still winning over Macbeth.
Scene 4
The feast begins in the castle; Macbeth and Lady Macbeth enter welcoming their guests. One of the murderers appears through the side door and informs Macbeth that Banquo is dead but Fleance has escaped. Macbeth dismisses him, and is called back to the dinner table. As Macbeth returns, he is shocked to find Banquo’s ghost in his seat, while no one else can see it. Macbeth speaks to the ‘invisible’ ghost while all the guests remain dumbfounded. Lady Macbeth quickly realizes what’s happening and makes excuses for him. The ghost disappears for a while but appears again after Macbeth proposes a toast to Banquo. This causes Macbeth to go into further delusion and outbursts that the feast is unable to continue. Left alone, Macbeth and his wife speak of Macduff and how he is refusing to his commands.
The ghost in this scene is yet another hallucination created by Macbeth’s guilt towards another murder. Before King Duncan’s murder, Macbeth had an illusion of a floating dagger and after, the illusion of his bloody hands polluting the ocean. Now after Banquo’s murder, Macbeth starts to have hallucinations of Banquo’s ghost, leading others to believe it as a disease. The recurring images of supernatural events appearing before Macbeth effectively reflect his guilt and fear towards his murderous deeds.
Scene 5
The three witches meet with Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft in the stormy weather. Hecate is angry with the witches because they have interfered with Macbeth’s life without consulting her first. She summons the spirits for the next day, when she knows Macbeth will visit, and asks the witches to prepare their spells and charms to confuse Macbeth with illusions.
The arrangement of this scene seems out of place with the rest of the act as it has nothing to do with the events that have just happened, making it appear unnecessary and unimportant. Audiences do not need to know what is happening between the witches and Hecate, as they are not the main focuses of the play, particularly in this suspenseful moment.
Scene 6
Lenox has a conversation with another lord somewhere in Scotland. Both men seem to have their suspicions set on Macbeth, who they call a “tyrant” (III, VI, 25). The Lord tells Lenox that Malcolm and Macduff are in England, pleading for King Edward’s help to save Scotland from Macbeth’s rule. Reports of this plan push Macbeth to prepare for war.
This scene is placed in a fairly good position as it is in the end of the act, which may be representing the end of the commotion over Banquo’s death. Other characters not involved with the murder, like Lenox and the lord, are able to reflect on their views of this matter, so that audiences are aware of what other people are thinking about Macbeth and his sovereignty over Scotland. In addition, this scene gives audiences an indication of what is to happen in the following act-the intervention of King Edward (and England).
Act Analysis
According to Freytag’s dramatic structure, the third act of a play usually falls under the climax. Since Macbeth is a tragedy, a turning point should be occurring at this moment in the play. Because Banquo’s murder was placed in the climax, we can expect for this event to be a huge influence on the character of Macbeth in the following acts. The end of this act prepares audiences for bigger conflict as Lenox and the lord talk about the aid of King Edward in England and Macbeth’s attempt at war. At this point in the play, audiences are feeling the most suspenseful as we are all uncertain of what is to happen next.
If an additional scene were to be added to this act, I would include a scene where Macbeth expresses his feelings towards the murder of Banquo and the escape of Fleance. Perhaps after Macbeth and Lady Macbeth retire to sleep the night of the feast, Macbeth can secretly meet with the murderer in the park outside his palace, and discuss the news. They can further go into detail on why Fleance was able to escape, and Macbeth can then have a soliloquy on his fear and guilt towards this murder. Although in Scene IV, Macbeth tells the murderer they should meet the next day, that scene never actually took place. This is unfortunate because I feel that it’s important for audiences to understand Macbeth’s fear towards both the murder and the escape, as it is these insecurities that lead him to perform many violent deeds.
Act 2: Imagery/Symbolism
Scene observations
Starting from the first scene, we clearly see that the imagery of darkness plays a huge role in building the atmosphere and mood of the plot. This darkness is mentioned mostly throughout the first scene, and is used to foreshadow the death of Duncan in the next scene.
In Scene 1, the symbol of the moon and the stars are used as a type of imagery for darkness. As Banquo and Fleance walk through the courtyard of the castle, Banquo says, “There’s no husbandry in heaven; Their candles are all out” (II, I, 4-5), meaning that the ‘candles’ in the sky, the stars, are not shining tonight. Without the moon or the stars shining, the night is close to pitch black, emphasizing the extremity of darkness.
Following the stars and the moon is the constant imagery of dreams (nightmares) in the first scene. Banquo is unwilling to sleep due to his “cursèd thoughts” (II, I, 7) (the dreams from his heavy spirits→ nightmares) of the witches. The fact that Banquo is having nightmares is yet again another foreshadowing on the darkness that is about to occur in the following scenes (as dreams/nightmares only happen during hours of darkness). While Macbeth speaks about the hallucination of the dagger he sees appearing before his eyes, he mentions, “Wicked dreams abuse the curtained sleep” (II, I, 50-51). This is significant when referring to the importance of darkness, as he says that sleep is curtained, indicating that at night, Macbeth hopes sleep will act as a cover to protect him of his crime of killing the King.
Another image or symbol mentioned in this act is the owl (and birds). As tracked in previous scenes of the book, readers are aware that birds remain a main motif, since it is mentioned various times in Act 2. As Lady Macbeth enters the second scene, she thinks she hears noises and refers it to the “owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman” (II, II, 4). Two literary devices are used in this context- anaphora, and metaphor. She compares the shrieking of the owl at night to the ringing of a bell. The owl, which cries out before death, is compared to the ring of the bellman’s bell before a dead body makes its way to a burial. The owl is mentioned again in Scene 2 when Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that she “heard the owl scream” (II, II, 15). It is mentioned for the last time in Scene 4, when an old man and Rosse, a Nobleman of Scotland, are talking about the unnatural order of the world, just after King Duncan is murdered. The old man proclaims that last Tuesday, he saw a falcon, after towering to the highest point (“pride of place”) get attacked by an owl. This was another example of an unnatural instance occurring in our world.
Lastly, and most importantly, is the image of blood, made especially apparent in Scene 2 of this act. Macbeth feels so guilty after killing the King that several references to his bloody hands were made. He refers to his hands as “hangman’s hands” (II, II, 27)- hands covered in blood, as if they were some sort of sin. He exaggerates his bloody hands even further when he says rather than his hands being made clean by the ocean, it is more likely to turn the entire sea red from the King’s blood.
Act Analysis
Darkness is especially mentioned in this act as the darkness of the night. It is arguable that all memorable scenes in Macbeth take place at night, when darkness is best able to act as a shield to cover up the truths we want to hide. The death of King Duncan could just be one of the many incidents that occur in the play. Hence, darkness may act as an indication of evil deeds, as only once the sky is dark, can our evil actions be covered up, as is perfectly demonstrated in Scene 1 and 2 of this act.
Due to the fact that the owl is mentioned three times in this act, we can easily interpret that it obviously plays a role in imagery. After the first reference to the owl is used (when compared to the fatal bellman), we may interpret the owl to mean death, as bellmen only ring their bell when a dead body is about to move to a burial. The ‘scream’ or ‘shriek’ of the owl could be a foreshadowing, a forewarning sign that someone (a person probably close to Lady Macbeth, as she’s the one who heard the shriek) may be close to death. Shakespeare uses an owl to foreshadow the death of a character, probably because readers/audiences could be more easily persuaded or convinced that the owl’s warning is, in fact, true. This is because the owl has always stood for knowledge and wisdom, as it sees everything, it being a nocturnal animal. If it sees everything, it’s bound to know everything that happens around it, making the owl a clever choice in the imagery of a foretold death.
The mentioning of an owl in Scene 4, Act 2 of the play however, alters our interpretation of the owl as we hear about how the owl kills the falcon, supposedly a much stronger bird than the owl. This is an unnatural event, and we may relate this to another unnatural event the old man was just talking about in his previous sentence. He reckoned that for a man to kill a King was unnatural, and that it went against the natural order of the world. We may therefore interpret, that the ‘falcon’ may mean the King, and the ‘owl’, Macbeth. This is because the falcon is meant to be a lot stronger than an owl; this is true in terms of the King, as he too, has more power and more authority than Macbeth. Which is why when the owl, a creature less powerful and strong than the falcon, kills the falcon it comes off as bewilderment and astonishment to society- an unnatural event.
- Quote: “A falcon, towering in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl hawked at, and killed” (II, II, 12-13)
In the image: The owl appears to be bigger than the falcon to show its dominance and power. Its mouth is open to prepare for the kill of the falcon, which is flying straightly towards the owl, as if helplessly launching itself towards death.
Setting: Act 1, Scene 7
a. Scene Observations
- i. Where
This scene takes place in the same setting as the last two- in Macbeth’s castle, Inverness. Everyone is in the banqueting hall for the welcoming meal (while Macbeth steps aside).
- ii. Time
The scene takes place at night-Duncan has almost finished his supper at Macbeth’s castle.
- iii. Context
The next scene, which is also the first scene of Act 2, is still taking place in Macbeth’s castle, signifying the setting’s importance.
b. Act Analysis
This scene creates a very anxious mood as it still takes place in Macbeth’s castle. Audiences learn that the murder of King Duncan will be carried out in the castle, strengthening the tension in the atmosphere.
The staging of this scene would remain the same as the previous 2, but to further increase the anxiety and worry in the audience, quiet, eerie music would be playing in the background when Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth her plan to kill the King. While Lady Macbeth is giving that speech, a spotlight should be shining down on her, to emphasize its importance as she is revealing her plan on how to kill Duncan.
Setting: Act 1, Scene 6
a. Scene Observations
- i. Where
This scene takes place in the same setting as the last- in Macbeth’s castle, Inverness.
- ii. Time
The scene takes place at night, since we are informed in the previous scene that King Duncan would arrive at Macbeth’s castle during nighttime.
- iii. Context
The next scene is also in Macbeth’s castle. This is significant because usually in a play, the setting changes for each scene, making this section in the play stand out from the rest.
b. Act Analysis
Shakespeare positions Scenes 5, 6, and 7 all in the same location. With the three scenes lined consecutively next to each other, the violent and anxious atmosphere of the castle set in the previous scene still remain. This gives the characters a long time to build up conflict, and may be a type of staging method to slowly build up the suspense of the murder of the King.
The tragic aspect in this scene is developed through Duncan and Banquo’s description of the castle in the beginning of the scene. Duncan says the “castle hath a pleasant seat” (Line 1), using peaceful words like ‘pleasant’, ‘sweetly’, and ‘gently’. However, little does he know that this may the place of his murder, creating a type of dramatic irony.
The fact that Duncan arrives at the castle at night may be a type of imagery and symbol since dark is often associated with fear and mystery.
Setting: Act 1, Scene 5
a. Scene Observations
- i. Where
This scene takes place in a room in Macbeth’s castle, which is in Inverness (northern Scotland).
- ii. Time
The scene should be around dusk, close to nighttime. This is because the messenger comes in as Lady Macbeth is reading Macbeth’s letter and announces to her that the “the king comes here tonight” (Line 30). Lady Macbeth tells the Messenger that she needs time for preparation for her plan to help Macbeth kill the King before he comes tonight, so it should be around dusk or sunset, to give her enough time to get ready.
- iii. Context
The scene after this is in the same setting, at Macbeth’s castle in Inverness.
b. Act Analysis
In the beginning of this scene, the setting of Macbeth’s castle doesn’t create much of a mood to audiences, as there isn’t a lot of special meaning to it. However towards the end, Lady Macbeth mentions her home as her “battlements” (Line 38). This automatically alters the atmosphere as Macbeth’s castle suddenly gives off a very violent and threatening vibe.
If I had to stage this scene, I would design the room of the castle in fairly dark colors, like black and grey, or have it made out of bricks, to give it a very old and frightening atmosphere. In the background, I would probably add eerie music while Lady Macbeth resolves to put aside her natural femininity and help her husband seize the crown, because it may increase the tension and suspense of what is to happen in the next scene.
Lady Macbeth has also made it clear that she will not let the King leave her “battlements” alive. With the scene after this also taking place in Macbeth’s castle, it makes audiences question whether King Duncan really is going to be murdered, creating a very suspenseful mood.
Setting: Act 1, Scene 4
a. Scene Observations
- i. Where
This scene takes place in a room in King Duncan’s palace.
- ii. Time
The scene should be between midday to sunset as Macbeth and Banquo have now arrived in the King’s palace after meeting the witches in the previous scene.
- iii. Context
After this scene, the setting changes to King Duncan’s palace in Forres to Macbeth’s castle in Inverness. (Forres is approximately 30 miles east of Inverness).
b. Act Analysis
The setting of the King’s palace automatically creates a very grand, classy atmosphere, creating a really relaxed/casual mood among the characters in this scene. If I had to further emphasize the setting, I would make the lighting around the stage brighter, to create a happier and lighter mood.
Tragic aspect is developed as the joyful atmosphere of the palace tricks the characters into believing that everyone is happy. However, they fail to realize Macbeth’s discontent when Malcolm, the King’s son, is declared as heir to the throne.
Setting: Act 1, Scene 3
a. Scene Observations
- i. Where
This scene takes place in a heath (an open field) possibly near the battlefield, since it is where the witches planned to meet Macbeth (in Scene 1) after his battle. Thunder once again rolls in the background.
- ii. Time
The scene takes place possibly during morning to midday as Macbeth and Banquo are on their way to meet the King in Forres (who was just in the military camp meeting the captain after the battle).
- iii. Context
The juxtaposition of the scenes before and after Scene 3 is quite similar as they’re both in the presence of the King-flourished sound of trumpets are blown at the start of each scene, and a grand atmosphere is created. Audiences/viewers are starting to see a pattern in the way Shakespeare positions the setting of the scenes-they go back and forth. In the first and third scene, the setting takes place in an open place with thunder in the background. The second and fourth scene takes place in a closed area either near or in the palace of the King in Forres.
b. Act Analysis
The setting of Scene 3 creates a very supernatural mood, because once again the presence of the witches and the thunder rolling in the background builds a very strange and mysterious atmosphere.
If I had to stage this scene, I would make it so that it’s close to identical to the setting in Scene 1. This is so that audiences would recognize everything from the set design, to the sounds and lighting, to make the connection that the settings of Scene 1 and 3 are very similar, if not the same.
I feel like the tragic aspect of the play is emphasized when Macbeth receives news from the witches about him being Thane of Cawdor, because at this time, thunder is clapping in the background. The sound of thunder somehow foreshadows that something catastrophic might happen in the future concerning Macbeth or his title as Thane of Cawdor.
Sarahhoyw's Blog 