structure
,Supernatural appearing first means the audience first impression of the play is
through the lens of the witches, showing their dominant force, as well as never
seeing a world before the witches, so we see how the entire play is categorised by
them. With their first line this makes the audience suspicious + taints every
subsequent scene with uncertainty. furthermore their first line, the paradox 'fair is
foul and foul is fair' emphasises the lack of moral certainty throughout the play,
essentially spoiling the entire plot, of people appearing fair whilst inwardly being foul.
as well as this the balanced antithesis shows how they are equal to each other and
there is no real distinction between evil and good, as reinforced by Duncan's inability
to see macbeth as evil.
his soliloquies were used by shakespeare to show his anxieties as he couldnt say his
evil ideas out loud, as they dissipated it shows how he stops caring about others
finding out about his evil ideas. furthermore, they express his morality and inner
thoughts, so without them it becomes apparent he has lost any shred of morality and
doesn't think, simply acts as shown "give me my armour’. As well as the loss of
morality hes also lost anything that made him individual, with no thoughts in his
head, reflected by his nihilistic perspective “lifes but a walking shadow”
Shakespeare is trying to show Scotlands instability caused by violation of natural
order through the cyclical structure as it begins with macbeth murdering a traitor and
ends with a traitor (macbeth) being murdered and someone new coming to the
crown, with fleance being omitted from the ending, showing the instability of
Scotland currently, which may have been seen as supporting King James idea of the
union of the crowns to join Scotland with more prosperous England. shown with king
Edward "hath a heavenly gift of prophecy" and remaining strong throughout, to show
how the union was necessary and good
shows her being demoted as blank verse was associated with nobility and prose
with less wealthy, lower class. emphasises the futility of her actions as her entire
tragedy was her desire for more power and to achieve more status however this is
subverted by the end when she transforms into the quintessential Jacobean woman,
dying off stage: weak and silent
its the most normal scene of a king feasting with his men and advisors, however
banquets ghost interrupts this scene to show the disruption of the natural order
renders any attempt of being normal, destroyed, and how macbeth will never have a
functioning kingship due ot his illegitimate seizing of the crown. furthermore the
structural irony of Macbeth having banquo killed to ensure his kingship and it doing
the opposite. it also enacts the public vs private collapse as the banquet is a public
setting, yet Macbeths private guilt emerges. earlier he could separate the two, but
here he has lost control
,motifs
, Sickness and illness, witches are “withered”, lady macbeth says macbeth doesnt have the
“illness” to do this action, as shakespeare argues that to defy the divine right of kings, one
must be ill. Furthermore “heat oppressed brain” now sick, as he could be arguing that going
through with this action can also make you sick, lady macbeth headaches and sleepwalking.
Perhaps god has inflicted a punishment due to the disruption of the natural order
,Supernatural appearing first means the audience first impression of the play is
through the lens of the witches, showing their dominant force, as well as never
seeing a world before the witches, so we see how the entire play is categorised by
them. With their first line this makes the audience suspicious + taints every
subsequent scene with uncertainty. furthermore their first line, the paradox 'fair is
foul and foul is fair' emphasises the lack of moral certainty throughout the play,
essentially spoiling the entire plot, of people appearing fair whilst inwardly being foul.
as well as this the balanced antithesis shows how they are equal to each other and
there is no real distinction between evil and good, as reinforced by Duncan's inability
to see macbeth as evil.
his soliloquies were used by shakespeare to show his anxieties as he couldnt say his
evil ideas out loud, as they dissipated it shows how he stops caring about others
finding out about his evil ideas. furthermore, they express his morality and inner
thoughts, so without them it becomes apparent he has lost any shred of morality and
doesn't think, simply acts as shown "give me my armour’. As well as the loss of
morality hes also lost anything that made him individual, with no thoughts in his
head, reflected by his nihilistic perspective “lifes but a walking shadow”
Shakespeare is trying to show Scotlands instability caused by violation of natural
order through the cyclical structure as it begins with macbeth murdering a traitor and
ends with a traitor (macbeth) being murdered and someone new coming to the
crown, with fleance being omitted from the ending, showing the instability of
Scotland currently, which may have been seen as supporting King James idea of the
union of the crowns to join Scotland with more prosperous England. shown with king
Edward "hath a heavenly gift of prophecy" and remaining strong throughout, to show
how the union was necessary and good
shows her being demoted as blank verse was associated with nobility and prose
with less wealthy, lower class. emphasises the futility of her actions as her entire
tragedy was her desire for more power and to achieve more status however this is
subverted by the end when she transforms into the quintessential Jacobean woman,
dying off stage: weak and silent
its the most normal scene of a king feasting with his men and advisors, however
banquets ghost interrupts this scene to show the disruption of the natural order
renders any attempt of being normal, destroyed, and how macbeth will never have a
functioning kingship due ot his illegitimate seizing of the crown. furthermore the
structural irony of Macbeth having banquo killed to ensure his kingship and it doing
the opposite. it also enacts the public vs private collapse as the banquet is a public
setting, yet Macbeths private guilt emerges. earlier he could separate the two, but
here he has lost control
,motifs
, Sickness and illness, witches are “withered”, lady macbeth says macbeth doesnt have the
“illness” to do this action, as shakespeare argues that to defy the divine right of kings, one
must be ill. Furthermore “heat oppressed brain” now sick, as he could be arguing that going
through with this action can also make you sick, lady macbeth headaches and sleepwalking.
Perhaps god has inflicted a punishment due to the disruption of the natural order
