Macbeth
Macbeth:
How is control and power shown in the play Macbeth? I have been looking at the play Macbeth and how power and control are shown in it. I will be analysing ways in which Shakespeare shows this throughput the play and what effect this has on the audience. Firstly, I will be looking at Act 1 Scene 1, which is the first appearance of the witches and helps sets the tone for the rest of the play. Throughout the play Shakespeare portrays the witches as being evil. One of the main quotes of this scene is “Fair is foul and foul is fair”. It is implying that all that is good is bad and all that is bad is good. It is also showing that if you wish to be successful and gain power, you must be prepared to complete bad deeds. This is a good example of the witches being shown as evil by Shakespeare. This quote is said by all of the witches together and is a rhyming couplet. The use of Trochaic Tetrameter is important within the quote and helps to portray the witches as being bad and evil. This is how a lot of supernatural characters speak within other Shakespeare plays, whereas most other characters from the play talk in blank verse. However, you see as the play goes on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both start to talk in Trochaic Tetrameter; a sign they have become evil. I should mention that at this time people strongly believed in the idea of witches. The king, James I, was obsessed with witchcraft and even passed laws condemning witchcraft and the practice of sorcery. This is significant, in that Shakespeare is believed to have written the play Macbeth to please the king. A way in which the witches are seen as having power is in their ability to control the weather. This is shown in the quote “When shall we three meet again in? /In thunder lightening or in rain?”. This is also an example of a pathetic fallacy because it adds to the dark atmosphere making the scene seem more frightening in bad weather. The idea of “thunder” and “lightening” also add to the
How is control and power shown in the play Macbeth? I have been looking at the play Macbeth and how power and control are shown in it. I will be analysing ways in which Shakespeare shows this throughput the play and what effect this has on the audience. Firstly, I will be looking at Act 1 Scene 1, which is the first appearance of the witches and helps sets the tone for the rest of the play. Throughout the play Shakespeare portrays the witches as being evil. One of the main quotes of this scene is “Fair is foul and foul is fair”. It is implying that all that is good is bad and all that is bad is good. It is also showing that if you wish to be successful and gain power, you must be prepared to complete bad deeds. This is a good example of the witches being shown as evil by Shakespeare. This quote is said by all of the witches together and is a rhyming couplet. The use of Trochaic Tetrameter is important within the quote and helps to portray the witches as being bad and evil. This is how a lot of supernatural characters speak within other Shakespeare plays, whereas most other characters from the play talk in blank verse. However, you see as the play goes on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both start to talk in Trochaic Tetrameter; a sign they have become evil. I should mention that at this time people strongly believed in the idea of witches. The king, James I, was obsessed with witchcraft and even passed laws condemning witchcraft and the practice of sorcery. This is significant, in that Shakespeare is believed to have written the play Macbeth to please the king. A way in which the witches are seen as having power is in their ability to control the weather. This is shown in the quote “When shall we three meet again in? /In thunder lightening or in rain?”. This is also an example of a pathetic fallacy because it adds to the dark atmosphere making the scene seem more frightening in bad weather. The idea of “thunder” and “lightening” also add to the