English Lit: Macbeth

Language, Structure and Form.

LANGUAGE/MOTIFS: Repetition of 'Blood': symbol of guilt running through the play ('I am in blood / Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more,' - Macbeth); a constant reminder of the direct consequences of the Macbeth's actions; further reinforced by the images of blood which are used throughout the character's speeches and makes what they are saying more horrific. Imagery and repetition of 'Night': night time is traditionally associated with evil; the image of night time is also used by the characters to show the darkness of their feelings and the evil of what they are doing - 'Come, thick night, / And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell' - Lady Macbeth and 'Come, seeling night, / Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day' - Macbeth, echoing Lady M's earlier speech and the use of 'pitiful day' tells us how Macbeth is shunning the goodness day represents. STRUCTURE: Blank Verse and Iambic Pentameter: blank verse is used for the main characters and nobles, mimicking a conversational tone that suggests these characters are more important than others; prose is used for minor characters - like the murderers that typically displays the weakness of their role - whilst Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking, Shakespeare uses prose to indicate her loss of power, for she has gone from soliloquy's to prose. Stichomythia: suggests dominance. Asides: 'Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor!' - devious. FORM: Tragedy Play: in which the protagonist reveals a fatal flaw (Macbeth and Lady M - ambition) which leads to their downfall from success and happiness to failure and misery; tragedies set out to stir up feelings of fear and pity in the audience – known as catharsis. Soliloquys: like a dramatic monologue, a soliloquy is centred around a single character, indicating their power and presence in the play; Lady Macbeth has soliloquy's but is demoted to prose in Act 5. Freytag's Pyramid.

Context.

WRITING FOR A KING - JAMES I: The play was written for James I, and explores many kingship related issues such as the health of a nation and the qualities of a good king throughout all the themes of power and treason. Macbeth focuses on the murder of a king, and at the time there had been several plots against James I - including the Gunpowder Plot with Guy Fawkes). WITCHCRAFT: James I was fascinated by witches and claimed witches once tried to sink his ship - just like the witches in Macbeth sank the ship of the sailor who offended them. Witches were believed to be real and dangerous, and were often linked with the Devil so to a Shakespearean audience (Elizabethan time period) it would've seemed like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were under demonic possession - trances, visions and indifference to life. TRAGEDIES - SENECA:Shakespeare was influenced by Roman playwright Seneca whose tragedies included soliloquy's, witches, violence and moral statements (Malcolm is the moral centre of the play) just like Macbeth does.GREEK PLAYS:Macbeth follows the key features of a tragedy set by Aristotle: the protagonist is royal, has a fatal flaw which leads to failure and death by the antagonist.MAC BETHAD - THE REAL MACBETH:Mac Bethad was a real Scottish king called the 'Red King.' He killed the previous king - called Duncan - and was known to desire power as he felt it was his birthright; in the play, it's actually Lady Macbeth who initially takes on this role and is a contrast to the opinion of women at the time: that they were weak and subservient.