Macbeth I
Discuss some of the qualities that might make Act 3, Scene 4 (banquet at which Banquo's ghost appears) dramatically powerful for Jacobean audiences and for modern audiences.There are many factors which make this scene frightening, to both audiences now and those in Jacobean times. Set in a historical context, there was a great fear of ghosts, and the supernatural - which the reigning monarch James I found particularly disturbing. The placing of the scene adds dramatic power because of the fact that the audience becomes part of Macbeth's hallucinations and Madness, as they, unlike the Lords at the banquet know of the terrible murder of Banquo, performed by Macbeth's hired murderers in the previous scene.For Jacobean audiences especially, people's beliefs in hell and witchcraft would have made this scene all the more poignant. At the end of the scene, Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth that he wants to return to the weird sisters the next day:And betimes I will - to the weird sisters.More shall they speak. For now I am bent to knowBy the worst means, the worst; for mine own good,This is powerful because he emphasizes the fact that once he has become driven by the witches
There are several powerful images in this scene. In some productions, it has been very successful to have someone act as the ghost of Banquo. The fact that he is meant to be having a jolly banquet after that ordeal adds to the manicness of the whole scene. safe in a ditch he bides,With twenty trenched gashes on his head,The least a death to nature. The movement of people on stage is crucial - it is important that attention is drawn to Macbeth, and the ghost when it is sighted. Because it is a banquet, there will obviously be a fair amount of noise in the background and it is hard to pull Macbeth's terror out of the jolly crowd. It is often most effective to take a more simplistic approach with the props and set design, as one doesn't need to concentrate on anything but the actors in this scene. We learn from Lady Macbeth that the night is "almost at odds with morning," which adds suspense to the situation. It is a time when things are most still, and dark - which is frightening - some audiences now may also realise that this time is a sort of no-man's land between the peacefulness of sleep, and a violent awakening. The physical appearance is very important here, as it could be made very disturbing, with the actor dressed as he would be when he was killed, with blood everywhere and terrible wounds. ' influence, he cannot turn back and he is determined to know more of what they have to say.
Common topics in this essay:
Lady Macbeth,
Led Duncan,
,
Eve Bible,
lady macbeth,
blood blood,
scene macbeth,
act 3 scene,
3 scene 4,
blood blood blood,
paranoia fear,
act 3,
frightening audiences,
murder banquo,
teeth th'present,
ghost banquo,
murderer fleance,
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Acceptance Essays
