Gothic Elements of Macbeth in Act One

The gothic elements of Macbeth are obvious from the opening scene and setting of the witches, instantly putting the play into a dark light and making it clear to the audience of the supernatural and gothic elements which run throughout the play. The presence of the witches automatically does this but their speech adds to it. The witches speaking only in rhyme “Fair is foul and foul is fair,” alluding to spells and trickery therefore overcastting the play with unease. The subject matter of the witches’ speech also keeps in the tradition of gothic, with images of war throughout: “When the battle’s lost and won,” making it apparent from the offset the evil nature of the play.

The first meeting of Lady Macbeth also keeps up with elements of the gothic, with her calling upon the evil spirits to “unsex me here.” This call would shock audiences as Lady Macbeth is obviously not a typical woman. This act quickly denotes the evil within her, due to her attempting to rid herself of goodness and fill herself with evil. Lady Macbeth’s language also adds to this with her proclaiming Macbeth is “Too full of the milk of human kindness,” as if it were a bad thing.

The fact the play opens with a question “When shall we three meet again?” and prophecies add to the gothic, as this denotes the fact the events seem to be out of the control of the characters casting a sense of dramatic irony over the act.

The elements of the gothic are also strewn throughout with the settings of castles and long empty moors and the harsh weather.