Reading LOg

Scene I:

• Typical gothic weather of “Thunder and lightning” this weather is common within Shakespeare and immediately alerts the audience to nature of play.

• The presence of the witches and subject matter they discuss themselves. “When the battles lost and won”
• Despite the title of play the fact that we do not meet the eponymous character and instead hear accounts and references to him, builds him up to be someone special and automatically gives Macbeth that aura of mystery
• Use of stichomythia speeds up dialogue creating sense of urgency

Scene II:

·         Many references to blood- captain’s description

·         This scene again creates sense of mystery around Macbeth and puts him on a pedestal as a man of bravery- “Brave Macbeth”

·         Also alludes to prophecy of witches “What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won” foreshadowing the next scene.

Scene III:

• Witches prophecy parallels with the foreshadowing earlier.
• Also setting with the thunder and rain and Macbeth and Banquo fresh from battle

Scene IV:

• Dramatic irony with trusting Macbeth despite Macbeth’s plans to kill him already ‘He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.’
• ‘Our duties are to your throne…’ ties in with “Be the snake underneath”- constant imagery of two sides to a person within play and displaying the evil within

Scene V:

·         Lady Macbeth’s dominance and calling on evil spirits “Unsex me here”

·         Her plans to kill Duncan already forming and her looking down upon “The milk of human English”

Scene VI:

• This scene sets up Scene VII – Lady Macbeth presents that she is two faced, or just a very clever woman. ‘We rest your hermits.’