Macbeth Coursework Essay

In this essay I will be looking at Act 2, Scenes 1 and 2 of Macbeth and producing a detailed analysis of the scenes, providing examples of how I would direct them and comparing this with how it may have been directed in Shakespeare’s day. I will also be discussing the context in which the play was written and discussing the impact this had on Shakespeare’s writing. I am setting Macbeth in the time period of which it was originally set in, the 11th century. To uphold historical accuracy, the actors will also be dressed in medieval clothing and so their outfits won’t be that grand but practical and warm, broaches and smocks. The scenery that I will have will be of a built up castle with a staircase and an upper level but also a curtain to fall in front with just an empty field for front-of-tabs work when they are not near a castle. The stage will there for have to be set in open-end staging. I have kept with the original setting for many reasons: one is that people were more suspicious at that time and were a lot more likely to believe that there are witches that make psychic predictions, also less foolish that Macbeth believes them if it was set in time when people were less sceptical toward the supernatural. If it was set in modern day Macbeth would be seen as foolish to believe them and put his life at risk for things that they have said are truths. Another flaw with setting it in modern day is that if somebody, especially the King, was murdered then the body would have to undergo a full forensic search. It would seem implausible that if a monarchy was killed for the blame to go to onto his children purely because they fled, if it was set in a time where they could just check the DNA on the weapons that you know are left there. I am also setting it then to make the story feel more real. As that is when the real Macbeth walked and talked, however falsified the story is. So it seemed best to set it in the time it was meant to have taken place. When Banquo and Fleance enter at the start of the Act, Fleance is holding a torch to show it is dark. This fits with their conversation about the night, because if they were just walking around saying it was dark but without showing any signs of not being able to see, then it would just seem unrealistic. Before Macbeth leaves to kill Duncan he should take the necklace showing symbol that he is Thane of Cawdor off and show that he is no longer that. He should also wear a red cloak to symbolise the blood, as if it is surrounding him, it should be tied up around his neck and when he is feeling the impact of what he did it should be as if it is so tight it is chocking him, the blood, or his deed, are chocking him. The scene is set in Dunsdane castle at night, Macbeth’s castle. We know that it is gone midnight from Banquo and Fleance’s conversation. This would affect the audience when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, in Jacobean England, people were superstitious and ‘witching hour’ was still believed and feared. Also night was the time when bad things happen, it was associated with evil, witchcraft and hidden acts. Also it was common believed at the time that the good and righteous were in far before it got dark as the day is for the good and the night for the evil, the time where dark deeds took place. The stairs of the castle behind show that it is set in the courtyard of Macbeth’s castle. They are walking across stage but quite slowly as to fit in the text as it makes sense for them to be heading somewhere, as it would seem inappropriate for them to just be standing out in the dark and the cold. Historically Banquo and Macbeth were best friends and both together killed the King. But Shakespeare, who knew that King James 1, the current king, was a descendant of Banquo and thought it best not to show him as being evil. It would displease the King to show his ancestor as treasonous, so he decided to make him out as innocent and good and for him to try and discourage Macbeth from killing Duncan. By having Banquo out after dark when the bad and evil were supposedly out may have been Shakes peares way of communicating this to the audience in a discrete manner, one that the King could not fret about. The things that I would add to the start of the scene are that the lighting should be dull and dimly lit to show that it is dark with a few small lights at the top as they are referenced. This just adds to the feel of the night. Also the sound effects of crickets, regardless of whether there would be any again reference to the night it would add to the suspense. In the scene between Banquo and Fleance, Banquo has greater authority over Fleance as he refers to him as ‘Sir.’ ‘I take’t, ’tis later, sir’ So therefore when onstage Banquo needs to show that he is of higher status and so needs to look down at him. Fleance needs to be played quite introvertedly and be more hunched and talk softer and at a higher pitch than Banquo, as that will show his age. When Macbeth (and his servant) enters he should come from the opposite side of the stage from where Banquo and Fleance are. So Macbeth enters from the side where stairs are nearest and all four of them head toward the stairs when they spot each other. His servant is standing downstage to him when they are talking as it shows the lesser importance of him in both status and the play. When Banquo and Macbeth are talking they start to discuss the three witches. ‘I had a dream about the three weird sister. To you they have shown some truth.’ This shows that Banquo may be out after dark as he was having bad dreams. Macbeth should seem taken aback at this statement as if he was at that time, thinking about them, yet denies it. ‘I think not of them.’ Banquo doesn’t believe him and stays wary of him, seeming unsure what to say and the atmosphere is quite uncomfortable as Macbeth is suspicious that Banquo suspects what he is planning on doing. They are friends as well so they have to speak pleasantly and they also would not discuss possible murder plots in frount of Banquo’s son. Banquo must seem as if he is sizing Macbeth up, to see whether he would actually do that. So he has to be looking at him intently. In Macbeth’s soliloquy after he sends his servant away, he pauses and then in silence starts to pace, as if trying to think about what to do as he is torn. You hear a door open in the distance and he jumps, showing that he is on-edge and anxious. He also appears to be muttering to himself, which again shows that he is running through his thoughts on the matter. In centre stage a figure that is dressed in black produces a dagger from their costume. Macbeth sees this and walks over curiously, as he cannot see the figure. When he tries to grab it, the figure moves it just out of his way. This suggests that there is supernatural intervention. When the dagger goes towards Duncan’s room the figure dressed in black is beckoning to him and Macbeth seems transfixed on the dagger by his speech as also as he never takes his eyes off it. Just before blood appears on the dagger in the script, the figure seems to stab itself and the blood appears just on the blade. This is directing Macbeth to what he must do. The black figure then produces a crown above their head and places it on very slowly during his talk of murder and ghost and rape. When the bell rings though the crown is taken off and again is invisible. Macbeth’s voice at first when talking about the dagger, should seem entranced with it, as if it is drawing him in. He loses his sense of guilt and reaches out for it as if he was a cat just batting at the object. He should also sound shocked and confused that he can’t touch it, so it seems as though the witches are definitely putting a spell on him. The line ‘Nature seems dead’ should be said very slowly and definite, after that line it should get gradually and with more emphasis on the words. Also he should pause after ‘Moves like a ghost’. It shows his worry and nerve, also the use of the word ‘ghost’ connects it with death. In the last bit the figure produces a crown and Macbeth is determined to get it. By this time he has developed more dignity, and so he does not try and aimlessly bat around. He also appears to grow taller and in doing so makes him seem more worthy of Kingliness. When he says the last section of his soliloquy, the first line should be said whilst walking halfway up the stairs. He stops and looks around whilst saying ‘Hear it not, Duncan’. He then walks to the top of the stairs whilst saying ‘for it is knell.’ He looks over to the audience to say ‘to summon thee to Heaven,’ but the looks over to where he is exiting to say ‘or to hell’ This is said manically with a gruffer tone and with eyes open wider and the dagger held above his head as he runs off set. This section conveys the atmosphere of the night, it describes the night as being dark and dangerous. Which is conveyed by the use of personification, Macbeth compares the night to the evil deed such as murder, witchcraft and rape. It also again forewarns the terrible deeds that are soon to take place. At the beginning of Act 2 Scene 2 there should be sounds of wind in the background to show something bad is coming, this is a use of pathetic fallacy. This will make viewers think as to whether the deed has taken place yet. The audience should feel in suspense and want to know what has gone on. The lights should again be duller as it is still night, and the darkness on stage can also reflect the grey areas of the play that have not been revealed yet. Lady Macbeth, when talking, should come across as bolder and more confident than what you would think from a woman of her time. She should talk extrovertly and seem to get a sense of pleasure from what is happening, so she should look quite smug, she seems to have no remorse. You can tell that this is her outer shell as as soon as she hears the owl’s hoot, she panics and jumps but manages to regain her composition quickly. As when she says, ‘Hark! Peace’ This shows her panicking when she says Hark but then she realises that is nothing as so redeems herself by saying peace. She should enter from upstairs but the other side to Macbeth and should seem quite elated and with a smug sense of accomplishment as she meanders down the stairs and into the courtyard. She also actually freezes when she hears the owl. She is seen as dominating and so being strong relates to her being forceful before. The fact that she seems so jumpy is a contradiction to her otherwise confident manner, this shows that maybe deep down she isn’t so confident as is let on. That she only shows this exterior as to cover up the fact that she isn’t as strong as she wishes to be. When she says ‘if he had not resembled my father as he slept’ it should be said looking away from Macbeth. This shows her reluctance to show off her weakness and it shows that she did not really want to admit that to him, as if she though that it would make her seem weaker. It should also be said very monosyllabic, as to mask her feelings. This shows she does feel and does have emotions, but she chooses never to let anything but her rock solid exterior to be shown. Also that she is not as tough as she wants people to believe. When Macbeth returns with the daggers he should be in shock, to show what he did still hasn’t really sunk in and he doesn’t really believe what he did. He should talk in with a soft, distant tone as if he is not really concentrating on what he is doing. He should also not focus on anything as if he is far away, he should look through objects, not at them. When he says, ‘There’s one did laugh in’s sleep, and one cried ‘Murder!’ it is more to himself and when he is saying the speech around this he should never look at Lady Macbeth. He should seem more transfixed at the daggers. Lady Macbeth should talk with an almost hungry tone as she craves the power that it gives her. When she notices the daggers in his hands she has to seem quite disbelieving of his stupidity. When she says, ‘Why did you bring these from the place?’ She has to say it as if she cannot possibly understand why he did that, also very patronising. When Macbeth enters he is upstairs and Lady Macbeth is at the bottom and when they talk at the beginning of the scene, he is walking as they talk. He should seem shaky and closed. Lady Macbeth goes over to him, to go and comfort him but he pulls away and is transfixed with his hands and the blood on them, Lady Macbeth should also seem a bit put out by his rejection. Macbeth is filled with guilt so much he is controlled by it, so he cannot say ‘Amen.’ This is important as in Jacobean time, they were still very religious times, so by failing to be able to say the ending of a prayer shows how sinful this deed was. It shows a connection with the devil and being apart from God. He also talks about sleep, he describes it as being wonderful and relief, a blessing. When he was saying, ‘Sleep no more’, he is saying that this is a terrible punishment, sleep was taken away from him because he took a life. Lady Macbeth should seem forceful and annoyed still that he had rejected her earlier. She is very bossy and seems to be able to control and manipulate Macbeth, even though he is a strong warrior. Lady Macbeth is practical and keeps her head in their predicament, but this is quite misleading as later in the play she goes mad from the guilt of what she has done. So you know then that she doesn’t find it as simple as she lets on. We see a contrast in their characters by how they perceive the blood on their hands from the daggers. Macbeth uses a hyperbole by saying that ‘all Neptune’s water’ could not wash the blood away, so he is exaggerating and is talking more about the emotional scarring that that would leave him with. That nothing could possibly wash away what he did, no amount of water could make him forget. But Lady Macbeth simply talks about ‘how easy it is then’ as she describes only how easy it is to physically wash it off. She does not think of the guilt, only on how to get out of the blame. The dramatic effect of the knocking is that people are waking and that they can be found at any point. Somebody could arrive, also shown by the knocking as you knock to enter when you arrive. Macbeth should not seem jumpy as he is not really aware of what’s going on around him as he still hasn’t consciously awoken. Lady Macbeth should seem more aware of it as she is more aware of what they have done. During the whole of Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy, Macbeth should very slowly being playing with the water in the bucket, also to be staring very intently at it, and sounds of water movement. When Macbeth says ‘to know my deed, ’twere best not know myself’. He says it directly at Lady Macbeth, looking straight into her eyes as if willing her to understand him. When the knocking is finally getting to Macbeth he should suddenly outburst and talk very loud, almost shouting, ‘Wake Duncan with thy knocking!’ This shows that the knocking and what he did are starting to really get to him, he is more aware of the knocks when he become more aware of what he did. The voice is also a contrast to his distant and scared voice straight after he killed Duncan. Yet when he says, ‘I wish thou couldst.’ To be said softer and more inwardly, said more to himself, he should also bow his head as it shows his remorse for what he has done and his wish to rever se it. My play differs in many ways from what it would have been showed in Shakespeares day, as there is more technology and equipment in theatres now than they did then. In Shakespeare’s time there wasn’t backdrops, limited props and not very much in the way of scenery. Whereas, in my play there is an entire wall of a castle with a staircase and an upstairs for the actors to go in certain parts of the play, also there is a background of a forest for later on in the play. Underneath the stage is an area that opens up for the witches to go in when needed. These things they wouldn’t have been able to do in Shakespeare’s day, I am also using more advanced lighting then they would have then as well. Also the costumes that I use are from medieval time, whereas they were in Elizabethan dress when they were first performed. The audience would be different now as in Shakespeare’s day, the arena was a bit of a commotion, people talked, traded, drank. But nowadays, Shakespeare’s plays are seen almost as religious and the whole theatre is in silence. You are scolded if you even dare to cough. Also as people don’t have the same belief in witches and the supernatural as they did then, the story seems quite far-fetched, but it is still regarded as one of the greatest plays even written. Which is contradictory to the belief at the time. I think that my ideas are effective and also they are original, for example, my idea for Macbeth’s soliloquy, which, to my knowledge, hasn’t been used before. I think that it will be effective as I feel I have captured the characters in the way that they were written by Shakespeare and it stays very close to the original setting and so stays traditional.