Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Setting/Location
At the beginning of the play we are able to see the setting and mood by just reading the opening lines. It is set in the middle ages around the 11th century and takes place mostly in Scotland. The audience is first introduced to the the weird sisters who are gathered on a Scottish moor during a violent thunderstorm which gives an eerie feeling to the audience. The next scenes take place on a vast battlefield in which violence takes over. Once again the mysterious witches appear for a short while bringing a sense of doom and curiosity to the story. In the middle ages many people believed abstract ideas including the spells cast by witches. We know that the weird sisters are also known as the Fate Sisters so they may be aspects in Shakespeare's foreshadowing for the future events in the play. There is battlefield is located near a military camp as well. We are able to see how violence plays a key role in the culture during the middle ages with the brutal executions which were considered entertainment. Already we have seen one execution of the Thane of Cawdor which sets the dark tone for the rest of the play. Violence is sure to be a recurring theme specifically because Macbeth is set in the middle ages period.
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The Setting of Macbeth starts of as a rainy day on the beach. This foreshadows the outlook of the story as negative. The three weird sisters portray the scene as dark, their appearance and burial of a severed hand help to support this. The day is made out to be bad on one hand due to the inclement weather but good on the other because of the victory Macbeth recieves. He boasts about stabbing a man from the "nave to the chops." This is quite the way to begin a story by throwing the entire kitchen sink right at the audience. This stemmed from Shakespeare's desire to enthrall King James and pull him into the story right away for he was known to doze off in the middle of performances.
ReplyDeleteI find your comments about the foreshadowing elements interesting. I agree that since Macbeth is hearing about his "fair" future under such "foul" circumstances, that one can not help but to assume that the good or "fair" news he receives will end in corruption or despair. I also appreciate your connection to the history of the time period and how it applies to the play. Very thoughtful analysis.
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