Masculinity In Macbeth
Macbeth Essay
Essay Question: ‘Despite being written four hundred years ago, the play Macbeth – like all Shakespeare’s plays – continues to resonate strongly with modern day audiences.’
Discuss this statement with reference to the plays thematic concerns and the strategies used by Shakespeare to promote engagement and to shape meaning and understanding.
Shakespeare’s play Macbeth still resonates strongly with modern day audiences due to the use of themes and devices that are still relevant to today’s society. Corruption and the connection between violence and masculinity are the main ideologies faced by the main characters. The existence of ‘destiny’, superstitions and supernatural beings are often questioned in today’s society. Guilt is also a major theme which drives Macbeth to the point of insanity and his wife into depression which then leads to her suicide; again these are modern issues which trouble some people on a daily basis. Also the use of dramatic irony, rhyming couplets, soliloquies and comic relief keep the audience attentive and allows the audience to create an emotional connection with the characters. …show more content…
Effective drama creates a willing suspension of disbelief within the audience; this is the main reason Shakespeare’s plays are still a world favourite to this day.
One of the ways Shakespeare creates this state of complete absorption within his audience is through the use of dramatic irony. In Macbeth the audience is often aware of an event that has already come to pass or is about to unfold before the character. For example, when Macbeth orders three assassins to murderer Lady Macduff and her children, the audience knows her life is about to end and yet Lady Macduff and her babes are blissfully unaware. This creates suspense which effectively draws the audience into the play as if they were witnessing the events first hand. Due to this the audience is able to create an emotional bond with those suffering throughout the
play.
Rhyming couplets are another powerful device employed by Shakespeare to engage his audience. The main purpose of rhyming couplets is to regain the audience’s attention and they’re deliberately used to draw the audiences focus to an important event and or moment within the play. Without the use of rhyming some things may go unnoticed by the audience which are important to understanding the play. This device also maintains the suspension of disbelief within the audience. It creates a rhythmic flow throughout the play and makes transactions between scenes very smooth.
Soliloquies create a direct link to the characters thoughts and enable the audience to form an emotional bond or at least understand the characters inner self. Shakespeare utilises this device to engage the audience and allow them to take part in the characters journey. The insight that soliloquies offer shape a deeper meaning and understanding about the characters motives and allow the audience to witness firsthand the corruption that takes hold of Macbeth mind and the grief that tears at Macduff’s heart when learns of his family’s murder. Soliloquies also suspend reality and let the audience live the play.
Another device that allows the playwright to establish a bond with his audience is comic relief. This is important within a tragedy, such as Macbeth, because it allows the audience to relax and have a laugh usually at the expense of a muddle headed fool. Shakespeare employed comic relief to break up tense moments within the play and sometimes just before a tragic event occurred. In Macbeth, the gate keeper who is only half sober begins making crude and vulgar jokes as he opens the gate. This scene happens just before the king is found to be murdered. There is also dramatic irony at play during this scene because the audience already knows of the king’s death and yet the other inhabitants of Macbeth castle are oblivious to the horrid deed committed in the dead of night.
The thematic concern of corruption is very prominent throughout Macbeth. The use of corruption as a major theme allows modern audiences to connect with the story of Macbeth because corruption is still a very real issue in today’s society and will continue to be an issue until the end of mankind. Branching off from corruption are subthemes; such as deception, manipulation, ambition, revenge and the image of masculinity which all lead the characters into the grotesque claws of corruption. When Macbeth was first told of his future by the witches he easily dismissed it; until their first prediction came to be. His ambition and thirst for power grew. However it was Lady Macbeth who manipulated him with taunts, which lead him to doubt his masculinity and commit such an uncharacteristic act as the murder of the king. As Macbeths reign begins and power becomes his obsession, the audience is drawn into his downward spiral as he becomes less than human and sets out to murder those he believes to be a threat. Shakespeare has written about corruption through the literacy work of Macbeth in such a way which allows audiences of today to form their own opinion about modern corruption or at least grasp the seriousness of the vile seeds which take root in the minds of the power hungry.
The witches in Macbeth and the play on superstitions bring forth many questions. In the days of Macbeth people believed the kings authority was a god given right and to kill a king would be a terrible unnatural act which would bring down the wrath of god. Shakespeare played upon this superstition and had all the animals run wild and flee on the night Macbeth murdered the king. The weather also became violent as if expressing the fury of god. There are also many different religions on this earth and each one believes that their god/s is the true god/s. Does a ‘higher power’ really exist? We will never know until our dying day and yet we have gone to war with one another over religion.
Destiny is also touched on within the play and is a very in depth concept which every human would surely like to understand. Are we truly in control of our future or is a path cleared for us to walk upon the day we’re placed upon this earth? The witches supposably interfere with the destiny of Macbeth but one does wonder whether it would have come to pass anyway due to Lady Macbeth’s obvious lust for power. The knowledge of our future would surely still be a very strong temptation and modern audiences can relate to Macbeths thirst for knowledge, but unfortunately it was this knowledge that lead him to corruption and then insanity.
Another major thematic concern is guilt which goes hand in hand with corruption. After committing such vile acts, Macbeth begins to lose his sanity and he sees the ghost of his friend, whom he sent murderers after. Macbeth and his Lady suffer terribly insomnia because their conscious will not allow them to rest. Lady Macbeth becomes so guilt ridden that she begins to babble of her wrongdoings as she sleep walks. Through their guilt both Macbeth and his wife find themselves in the dark void of depression and although it is unclear in the play many have made the assumption that Lady Macbeth did in fact commit suicide. Today many people are battling depression and suicidal thoughts and during this part of the play some modern audiences would be able to make a very deep connection with the main characters. Today every human has a conscious which second guesses nearly every decision you make in your life but without this, as the play Macbeth illustrates, we lose our humanity and become a group of beings capable of the most unthinkably devastating acts.
Shakespeare has written Macbeth in such a way that, to this day, Macbeths name is synonymous with murder and tyranny. The audiences of today society can understand and learn from all the themes and devices employed throughout the play such as guilt, destiny and the use of dramatic irony, rhyming couplets, soliloquies and comic relief. They also get a sense of what it means to be in power and the corruption that still plagues modern rulers and those in power. The play Macbeth leaves many personally questions in its wake and its powerful script provokes deep thought within its audience.
Essay Question: ‘Despite being written four hundred years ago, the play Macbeth – like all Shakespeare’s plays – continues to resonate strongly with modern day audiences.’
Discuss this statement with reference to the plays thematic concerns and the strategies used by Shakespeare to promote engagement and to shape meaning and understanding.
Shakespeare’s play Macbeth still resonates strongly with modern day audiences due to the use of themes and devices that are still relevant to today’s society. Corruption and the connection between violence and masculinity are the main ideologies faced by the main characters. The existence of ‘destiny’, superstitions and supernatural beings are often questioned in today’s society. Guilt is also a major theme which drives Macbeth to the point of insanity and his wife into depression which then leads to her suicide; again these are modern issues which trouble some people on a daily basis. Also the use of dramatic irony, rhyming couplets, soliloquies and comic relief keep the audience attentive and allows the audience to create an emotional connection with the characters. …show more content…
Effective drama creates a willing suspension of disbelief within the audience; this is the main reason Shakespeare’s plays are still a world favourite to this day.
One of the ways Shakespeare creates this state of complete absorption within his audience is through the use of dramatic irony. In Macbeth the audience is often aware of an event that has already come to pass or is about to unfold before the character. For example, when Macbeth orders three assassins to murderer Lady Macduff and her children, the audience knows her life is about to end and yet Lady Macduff and her babes are blissfully unaware. This creates suspense which effectively draws the audience into the play as if they were witnessing the events first hand. Due to this the audience is able to create an emotional bond with those suffering throughout the
play.
Rhyming couplets are another powerful device employed by Shakespeare to engage his audience. The main purpose of rhyming couplets is to regain the audience’s attention and they’re deliberately used to draw the audiences focus to an important event and or moment within the play. Without the use of rhyming some things may go unnoticed by the audience which are important to understanding the play. This device also maintains the suspension of disbelief within the audience. It creates a rhythmic flow throughout the play and makes transactions between scenes very smooth.
Soliloquies create a direct link to the characters thoughts and enable the audience to form an emotional bond or at least understand the characters inner self. Shakespeare utilises this device to engage the audience and allow them to take part in the characters journey. The insight that soliloquies offer shape a deeper meaning and understanding about the characters motives and allow the audience to witness firsthand the corruption that takes hold of Macbeth mind and the grief that tears at Macduff’s heart when learns of his family’s murder. Soliloquies also suspend reality and let the audience live the play.
Another device that allows the playwright to establish a bond with his audience is comic relief. This is important within a tragedy, such as Macbeth, because it allows the audience to relax and have a laugh usually at the expense of a muddle headed fool. Shakespeare employed comic relief to break up tense moments within the play and sometimes just before a tragic event occurred. In Macbeth, the gate keeper who is only half sober begins making crude and vulgar jokes as he opens the gate. This scene happens just before the king is found to be murdered. There is also dramatic irony at play during this scene because the audience already knows of the king’s death and yet the other inhabitants of Macbeth castle are oblivious to the horrid deed committed in the dead of night.
The thematic concern of corruption is very prominent throughout Macbeth. The use of corruption as a major theme allows modern audiences to connect with the story of Macbeth because corruption is still a very real issue in today’s society and will continue to be an issue until the end of mankind. Branching off from corruption are subthemes; such as deception, manipulation, ambition, revenge and the image of masculinity which all lead the characters into the grotesque claws of corruption. When Macbeth was first told of his future by the witches he easily dismissed it; until their first prediction came to be. His ambition and thirst for power grew. However it was Lady Macbeth who manipulated him with taunts, which lead him to doubt his masculinity and commit such an uncharacteristic act as the murder of the king. As Macbeths reign begins and power becomes his obsession, the audience is drawn into his downward spiral as he becomes less than human and sets out to murder those he believes to be a threat. Shakespeare has written about corruption through the literacy work of Macbeth in such a way which allows audiences of today to form their own opinion about modern corruption or at least grasp the seriousness of the vile seeds which take root in the minds of the power hungry.
The witches in Macbeth and the play on superstitions bring forth many questions. In the days of Macbeth people believed the kings authority was a god given right and to kill a king would be a terrible unnatural act which would bring down the wrath of god. Shakespeare played upon this superstition and had all the animals run wild and flee on the night Macbeth murdered the king. The weather also became violent as if expressing the fury of god. There are also many different religions on this earth and each one believes that their god/s is the true god/s. Does a ‘higher power’ really exist? We will never know until our dying day and yet we have gone to war with one another over religion.
Destiny is also touched on within the play and is a very in depth concept which every human would surely like to understand. Are we truly in control of our future or is a path cleared for us to walk upon the day we’re placed upon this earth? The witches supposably interfere with the destiny of Macbeth but one does wonder whether it would have come to pass anyway due to Lady Macbeth’s obvious lust for power. The knowledge of our future would surely still be a very strong temptation and modern audiences can relate to Macbeths thirst for knowledge, but unfortunately it was this knowledge that lead him to corruption and then insanity.
Another major thematic concern is guilt which goes hand in hand with corruption. After committing such vile acts, Macbeth begins to lose his sanity and he sees the ghost of his friend, whom he sent murderers after. Macbeth and his Lady suffer terribly insomnia because their conscious will not allow them to rest. Lady Macbeth becomes so guilt ridden that she begins to babble of her wrongdoings as she sleep walks. Through their guilt both Macbeth and his wife find themselves in the dark void of depression and although it is unclear in the play many have made the assumption that Lady Macbeth did in fact commit suicide. Today many people are battling depression and suicidal thoughts and during this part of the play some modern audiences would be able to make a very deep connection with the main characters. Today every human has a conscious which second guesses nearly every decision you make in your life but without this, as the play Macbeth illustrates, we lose our humanity and become a group of beings capable of the most unthinkably devastating acts.
Shakespeare has written Macbeth in such a way that, to this day, Macbeths name is synonymous with murder and tyranny. The audiences of today society can understand and learn from all the themes and devices employed throughout the play such as guilt, destiny and the use of dramatic irony, rhyming couplets, soliloquies and comic relief. They also get a sense of what it means to be in power and the corruption that still plagues modern rulers and those in power. The play Macbeth leaves many personally questions in its wake and its powerful script provokes deep thought within its audience.