Form
Form
The Play’s Structure
- Macbeth is a tragedy which adheres to the conventional five-act structure: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
- The fatal flaw of Macbeth, his ambition, is revealed early in the play, and develops the tragedy as it progresses.
- The play revolves around the fall of a hero; in this case, Macbeth slowly descends into madness and meets a tragic end.
Use of Soliloquies and Asides
- Soliloquies are employed throughout the play, giving readers insight into characters’ thoughts, particularly Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
- Macbeth’s soliloquies often reveal his inner conflicts and guilt, exposing his moral struggles.
- Asides are also used to reveal characters’ thoughts and intentions without other characters hearing.
Verse and Prose
- Generally, nobility and supernatural elements speak in blank verse, lending their words an air of formality and gravity.
- The common characters usually speak in prose, creating a contrast and highlighting the social hierarchy of the time.
- The witches, however, speak in a rhymed verse which sets them apart, adding to their eerie, foreign nature.
Dramatic Irony
- The use of dramatic irony is common in Macbeth, particularly when characters make assumptions that the audience knows to be false.
- This heightens the tension and engages the audience more fully in the plot.
Use of Imagery
- Shakespeare uses powerful imagery to bring the themes and emotions of the play to life.
- Images of blood and water are recurrent, symbolising guilt, death and cleansing.
- Animal and night-time imagery are frequently deployed to create a sense of foreboding and reflect the evil unfolding in the play.
Use of Rhyme and Meter
- The iambic pentameter lends a rhythm to the dialogue, which creates a certain dramatic intensity.
- Rhyme is particularly used in the witches’ chants and spells, enhancing the otherworldly, sinister aura surrounding them.
- The rhymed couplets usually mark the end of a scene, providing closure and emphasising the message or element of foreshadowing within them.
Symbolism
- Frequent use of symbolism gives depth to the text, providing layers of meaning for analysis.
- Symbols such as the dagger, ghostly apparitions, and Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking episodes all contribute to an atmosphere of guilt, fear, and the downfall of the Macbeths.
- The paradoxical phrases and prophecies given by the witches are also symbolic of the blurred lines between truth and reality, good and evil in the play.