Category: Shakespeare

This essay will review how Shakespearean plays captures the interest of the audience with a variety of complex devices.A few of these devices will be explained in further detail throughout this essay.This includes soliloquy’s, foreshadowing and personification.

Shakespeare uses ambition in the play Macbeth to show a characters determination for success and desire.An example of this is in Act 1 scene 7 were Lady Macbeth has a driving force to encourage Macbeth to take action on the prophecy and kill King Duncan.She says “But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we’ll not fail.”Lady Macbeth is giving Macbeth the courage to kill Duncan and give him the ambition for greed and power.Which corrupts him later on in the play and turns him into a tyrant which keeps the audience interested about the characters persona.

Another device that Shakespeare uses to capture the audiences interest is a soliloquy. A soliloquy is when only one actor is on stage and thinks aloud. An example of Shakespeare’s use of soliloquy is when Macbeth says “Is this a dagger which I see before me,The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.”This shows that Macbeth is thinking about killing King Duncan.This influences people in the audience and increases the tension in the play and is getting the audience excited about knowing that Macbeth could perform treason, which attracts the audience attention and keeps them interested.

Other events occur during the course of the play which are key factors to help keep the audience engaged.Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural is used in this play to keep the audience engaged and unable to look away.The use of supernatural also fills the audience with anticipation and are eager to know what happens next.”Fair is foul, and foul is fair; Hover through the fog and filthy air.”This quote from the first scene in Macbeth shows that the audience would automatically assume that their is a connection between the witches and their rhythmic speech to suggest they are plotting something that will connect to the supernatural.This is to capture the audience attention which keeps them engaged and interested in the play.

Dramatic irony is another device used to keep the audience interested.Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters in a play does not. A clear example of this is from act 1 scene 4 were King Duncan does not know about the witches’ prophecy, or that Macbeth and is expecting to become king and will kill him to get the honor. The audience knows about the witches, and so this scene is especially dramatic because it makes the audience wonder what will happen next.

Foreshadowing is a good method Shakespeare used in many of his plays. He uses foreshadowing in this play is an important role in because most of the action of Shakespeare’s plays has hints of what might happen before it happens. An example of this is from act 3 scene 1 where Banquo had remembered the witches’ prophecy, and he begins to suspects that Macbeth has killed the King Duncan to get the throne and the honor. Banquo also remembered that the witches said that his children would become king. This quote reminds the audience that Macbeth has not completey secured the throne,and now know that Banquo is now in danger.This attracts the audience members and makes them want to see more.

Shakespeare uses a wide variety of dramatic devices in the play Macbeth. A dramatic device Macbeth uses is personification in this extract from Act 2 Scene 1.

Macbeth sees a dagger before him which is an illusion and potentially a sign of madness. He says “Thou marshall’st me the way I was going; and such a instrument I was to use”.

Another device is personification.In this soliloquy Macbeth uses personification by using the object – in this case a knife – as if it were a living being. In this quote Macbeth uses the words “marshall’st me” which means it is guiding him. He says this to the knife which he is imagining to see in front of his eyes. He says to the knife to guide him as a metaphor to control the way he is going. “And such an instrument I was to use” refers to a knife being an instrument and is about to be played. The quote chosen shows hints of remorse even if he continues with the plan to kill King Duncan. In the play, Macbeth sees a dagger because he is uncertain whether to kill Duncan or not. He feel weakness if he doesn’t continue with the plan but will fell remorse if he continues so he needs guidance on what he is going to do. He uses the dagger to justify his actions. Personification attracts the audience and gives them a colorful way to describe complex ideas to the audience.

Iambic pentameter is another device Shakespeare uses in Macbeth.In Macbeth the higher more important characters mostly speak in unrhymed iambic pentameter. An example of this is where Lady Macbeth tells her husband to wash his hands after he has just murdered King Duncan. She says “and WASH this FILthy WITness FROM your HAND.” You may have noticed that every second syllable is accented (stressed) so this is classic iambic pentameter. This Is when the lines have no regular rhyme. This attracts the audience interest because it enables them to visualize an interpretation of each characters wealth a importance to the play.

The evidence shows how Shakespeare uses a great amount of complex devices to keep the audience interested in his play Macbeth.