Shakespeare creates tension in Act two, Scene two of
Macbeth. Macbeth has murdered King Duncan and now he is hearing things. He questions
Lady Macbeth to see if she has has heard the noise:
I have done the deed. Didn’t you hear a noise?
Macbeth is
already regretting his decision. Is there really a noise or is he hearing things? He
admits that he heard someone say that he would never sleep
again:
I heard a voice cry, 'Sleep no more! Macbeth murders
sleep,' the innocent sleep...
Lady
Macbeth insults his fears. She claims that an owl did screech and crickets cried, but
she insists that Macbeth has lost his courage.
You weaken your noble strength to
think
About things in such a crazy
way.
The reader senses the
tension between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Is someone awake? Did someone hear Macbeth
kill King Duncan? The tension grows as Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to wash his bloody
hands:
Go get
some water, And wash this filthy witness from your hands. Why did you bring these
daggers from the room? They must lie there. Go carry them, and smear The sleepy guards
with blood.
The reader can
visualize the bloody hands and dagger. Through the words of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth,
the reader can see King Duncan lying dead in his innocent blood. Macbeth exclaims that
he will not go back and look on his murderous deed. Shakespeare's use of imagery with
the bloody details create tension for the reader, and no doubt for the
characters.
No comments:
Post a Comment