Concept Of Tragedy In Macbeth
Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, which has been performed on stage for a wide range of different audiences since its creation in the sixteenth century. It depicts the endeavours of Lord Macbeth to become king through a series of murders, egged on by his wife, Lady Macbeth.
The reason Macbeth can be called a tragedy is because the elements of tragedy are present throughout. Macbeth also adheres to Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. That is, that a tragedy describes the fatal error of a generally good person causing their downfall and demise, and stirs fear and pity in the audience. The themes in Macbeth also contribute to the concept of tragedy. Two such themes are the supernatural and ambition.
A reoccurring theme in Macbeth is the theme of the supernatural. The supernatural was something that the audience of the original performances of Macbeth, during the sixteenth century, could relate to, as this was a period of genuine belief in, and often fear of, witchcraft. During this era, many people, often outcasts from society or oddballs, were accused of being witches and put on trial, which usually resulted in them being killed. Therefore, Shakespeare’s purpose in including the theme of the supernatural in Macbeth was to relate to his audiences.
This theme is demonstrated in Macbeth through techniques such as rhyming couplets. This is demonstrated in ACT I, SCENE I, when the character known only as ‘first witch’ cries, “When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” The fact that this unit of verse is a rhyming couplet adds to the surrealism and strangeness of the three witches which are introduced in this theme. These witches are almost the physical embodiment of the supernatural in Macbeth, and the technique of rhyming couplets is almost consistent throughout the rest of this short scene. The rest of the scene sees the witches predicting the time of day the battle will cease, and foretelling where they will happen across
The reason Macbeth can be called a tragedy is because the elements of tragedy are present throughout. Macbeth also adheres to Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. That is, that a tragedy describes the fatal error of a generally good person causing their downfall and demise, and stirs fear and pity in the audience. The themes in Macbeth also contribute to the concept of tragedy. Two such themes are the supernatural and ambition.
A reoccurring theme in Macbeth is the theme of the supernatural. The supernatural was something that the audience of the original performances of Macbeth, during the sixteenth century, could relate to, as this was a period of genuine belief in, and often fear of, witchcraft. During this era, many people, often outcasts from society or oddballs, were accused of being witches and put on trial, which usually resulted in them being killed. Therefore, Shakespeare’s purpose in including the theme of the supernatural in Macbeth was to relate to his audiences.
This theme is demonstrated in Macbeth through techniques such as rhyming couplets. This is demonstrated in ACT I, SCENE I, when the character known only as ‘first witch’ cries, “When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” The fact that this unit of verse is a rhyming couplet adds to the surrealism and strangeness of the three witches which are introduced in this theme. These witches are almost the physical embodiment of the supernatural in Macbeth, and the technique of rhyming couplets is almost consistent throughout the rest of this short scene. The rest of the scene sees the witches predicting the time of day the battle will cease, and foretelling where they will happen across