Conventions In Macbeth

Shakespeare is a writer who used fantastic dramatic conventions in his plays, one of his best plays being Macbeth. The key idea of the first act is greed, this is shown when Macbeth’s greed for power becomes apparent to the audience and eventually other characters. A dramatic convention is a technique that is used to signify the nature of a character and depict this to the audience. In Shakespeare's writing these are a common technique used and are one of the reasons his characters and stories alike are so highly regarded. Throughout Macbeth many of these are used. In Act 1 Shakespeare displays these through a tragic flaw in a character, foreshadowing and a motif, amongst others. These are some of the dramatic conventions that makes Shakespeare’s …show more content…
This foreshadowing is evident in the beginning of the play when Macbeth is told of many prophecies by the three witches. Foreshadowing by the witches is linked to the key idea due to them planted and idea in Macbeth’s mind and that then growing into his overwhelming greed. In this first act the first example of foreshadowing is shown when the witches say to Macbeth "when the battle's lost and won." and "fair is foul, and foul is fair." The first quote is entailing to Macbeth that there will be an upcoming event that involves evil and also a large victory for Macbeth. This prophecy by the witches also hints to the audience that there is to be a large upcoming battle between a good force and an evil force. Another example of the witches using foreshadowing is when they meet Macbeth and Banquo. When met with the two men the witch's name them by titles such as Thane of Cawdor, King and Thane of Glamis. These titles suggest Macbeth having these titles later in the play. This foreshadowing is linked with one of the most important dramatic conventions within the play, the motif of the characters, namingly …show more content…
This greed is mainly focused on through the main character of Macbeth, and shows his journey in the greed for power. This greed is shown with 3 main dramatic conventions which help display the key idea. These three dramatic conventions are pivotal to the story of Macbeth and the timeless characters within the play. Tragic flaw, foreshadowing and a motif are all key aspects in the play of Macbeth and the story would not be what it is without the fantastic use of these. These conventions offer a deeper meaning to each character and the lines that are said, thus helping the audience connect and understand the characters